Forum Theatre and Its Role in Anti-Bullying Programmes

by Natasha Budd, director of Omniax Drama & Performance, Brisbane, Australia

Forum Theatre is a process developed by Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal; it begins with the creation of a performance that reflects the personal experiences of the participant group. In the case of No Hat No Play this was a series of encounters with bullying characters. The play is then performed to a larger target group whom it is expected will identify with the issues presented. Boal describes this performance as an ‘anti model’. In the devising of the piece it is essential that the protagonist be placed in oppressive situations and that he or she be forced to submit to the oppression. The play is then performed a second time. This time, the audience is encouraged to shout ‘stop’ when they identify a moment of oppression. The Joker then freezes the action and invites individual audience members to take the place of the protagonist, the opportunity then exist for them to manipulate the action in order to bring about a more positive resolution. Audience members of Forum Theatre are both actors and spectators, therefore we refer to them as spect-actors.

Student intervention must be facilitated by a controlled structure for learning to take place. This structure is provided by ‘the Joker’ (Boal,1992:xxiv). It is the Joker’s role to encourage the participation of the spect-actors and to maintain the focus of the group so as to elicit the richest aesthetic outcomes. The Joker explains the rules of Forum, clarifies possible courses of action and encourages objective reflection.

Learning From Experience

The Forum model represents an investigative process aimed at developing a repertoire for change. The aesthetic dimension of forum enables students to investigate and evaluate conflict in action. This means that not only are students able to practice their initial responses to a given situation, but also experience the consequences of those actions. As Vine (1993) points out: Boal’s approach is ‘very effective for revealing the discrepancies that arise between what people say they will do (in theory) and what they actually do when confronted with the immediacy of the situation.’

In my experience as a Forum actor I have found that young people frequently enter the space with a one liner, only to find that the scene continues and they must struggle to overcome an unrelenting oppression. Some students change their original plan mid way through the scene, to accommodate reality while others who are ill-equipped or unwilling to adapt gain an understanding of the negative consequences of an imprudent choice.

Frequently students adept at bullying will enter the space, confident of their ability to wield power and entertain the crowd, however, within the context of the drama, they are oppressed and are forced to play out their role. This role reversal provides an important opportunity for these students to empathise with their more vulnerable peers in the school community. Blatner (1995) states that ‘role reversal …represents the best way to learn how to understand what it’s like to be in the other persons situation, and role reversal is thus an effective method for developing empathy’.

Forum’s primary objective is not, however, to encourage empathy but to create empowerment. The most poignant moments in Forum Theatre occur when victims of oppression take the stage. Forum views these students as cultural agents capable of enacting social change. This respect shown to participants is well founded as victims consistently embrace the opportunity to practice transformative behaviours.

The Joker encourages objective reflection for each intervention that takes place, pushing the students to expose, articulate and overturn inequity. She does this from a position of ‘naïve enquirer not prosecutor’ (Breen, 1998:40) engaging young people as subjects in the learning process. Forum does not aim to conclude with the quintessential solution. Indeed such a solution does not exist.

Solutions need to offer options, open ended options to all…all solutions sit within the constraints of real life and fallible humanity. There are no magic answers…solutions need to deal with the whole person, their thinking, decision making, feeling and actions. The more options people have, the more they can be creatively powerful’ (Breen, 1998:40)

Forum‘s objective is to provide these options so that an individual may determine what course of action best suits their particular needs.

Individual Perception and Peer Education

Because Forum is a collective activity, students are able to gain an understanding of the differing view points present within the participant group and the varied approaches to conflict that stem from these perspectives. Throughout the Forum these approaches are illustrated and analysed providing a variety of options for future application. As these interventions are examined by the group students gain an understanding of playground politics as dictated by the students. The recent DETYAstudy into bullying among children in Australian schools found that ’bullying usually happens out of sight, away from teachers and other adults. The people most likely to know what is going on are other children.’(http://www.deet.gov.au.). Whilst I acknowledge the importance of adult intervention it is not always the most prudent choice to defer to those with greater power to solve situations of interpersonal conflict. Peer education not only provides direct insight into the mechanics of social interaction but also ensures that this view is accurate. Interventions in the Drama that embody workable courses of action are maintained by the consensus of the group while unrealistic interventions are identified as such. The Joker’s role is to encourage praxis but it is the students themselves who ultimately determine the viability of an intervention.

For the most part, students who enter the acting space are neither bullies nor victims but confident performers who clearly identify a solution to the oppression represented. ‘There are about 80% or so of students who are seldom or never bullied and, in fact, most bullying episodes last for only a day or so’ (Rigby,1998:56).These students present workable ideas - their own techniques that have served them well in the playground. In this way Forum empowers children through peer understandings and practical experience.

