Abstract

In this article, we address two experiences that started from a common concern: to make visible the reality of homeless people, who probably represent the paradigmatic case of invisibility in advanced societies. Theater is the educational, political, ethical, and aesthetic strategy in which this concern materialized. Thus, two applied theater experiences carried out with homeless people in southern Spain are taken as empirical material for theoretical reflection: the groups “Teatro de la Inclusión” (“Theater of Inclusion”) and “Fuera de la Campana” (“Out of the Bell”). Each of them was implemented and investigated by one of the authors of the article. Through dilemmas arising from our own experience as professionals in the cross-disciplinary field of arts and socio-educational intervention, we reflect on the social function of the arts, on the possibilities of theater to generate effects in the lives of the individuals with whom we work, and the transformative effects of the practice on ourselves. We also address the limits and the necessary cautions to avoid romanticizing our practices.