Forum Theatre Research Articles

Life Skill Acquisition Through Devising and Forum Theatre Solution Exploration in Creative Arts Lessons

A South African case study performed at a primary school explored the effectiveness of Forum Theatre as a pedagogical approach to teaching Grade 6 learners life skills. Forum Theatre and the Boalian devising process effectively sensitised the learners to their nonverbal communication ability and created a conflict scene from learner-chosen content. The lesson plans met the instructional requirements of the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement for Life Orientation in Grade 6. The results indicate that children aged 11 to 12 years could comprehend and suggest solutions to behaviour-based social conflict and power-based scenarios. The learners enjoyed learning experientially and were engaged and active during their Creative Arts lessons. Each class performed their conflict scene to another class and, in turn, watched and suggested solutions to the performance of another class. A few learners tried spect-acting but needed support and guidance from their teacher to diffuse situations independently during the Forum Theatre exploration of a conflict scene. The teacher of such a programme for life skills acquisition requires support with experiential performative teaching strategies in the devising stage when collectively creating a problem scene. Further, teachers need training and practical exposure to performing the Joker role during Forum Theatre.

Pedagogy of the Assessed: Theatre of the Oppressed as participatory research method to interrogate the impact of assessment in the intercultural classroom

This study set out to use arts-based methods to visibilize student experiences of coloniality and racism in language assessment practices at a public university in Oaxaca, Mexico. We situate coloniality and racialization within this uniquely diverse Afro-Indigenous context. We justify and contextualize our chosen research paradigms: Participatory Action Research and Critical Ethnography. We then detail the calls for action to which our study responds in order to disrupt the coloniality of both teaching and assessment in Higher Education in Oaxaca. Student- and teacher-researchers adopted three creative practices grounded in critical pedagogies: (1) black-out poetry; (2) image theatre; and, (3) forum theatre. This six-session workshop concluded with a theatre-forum, a piece of immersive, participatory theatre based on a fictionalized account of students’ shared, embodied experiences of racialization and coloniality in relation to language teaching and assessment. We provide a brief description of both the play and subsequent forum, followed by a group reflection provided by teacher-researchers. Our conclusion identifies further useful directions for assessment-oriented research and interventions, as well as evaluating the efficacy of arts-based modes of inquiry.

Rehearsing a Revolution

In this paper, we, university instructors, explore the possibilities of Forum Theater and its potential significance for preparing future/practicing teachers to work with bi/multilingual populations. Inspired by a 4-trans+ approach, we use arts and community-based (ACB) pedagogies influenced by Arts Practice Research. Our analysis reveals the power of a 4-trans lens with the addition of transmediation to mitigate teacher learners’ fear and anxiety in working across difference, breaking down stereotypes, developing interculturality (including critical consciousness), and facilitating a sense of belonging and agency among participants.

The Concepts of "Interactivity" and "Interaction" in Ukrainian and Foreign Cultural and Artistic Thought of the XXI Century

The purpose of the research is to analyse the concepts of “interactivity” and “interaction” in Ukrainian and foreign cultural and theatrical thought of the 21st century. The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach, employing methods such as analysis, which helped to highlight the difference between immersive and interactive theatres, generalisation (to distinguish the main approaches to the interpretation of the interactivity), and comparison. The scientific novelty is the analysis of the concepts of “interactivity” and “interaction” in Ukrainian and foreign cultural and theatrical thought of the 21st century. Conclusions. Today, in the context of digitalisation, artistic activity seeks new forms of interaction with the audience, where interactivity becomes a key element of communication. The researches, by foreign and domestic scholars, reveal different aspects of interactivity in theatre and cultural-artistic projects, such as cross-disciplinarity, audience focus, co-creation, and immersiveness. O. Krasnenko analyses interactivity as an interdisciplinary phenomenon developing under the influence of digital technologies. A. Boal, in his concept of the “Theatre of the Oppressed”, considers the active participation of the audience in the performance and proposes methods of forum theatre and invisible theatre. V. Vovkun emphasises the co-creation of the director with other artists to form an emotionally engaging artistic product. D. Homan and S. Homan analyse the interaction of theatre with video games, the use of immersive technologies, and the role of the spectator as an active participant in the performance, which indicates the continuous development of interactivity in art as an effective means of communication and audience engagement.

