2019 Year 12 IB Extended Essays

The Jana Sanskriti Centre for Theatre of the Oppressed advocates for the intellectual ability of people. The purpose of their work extends beyond immediate problem-solving. What Jana Sanskriti confronts, with their plays, workshops and forum sessions is the disconnection between people caused by individualist attitudes. They combat apathy in an approach of application and action that extends beyond theory and philosophical debate. JS values Theatre as the politics of creating a connection. What the company exhibits, is how theatre is a resolution to the humanist departure from our empathetic tendencies. By being present in the community on a continuous and consistent basis, JS builds a future legacy. “This debate actually allows intellectual growth. JS thinks that people are essentially intellectual, but they don’t realise it. However, this intellectual capacity is not always manifested because of the political forces, they are always told to follow.” (Ganguly, Sanjoy. From Boal to Jana Sanskriti: Practice and Principles (Routledge Focus)). The Jana Sanskriti Centre provides for Indian communities, the liberty to communicate their concerns through the platform of Forum Theatre and their workshops promote expressivity and rationality. A key-value central to Boal’s’ conception of TO, that JS exemplifies, is the distinction between ‘Theatre of’ and ‘Theatre for’ the oppressed. Ganguly emphasises the importance of preventing TO from becoming a masterclass for theatre teachers and performers. Why Jana Sanskriti epitomises the transcendent theory and practice of TO, is their ability to cultivate an internal revolution that breaks passivity. Internal revolution breaks self-interest, it means liberation from ‘I’. The exercises and games create an environment where the individual is stimulated and challenged. They develop a sociological understanding of their issues; from which they experience intellectual growth. From there, a community of spect-activists evolves.

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