Power in the Room

Overview

Students are introduced to Augusto Boal and Theatre of the Oppressed as a way of using drama to examine power, unfairness and possible change. Building on prior experience with tableaux, role, space and status, students devise and test interventions in fictional, low-stakes situations. This is an introduction, not a full exploration of Boal’s methods.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• understand who Augusto Boal was and the purpose of Theatre of the Oppressed
• learn the terms spect-actor, oppression, power, Forum Theatre and intervention
• use tableau and short scripted improvisation to communicate a power imbalance
• collaborate safely while considering how dramatic choices can suggest change

Success criteria

• I can explain the purpose of Theatre of the Oppressed in my own words.
• I can use the terms spect-actor, oppression, power, Forum Theatre and intervention accurately.
• I can create a clear fictional tableau showing different levels of power.
• I can suggest or perform a safe intervention that changes a scene’s possibilities.
• I can describe how body, space, voice or movement communicated an idea.

Curriculum links

• English — engagement with complex drama texts and critical analysis of how character, tension, structure and symbolic features communicate ideas.
• English — interpretation of moral dilemmas, varied viewpoints and themes that may challenge assumptions.
• Drama — devising, responding, collaborating and communicating meaning through role, movement, space, voice and dramatic action.
• Te Mātaiaho learning supports manaakitanga, participation, agency and respectful consideration of different perspectives.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome, safety and hook. Teacher welcomes students, establishes “fiction first” expectations and displays the question, “If a scene feels unfair, who can change it?” using the opening question slide. Students silently consider the question, then share a general or invented example with a partner; no personal disclosure is invited.

Teacher notes: Explain that students may pass, observe rather than perform, or take a non-speaking role. Agree on a signal for stopping, remind students not to touch others without consent, and state that realistic accents, cultures, disabilities or groups must not be used as stereotypes.

2. 5–12 min · Embodied warm-up. Teacher leads a neutral “walk, pause, shape” exercise: students move safely through the space, freeze on a signal, then experiment with high/low levels, open/closed shapes and distance from others. Students notice how posture, gaze, space and pace can suggest confidence, uncertainty or authority without naming real people.

Check understanding with quick prompts: “What changed when your body became smaller?” and “How did distance affect the relationship?” Students can participate seated using hands, facial expression or a still image.

3. 12–22 min · Meet Boal and the key ideas. Teacher uses the Boal and key vocabulary slides to explain in accessible language: Augusto Boal was a Brazilian theatre-maker who developed Theatre of the Oppressed; he wanted audiences to think, rehearse possibilities and have more agency rather than only watch a story. Oppression means an unfair pattern that limits people’s choices or voice; power is the ability to influence what happens. A spect-actor is an audience member who can also become active in the drama. In Forum Theatre, a short problem scene is shown, paused and replayed while spect-actors suggest or try interventions—actions that alter the situation.

Clarify that intervention is not “winning” or magically solving a complex problem. It is testing a possible action and observing what changes. Students complete the vocabulary check on the Boal vocabulary and observation sheet.

4. 22–32 min · Fictional power tableau. Teacher places students in groups of five and gives the prompt: “A student team must present an idea, but one person keeps making decisions and another person cannot get heard.” Groups create a silent tableau with at least three visible power levels, using space, levels, gaze and body shape. Students may choose director, performer, observer or narrator roles.

Each group presents for ten seconds. The observing class identifies evidence, using prompts from the tableau instructions and noticing questions: “Who appears to have influence?” “What dramatic feature helped communicate that?” Students describe choices, not assumed personalities or identities.

5. 32–48 min · Forum Theatre scene task. Teacher explains the process with the Forum Theatre process slides: devise, perform, pause, invite a spect-actor, intervene, replay and reflect. Groups choose one fictional scenario from the worksheet: a club excludes a new member from decisions; a sports team captain ignores useful ideas; a group chat plans an event but one person’s suggestion is repeatedly dismissed; or a school committee has limited speaking time and one voice dominates.

Groups create a 45–60 second scene with a clear imbalance, keeping the situation age-appropriate and non-personal. They perform once. The teacher or audience calls “freeze”; one volunteer spect-actor may suggest or replace a character to try an intervention. The group replays from the intervention point. Interventions must be verbal, physical only with consent, or changes to how a character uses space, timing or support. The class asks, “What changed? What remained difficult?”

6. 48–55 min · Debrief and critical response. Teacher leads a whole-class discussion, returning to the reflection prompts. Students complete the final section of the Boal vocabulary and observation sheet: explain one term, identify one dramatic feature, and evaluate whether an intervention changed the power relationship. Emphasise that one intervention cannot represent every context and that people experiencing unfairness are not responsible for fixing systems alone.

7. 55–60 min · Exit ticket and close. Students complete the exit questions on the Boal vocabulary and observation sheet before leaving: “The purpose of Theatre of the Oppressed is…”; “A spect-actor is…”; and “One safe fictional intervention I could test is…”. Teacher collects responses and closes by reminding students that thoughtful observation is participation.

Resources

• the complete introductory Boal slide deck
• the Boal vocabulary and observation sheet
• Open, cleared classroom space
• Board and markers
• Timer
• Optional chairs for seated participation
• Teacher safety signal and agreed stop procedure

Assessment

• Listen for accurate use of spect-actor, power, oppression, Forum Theatre and intervention during vocabulary questioning and group discussion.
• Observe whether tableaux and scenes communicate power through body, space, levels, gaze, voice or movement; give brief, specific feedback.
• Use the worksheet and exit ticket to identify misconceptions and plan the next lesson, particularly students’ understanding that Forum Theatre tests possibilities rather than guarantees solutions.

Differentiation

• Provide sentence starters: “Power is shown through…”, “I noticed…”, “The intervention changed…”, and “A different choice might…”.
• Allow students to participate as narrator, director, observer, timekeeper or seated performer; never require a student to replace an actor.
• Offer scenario choices, rehearsal time and a visual vocabulary bank for students needing support, including EAL learners.
• Extend confident students by asking them to test two different interventions and compare immediate and longer-term effects, without turning the task into a debate about classmates’ experiences.
• Maintain psychological safety: use fictional scenarios only, avoid stereotyping or assigning labels, check consent before touch or replacement, accept “pass”, and debrief any scene that feels unsettling. Redirect personal disclosures privately and compassionately rather than exploring them publicly.