Act Out

Forum Theatre is the creation and performance of a play dealing with particular issues pertinent to the audience and its community. The play does not have a conclusion; instead, scenes portray the various struggles faced by the protagonist. The play is performed once right through; then it is performed again, this time ‘spect-actors’ from the audience can stop a scene if they think they could offer the protagonist alternatives that would have better results. The ‘spect-actor’ is then invited on stage to perform their suggestion. With this is mind picture this short scene in a play:

A salesperson has trouble resolving a customer’s problem with a mobile phone. The customer does not have the time to wait for the administrative steps necessary to replace the faulty phone. The shop assistant is growing more and more frustrated – he wants to do the best for the customer but must follow protocol.

The spect-actors getting up on stage to replace the frustrated salesperson in trying to positively influence the client are also not having much luck. The client is not happy and wants a result NOW.

This is one of the scenes performed in a project, Communication and Conflict Resolution in Working Life, conducted by theatre practitioner Rikke Gjærum and psychologist Gro Ramsdal between 2005 & 2006. The project combined the Forum Theatre pedagogy with Psychological Dialogue Analysis to train employees from 5 regional industrial enterprises from a variety of sectors. These included transportation, mobile phones and electronics, petroleum, logistics and manufacturing. The goal was to measure the success of using these tools in improving self-esteem and responding to conflict by developing more positive communication strategies.

Participants used real event from their working lives, creating 23 dramatisations which fell under 4 different themes.

The practitioners established a context for participants to analyse conversations – for this project it was that the maintenance of self-esteem and the protection of identity are key components in communication.

The customer, participants were reminded was buying the phone for his wife, ‘his identity as coping husband could be threatened is he failed to buy her a proper gift…’, moreover, he would also have to deal with his self-talk about the reaction his wife might have.  When the spect-actors returned to the stage their new interventions reflected a ‘new identification with and understanding of the customer’s problem’. Solutions that involved how he might take care of his wife were now offered too.

Filed under: Methodology by Erika