Deepening Practice: Jokering the Self
15th to 19th May, 2026
Background:
Theatre of the Oppressed (TOTO) is a praxis based on the political views of equality and democratic processes. Across the world, different movements, communities, and organizations have used it for initiating sociocultural shifts. Real, vital, and inclusive dialogues are crucial aspects of enduring democracies, in the present and in the future too. TOTO, both as an approach and a technique, facilitates a shift in behavior and perception of individuals and collectives, enabling greater ownership and a hands-on approach to validate and support diverse dialogues. The Theatre of the Oppressed practice deeply respects the intellectual faculty of people and therefore has the potential to portray oppression and change the story.
From our TOTO practice:
Sambhaavnaa has been organizing a multi-level program called Jokering Justice under the praxis of the theater of the oppressed, where we deep dive into the tools of TOTO as well as the philosophy of the pedagogy of the oppressed. The proposed workshop is planned as a standalone to deepen the understanding of the Rainbow of Desire and bodywork, especially Kalaripayattu.
About the Workshop:
In our work with jokering justice in Sambhaavnaa, a lot of emphasis is on body work. A clear need to deepen our own practice has been expressed by our team of jokers. This also includes understanding somatic approaches and dynamizing, as Boal articulates them, as a way to work with set patterns, habit energies, and internalised oppression.
Another key area includes Rainbow of Desire (ROD)—the therapeutic approach of TOTO. An introduction to this is made at various levels; however, no deep dive happens in the three levels of Jokering justice.
Rainbow of Desire is a powerful set of theatrical tools for investigating the inner and interpersonal lives of individuals and communities. It offers a collective, creative way to bring light to hidden emotions, internalized oppression, and painful relationships—and to transform them, not through advice or judgment, but through embodied discovery.
At its core, Boal’s work reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles, and that by sharing, staging, and transforming them together, we create new possibilities for change, healing, and liberation.
This standalone workshop is an invitation to those willing to enter the brave space and work with their own bodies and minds in a collective using these approaches. This workshop would be an intensive process with the possibility of triggers. Participants should be willing to bear and work with the self, the body, the soul, and their stories.
Objectives:
- Body and mind:
– Learn the theoretical and practical aspects of kalarippayattu and a few other physical and somatic work approaches.
– Create a list of practices that can be used for self and for facilitation - Practice and participate in the Rainbow of Desire and glean learnings for application:
– Challenging oneself before challenging others
- Joker’s self-work for jokering justice:
– Train a core set of jokers for sustainability.
– Theatre games of higher intensity for a deeper understanding of the TOTO approach
The key approach would include:
Exercises, games, simulations, and theory sessions, self-study, group work, ROD facilitation, and myth theatre.
About the facilitators:
- Jaya Iyer has been associated with various aspects of social development for over three decades. An awardee of many prestigious fellowships, Jaya is also a recipient of the UNESCO Aschberg Bursary to study the Theatre of the Oppressed with Augusto Boal. As a theater professional, she has developed and staged over 20 major productions and around 1000 studio, street, and community performances. Her productions have won the prestigious Sahitya Kala Parishad “Best Play of the Year” and have been showcased at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Urdu theatre festival, the Sriram Summer Festival, the Theatre for Truth Festival, etc.
Jaya was CEO of Pravah and led the process to set up the National Centre for Children and Youth in the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. She has been a guest faculty in the Bachelor of Elementary Education, TIE, National Museum Institute, and Disom School of Leadership. Jaya has designed and led various public campaigns around seed sovereignty, child rights, gender-based violence, anti-plastic movements, and proactive peacebuilding. - Zubair Idrisi has been a theater practitioner for more than fifteen years. His area of interest lies in working around the transformative power of theater in influencing social change. He specializes in theater-based training and facilitation of workshops at the individual, community, and organizational levels. He has extensive experience in project design and coordination with a focus on youth- and gender-oriented programs. He has designed and executed various social campaigns as well, each addressing a specific cause or an issue. His work with Pradan between 2017 and 2019 involved campaigns around gender-based violence, PDS distribution, and the right to vote. Zubair has worked with multiple non-government, government, and private organizations, along with students and teachers belonging to educational institutions as well. These include UNICEF, Greenpeace, JAGORI, Sangat, PCI, Teen Murti Bhawan, Nehru Learning Centre for Children and Youth, and the Government of India headquarters in New Delhi.
Participant Contribution:
We hope that participants will contribute an amount of Rs. 6000/- towards workshop expenses, inclusive of all on-site workshop costs: boarding, lodging, and all the materials used in the workshop. Travel of participants will have to be borne by the participants or the organisations they are representing.
Partial fee waivers will be offered to only a few people from marginalized groups and non-funded social, political, or student movements.
Dates and Venue: 15th to 19th May 2026, Sambhaavnaa Institute, VPO Kandbari, Tehsil Palampur, District Kangra, PIN 176061, Himachal Pradesh.
How to reach: Please visit Getting to Sambhaavnaa
For any other info, WhatsApp or call 889 422 7954 (between 10 am and 5 pm), and e-mail [email protected].
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