Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Education Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

University of Northern Iowa

Journal

Theatre and Performance Studies

Forum Theater

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Education

The Mechanism Of Empathy In Forum Theater, Ali Mansouri Sep 2023

The Mechanism Of Empathy In Forum Theater, Ali Mansouri

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

Even though the concept of “Empathy” was mentioned in the earliest texts about performance, there has always been a dispute among theatre theorists in different eras regarding its impact on the audience. Although some have considered empathy as the basis of the theatre, others viewed it as a dangerous ground that can result in inappropriate and unhealthy feelings in the audience. Recent findings of neuroscientists have revealed that empathy (with both real people and fictional characters) is inevitable for human beings, and its unconscious mechanism exists in every mentally healthy person. I believe that this inherent ability can allow us …


Expanding And Expounding Upon Forum Theater To Engage Spect-Actors In Virtual Spaces, Lasonja Roberts, María Migueliz Valcarlos, Tara Nkrumah, Vonzell Agosto Oct 2021

Expanding And Expounding Upon Forum Theater To Engage Spect-Actors In Virtual Spaces, Lasonja Roberts, María Migueliz Valcarlos, Tara Nkrumah, Vonzell Agosto

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

In this article, we analyze our experiences of jokering in online spaces during the pandemic. Our journey traversed the 2020/2021 academic year, engaging in Forum Theater work with a local university and community organization. During our planning, leading, and reflecting on these experiences themes emerged addressing the efficacy of practicing Forum Theater in an online setting, as well as recommendations for TO practitioners who wish to pursue online Forum Theater in the future.


Theater Of The Oppressed And Labor Organizing: Possibilities And Limitations, Jasmin Cardenas Oct 2021

Theater Of The Oppressed And Labor Organizing: Possibilities And Limitations, Jasmin Cardenas

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

A reflective essay to document the use of Theater of the Oppressed (TO) for labor organizing with a workers rights group in the Chicago area. Participants were working people from across Chicago’s Latinx immigrant community and previously incarcerated returning citizens, mainly temporary staffing workers who had never performed before. This essay attempts to document the collaboration between an independent artist and an organization and highlight some limitations and possibilities of using TO for labor organizing.