Meet Adrian Jackson, founder and artistic director of the theatre group Cardboard Citizens, in a series of events organised by the Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network in collaboration with the Theatre Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Adrian Jackson worked with the theatre director Augusto Boal and translated into English five of his books, which have had great appeal for theatre practitioners, activists and educators.

He is founder and Artistic Director of Cardboard Citizens, the only UK professional theatre company working with homeless and displaced people, including refugees and asylum seekers, as creators, participants and audience. Their work focuses on participatory theatre that strengthens the democratic and collective creative process, aims at interaction among participants and uses theatre as a tool for knowledge and the exchange of ideas.

The company tours theatre productions, particularly interactive Forum Theatre, to all sorts of venues and public spaces, including hostels, day centres, schools and theatres. The company is also renowned for a number of larger-scale, usually site-specific productions, including The Beggar’s Opera (with ENO), The Lower Depths (with London Bubble), and Mincemeat.

“Mincemeat is a remarkable piece of theatre: multilayered, passionate and as innovative as anything on offer on the London stage”
The Guardian

During his stay in Greece, Adrian Jackson will focus on the social and pedagogic nature of theatre, giving a lecture in Thessaloniki on Augusto Boal's work and introducing methods and techniques used in Cardboard Citizens’ work.

In Athens, he will run a four-day workshop working with participants on Theatre of the Oppressed and Forum Theatre techniques, the interactive form invented by Boal to enable groups to understand and tackle oppressions they face. Adrian will also present the philosophy and practices that have been used by Cardboard Citizens.