FORUM THEATRE

Forum Theatre: An Interactive Tool for Social Change

Forum Theatre is a form of participatory theatre developed by Augusto Boal in Brazil during the 1970s, under the country's military dictatorship. It is a key component of what is known as the Theatre of the Oppressed.

This interactive approach uses performance as a means of sharing information and fostering dialogue within communities. Its goal is to promote social transformation by addressing themes such as gender equality, healthy relationships, social roles, and gender-based violence—including domestic violence and child, early, and forced marriage.

Forum Theatre presents short sketches that depict situations where oppression occurs, highlighting the dynamics between an oppressor and an oppressed individual. These scenarios illustrate social injustices that are either barely present or entirely absent. Actors remain in character and improvise their responses, guided by a facilitator known as the Joker (a term coined by Boal). The Joker plays a crucial role in mediating the interaction between the actors and the audience.

At a pivotal moment in the performance—often when the situation escalates toward violence—the sketch is paused. The Joker then invites audience members to intervene by stepping into the role of the oppressed and exploring alternative, nonviolent responses to the conflict. The audience is encouraged to suggest and enact solutions, with the ultimate aim of shifting the dynamic in favor of justice and empowerment.

The Forum Theatre experience concludes when the antagonist (the oppressor) acknowledges and accepts a proposed resolution, demonstrating a possible path toward overcoming oppression.

Magda Ochoa is a versatile professional in the fields of acting, directing and producing. Involved in various independent theater projects, she founded Farandula Theatre.

She is committed to sharing her theatrical expertise with the French community in British Columbia. She is artistic director of the Petit Théâtre de l'Alliance française de Vancouver, where she successfully staged Georges Feydeau's "Un Fil à la patte" in 2019 and Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme in 2023, a project funded by Canadian Heritage.

In 2022, she directed "De la plume à la scène", and in 2023 put on stage SpectActivisme, an artistic and social forum theater, both projects produced by La Boussole de Vancouver and funded by Canadian Heritage.

Magda has also taught drama at École secondaire Jules-Verne and participated as a faculty member at Richmond's Gateway Academy. Since 2005, she has led theatre workshops for Réseau-femmes BC.

More recently, she directed two short multilingual plays for BC Culture Days 2023 (English, Spanish and French).

Magda has worked as Francophone Community Outreach Coordinator for Full Circle: First Nations Performance.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

227 E Pender St, 227 East Pender Street, Vancouver, Canada