Exploring Forum Theatre

Lesson Details

• Subject: Drama
• Year Group: Year 8
• Lesson Duration: 50 minutes
• Class Size: 24 students
• Curriculum Area: KS3 Drama – Understanding and Developing Theatre Techniques
• Focus: Augusto Boal’s Forum Theatre

Prior Learning

Students have already explored:

• Augusto Boal’s work and methods
• The concept of status and oppression in theatre
• Image Theatre as a tool for storytelling

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Understand the concept of Forum Theatre and its use in interactive performance.
2. Perform and explore social issues through improvised scenes.
3. Actively engage as both performers and “spect-actors,” intervening to offer alternative perspectives.

Success Criteria

Students will demonstrate success by:

• Participating in a mini Forum Theatre piece with confidence.
• Suggesting meaningful ways to challenge oppression through performance.
• Using effective improvisation and characterisation techniques.

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Lesson Breakdown

Starter Activity (10 mins) – ‘Power Shuffle’

• Begin by clearing space and asking students to stand in a circle.
• Read out a series of statements related to oppression and social issues (e.g., "I have never felt left out in a group").
• If a student agrees with the statement, they step forward.
• Use this to open a short discussion:
  • Why did different people move forward or stay back?
  • How might this link to oppression in real life?
  • How can theatre give a voice to those without power?

Purpose: Activates prior knowledge, encourages reflection, and sets the theme of oppression as a starting point.

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Main Activity (30 mins) – Forum Theatre in Action

Step 1: Introduce the concept (5 mins)

• Explain that Forum Theatre allows the audience to interrupt and change a performance if they see oppression happening on stage.
• Introduce the term "spect-actor" (a spectator who actively participates).

Step 2: Creating the short scenes (10 mins)

• Divide the class into small groups (4-5 students per group).
• Each group must create a 1-2 minute scene showing a social injustice or oppression, e.g.,:
  • A student being excluded in school
  • Workplace inequality
  • Discrimination based on appearance or ethnicity
• They should freeze the scene at the climax (where oppression is most evident).

Step 3: Running the Forum Theatre (15 mins)

• One group at a time performs their scene.
• The audience, acting as “spect-actors,” can say STOP at any moment and step in to:
  • Replace a character and suggest a new action.
  • Challenge an oppressor’s behaviour.
  • Explore different outcomes.
• The original actors respond naturally to the new input, continuing the scene in an improvised way.

Teacher Role:

• Guide discussions on whether changes improved the situation.
• Ask thought-provoking questions:
  • “Did this action truly change the power dynamic?”
  • “Would this intervention work in real life?”

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Plenary (10 mins) – Reflection Circle

• Students sit in a circle and reflect on the activity:
  1. What worked well in changing oppression?
  2. What felt challenging about stepping in as a spect-actor?
  3. How might we use these skills in real life?
• Encourage students to think critically about theatre's role as activism.

Exit Question: Each student must provide one sentence on:
👉 “How did Forum Theatre challenge the idea of power today?”

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Differentiation & Adaptations

• More challenge: Ask confident students to try playing the oppressor role, making it harder for interventions to succeed.
• More support: Use sentence starters for spect-actors to intervene (e.g., “What if you tried...?” “Have you thought about...?”).
• Behavioural needs: Give clear roles and expectations to avoid chaotic interruptions.

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Assessment Formative & Summative

✅ On-the-spot feedback – Encourage effective interventions.
✅ Peer assessment – Students identify what worked well in spect-actor contributions.
✅ Self-reflection – Plenary discussion develops critical thinking and personal evaluation.

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Teacher Reflection for Next Steps

• Were students brave enough to step in and challenge oppression?
• Did students grasp the purpose of Forum Theatre as a tool for change?
• Would extending this to real-world examples (e.g. historical or current events) deepen engagement?

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Final Thought

This lesson activates empathy and critical thinking, developing confident performers who see theatre as more than entertainment—it’s a platform for change 💡