explore · Conflict Resolution, Problem Solving, Empathy · 60–150 min · 10-60 people · high energy
Forum Theatre
A short scene shows a situation where someone is stuck or treated unfairly and things end badly. The scene is played once, then again; this time anyone in the audience can shout 'Stop!', replace the protagonist and try a different approach while the other actors stay in character. A facilitator called the Joker runs the session and asks the audience what worked and what did not.
When to use Forum Theatre
Use at an offsite when a team keeps meeting the same difficult situation, such as a meeting where one voice dominates or a customer conflict, and wants to rehearse ways of handling it.
What it solves
Teams talk about how they would handle a hard moment differently, but never practise it, so the next time it happens they do the same thing.
How to run Forum Theatre, step by step
- Warm up with a few theatre games so the group is loose and willing to move (15 min).
- Prepare or present the anti-model: a short scene, built from a real situation the group recognises, that ends badly (15-20 min).
- Play the scene once through while the audience watches (5 min).
- Play it again. Anyone can shout 'Stop!', take the protagonist's place and try something different; the other actors respond in character (30-60 min).
- After each intervention the Joker asks the audience what changed and what it cost (throughout).
- Close by naming the interventions that worked and what they would take in real life (10-15 min).
Materials needed
- Open floor space as a stage
- Chairs for the audience
- A few simple props if useful
Facilitator tips
- Build the scene from situations the group actually lives with. Invented cases get invented answers.
- The Joker stays neutral and never judges an intervention; the audience does that.
- Only the protagonist can be replaced, not the antagonist. Replacing the antagonist makes the problem disappear by magic.
Common pitfalls
- The scene is too close to a specific colleague and becomes an attack.
- Nobody intervenes because no warm-up was done and people feel exposed.
Variations
- Use professional actors to play the scene and keep the group in the spect-actor role.
What it produces
A set of tested responses to a real situation, and a shared sense of which ones actually shifted the scene.
Origin
Developed by Brazilian director Augusto Boal in the 1970s as part of Theatre of the Oppressed. — source
Build a session around Forum Theatre
METODIC places Forum Theatre inside a complete, timed session plan — agenda, worksheets, facilitator guide and slides — matched to your group and goal.