Mastering Performance-Based Tools for University Classrooms: How Forum Theatre Transforms Teachers

Teaching as a social practice involves a holistic approach, including continuous interaction with all the social actors of the educational process as well as feelings, emotions, body movements, and voice. Few higher education institutions provide teacher preparation programs that integrate and prioritize corporeality alongside social-emotional learning (SEL) and its elements, such as empathy, emotional intelligence and social awareness. The gap between the theory and real-life teaching can be bridged through performance-based tools, such as forum theatre, in a teacher training course at universities or colleges. Such tools represent a transdisciplinary approach between drama and pedagogy with sketches or vignettes as the main technique eliciting discussion and personal reminiscences among students. The corporeality of performance sketches, inherent to any professional practice, and their spatial and temporal resemblance to real teaching settings are what imbibe this approach. The article demonstrates how this approach can be implemented in teacher education. It argues that applying these methods when teaching both pre-service and in-service teachers can transform the teachers’ understanding of the inner world of their students, contributing to a better teachers’ cognitive and emotional empathy towards students. By using the Forum Theatre, teachers can address learners’ needs and interests and advocate for them with other actors in the educational process by being empathetic and attentive to classroom accommodations, extracurricular activities, learners’ sense of belonging, and by raising awareness among stakeholders in the learning process.

The impacts of forum theatre in social work practice: A scoping review

Abstract This scoping review delves into the impact of Forum Theatre in social work practice, filling a gap in limited existing literature. The study’s primary aim is to identify key themes within relevant research, covering the implementation of Forum Theatre, its target audiences and issues, and outcomes on both individual and community levels. Additionally, it assesses the benefits and constraints associated with integrating Forum Theatre into social work practice. Twelve articles from 1990 to 2024 were included after initial screening from prominent online databases. These articles were categorized into themes highlighting Forum Theatre’s positive effects on community actors, spect-actors, and its contributions to different social work intervention stages. The analysis highlights Forum Theatre’s positive effects: enhanced psychological safety, increased participant confidence, amplified client voices, and raised critical awareness among community actors. It also fosters empathy, awareness of power dynamics, and collaborative problem-solving among spect-actors. Forum Theatre’s versatility in social work intervention, from remedial to preventive stages, makes it valuable for social workers. Future research should consider a systematic review, employing explicit criteria to select and assess empirical studies, while also exploring other elements of Theatre of the Oppressed and Applied Theatre methods in the realm of social work practice.

Using Forum Theatre in nursing simulations.

Using Forum Theatre in nursing simulations.

Forum Theater as a Participatory and Edutainment Theatre to Sensitize Farming Community and School Children on Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown (CKDu) in Sri Lanka

The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of forum theatre as a participatory and edutainment theatre designed to sensitize farming communities and school children on chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) and its mitigation strategies. Four forum theatre programmes targeting students and three community programmes were conducted, after a social survey and key informant discussions, which aimed to identify gaps in information and communication, as well as the essential messages that needed to be conveyed. The potential causative factors for CKDu, including fluoride in drinking water in conjunction with water hardness, as well as the symptoms of the disease, prevalent myths, consequences of the misuse of agrochemicals, necessity for scientific understanding of the issue and mitigatory strategies were identified as the primary messages intended to be communicated through the drama. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses demonstrated a significant enhancement in the overall knowledge and attitudes of the participants following the performance. Evidence from photographs, videos, and observations indicated that the audience’s general attention and interest were consistently maintained throughout the forum theater performances. Both students and community members actively engaged as spect-actors when given the opportunity. Moreover, the forum theatre provided a platform for students and community members to critically analyze the issue while proposing practical solutions themselves. Thus, forum theatre proves to be an effective method for communicating health and agricultural messages, representing an innovative approach to participatory and educational-entertainment theatre aimed at disseminating information to farming communities, including school children.

Forum theatre as a tool to promote positive donkey welfare on Lamu Island, Kenya.

When targeting human behaviour change for animal welfare improvement, engaging with communities is vital. Equid-reliant communities are often resource poor, geographically isolated and disparities in literacy rates are common, presenting challenges to 'traditional' forms of engagement. Arts-based initiatives using non-written communication methods such as storytelling and performance, may be ideal media to convey positive welfare messages. In this study we evaluate the feasibility of using forum theatre to sensitise donkey-reliant communities regarding key welfare issues. Through a co-creation process, a piece of interactive forum theatre on donkey welfare was produced and staged for the public and in local schools. Post-performance questionnaire data were collected from adults and both pre- and post-performance data in schools to evaluate changes in knowledge and attitudes resulting from the performance. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using Likert scales and open questions, respectively. Audience feedback was positive, with more than 90% of audiences strongly agreeing that they enjoyed the performance. More than 85% of adult respondents strongly agreed that the performance raised their awareness of three key indicators: donkey health needs; donkey welfare needs; and how much donkeys should carry. For youth audiences, comparison of pre- and post-performance measures demonstrated positive changes in the belief that donkeys feel pain, how much individuals liked donkeys and how confident they felt in identifying how a donkey was feeling. Although participatory arts-based approaches remain rare in the animal welfare sector, the study highlights the potential value of these methods in promoting community engagement for positive animal welfare changes.

