Author - Kuringa Team

Have you ever wondered how theater can be a powerful tool for promoting social justice and community change? Or how theatrical techniques can be used to stimulate dialogue and reflection on important issues?

If so, then our Introduction to Theatre of the Oppressed workshop is for you!

This is an invitation to a unique learning and discovery experience, where you’ll have the opportunity to explore techniques and fundamental principles of Theatre of the Oppressed, developed by the renowned Brazilian playwright Augusto Boal, style is influenced by the innovative approach of Bárbara Santos Teatro de las Oprimidas, who continues to develop the methodology with an intersectional black-feminist perspective with a special attention to the aesthetics.

At the heart of our approach is the understanding that theater can be a powerful form of community engagement and social transformation.

During the workshop, we’ll explore different theatrical techniques, such as image and media theatre, aesthetics of the oppressed and games to stimulate dialogue and reflection.

Additionally, we want to emphasize that the well-being of participants are our top priority. We are committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive and brave environment where everyone feels valued and respected.

No previous theater experience is necessary – this workshop is open to everyone, regardless of your skill level or experience.

If you’re ready to explore new forms of expression and connect with other participants, send us an email to register qualification@kuringa.org and join the Introduction to Theatre of the Oppressed workshop!

Workshop Details:

• Date: April 25th and 26th
• Time: 10:00 h to 15:00
• Location: KURINGA ( Grüntalerstr. 35)
• Price: slide price reduced 130€ – normal 150 – supporter 180€
• Registration: qualification@kuringa.org
• Facilitator: Eva Gloria

We look forward to seeing you there!

Kuringa is a self-funded association that relies on the contributions from participants in our workshops. We want to emphasize that by paying for our workshops, participants are directly supporting the existence and continuity of political work through art that we carry out. The funds raised are allocated to maintaining our activities, which primarily aim to raise social awareness and promote change through artistic expressions committed to justice and social transformation. We deeply appreciate the support of all those who participate in our workshops and contribute to the strengthening of our work.

A Theatre Workshop for TIN (Transgender, Intersex, Non-Binary) People

What is gender? How do you describe or embody your own gender experience? What is considered “natural,” and who decided that only two genders exist? How did medical, academic, social, and school systems reinforce this binary? In how many areas of life does this division restrict relationships, sexuality, affectivity, and self-expression?

“Gender Is Boring” is a collective theatre process that examines the oppressive structures that confine gender to two fixed tracks. Through shared creation and Theatre of the Oppressed exercises, participants identify lived oppressions, personal and collective resources, and practical strategies to disarm colonial gender impositions and resist cis-normativity.

Facilitator
Carlos Raíz is a transgender man, queer and sex-positive artivist, educator, inclusive pedagogue, social worker, psychologist, and performer. He is a Multiplicator of Theatre of the Oppressed (method created by Augusto Boal) working from the Black transfeminist perspective developed by Bárbara Santos.

Method: Forum Theatre
The workshop culminates in a public Forum Theatre presentation. The process raises awareness of discrimination mechanisms and the consequences of prejudice and transphobia. Forum Theatre creates a participatory space where people engage directly, test strategies on stage, and collectively rehearse more respectful and inclusive forms of social interaction.

Timetable: March 12 – 15 2026

• Thursday 12 & Friday 13 March : 17:00– 21:00
• Saturday 14 March: 10:00–17:00
• Sunday 15 March : 11:00–17:00 & Public Forum Theatre 18:00 – 20:00

This workshop is intended as a creative and political space for TIN people to explore, express, and transform lived experiences through theatre.

Information and Registration: qualification@kuringa.org

A workshop with Bárbara Santos

NEXT WORKSHOP 9th – 12th OCTOBER!! Registration open !!

What is the boundary between the personal and the political when our innermost thoughts have been cultivated in a patriarchal, sexist, classist and racist society? How do we unravel the voices that colonize and limit us from within, influencing and/or determining our own narratives?

The Rainbow of Desire is a general title for the set of specific theatrical techniques from the Theatre of the Oppressed, systematized by Augusto Boal, which aiming to analyze the process of internalization and crystallization of the mechanisms of oppression. 

