Who is Augusto Boal?
Augusto Boal was born on 16th March 1931, and died 2nd of May 2009.
He was a brazilian theatre writer and director, as well as an avid politician.
He was raised in Rio De Janeiro, and attended Columbia University in the 1940s/50s.
He was an experimentalist when it came to performance and was widely known for his ideology of the theatre of the oppressed.
He was an experimentalist when it came to performance and was widely known for his ideology of the theatre of the oppressed.
His ideology was that humans were a self contained theatre, actor and spectator in one. Also known as Spect-actor. He believed that our change in actions have an even greater impact on the change in the world.
Community theatre is about changing the world for the better by altering our actions. Just like what Boal believed.
Why are we doing Community?
Community Theatre is important because it brings theatre to people who don’t necessarily have the chance or ability to witness normal theatre.
It creates a doorway for people who have disabilities to experience escapism from the difficulties they face in life.
It’s also a fantastic teaching method for people who suffer from learnings disabilities or social disabilities, as theatre is a means of communication.
Who are Polka Theatre Company?
Polka Theatre are one of the few companies that create theatre dedicated to children and have been doing so since 1979. They aim to inspire and fuel the senses of young children.
They believe theatre is important for a child’s creative development, therefore they want as many children as possible to experience and enjoy their performances.
They pride themselves on being a local theatre of Wimbledon and work with local schools to give children the opportunity to watch their shows. Their work can be immersive where they invite the children to join in, and other times they include physical movement to enhance the performance and show children the variety of creative expression.
The theatre itself is centred around children and their experience while visiting it. It has a cafe, playground and a garden which are all equipped with toys for the kids.
They also give schools access to online resource packs and theatre workshops because as a company, Polka Theatre believe not enough children are exposed to theatre and they want to change that.
Overview of Polka Theatre Company
Peter Glanville was appointed the role of Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Polka Theatre in August of 2013, and has since worked on the majority of the shows that have been produced within the last four years. His role is to look after the show and direct the shows that are put on. He is the man in charge of the direction each show goes in.
"I feel very privileged to have been offered the position of artistic director at Polka Theatre. The company has a great history and I'm looking forward to the prospect of continuing to raise its profile in the future with ground-breaking world-class theatre for children." - Peter Glanville
Another role is Executive Director of Polka, Stephen Midlane. His role is the highest ranked in the organisation. His responsibility in the company is to make the managerial decision for the staff and to make certain that the theatre is achieving its aims and goals on track and on time.
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| Stepehn Midlane |
The Development Director of Polka is Amanda Cropper. She is responsible for managing all fundraising activities including Polkas charitable events and touring theatre company. She makes certain that the financial purpose of Polka is maintained.
One of the tasks Amanda would be in charge of is Polkas charity. Polka is run via donations of the public, government and and patron grants. Some of their notable patrons include Sir Kenneth Branagh, Malorie Blackman OBE and Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London). Amanda would make certain these patrons and donations keep the theatre alive.
Polka regularly works in collaboration with Children in Need, to provide theatre for the less able.
As well as devising shows for younger people, Polka spend their days sharing productions of children's theatre all over the country through their touring company as well as at their official base in Wimbledon.
Here's a video of Polka in rehearsal. This is an example of their day to day process.
Beauty and The Beast
Beauty and The Beast was one of Polka Theatre’s Christmas production and was hit with both adults and children. Charles Way’s adaptation allowed all age groups to find humour within the dialogue; this partnered with balletic and dreamlike choreography, resulted in a successful production.
Another important element of the performance was Laura McEwen’s set which included projections to add vibrancy and interest to the piece. Moreover, Julian Butler composed the music to intensify the atmosphere and make it easier for the children to identify the different emotions throughout the play.
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