Image theatre
Image Theatre is an ensemble's collective visual perspective on an issue that is being dramatically created. The idea underlying Image Theatre is that a picture paints a thousand words and that our over reliance on words can confuse or muddle issues rather than clarify them. In some instances images can be closer to our true feelings, even our subconscious feelings than words, since the process of thinking with our bodies can short circuit the censorship of the brain. Boal calls censorship of the brain cop in the head, as these are the do's and don'ts already placed there by society structures and our personal experiences.
Image theatre is dynamised through physical transitions from one moment of enacted theatrical oppression to another; these transitions provide a way for the spec-actors to question, discuss and analyse and try to solve the problem. Therefore dynamisation, combined with Image Theatre, is one of Boal's acting approaches which allows spec-actors to express their oppressions in a non-verbal manner.
Sculpting is an important acting technqiue in Theatre of the Oppressed. Sculpting is when ideas are expressed using the bodies of others. It is an important technique as '... it requires sensitive physical interaction ... and develops physical communication skills (Babbage, 2004, p.123), since the sculptors must use their bodies, rather than words, to give shape to their ideas.
Activity
Create your own Image Theatre exercise using Multiple Image of Happiness (Boal, 1992, pp.177-180) as a guide.
Explore issues such as Multiple Images of the HSC, or Multiple Images of their Life after the HSC.
Logbook reflection
Discuss how you approached this task as an actor. You need to outline how you and your group, created the image, sculpted and dynamised the image, and how this manifests Boal's acting techniques for performance, and your personal response to the task.