Through our feminist aesthetics we strive to show that subjectivity also has a social dimension and that the ways in which we experience emotions are acquired and/or influenced by our social interactions and social context. Bringing attention to the intersectionality of oppression and understanding its complexity is critical for the deconstruction of the aspects that intertwine in structuring and maintaining the problem and to the effectiveness of the search for alternatives. 

In this workshop, we will investigate oppression considering both the subjective layers and the social dynamics involving its social actors – who cause, suffer or feed it –. To do so, our strategy is building aesthetic paths based on the methodology of the TEATRO DE LAS OPRIMIDAS (feminist aesthetics for political poetics) to develop “The Rainbow of Desire” techniques. The work process aims to demonstrate the importance of the subjective aspects for an in-depth understanding of the problem analyzed as well as ensuring the complexity of its theatrical representation.

The workshop is indicated to theatre practitioners, artists, activists, educators, psychologists, therapists, and anyone interested in exploring and addressing the complexities of oppression from a feminist perspective. It is also aimed at those working with communities or individuals affected by oppression, who is searching for creative and expressive approaches in their practice. 

WHEN: October 9th – 12th 2025

• Thursday, 9th : 4 pm – 9 pm
• Friday, 10th: 4 pm – 9 pm
• Saturday, 11th: 10 am – 6 pm
• Sunday,12th :11 am – 4 pm, with a public presentation at 5PM – 7Pm

For more information or to enroll in the workshop, please send an email to qualification@kuringa.org – topic: Rainbow of desire

Bárbara Santos: A Brief Biography

And for those unfamiliar with Bárbara Santos, let’s introduce this remarkable figure:

With a theatrical journey spanning over four decades, Bárbara Santos stands as a seasoned practitioner of Theatre of the Oppressed. Collaborating closely with the legendary Augusto Boal, she has been a driving force in the field. Currently serving as the coordinator of the Center for Theatre of the Oppressed in Rio de Janeiro, Santos has dedicated her life to unraveling the transformative power of theatre in challenging oppressive systems.

Playwright, director, actress, kuringa, and feminist-anti-racist-decolonial activist, Bárbara Santos has left an indelible mark on the global theatrical landscape. Her extensive experience includes roles as the artistic director of the KURINGA theater space in Berlin, Germany, and the Madalena-Berlin group. Notably, she is the founder of the Ma-g-dalena International Network of Teatro de las Oprimidas, connecting theater groups across Latin America, Africa, and Europe.

Over her illustrious career, Bárbara Santos has delved into innovative artistic approaches, particularly in the intersection of gender, race, and class through feminist aesthetics. Her impactful work is systematized in three books, including “Teatro de las Oprimidas – feminist aesthetics for political poetics.”

In the cinematic realm, Santos has shone as both an actor and a filmmaker. Her debut film, “Ash Wednesday,” was selected for prestigious festivals such as BERLINALE (Germany), Rio Film Festival (Brazil), War on Screen (France), and Filmets Badalona (Spain).

For those seeking a profound exploration of theatre and activism, Bárbara Santos is an unparalleled guide, bringing decades of expertise

Kraft des Widerstands – Feministische Perspektiven für Veränderung

Dieser Workshop bietet einen kollektiven Raum, um durch die Methodik und Übungen des Teatro de las Oprimidas die Formen der Unterdrückung zu erforschen, die unsere Körper, Beziehungen und unseren Alltag prägen.

Wir kommen zusammen, um den Gewalten, dem Schweigen und den Ungleichheiten zu begegnen, die gesellschaftlich und im Privaten bestehen. Aus feministischer Perspektive wollen wir das Theater als Werkzeug für Widerstand, Dialog und kollektive Gestaltung zurückerobern — Unterdrückungsmechanismen sichtbar machen und gemeinsam mögliche Gesten des Widerstands und Strategien für Veränderung erproben.

Offen für Frauen, gender-nonkonforme Personen, Schauspielerinnen, Performerinnen und alle, die im Theater einen Ort für soziale und politische Transformation sehen.

