“The Joker System provided a perfect aesthetic vehicle to tell not only the story of Rodney King and the ensuing uprising, but a larger, ever changing and ever-the-same, storyo of violence, racism, and resistance in the US. Creating UPSET! In the mode of the Joker System provided a means to incorporate the teens curiosity, dismay, outrage, confusion, fear, and inspiration in relation to the subject matter of the play within the play.”
Here's a bit of extra background on the joker system:
“The Joker System laid the theoretical foundation for the Theatre of the Oppressed, the umbrella term Boal employed for all his subsequent theoretical developments. Even in the Forum Theatre, his most popular theatrical format, the lineaments of the Joker system are apparent.
The Joker System began in 1965, when the Arena Theatre performed Arena Narrates Zumbí.
The word “Joker” had, in Boal’s mind, the same significance as the “Joker” playing card, a card which has more mobility than any of the other cards in the deck and does not necessarily connote the idea of playing jokes. The joker plays different roles within varying contexts and combinations, including director, referee, facilitator, and workshop leader. The system also facilitates the creation of a character, which can play various roles: actor, character, chorus, and protagonist, all in the same performance.”
I am struck by how much, after reading these two articles, you see this joker character in much of modern theatrical works. My first thought is the breaking of the fourth wall used in modern movies. This medium is used to create a metaphysical look into the character's mind. Or even in any of Shakespeare's soliloquies when the actor uses the audience as their scene partner (this one is a bit of a stretch I admit but it is very early signs of this joker character.) I found her process to be very interesting and this article to be insightful in allowing me to understand more fully what this process would look like. I a interested in how many of the students took this process, considering the topic of discussion could be argued to be too “adult” for youngsters. How did the parents react to this?
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