Forum Theatre
by Will McAllister
Description:
Theatre of the Oppressed: Minority Job Search with Sneetches: Before beginning the activities, I would explain to my group that we are of a minority population in a small town. We have been working for five days already in preparation for the presentation of a Forum theatre piece that we are performing tonight. We will start with a few warm-up activities, and then perform a short Forum piece.
Workshop Directions:
Materials needed:
Three actors to run through the first rehearsed Forum Theatre piece.
Two cut Stars about five inches long.
Tape to stick them on the Two Star-belly Sneetch actors
Newspaper (as a prop)
Coat (as a prop)
1 table, 3 chairs
A book (prop)
And a "resume" (prop)
The script to the Sneetch Job Hunt play
Dr. Seuss's book The Sneetches and Other Stories
Exercise 1: Frozen images.
1) Have the group walk around the space anywhere they want, clearing their minds.
2) Tell them that I will say some words, and I want them to represent an expression of that word with their bodies in a still image.
3) After they wander a bit, I say: "Helpless"
4) I say: "persecuted". After they are frozen a bit, tell them to walk again
5) I say: "abused". After they are frozen a bit, tell them to walk again
6) I say: "racism". After they are frozen a bit, tell them to walk again
7) I say: "oppressed". After they are frozen a bit, tell them to walk again
Exercise 2: Columbian hypnosis - explain that the leader is an ally, not an enemy, and must not make movements to violent, but still must try and stretch and unbalance the partner
1. have everyone find a partner
2. one member holds his hand palm forward, fingers up, about 8 inches away from partner.
3. that member moves his hand, and the other partner must follow, keeping her face as close to 8 inches away as possible.
4. Partners switch
5. both partners have hands up and move each other at the same time.
6. Talk about what it was like? How was it to challenge the partner? To be challenge? Which was more enjoyed, following or leading? Why?
Exercise 3: Giving and Taking while pushing against each other - talk about how this exercise is about using all of ones strength, and still not winning. This is what the player should aim to do during the Forum Session: neither give away too easily to the intervening spect-actor, nor overwhelm him immediately, but instead help him to apply all his strength in finding a way to solve the oppression (although, in the Forum piece someone will eventually win).
1. Have them split up into partners, looking for one of similar height if possible.
2. They face each other, they place hands on each others' shoulders.
3. there is an imaginary line on the floor between them
4. they start pushing with all their strength
5. when one person feels that their partner is weaker and is going to lose, they ease off so as to not cross the line, not to win.
6. when one person increases his pushing, the other does the same, so that together both are using all the strength they can muster
Exercise 4: back to back
1. the same partners now go back to back, leaning against each other
2. slowly, with out breaking back contact, they walk their way down to the floor so that they are sitting back to back.
3. With out using hands, they walk their way back up again
Exercise 5: Read the story "The Sneetches" The Sneetches and Other Stories
1. After the story, ask them to think of one work that sums up the story to them.
2. Have them do a frozen image
3. Have them get into teams of 3 or 4, and share their words with each other.
4. Have them create a frozen image of one moment in the story
Exercise 6: Forum Theatre. Explain to the group that as this is a workshop that represents five days work, the play is already created. For the sake of time, it will be very short. The play is about a plain-bellied Sneetch trying to get a job in a new town at a business with a Star-Bellied Sneetch as the boss. With a few prepared actors from class, do the play completely (the play's script is included). Explain to the remaining participants that they are "spect-actors" and all are plain-bellied Sneetchs from a Sneetch village tired of not being considered for jobs only because of their lack of a Star. Explain to them that after the entire scenario is run through once, it will start again, and during the second time through, any spect-actor can say "stop", the actors will freeze, and the spect-actor will take the place of the plain-bellied Sneetch and attempt to reach the objective of getting the boss to honestly consider them for a job in a way they think might work.
1. Start the play over again
2. have spect-actors say stop, and intervene, trying to find solution
3. Do it a few times