Safety

Participants in Forum Theatre are provided with a safe space in which to broaden their repertoire of behaviour. On stage, the students are transformed into a named character that ‘masks their individuality, thus enabling them to “bare [their] soul down to the last intimate detail” ‘ (Young, 2000:115).This is essential in the creation of Forum Theatre, as the function of the drama is to explore some of the most painful and vulnerable moments of a student’s life experience. The protection afforded by characterisation is supported through the use of props and costumes that create a clear distinction between the performer and the character.

In a portrayal of what the character should do, children are able to experiment with responses that may be considered too risky in reality. A fear of violence or ongoing persecution can immobilise a child leaving them with few options. Forum provides a space in which these threats are discussed but not realised. In this way mistakes become learning experiences unencumbered by negative consequences. At the same time, pushing the limits of possibility has the potential to produce positive outcomes. In one workshop scenario a young girl was being physically harassed by another student. She submitted to this oppression due to the classroom expectation to sit quietly in the group. The girl was encouraged by her peers to stand, in full view of the teacher, and move to another part of the room. This compliant eight-year-old feared reprisal from the teacher for such a bold step, but the group encouraged her to be as visible in her action as possible so as to avoid being followed. The Forum provided a space for this student to practice being assertive within a supportive environment. The child later (in reality) discovered that, the teacher did not object.

Conclusion

Situations of social interaction are both complex and subjective; perceptions can differ depending on personality and experience. Aesthetic education enables students to fully explore the nuances of social interaction in a peer education environment that promotes social action. Through encouragement from the Joker participants are able to rehearse behaviours that have the potential to assist them when they face similar conflicts in the future – in real life. Forum Theatre is not just about discovering what to do, or sharing that knowledge, it’s about providing a space for action to take place. A space where courage must literally be conjured up and the body must enact the will. Forum is a materialist and dialectical mode of inquiry that prepares an individual for future action.

In my experience as a Forum actor, I have repeatedly witnessed courageous young people venturing beyond their comfort zones. It is an overwhelming experience to have a student look you in the eye and with painful honesty confront their oppressor, but this is also a motivating factor for me - the knowledge that young people want to make a change and are willing to take enormous risks to achieve that goal.

Works cited

Blatner, A. (1995). Drama in Education as Mental Hygiene: A Child Psychiatrist’s perspective. Youth Theatre Journal, 9:1, 92-96.

Boal, A. (1979). Theatre of the Oppressed. Pluto Press, London.

Boal, A. (1992). Games for Actors and Non Actors. (2^nd ed.) Routledge, London.

Breen, M. (1998). Assertiveness – The Missing Skill. In P.McCarthy, M. Sheehan, S. Wilkie, W. Wilkie(Ed.), Bullying: Causes Costs and Cures. Beyond Bullying Assoc Inc, Nathan.

Farrington, D. (1993). Understanding and Preventing Bullying. In M. Tonry (Ed.), Crime and Justice. Universityof ChicagoPress, Chicago.

McCarthy, P., Sheehan, M., W. Wilkie. (1996). Bullying From Backyard to Boardroom. Millennium Books, Alexandria.

Olweus,D. (1993). Bullying at School, Blackwell, Cambridge.

Rigby, K. (1996). Bullying in Schools and What to Do About It. AustraliaCouncil for Educational Research, Melbourne.

Rigby, K. (1998). Bullying At School and Beyond. In P.McCarthy, M. Sheehan, S. Wilkie, W. Wilkie(Ed.), Bullying: Causes Costs and Cures. Beyond Bullying Assoc Inc, Nathan.

Surveys (2001) What is Bullying? Surveys undertaken during workshops held Sept 3 – Oct 10, Jamboree Heights State School Years 3 and 6.

Tattum, D., Tattum, E. (1996). Bullying: A WholeSchoolResponse. In P. McCarthy, M. Sheehan, W. Wilkie (Ed.), Bullying From Backyard to Boardroom (pp.17). Millennium Books, Alexandria.

Vine, C. (1993). TIE and The Theatre of the Oppressed. In T. Jackson (Ed.), Learning through Theatre: New Perspectives on Theatre in Education. (2^nd Ed.), Routledge, London.

Wilkie, W. (1996). Bullying: A WholeSchoolResponse. In P. McCarthy, M. Sheehan, W. Wilkie (Ed.), Bullying From Backyard to Boardroom. Millennium Books, Alexandria.

Young, D. (2000). Reality Drama:The Drama Classroom as a Place for Disclosure. Drama AustraliaJournal, 24:1, 111-121.

The Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs. 2001, Available: http://www.deet.gov.au