“Rehearsal for the revolution”: using theater of the oppressed to resist dehumanizing legislative discourses

This paper explores the use of Theater of the Oppressed (TO) as an approach to resist dehumanizing legislative discourse, particularly anti-Critical Race Theory (CRT) and anti-LGBTQ+ policies. As educational leadership and policy scholars, we leverage TO to challenge traditional qualitative research, aiming to engage readers actively. The paper includes a script set during a contentious school board meeting, illustrating the hostile environment faced by marginalized communities. By employing TO, we create a space for readers to imagine and practice responses to oppressive scenarios, fostering a sense of collective empowerment and agency. Our work extends previous calls for the use of TO in qualitative research, emphasizing its potential as a tool for liberatory praxis. We conclude with a discussion on the utility of TO in promoting critical consciousness and transformative change in educational research.