Forum Theatre’s unique approach has the potential to explore a community’s voice and raise awareness by empowering and encouraging people to change reality through their own suggestions for real social issues.
A Forum Theatre performance will begin with a conventional play, allowing the audience to witness the situation. Then the facilitator will inform the audience that the play will be performed again, but this time, the actors, now called spec-actors, have the power to intervene and try to change the consequences. The play then continues with the directions suggested by the ‘spec-actors’.
The play may also end with an unresolved situation, inviting audience members to step in and propose solutions by replacing characters and acting out alternative scenarios.
OUCRU’s first forum theatre play ever, turning a usual life situation into an interactive play where you can change the main character’s tragic life.
Summary
Our first Forum Theatre play named “Small injury, big consequences” follows Tâm, a university student volunteering in the Mekong Delta. While clearing weeds, Tâm cut his hand with a rusty sickle.
Lacking first aid knowledge and proper equipment, his friends and local people gave him unverified traditional medicine instead of taking him to a health facility.
Back at school, Tâm started developing symptoms such ass fever, body aches, jaw stiffness, and breathing difficulty. Again, instead of visiting a medical facility, his friends gave him TikTok’s ‘health advice’. The play ended with a tragic end that Tam had to stay in the hospital for a long time, spend many months in rehab. He felt like he dissapointed his family and wished that he could have done differently.
Now, it’s your turn to change Tam’s story. What will you do? Follow our instructions below.
Tam and his friend started their volunteering job. Tam’s peer expresses anxiety about cutting grass using rusted equipment, but the supervisor dismisses the concern. Do you want to step in and alter this choice?
Insist on pending work until safe, demanding proper gear or protective gloves are provided.
Analyse Tam’s choices. Step inside the story as an interactive spectator to break the chain of medical mishaps before it’s too late.
What if Tam had an ultimate shield against tetanus—protecting him from rusty tools before the trip even started?
