VIDA Theatre Forum

(1991)   During the process of preparation of the play Canadian Tango, which included extensive research in the community, we realized that we faced a situation that required direct action from us. Our research indicated that family violence, and specifically wife assault, was very frequent among Latin American immigrants. In some cases, tensions provoked by the new situation made the men more aggressive towards their families, in others women realized that the law in Canada protected them, rebelled against years of abuse and brought the issue out in the open. 

We decided to design a program using Theatre of the Oppressed techniques to educate the public, increase their awareness and find solutions for the serious problem of family violence. Our program was called "VIDA Theatre Forum". Two actors and a "joker" took part in it. They were all bilingual (English and Spanish), and so this program could be presented to both audiences, not only Latin American.

We realized then that this problem, unfortunately, is not exclusive to our community but it is universal and happens in all cultures and all social classes. "VIDA Theatre Forum" was very successful, we had several teams of actors presenting it allover the province of BC. 

It was PUENTE's presentation in the 7th International festival of Theatre of the Oppressed in Rio de Janeiro.
In this way PUENTE Theatre started using Theatre of the Oppressed in its work.