Press coverage

The Guardian, 26 November 1998

The Guardian, 26 November 1998:
"The great debating chamber in the old County Hall lies bleak, dark and empty, a stage without actors or lines. Mothballed in 1983 when Mrs Thatcher abolished the Greater London Council, its oak desks are covered in dust-sheets, and the panelling with spiders. The 94-year-old symbol of London’s civic democracy is now owned by a Japanese hotel corporation. But tomorrow evening 300 people - including, it is hoped, Ken Livingstone, Jeffrey Archer and the other would-be mayors of London - will occupy it for a piece of interactive theatre led by a few professionals but mainly by housing and transport activists. The audience will be asked to turn into actors, to ‘express their desires’ and to enact solutions to the social problems the players express." (John Vidal)

Times Educational Supplement, 6 November 1998:
"London is not Rio, but we may well be ready for reform in some areas. Boal is to work in London for a month with artists and activists employed in housing, transport and education towards an ambitious event on November 27 in County Hall. Artworks will be on display, but there will also be debate - the result of workshops held during the previous week - aimed at making new laws. Lawyers and politicians will be available. While it is unlikely to prove more than "symbolic", says Boal, some pleasure may be gained from trying to influence events in the old GLC headquarters. "I have to seduce you", said Mr Boal to his audience" (Heather Neill - read full article)

The Independent, 27 November 1998:
Tonight the derelict debating chamber in County Hall will once again resound to animated discussion thanks to an experiment organised by the Brazilian theatre pioneer, Augusto Boal. In The Art of Legislation, the man who shook up politics in Rio will be offering the fruit of a week of brainstorming sessions held over here, which dealt with shaping housing, education and transport laws according to instinct. You'll have to take an Internet back seat as tickets have been snapped up by the capital's politicos." (Dominic Cavendish - read full article)

Evening Standard, 27 November 1998:
"If you've ever sat through a council meeting, you'll know just how close the proceedings often come to amateur panto. Social scientist and theatrical pioneer Augusto Boal goes the whole hog towards dramatising politics with The Art of Legislation."