Leitung: Eva Gloria
Ort: Potsdam

Freitag, 04.07.2025 | 14:00 – 17:30 Uhr
Samstag, 05.07.2025 | 11:00 – 14:30 Uhr

Anmeldung: escala-info@web.de
Info: Sabine Wiedemann 01522-363405

As the closing of the Feminist Aesthetics for Political Poetics workshop, we warmly invite you to a Forum Theatre session directed by Bárbara Santos — an open, collective space to challenge reality, interact and plant seeds for change.

Sunday 29th Juni at 5PM at KURINGA ( Grüntalerstr. 35, 13359 ) 

Free Entry!

After two years, Pagode 40 is back at Kuringa to celebrate together with Coletivo Ayosol and KURINGA brazilian culture with musique, food and fresh cocktails

Let’s celebrate this beautiful day of music and spread respect: we do not tolerate any kind of discrimination!

Come and sing, dance, and celebrate with us!

We start at 16h sharp and finish punctually at 20h!

Depois de dois anos, o Pagode 40 está de volta ao Kuringa para celebrar junto com o Coletivo Ayosol e o próprio KURINGA a cultura brasileira, com muita música, feijão tropeiro e drinques frescos!

Vamos celebrar esse dia lindo de música e espalhar respeito: não toleramos nenhum tipo de discriminação!

Começamos sábado 21 de Junho às 16h e encerramos pontualmente às 20h!

Chega pra cantar, dançar e celebrar com a gente!

Wechselmöglichkeit: Forum Theatre mit Masculinities Lab

Am 10. Juni um 19 Uhr präsentieren wir im Bürgerbildungszentrum Amadeu Antonio, (Puschkinstraße 13, 16225 Eberswalde) ein interaktives Forum Theatre.

Was bedeutet Männlichkeit für dich?

Wir hinterfragen Rollenbilder, probieren neue Perspektiven aus und sprechen offen über Verantwortung, über sexuelle Übergriffe und Vergewaltigungsvorwürfe.

Gemeinsam mit dem Publikum suchen wir nach Handlungsmöglichkeiten und Antworten auf drängende Fragen.

Alle sind herzlich eingeladen – besonders wichtig ist uns der Dialog mit Männern!

Eintritt frei.

Performance – Installation conceived and directed by Thais Medeiros brings up a reflection on the theme of violence against women as well as the massification and vulgarization of death in current days.

A symbolic procession, a poetic performing manifesto inspired by the devotion carpets (which are made during the religious festivities of Corpus Christi in Brazil) against the tragic tradition of women’s murders in Brazil.

It is a poetic ritual, an attempt to, from the performance space, make the lives of women who were violated and murdered sacred, creating in the moment of the piece creation, a new reality.

A rite of transformation of violence into poetry and the woman empowerment. Its dramaturgy was developed based on statistics, pieces of news and the participants’ personal testimonials.

SUNDAY 17 November at 19h in KURINGA – Free Entry

Kuringa is a self-funded association that relies on the contributions from participants in our workshops. We want to emphasize that by paying for our workshops or events, participants are directly supporting the existence and continuity of political work through art that we carry out. The funds raised are allocated to maintaining our activities, which primarily aim to raise social awareness and promote change through artistic expressions committed to justice and social transformation. We deeply appreciate the support of all those who participate in our workshops and contribute to the strengthening of our work.

performance literário-musical com Suelen Calonga, Danú Gontijo e Bárbara Santos

Onde está mesmo o centro do mundo? O que acontece quando três mulheres artistas e acadêmicas se encontram para falar sobre escatologia e colonialidade? 

Três brasileiras, artistas-ativistas, escritoras e colecionadoras de histórias, vivendo em Berlim, desde suas perspectivas, práticas e poéticas, se propõem a confluir em expressões e textualidades originais. A iniciativa visa a fissurar narrativas coloniais e a fender hegemonias. Elas e seus textos se encontrarão em uma apresentação performática, a fim de estimular uma conversa com o público sobre colonialidade, patriarcado e racismo. O evento se pretende um exercício prático de devires decoloniais, narrativas plurais e processos de retomada da auto-determinação por meio da arte, a fim de romper com evocações simplistas de centro e periferia, de mundo e seu resto.

