Members of the audience are given the opportunity to intervene and change the action in a performance.

A play or scene (usually showing a form of oppression) is performed twice. During the second run-through, any member of the audience (‘spect-actor’) is allowed to shout ‘Stop!’ when they think a different course of action would produce a more successful outcome.

The spect-actor is invited to step forward and take the place of one of the oppressed characters. The scene starts again from a chosen moment so that the spect-actor can try a new approach to change the situation for the better.

If this doesn’t work, alternative courses of action can be tried out by members of the audience. The performers remain in character, improvising their responses to each intervention. A facilitator (Joker) is necessary to enable communication between the players and the audience.

The strategy breaks through the barrier between performers and audience, putting them on an equal footing. It enables participants to try out courses of action which could be applicable to their everyday lives. Forum Theatre was pioneered by Brazilian radical Augusto Boal as a political tool for change (part of Theatre of the Oppressed), but has been widely adapted for use in educational contexts.