Day 1

Today the Six Day Facilitator Training in Theatre of the Oppressed started. The 30 participants from 10 states of India and Bangladesh came to the Vidyadeep College (Bengaluru, India). Radha Ramaswamy and Ravi Ramaswamy introduced the program for this week and the goals of this Facilitator Training. In addition Radha introduced Prasashya Choudhury and me, Sara Pan Algarra, who are the ones harvesting all the information and doing some research about Theatre of the Oppressed. 

Introduction of workshop agreements: importance of creating a safe space, freedom for languages, active listening and not being afraid of silence, respect for others and respect for ourselves, try to guarantee that everyone is and feels safe; and give meaning to everything you do here.

Activity 1: Name Game

People introduced themselves in a funny and creative way. Each person had to say their names and then a sound and action. After, all the participants repeated the action forwarding energies back to the person that did the action initially.

Activity 2: Sociometry

This is an activity where the participants had to decide where they were standing towards the place where the session was happening (north, south, east and west). It was about finding yourself and knowing where your roots as a human being are. Then each person shared why they were standing there, why they were there and what was stopping them from being fully present.

 Activity 3: Sharing and making and list of things the participants were angry about (at the individual level). We did not discuss or analyze them, just mentioned to keep an eye on them throughout the workshops.

Activity 4: Walking and making different groups, being aware of the gaps, freezing and then pointing the gaps again. This activity was about the importance of moving and going towards the gaps, because you are fully aware of them.

Activity 5: Boal’s exercise, Columbian Hypnosis

It was in pairs. The point of the exercise is to follow the hand of the other person; getting a chance to be a leader, a follower and both. It helps to bring awareness of our roles as individuals in society (leaders or followers).

Activity 6: Blind game

It teaches the importance of celebrating mistakes and just enjoying the experience.

Activity 7: Images (Image gallery/Image fishbowl)

Value the beauty and power of images. 

  

Activity 8: Body sculpting

The goal of this exercise is to make an image with other person’s body.

After this, we create different images inspired by the theme of family.

The results were so diverse and contrasted, in where some people saw family as unity, respect, trust and comfort; others represented it as division, problems, limitations and submissions.

Activity 9: Bus Forum

Forum Theatre as a technique is very complex and broad. However, this exercise was learning basic aspects of Forum Theatre through identifying the oppressor, oppressed and the meaning behind the situation, in order to change what is happening on the stage. The joker (which is the facilitator) invited the audience (spectators) to become ‘spect-actors’. These ones changed the situation by connecting with it and giving a solution for the oppressed to overcome the conflict and confront the oppressor by liberating both (the oppressor and oppressed).

Observation à Interpretation à Understanding à Action

Debrief and closing

We did a collective massage and short reflection of the day, closing our eyes to evaluate the day, recognizing the need in the world for harmony and understanding.

Everyone was really exited and tomorrow we will continue exploring with Radha and Ravi different aspects of facilitation and Theatre of the Oppressed (TO). 

By Sara Pan Algarra