Lapa: The People's Theatre

Rio. Photo by Jessica Bennett.

Strapping on my harlequin mask and grabbing a golden scepter, I headed straight into the streets of downtown Rio de Janeiro. Marching, dancing, and waving banners all the way across Lapa, the entire Tá Na Rua street theatre troupe (plus two enthusiastic gringos) dispersed itself throughout the public plaza.

Formed under the premise of “Carnivalizing Theatre and Theatricalizing Carnival,” Tá Na Rua could not stand idly by while politicians proposed banning the use of masks during Rio’s world-famous celebration. The troupe quickly decided to revert to its weapon of choice: spontaneous public spectacle and rhythmic celebration. The historic heart of Rio’s Bohemian spirit, the Lapa neighborhood has undergone an artistic and cultural renaissance that is inciting revolutionary social change, Brazilian-style.

Since the 1950s, Lapa has united intellectuals, artists, politicians, and Cariocas (citizens of Rio) of all stripes under the iconic Arcos da Lapa, whose 42 arches served as an aqueduct during Brazil’s colonial period. Much of its colonial architecture recently repainted and renovated, Lapa continues to stay faithful to its Bohemian roots: every weekend, swelling crowds transform its twisting streets and plazas into a vortex of bodies, movement, and music.

While Rio’s music scene and lavish Carnival have seduced foreigners for decades, the artists of Lapa are intent on using these infectious traditions to go a step further—to combat local injustice and global inequality. The result: a modern-day social revolution rooted in centuries of Brazilian culture. And there’s room for any willing soul to join in.

Leading the charge of Lapa’s artist-revolutionaries are the Grupo Tá Na Rua and the Center for the Theatre of the Oppressed (CTO), both of which invite foreigners and locals alike to join their “people’s theatre” through workshops, performances, and participatory gatherings.

Formed in 1980 during the Brazilian military dictatorship, Tá Na Rua (“It’s in the Street”) has brought its politically-driven street spectacles to audiences throughout Latin America and Europe. The group invites both actors and “non-actors” who are passionate about personal, artistic, and social transformation to come and train with them.

Housed directly next door to the Casa Tá Na Rua, the CTO has devised a form of community-based theatre that literally turns its audience members into actors—a technique that has been brought to shantytowns, mental hospitals, prisons, and disadvantaged populations across the globe; the CTO offers short-term workshops and internships year-round.

I had intended to come to Lapa for a morning’s workshop; by mid-afternoon, I was a masked king, dancing on a staircase while a devil chased a defiant clown. In the words of Tá Na Rua director Amir Haddad, “To be an artist is a possibility that every human being has, independent of office, career, or artistic background. It’s the possibility of full development, complete expression, and the right to happiness.” There is no better place to experience the Brazilian spirit of “art for all” than in Rio’s Lapa: witness your own transformation from spectator to participant in this historic hotbed of Brazilian popular culture.