November 16, 2008: Forum Theatre Workshop

Dear Friend,

At eleven o’clock today I began explaining the history of forum theatre to a group of twenty to twenty-five participants in my workshop. After being immersed in the history and theory of forum theatre for so long, relaying this information was almost a piece of cake. Obviously, all I wanted to say was in my head. At times, though, the transmission between brain and mouth lagged and I found myself doubling back to re-explain something in a better context. What was great about my presentation was that it was a discussion, much like the experience I had in the high school a couple weeks ago. The participants asked questions, gave their opinions, and together we had a conversation about forum theatre. I made sure to explain that I was just becoming familiar with it myself and encouraged them to do their own research and make new discoveries.

Following the history lesson, I led the participants in two games. The first was “Columbian hypnosis,” a game found in Augusto Boal’s Games for Actors and Non-Actors. In “Columbian hypnosis,” one person raises his hand and slowly leads his partner as if his partner is hypnotized by his hand. The partner positions her face a couple inches away from the leader’s hand and follows with her body wherever the leader moves his hand. This always leads the follower to use her body in ways she usual doesn’t in order to keep her balance and follow the leader’s hand. I really enjoy this game and explained to the participants that it was a game involving non-verbal communication, trust, and an exploration of the body. What positions do you find yourself in while doing the exercise? How are these different from the positions you’re usually in? What muscles must you use while participating in this game? I then had leader and follower switch. I also had them do the game in groups of three, one leader two followers. The leader uses both hands, one follower to each.

The second game was a sculpting game. The participants got in pairs again. One was the sculptor and the other was the clay. The sculptor was not allowed to physically touch her “clay.” Instead, like in “Columbian hypnosis,” she had to use her hands to “mold” her “clay.” So, if I’m the clay, the sculptor would put her hands by my foot and, essentially, lead my foot to where she wanted it to be. She’d do the same with my arms and head, fingers and facial features. While facilitating this game, I asked for words to describe certain things in our environment, like the carpet. The participants would throw out words, I would choose one, and tell them to make a sculpture communicating the word I had chosen. One word was “lazy.” After the sculptures were done, the sculptors would have an art exhibit and view each others sculptures. This process was repeated, this time with the word “change,” after I switched roles. Sculptor was now clay, and vice versa. The purposes for this game were the same as “Columbian hypnosis:” non-verbal communication, trust, and exploring the body. Also, the sculpting game helped in finding a way to use art to express meaning. How would you sculpt “lazy” or “change?” The many results were interesting and unique. No two sculptures were alike.

After my part, Maria then explained what A.R.T. Fusion had been doing with forum theatre. She presented in Romanian, as presenting in English was becoming difficult as she described past projects. She then engaged the participants in an evaluation of the workshop. She laid five pens at intervals on the floor, telling them the pens were a scale by which they would answer the questions she had for them about the workshop, one being the worst or least and five being best or most. Maria asked how people liked the workshop overall, my presentation of forum theatre, and their interest in further researching forum theatre. The answers were varied, but everyone seemed to appreciate the time and energy Maria and I put into the workshop. Therefore, the workshop was a success.

This workshop was the first time, though, that I encountered skepticism about forum theatre. Most of the participants were quite knowledgeable about theatre. Many concerns were brought up about how forum theatre is presented and how participants in forum theatre understand it. One concern was presented where a potential forum theatre participant, encouraged to face his oppression offstage as well as on, loses his job in real life after asking for a raise from his oppressing boss. The concern was about the participant believing that whatever happened within the forum – exploring ways to receive a wage proportional to his hours of work – would translate to real life when he returned to work. This, as well as other concerns, was shared by about half of the workshop participants. Some of them seemed almost annoyed by the seemingly upstart nature of forum theatre and why Boal created it. Part of me began to think I hadn’t presented it adequately, but then I remembered that forum theatre, by its own nature, is very different and alien when compared to regular theatre. Therefore, it shouldn’t be a surprise that some people are a little hesitant to accept it as a worthwhile pursuit. Admittedly, there was probably a time when I felt that way, too.

Blessings.
Kailen