`The bourgeoisie presents the spectacle. On the other hand, the proletariat and the oppressed classes do not know yet what their world will be like; consequently their theater will be the rehearsal, not the finished spectacle. This is quite true, though it is equally true that the theater can present images of transition.'

Augusto Boal recognises the shifting state of the post-modern political theatre and the effect it has on the populace. The post-modern theatre renegotiates the very essence of theatre in a traditional, linear sense and urges exploration in order to challenge the hegemony and make theatre a `rehersal for revolution'#. Using performance as a vocabulary for dissecting social conditions is a potent, powerful tool and it is important to be critical of the ethical applications of it. Much reflection is required on the question of whether to use theatre to preach or to teach. It...