You have created the play which is the centre of the Forum experience but it sits into a larger structure as seen here. Take a look at a simple way of arranging the event:

We are going to fit together all these parts.

For the rest of the day we shall try to create a situation as close as we can to giving a performance in your community, but we shall do it in stages. For each attempt your group should perform to other groups. They will attempt to behave like a community group. After performing to them ask: 

• Is the plot clear?
• Is the story recognisable to the audience?
• Do we have the crossroads moments in place? (test by running play and asking others to shout STOP without intervening).
• Are there characters who don’t intervene but could do so?
• Is there a realistic alternative outcome for the central character?

Re-work any sections which were not clear to your colleagues.

Then we shall rehearse the interventions:

With the same set up as above, start with the Facilitator telling the audience how they can shout STOP and intervene and then begin the second run of the play. This will give you more time for practising the interventions. 

Don’t be scared of the interventions. I know that everything changes but you will be ready for it if you stay in character and do what you think that character will do.

Think of it like this: you don’t write a script for when you are going to have a discussion with a friend, you naturally develop ideas, agree, push back, try out ideas etc.

Forum Theatre is a live discussion but it is on stage. Take the same easy approach as you would when talking with a friend. Enjoy the interaction.

When rehearsing the interventions ask if you are successful in:

• Encouraging audience members to intervene
• Bringing an “interventionist” to the stage
• Questioning them,

• Who do you want to replace?
• What do you want to do?
• Where do you want to start? etc.

• The transfer of character from an actor 
• Starting the scene

• Actors watching for the new initiative from the audience member ​​from the audience member
• Actors staying in character but not blocking the suggestion
• Actors pushing back against ideas

• Ending the intervention and talking constructively about what happened with the audience member, and with the audience.

As you work through each group performing for others you will start to see the mechanisms of Forum Theatre and to realise how you can work with new ideas to test them as solutions.

Be Brave - you may still be thinking:

“How do I act or react during an audience intervention?”

Let’s think it through.

• • You are acting in a scene in the play and you hear someone shout “STOP” or the MC says “STOP” . You freeze then slightly relax but stay in your position.
  • The MC brings the audience member to the stage who is offering to act out an alternative to the play’s narrative. The MC asks his/her name and which character he/she wants to replace.

• At this moment you know which character will be trying to change the narrative. You can now think about your relationship with that character.

• • The MC will now invite you to take the positions at the start moment for the intervention and will count down to start the scene.

• Now the new, improvised scene begins:

• Rule 1 - stay true to your character - what would he/she do in this situation?
• Rule 2 - listen to what the audience member is suggesting, it will be a change in the action, how do you feel about that? How would you react to that? Is the idea strong enough to make you change your mind and behave differently? Or does it make you push back even more stubbornly?
• Rule 3 - you are not there to make the audience member’s idea work, you are there to TEST it.
• Rule 4 - embrace the improvisation, don’t be scared of it, and don’t judge what you do. You might be surprised and do or say something unexpected. You might be convinced of someone’s new argument and help them. Or you (your character) might be so angry you storm out of the room.
• Rule 5 - when the intervention is finished make the audience member feel good about what they have tried. Just a smile to them will help. They may not be actors but they may have much more ​​knowledge of the actual issue than you do. That deserves respect.

• Remember each intervention should only be 2-3 minutes long so put lots of energy into it and see what it brings.

We know that all this may still seem quite worrying because there is no way that you can know what will happen.

Just think of the fact that Forum Theatre is like a large conversation around an issue and in a conversation you don’t know what will be said. However you are still able to take part in that conversation by listening and reacting and working through your ideas.

If you can take part in a conversation then, with all your acting skills, you can work through ideas in Forum Theatre too.

Lose your fear and jump in. The more you do it the easier it gets. 

Finally let’s consider what happens after this training...

The future

Of course this intensive course has not given you every single detail of Forum Theatre but it has given you the skills, the structures and the possibility of making effective Forum Theatre events. You can now go and work in and with your local community to make plays which are relevant to them. By doing that you will change things for them and you will learn from the experience how to improve, how to fine-tune your Forum Theatre so that it engages more people, stimulates your audiences to want change and yes, you will start to save lives.

As in so many things you will learn enormously by doing the work. You will identify any obstacles and find ways of overcoming them. Stay in touch with other groups doing this kind of work, form a network and learn from each other’s challenges and successes.

Good luck and we hope that one day we will see your work in action.