What is Forum Theatre? Let’s find out.
We shall spend a lot of time understanding Forum Theatre. Here’s the first and simplest explanation:
The basic Forum Theatre event works like this:
A typical Forum play can have a structure like this:
IMPORTANT - point out and explain the crossroads moments; those moments when decisions are made which could have gone in another direction and changed the outcome.
Who has the power?
In Forum Theatre the central character’s tragic story is because he or she is forced or persuaded to do things by someone with more power. Because he or she is less powerful, or thinks they are less powerful, they cannot resist the power.
Power, of course, is neutral. It can be used well or badly. We are concerned with the abuse of power. And power can be in every relationship, between siblings, teacher and pupil, father and daughter, trafficker and trafficked, rich and poor, abled and less abled etc etc. Remember the Hypnotism game you played earlier? It was about power.
Open up a discussion with members of the group - ask them to take a moment’s silence and think about where they see power or powerlessness. Some suggested questions for discussion:
All Forum Theatre depends on power. Trafficking also depends on Power and Powerlessness. Think who might have those roles in a trafficking scenario.
What is trafficking, modern slavery?
(This should start with some statistics and some basic explanation of the main types and routes of trafficking.)
Now let’s see what we already know from our own lives and communities…
What do you know about trafficking directly or from people close to you / in your community?
You might find these questions useful:
Share your knowledge, compare your experiences. Discuss what you have heard and what kind of knowledge you have.
Make notes during this and start to 'cluster' these narratives.