Okay, so I just used that tag line to drag people in. LOL. I don't really believe that Boal's teachings were like reality televison. The Forum Theatre is/was so much more than that!
For those of you not familiar with Boal or the Forum Theatre, grab the book Games For Actors and Non-actors. It will get you in touch with what he is all about. His games about trust and power are essential to the understanding of his teaching. He is an amazing Brazilian theorist, at times very controversial, and definitely worthwhile for performers to experience.
The Forum Theatre was an interesting style that used an open theatre format to create social reform. The basic premis is as such: a scripted play would be performed. Then the audience was invited to "change" the script. The show is performed again, but the viewers, whom Boal called spec-actors, may freeze the show at any time and step into a role, changing it. This is a great way to brainstorm new ways to address situations.
A few years ago, when I was new to the teachings of Boal, I explained this to one of my IB Theatre classes and they took it upon themselves to "create" a social experiemnt. It backfired and caused a huge scandal among the students. They 'fessed up amid the disaster and I was able to advise them on how they went wrong. The important thing to remember with Forum Theatre, is that it is planned improvisation. That first scripted moment is the impetus for critical thought that gets the group going.
Boal can be said to have influenced much theatre in the United States--including but not limited to the A-Train Theatre Group. This wonderful ensemble gets on the subway in upper Manhattan and rides it to terminus, performing all the time. They start a "play" when they get on and the other riders become part of the cast as they interact, comment, get on and off and even ignore the actors. By the end of the ride, a wonderful spectrum of social interaction and performance has been created. I have actually ridden the A-train, and always hoped to be part of one of these unannounced programs. Not so lucky.
The large group freezes can also find their way back to Boal, although that route is rather zigzagged as opposed to head-on. The first one that I remember seeing took place in Grand Central Station. At an appointed time, everyone froze. People not involved in the action (or lack of action)stopped and stared, and some even joined in. The entire freeze only took about two minutes, but it was artistry! The moment captured a glimpse of society that was fascinating. What fun!
My favorite game from my studies in Boal is one in which you create a scene of power. I first played it at an event sponsored by the Orlando Shakespeare Festival. They gave us, a triad, five minutes to use our chairs to create a scene of power. For a group basically composed of theatre teachers, this wasn't too hard. However, when they asked us to create the same scene "giving power" to another, it was more interesting. People actually jockeyed for position so that they could be the "one". As I reflected on this later, I came to the conclusion that this is what high school students do--vie for a position in the play. Everyone wants to be the star, not relizing that the person IN power is not always the person who HAS power. Hmmm. That is some food for thought.
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