The Formative, Critical and Emancipatory Potential of the Arts in General and Theatre in Particular

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to make a reflective and critical contribution to theatre as a learning space, considering paths towards education through art, education for art and education in art. Theoretical Framework: The text is based on the pedagogical, aesthetic, ethical and technical experiences of artists such as Bertolt Brecht, Peter Brook, Eugenio Barba, Augusto Boal, Antonin Artaud, Jerzy Grotowski, Pina Bausch and Ariane Mnouchkine, with the aim of establishing a network of currents of thought that intertwine with Socrates, Theodor Adorno, Walter Benjamin, Paulo Freire, among others, in the combination of art, pedagogy and social transformation. Method: The methodology adopted for this research comprises a bibliographical review, which is decisive for the essayistic and dialogical form that the article seeks to establish with the reader. Results and Discussion: The results obtained indicate that the concept of teaching artist must take on theatre itself and understand that artistic and pedagogical action focused on modes of stage production, scenic thinking and language research already constitute education. Within the concept of the teaching artist, the very structuring of theatre, in its multiple possibilities of experiences, involves artistic-pedagogical decisions and choices. Based on their artistic training and interest in education through art, the teaching artist must link their work to the creative, mobilising and knowledge-building potential that theatre possesses, in direct relation to society from an inter-arts perspective. Research implications: The practical and theoretical implications of this research are based on a conceptual universe that substantiates and emphasises the social and pedagogical role of theatre, the artist and the teacher interested in scenic perspectives that reaffirm the formative, critical and emancipatory potential of the arts. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the specific literature in the area, as well as resulting in a proposition of the Teaching Artist as a mobiliser and builder of theatrical knowledge in direct dialogue with society and other arts.