‘경찰다움’ 함양을 위한 ‘경찰극’ 연구

This study aims to explore the effectiveness of ‘police theater’ as a program for fostering ‘police professionalism.’ It begins by reviewing Boal’s ‘Forum Theatre’ and Aristotle’s concept of ‘Catharsis’, examining how these ideas are received today and discussing the significance of police theater in this context. The study then identifies commonalities between the ‘police theater method’ and the ‘Forum Theatre format’, analyzing how participants’ experiences of catharsis contribute to cultivating ‘police professionalism’. The analysis reveals that trainees recognized the importance of ‘understanding people’ and ‘practical skills’ as essential elements of police professionalism through police theater. For instance, participants experienced frustration when realizing that actions lacking respect for citizens and unskilled handling of police equipment could contribute to public distrust in authority. However, post-performance interviews, peer Q&A sessions, and encouragement and coaching from leaders offered participants opportunities to regain confidence and re-establish their identity as police officers. This suggests that police theater functions as a mechanism for eliciting catharsis while aligning with the format of Forum Theatre. In sum, police trainees experienced relief from fear and anxiety through the methods of police theater and the facilitator’s leadership, which allowed participants to establish their ‘police professionalism’.

Implementing Disability Competencies Among Medical Undergraduates: Insight from a Government Medical College in India

ABSTRACT Persons with disability (PWD) face numerous barriers in accessing health care including attitudinal, physical, and systemic challenges. Medical professionals have very limited training in caring for PWD. India has recently recognised and implemented eight disability competencies in the undergraduate medical curriculum. This study aimed to design, implement, and evaluate the training of medical students in disability competencies within a Government Medical College in India. Educational Implementation research was conducted among 75 undergraduates in 2022–2023. Seven hours for Eight disability competencies were designed and delivered over three days using innovative teaching strategies. The overall impact of the intervention was collected through feedback forms using the Likert scale. Sensitising lectures, buzz groups, exercises, and self-directed learning (SDL) activities were used to understand disability, the Rights of PWD, and models of disability. Disability etiquette, communication with PWDs, and non-discriminatory behaviour were demonstrated by roleplay, group discussion with PWDs, and Forum theatre. The disability competency curriculum received positive feedback from students, with more than 94% indicating satisfaction with the sessions. The implemented disability competency curriculum successfully imprinted disability concepts into medical students. Delivering disability competencies positively influenced students’ attitudes and understanding of the healthcare needs of PWDs effectively and, hence, can be replicated.

Catalysing Social Change: The Application of Forum Theatre in Ganguly's Sarama

Catalysing Social Change: The Application of Forum Theatre in Ganguly's Sarama

Betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement (Folge 3): Theater meets „Gesunde Führung“ – Wie ein Workshop die Sicht auf die Gesundheit der Mitarbeitenden verändert!

Occupational Health Management (Part 3): Theater meets “Healthy Leadership” – How a workshop changes the view on employee health! You know that? An employee interview goes wrong. Would you like to turn back the time and start the conversation all over again? This is now possible with Merck’s innovative workshop format! Using the forum theater method, participants can immerse themselves in the world of healthy leadership! Managers experience at first hand the direct influence they have on the health and performance of their employees. The motto here is: “Leadership mistakes are expressly permitted!”

Bringing the Ocean to the Stage: Performing Coastal Values and Marine Management

Recent years have witnessed a seemingly constant call for improved understanding of human–ocean relationships, resulting in a “boom” of marine social science research, sometimes framed through the lens of ocean literacy. Defined as having an understanding of your influence on the ocean, and its influence on you, ocean literacy has gained traction in recent years as a way of better understanding the complexities of human–ocean relationships. However, despite this interest in the human dimensions of the ocean, coasts and seas, and a corresponding increase in broader marine social sciences research, qualitative and arts‐based research approaches continue to remain on the periphery of ocean research. This article explores the role of two ocean research “outliers,” intersecting arts‐based practice and marine social sciences through the lens of interconnected performances designed to explore the diverse values held by communities about their marine and coastal environment. Undertaken as part of the Diverse Marine Values project, the performances brought together ocean scientists, coastal and marine managers, and community members to create original performance pieces in Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland, and Portsmouth, England. Drawing heavily on applied theatre practice and scholarship, these distinct but interrelated performances utilised elements of forum theatre, devised theatre, and storytelling to address marine issues important to each respective community, with a view to understanding and fostering ocean literacy. In each location, the performance work illustrated ways in which theatre can serve as not only a tool for science communication, but also a research method to explore a range of ocean literacy dimensions. The performances helped the research team, comprised jointly of specialist theatre practitioners and experts in ocean literacy, coastal management, and plastics pollution to reshape data collection and stakeholder engagement. This collaborative theatre‐making process led to deeper conversations and embedded engagement within each coastal community. It also led to a fundamental reshaping of the questions and approaches that the marine managers and scientists asked of the communities in question. The article presents a discussion of the challenges of bridging these related, but often distant, disciplines, and highlights the role of arts‐based research practice in broader ocean literacy research and discourse.

