Forum Theatre is a participatory theatre method developed by Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal as part of the Theatre of the Oppressed. It was created to help people explore situations of injustice, power imbalance, and everyday oppression — and to rehearse alternative ways of acting within them. In Forum Theatre, a short scene based on real-life experience is shown to the group. The scene usually ends at a moment of conflict, misunderstanding, or powerlessness. The audience is then invited to stop the action, enter the scene, change roles, and try out different responses or behaviors.
Participants are not passive spectators but “spect-actors” — active co-creators of the story.

Rather than providing “correct answers,” Forum Theatre creates a space to experiment safely, reflect together, and discover what feels more respectful, realistic, or empowering.
The focus is not on acting skills or performance, but on learning through embodied experience, empathy, and collective problem-solving.

In trauma- and migration-informed contexts, Forum Theatre allows participants to:

• explore difficult situations without retelling traumatic events in detail

• regain a sense of choice and agency

• understand different perspectives, including those of authority figures

• practice communication and boundary-setting in a safe environment

1. The audience is not passive — they can step in, replace characters, and offer alternative actions to change the outcome of a scene.

2. The play stops at the peak of a conflict or injustice, inviting the audience to reflect and act.

3. Participants may take on or change any role in the performance, except for the oppressor, whose function is to challenge and stimulate critical thinking.

4. Forum Theatre is a rehearsal space for real life — allowing people to explore possible strategies for social change.

5. A facilitator, known as the Joker, helps guide the dialogue between the stage and audience, ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for all voices.

6. The method fosters group reflection, empathy, and collective imagining of alternatives to injustice.

This workshop creates a protected, creative space where young people — particularly Ukrainian refugee and displaced youth — can explore, express, and transform their experiences with authorities and institutions.

Using Forum Theatre and role reversal, participants examine everyday power dynamics, communication barriers, and moments of misunderstanding with institutional figures such as teachers, officials, social workers, or service providers.
By stepping into different roles and collectively experimenting with alternative responses, participants are able to reflect on both personal and systemic dimensions of these encounters.

The process supports youth in reclaiming agency, developing empathy, and imagining more dignified and effective ways of interaction — without forcing them to relive trauma.
This format is especially relevant in migration, displacement, and post-crisis contexts, where encounters with institutions strongly shape young people’s sense of safety, belonging, and voice.

1. Welcome & Emotional Safety. Introduction to forum theater
   Introduce what is forum theater, core principles and the purpose of the workshop. Facilitate a gentle emotional check-in and co-create group agreements focused on consent, confidentiality, and choice.

2. Embodiment & Theatre Warm-Ups
   Use simple movement and mirroring exercises to activate body awareness and imagination without performance pressure. More ideas for exercises you can find here.

3. Story Harvesting
   Invite participants to recall or fictionalize situations involving institutions or authority figures. Share in pairs or small groups and identify common themes.

4. Scene Building & Rehearsal
   Select 2–3 situations and create short scenes (2–3 minutes) focusing on moments of tension or misunderstanding.

5. Forum Theatre & Role Reversal
   Perform scenes once, then replay with audience interventions (“STOP”), role switches, and alternative responses.

6. Stepping out of role. Group debrief. Reflection.
   Guide participants out of roles through grounding. Facilitate group reflection.

7. Grounding. Creative Closing 

Return to the here and now, help to stabilize emotions and the body after deep emotional or role-based engagement.Close with a short creative or verbal check-out.