PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988-2001 11 From acting to taking action: forum and legislative theatre

Document begins: PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988­2001 11 From acting to taking action: forum and legislative theatre Adrian Jackson Introduction might pursue a different course of action, they are invited to shout `Stop!', come on stage, Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed take the character's place and show what they provides a number of useful techniques for might do if they were in that situation. When a working in development situations. This article Forum Theatre piece is well chosen, it will attempts to give a very brief glimpse of two usually be the case that many people in the linked techniques. audience are in a similar situation to the central character, so they have a direct interest in solving the problem. Forum theatre Through the Forum session, many people will The best known of these is Forum Theatre, in come on stage and show their ideas. These will which the audience from a particular be tested in the context of the play, as the other community is shown a play which illustrates a characters on stage will make it difficult for problem of concern to that community; this the ideas to succeed (just as in real life it is not could ...