Forum Theatre is a participatory form of theatre that presents a debate and creates a community ethos that encourages audience interaction. It is a powerful tool for exploring solutions to complex problems.

Forum theatre scenarios are designed to stimulate audience participation through discussion, interactive role-playing and shared experiences. Participants become more ‘active’ and critically aware of personal communication and power relationships. By providing opportunities to ‘rehearse’ alternative approaches to an issue Forum Theatre facilitates transformative learning and offers a meaningful (and entertaining) way of:

• Challenging established perceptions
• Understanding group/team dynamics
• Working with socially excluded or disempowered groups
• Exploring specific issues affecting individuals/groups experiencing disempowerment
• Identifying areas of conflict and possible solutions

This workshop will explore the application of Forum Theatre within a higher education context. It will introduce you to Forum Theatre and open-space learning techniques and examine its potential as both a pedagogic approach and means of building self-efficacy and confidence within your own teaching practice. Please come prepared to collaborate in a practical workshop session.