Students in an eighth-grade, urban, low-achieving reading class were introduced to critical literacy through engagement in Image Theatre. Developed by liberatory dramatist Augusto Boal, Image Theatre gives participants the opportunity to examine texts in the triple role of interpreter, artist, and sculptor (i.e., image creator). The researchers chose three critical texts for students to read. Students were encouraged to examine the power relationships, explicit or implicit, in the texts. They then worked in small groups to present an artistic statement--an Image Theatre--for their classmates to view that portrayed oppressive uses of power. Though accustomed to a prescriptive reading program, the students responded with competency and a critical stance. Their human sculptures served to mediate their critical literacy, eliciting both empathy and critical discussions about the texts they read.