FORUM THEATRE…
… was started by Brazilian Augusto Boal in 1973. It is a theatrical technique in which an unsolved problem is highlighted in a short play, and the audience is invited to suggest and enact possible solutions. The aim of the forum is not to win, but to discover new ways to confront oppression. This is the first time that such a theatrical technique is used in Singapore.
During a Forum Theatre, a play is first performed. In the play, the main character will face some pressing, depressing and repressing problems. The play will then be repeated. This time if any member of the audience can come up with a better argument/solution that the character, just say STOP. Then the audience member replaces the actor. When he/she has finished, someone else can say STOP and so on.
As the whole idea of Forum Theatre is for the audience to participate by ‘doing' rather than ‘saying’, the audience just gives verbal or written suggestions to the cast. They have to enact the solution. In this way, the audience becomes the ‘SPECT-ACTOR’.
However, when the spect-actor replaces the actor, he/she should respect the ‘givens' of the problems. ‘Givens' refer to the given social circumstances of the problem, the familial relationships between the characters, the ages, the economic status, etc. so if a spect-actor changes any of these ‘givens’, it will be considered as ‘magic’.
During the forum, there is a Joker who will act as a facilitator. The Joker is a neutral person who helps to explain the rules of the Forum Theatre, ensures that the spect-actor respects the ‘givens’ when acting, and also initiates discussions.
In this inaugural performance of Forum Theatre, two plays will be featured. The themes have been selected by the cast after many hours of discussions. The two jokers for the performances are Alvin Tan, Artistic Director of The Necessary Stage and Josephine Peters who is in Singapore for holiday from Glasgow. Josephine is currently pursuing a 3-year degree course in Dramatic Art at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow under a scholarship sponsored by British-American Tobacco Company Singapore.
