GAMES, AFFECTIONS AND POTENTIALS: NEW APPARITIONS IN THE THEATER OF THE OPPRESSED IN MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

This article presents the power produced by games, dialogues and scenic performance in the bodies of people with psychological distress, during theater workshops for the oppressed at a Psychosocial Care Center (CAPS) in the city of Maceió. A survey was conducted over a period of seven months, with the participation of thirty users. The study articulated the encounter between the theater of the oppressed, occupational therapy, mental health and education, in order to understand how the Theater of the Oppressed operated in the production of subjectivity and in the singularization of people with psychological distress. The research was based on Espinosa’s theory of affects. The results point to the power of the games, the subjectivity and singularities experienced, the construction of the story and the effects produced on the participants and the public.