Chapter 5, Development of the Arena Theater of São Paulo, First Stage and Need for the Joker Summary and Analysis

In "First Stage", Boal contrasts the Arena Theater to Brazil's European-style, upper-class TBC theater and follows its stages of development. The Arena Theater sought to find Brazilian works, but Brazil's authors were working in foreign style, so the theater settled on realism as a first stage. The new Actor's Laboratory studied Stanislavski's method acting style, with Brazilian actors. They performed works by Steinbeck and Brecht, among others, using the intimate circular style of theater. The art direction evolved from conventional structures of doors and windows, to a bare stage of few elements, to finally appropriate design for circular staging.

"The Seminar of Dramaturgy" was developed to create Brazilian plays...