Quando? 8 de Novembro às 19:30h ( o espaço abre às 19:00)

Onde? KURINGA Grüntalerst. 35 13359, Berlim

Idioma: português

a look over the theme of violence against women

Led by the actress and visual artist Thais Medeiros, this workshop consists of physical and vocal training for the creation of a public performance on the theme of violence against women.

The goal is to promote an exchange of experiences around the issue of violence against women from different realities: from the perspective of a country in Latin America, Brazil, and a European country, Germany. Participants will work closely with the theme so that each one finds a place, a moment in their memories, in their stories, that they are able to express through their movement repertoire and sensibility.

The workshop will involve improvisation, physical and vocal exercises, somatic techniques, stimuli and provocations focused on the theme. Games and exercises will be used to develop the stage presence of the participants. Participants will be inspired, stimulated and empowered to generate reflections and dialogues about this tragic social reality from an artistic and poetic perspective.

Participants should bring local statistics, recent news, or personal experiences related to violence against women, which will be used as part of the creative process.

The public performance will generate a powerful space in which to discuss, reflect and express this theme through a physical dramaturgy. The workshop and performance will include the musician Ivan Medeiros who will make sound and rhythmic interventions.

The workshop will also approach basic but effective self-defense techniques by Ivan Medeiros (3nddegree black belt in Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu) and Thaís Medeiros (black belt in Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu)

Topics covered in physical training

 Body and Presence;

 Yin / Yang energy;

 Voice;

 Time;

 Space;

 Movement / Action

 Basic self-defense techniques

About the facilitators:

Thaís Medeiros is a multidisciplinary artist from Brazil, whose work spans acting, visual arts, dramaturgy, and martial arts. She has over 27 years of research in acting and 15 years of experience in Kung Fu, integrating this practice into her performances. Thaís’s work focuses on using the body as a medium for social and political reflection. Her project Tapete Manifesto has been showcased in international artist residencies, such as Villa Waldberta in Munich, Germany.

To learn more about her work, visit:

• Galeria Gruta
• Thaís Medeiros on Galeria Gruta

Ivan Medeiros is a musician, producer, performer and martial artist. He began his drum studies in 2005 at Instituto Bateras Beat and Conservatório Musical Souza Lima, earning a bachelor’s degree in music from FIAM-FAAM in 2023. In 2008, he founded the Black Garoa Blues Band and joined projects such as Tupis de Júpiter, 7Calls, Bonnaparte Express, and Blocked Bones. Since 2013, he has been part of the performance intervention Tapete Manifesto, which led to an artist residency at Villa Waldberta (Munich, Germany) in 2018.

Cofounder of Coletivo Galeria Gruta, a network of artists exploring theater, performance, music, visual arts and martial arts. 

COLETIVO GALERIA GRUTA (ART COLLECTIVE)

Founded by Thais Medeiros in 2008, the Coletivo Galeria Gruta is a group of independent artists aimed at the meeting and the artistic articulated practice and at the desire and need of researching and creating performance experiments and instigate/provoke artistic and cultural exchanges taking on public and private spaces.

The Collective goes on the boundaries between theater, performance and visual arts dialoguing with the languages and working on political and existential topics. Its goal is to create a collaboration network of scenic research and experimentalism to promote art in a decentralized way aiming at bringing to the present moment the sensitive sphere… Art can bring us this moment.

Since its creation, it realizes interventions, expositions, performances and music shows taking on public spaces as well as participating of national and international exhibitions and festivals.

Workshop Details:

• Dates:
  • November 15: 16h – 21h
  • November 16: 10h – 18h
  • November 17: 10h – 14h – 19h (Public Presentation)
• Who can participate: Actors, dancers, artists, and anyone interested in the subject of gender-based violence (open to women, men, trans people, and other gender identities).

Registration:

Spaces are limited, so we encourage you to register as soon as possible by sending an email to qualification@kuringa.org with the subject: Tapete Manifesto