Gaza – (A. M. Qattan Foundation):
On Saturday, 1 December 2019, the Educational Research and Development Programme (ERDP) of the A. M. Qattan Foundation launched the first experimental performance of the forum theatre, titled An Oppressed Teacher. Held at the ERDP Office in Gaza, the event brought together 35 male and female teachers.
As actors, teachers performed the play twice. The audience was engaged in the second performance, providing their interventions and suggestions to alter events of the play.
The performance is part of a new professional development experiment through the Forum Theatre. The ERDP started building and developing the experiment in early 2018. Led by Ula Badawi, Manager of the ERDP Office/Gaza, this professional development exercise is implemented in collaboration with Theatre Artist Yusri Maghari.
Currently, teachers are finalising their preparations to present their upcoming interactive performances to a diverse audience of participants involved in the educational process.
Teachers participating in the experiment have produced the play through an exploratory learning journey. The process began with invoking real life images and stories. Of these, teachers visualised, discussed, analysed, and reproduced touching moments in theatrical scenes. In this context, teachers employed multiple techniques provided by “dramatic conventions” and Theatre of the Oppressed. These include the sculpture, film, image theatre, spectre, and improvisation through the dramatic role.
Teachers delved deeper into issues of justice/injustice, which certain moments in their lives involved. They relived these moments in the aesthetic space created by the theatre. Accordingly, teachers explored and deconstructed underlying issues of life and education. They also developed the dramatic structure of their play by learning about the registers of meaning, constructing free wills of the characters, and engaging in shared readings of theatre scripts.
Badawi said: “Through this experiment, we aim at scaling up teacher professional development by introducing a transformational process to the methods of thinking, cognition, feeling, and practice. Professional development is not as much associated with the subject, which teachers teach. It is rather centred on the teacher/human being, whose personal perspective of himself, others, and the world have a bearing on all of his life and career choices. Whatever the subject taught by the teacher, the methods of teaching and learning do not very much revolve around actions pertaining to that subject. Rather, these reflect the human being that male or female teacher is and becomes. This primarily contributes to the dynamic relations between teachers and students.”
On the experimental performance, Teacher Rasha al-Baghdadi stated: “I do not remember that I barely touched reality with both my hands ever before as it happened when I watched that powerful play. Yes … it touched our minds and hearts thanks to its significant impact. I think that this impact is attributed to the genius idea, wonderful performance, and excellent management of the encounter. Perhaps we are witnessing a new and unique style of addressing and resolving world problems in a more adroit and more effective way … So, the play is very welcome.”
Teacher Hala Abu ‘Amrah said: “In the workshop, I felt much room for constructive communication, effective dialogue, transparency, and objectivity in generating ideas. These aimed at finding realistic solutions for many practical situations, which we sometimes are unable to solve. Therefore, I express my gratitude and appreciation to the organisers of the workshop, which clearly demonstrated a real and honest interest in achieving and devising realistic solutions for practical problems in the field of education in particular, and life in general.
On her experience in the theatrical performance, Teacher and Actress Dina Abu Dayyah said: “It is not easy for someone to face an audience for the first time, while playing a role that is different from his original personality. It is exactly the opposite. The major challenge was the process of interaction with the audience. Before the performance, I was anxious about how I would respond if someone had faced me with a reply I did not expect. What should I improvise? In the performance, however, improvisations just flowed in without the least effort. This was because I played the role of the oppressed character, which was centre stage and under an extreme burden to show justifications for her apparent actions.”
Speaking about the Oppressed Teacher play, Artist Yusri al-Maghari said: “The work addressed one case of oppression, which teachers face at school. By addressing this theme, teachers showed how important this issue was from the perspectives of spect-teachers.”
Teacher Husam Hajjaj commented: “In the play, the actors performed their roles in a highly proficient manner. Participants’ interventions were so important to change to the result of the play … This was the first time I participate in the Theatre of the Oppressed. I feel extremely happy and hope that this theatre does not only expand into education, but into all walks of life.”
The Forum Theatre is one form of the Theatre of the Oppressed, developed by Augusto Boal in the 1960s in Brazil. In the Theatre of the Oppressed, a real life situation is presented, reflecting a type of oppression and injustice. The audience is invited to actively participate by intervening in the theatrical performance repeated on the same scenario. The audience propose solutions for the exhibited examples of oppression by means of their participation as spect-actors. Based on the audience’s suggestions, ideas and interventions, a “forum” is created. This theatrical form is designed for the participants to benefit from the suggested solutions in their lives by reflecting on themselves, practices, and living reality.
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The first experimental performance of the Forum Theatre, titled An Oppressed Teacher, 1 December 2019