Teaching as a performative art

This paper reports on diagnostic workshops conducted at a teacher training centre in Istanbul focusing on how Applied Theatre methods can support English Language Teacher Education in the areas of self-awareness and self-reflection. The workshops provided 12 participant English Language teachers experience of Applied Theatre methods and techniques to elicit feedback on their pedagogic value and efficacy in teaching. Through dialogue and reflection, participants identified the performative and meta-performative skills they valued from the workshops. While Applied Theatre methods have a proven track record in many contexts, they are rarely utilized in teacher development programmes. Feedback from the workshops revealed that Applied Theatre methods, notably Forum Theatre, provide embodied, participant-led, solution-oriented, multiple voiced opportunities for reflection and dialogue on critical incidents teachers’ face. In addition, participants highlighted performative skills pertaining to developing awareness of self, others and setting that are disregarded in current competence-based teacher education programmes. Participants also uncovered meta-performative skills reflecting on why teachers act in the way that they do. The workshops provide an initial template to create teacher development programmes incorporating Forum Theatre and other Applied Theatre techniques.

Are male nurses oppressed? A forum theater application: A quasi-experimental study

Are male nurses oppressed? A forum theater application: A quasi-experimental study

Amma La: Reflective Account of a Participatory Mixed Theatre Method in Migration Research in India

This article presents the methodological process of interpreting the ethnographic data of my research about the question of Indian citizenship for Tibetan refugees in India as a theater play titled “Amma la” (meaning “mother” in Tibetan). I present the enacting of the theater play “Amma la” with young Tibetans in India (2019) at three different institutions. I argue that performing the theater play “Amma la” with Tibetan participants in 2019 is a method of enacting the research findings in a participatory, collaborative, creative, and novel way that opens up possibilities for shared meanings and transformative re-interpretation of the data within an embodied, artistic, and performative dimension. I argue that the performance of the theater play “Amma la” sits theoretically at the intersection of verbatim theater, political theater, and participatory drama as well as forum theater and physical theater. It could also be argued that the theater play “Amma la” constitutes a form of experimental theater that is not complete and foreclosing, but processual and prospective. And finally, performing “Amma la” is a form of process drama, focusing on improvisation, and the process of creating and acting a scene for the benefit of the participants-actors, and not on the polished and rehearsed performances for a specific audience. For these reasons, I argue that “Amma la” is constructed on and theoretically supported by what I will simply call participatory mixed theater methods.

Activating allyship: Revisiting Forum Theatre through a study abroad program in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Activating allyship: Revisiting Forum Theatre through a study abroad program in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Exploring the efficacy of forum theatre and online high-fidelity simulation to challenge unconscious bias

There is an ongoing commitment within nursing curricula to ensure that student nurses are fully prepared to support a person with an intellectual disability. In response to COVID-19 restrictions, universities rapidly adapted to digital technologies to continue the delivery of nurse education. The aim of this research study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an online educational initiative -Digital Community Health Awareness Training (DCHAT) -in comparison to attending the face-to-face version of CHAT. This research study adopted a two-phase qualitative approach using questionnaires to discern the knowledge of participants prior to and after attending a DCHAT workshop. The workshop was facilitated by actors with an intellectual disability using forum theatre. Open and closed questions were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that engaging in the online workshop increased participants' knowledge and skills. This was in aspects of supporting people with intellectual disabilities in health as well as an increased understanding of unconscious bias. Additionally, this research found that following the DCHAT workshop, relationships developed from passive learners to friends and compatriots. This study found that delivering DCHAT was effective and appropriate in preparing student nurses to support people with intellectual disabilities. The implications of the findings suggest that the DCHAT can be delivered by actors assuming the role of patients with intellectual disabilities to global audiences.

Breaking the Silence: Participatory Forum Theatre and Gender-Based Violence Prevention in Mining Communities. A Case Study of Makusha, Midlands Province, Zimbabwe

This study investigates forum theater, an interactive, participatory type of theater, as a tool to better understand and combat gender-based violence (GBV) in Makusha, a densely populated mining community in Shurugwi, the Midlands region of Zimbabwe. Deeply impacted by rapid mining industry expansion, this community faces intensifying social tensions. At the core of the study lies an examination of the influence of forum theater on community attitudes and behaviors. Attention is paid to its role in empowering vulnerable segments of the community, especially women, and how it fosters resilience and resistance against GBV. The study discusses the transformative potential of forum theater in addressing deep-seated social issues and the urgency of creating inclusive and violence-free spaces in communities.