Nadia just returned from completing a two month residency program at Augusto Boal’s Center for the Theater of the Oppressed (CTO) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This program is both practical and theoretical, and aims at deepening the participant’s knowledge and understanding of the Theater of the Oppressed. This type of theater seeks to give people (the oppressed) a voice. Through it, the oppressed can reassume their protagonistic function in society. Theater is placed at the service of the oppressed, so that they can discover new concepts, ideas, and tools to deal with oppression and oppressive situations, all while expressing themselves. 

Besides learning from the “original curingas,” Nadia attended seminars and talks, labs and training workshops, worked with popular groups such as “As Marias do Brasil” (“The Marys of Brazil,” a group led by domestic workers), “Pirei na Cenna” (“Crazy on scene,” a group led by patients of a psychiatric hospital), and was part of different projects including performing in the piece “Cor do Brasil” (“Color of Brazil,” a piece dealing with racism). Nadia was also part of the Curso de Formação Internacional- Módulo II: Imagem, Palavra e Som.  (International Training Course – Module II: Image, Word, and Sound).

Nadia learned a lot and at the same time had the opportunity to experience the wonderful Brazilian culture. This was an amazing experience that she will never forget!