Exploring Forum Theatre

Lesson Overview

Subject: Drama
Year Group: 11
Unit: Boal’s Theatre Techniques Exploration (Lesson 3 of 6)
Lesson Title: Creating a Forum Theatre Scene: Brainstorming and Planning
Duration: 60 minutes
Class Size: 20 students
Curriculum Reference: GCSE Drama (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC), Component: Devising Drama / Understanding Drama

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Select a relevant social issue to explore through Forum Theatre (aligned with Boal’s principles).
• Develop characters and conflicts to present in their scene.
• Consider strategies to engage the audience as spect-actors.
• Structure their planned Forum Theatre piece with an awareness of Boal’s concept of empowerment and change.

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Lesson Structure

Starter Activity (10 minutes) – “What Would You Change?”

1. Provocation Question: Write on the board: “What social issues affect young people today?”
2. Think-Pair-Share:
   • Individually, students jot down 3 issues they feel passionate about.
   • In pairs, they discuss their choices.
   • Each pair shares one issue with the class, recorded on the board.
3. Quick Discussion:
   • Identify recurring themes (e.g., peer pressure, mental health, social media impact, discrimination, family expectations).
   • Discuss why these topics are relevant in theatre.

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Main Activity (35 minutes) – Forum Theatre Scene Planning

Step 1: Group Formation & Social Issue Selection (5 minutes)

• Students are divided into 4 groups of 5 students.
• Each group selects one social issue from the board that they feel strongly about.

Step 2: Identifying Key Elements (10 minutes)

Each group discusses and writes down the following:

• The protagonist: Who is the main character facing oppression or struggle?
• The antagonist(s): Who or what is creating the conflict?
• The turning point: The moment when the protagonist reaches crisis point.
• The resolution options: Possible solutions the audience could explore through spect-acting.

Step 3: Improvisation and Refinement (15 minutes)

• Students create a short improvised version of their scene.
• The teacher moves between groups, offering guidance:
  • Is the problem clearly presented?
  • Are there realistic conflicts that could be debated?
  • Will the audience have clear intervention points for spect-acting?

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Plenary (15 minutes) – Reflections & Feedback

1. Presentation of Draft Scenes (5 minutes)

   • Each group performs a rough version of their scene to another group.
   • The watching group suggests 1 way the scene could encourage more audience participation.

2. Whole-Class Discussion (5 minutes)

   • Teacher leads a reflection with sentence starters:
     • "One thing our group struggled with was..."
     • "A strong moment in our scene was..."
     • "A question we have about spect-acting is..."

3. Exit Ticket (5 minutes)

   • Students respond to the question: “What challenges do you think you might face when performing Forum Theatre?”
   • Answers are written on sticky notes and placed on the board for next lesson's discussion.

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Differentiation & Support

• For high-ability students: Encourage deeper exploration of power dynamics and audience manipulation.
• For students needing support: Offer structured prompts for character and conflict development.
• For EAL students: Provide sentence starters to scaffold language needs.

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Assessment for Learning (AfL)

• Teacher observation during group work.
• Peer feedback after initial performances.
• Reflective discussion to check students' conceptual understanding.

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Resources Needed

• A3 paper and markers for group planning.
• Whiteboard for recording social issues.
• Exit ticket sticky notes.

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Next Lesson Preview: Rehearsing & Refining Forum Theatre Scenes

In the next lesson, students will rehearse and refine their scenes, incorporating spect-actor involvement to explore multiple resolutions.

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Teacher’s Reflection After Lesson

• Did students engage with the social issue effectively?
• Were character conflicts clear enough to encourage audience interaction?
• What student misconceptions need addressing in the next lesson?

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This structured yet flexible lesson plan provides deep engagement with Augusto Boal’s techniques, empowering students to create meaningful social change through theatre!