The consultancy visit to Lodz by Mr Mario Azzopardi, director of the Malta Drama Centre, took place between 16 and 20 October 2005.
Lodz is an important economic city with a population of almost one million. Numerous contacts are established globally as can be witnessed from an increasing number of partnership agreements.
The city's cosmopolitan nature necessarily presents issues pertaining to a bustling social centre and it is clear why the Polish partners in Lodz have opted for two very relevant arguments to be treated by way of Forum Theatre: abortion and homosexuality. The latter issue was selected after the local authorities in Warsaw blocked a "freedom parade" prompted by gay rights, with the result that the whole issue being submitted for judgment at the European Court in Strasbourg.
The two Forum Theatre projects undertaken in Lodz were related to the Academy of Humanities and Economics (AHE). This is a prestigious, private institution, the only Polish university that fulfilled requirements required for the conferment of the European Diploma Supplement Label. All faculties of the AHE have accreditation from the Polish ministerial body's Governmental Accreditation Commission. It is part of the mission of the AHE to search constantly for new and creative solutions which will widen the range and scope of educating young people.
The Forum Theatre experience at the Academy is based on a special programme offered to two training groups that have been working since the initial training in Bucharest. The participants are students of the different faculties of the Academy and who occupy themselves with training in educational matters, from upbringing to social communication skills and social therapy.
The total complement involved in the project involves some 30 students (mostly from the pedagogy and cultural studies sectors) and five animators/organizers/trainers, split into two groups.
It is clear that the two respective projects, notwithstanding the difficulties presented by the very structure of academic studies (resulting in limited time considerations) have been explored in depth and very seriously. The Consultant was shown a very creditable film recording of one of the drama tasks, based on the issue of Abortion, and on which he based a wide-ranging debate on the nature and application of the Forum Theatre methodology.
The drama performance on film was directed by Darek Lesnikowski, a talented director of experimental drama, attached to the Cultural Studies Department at the University of Lodz. Because of the director's experience in "aesthetic" theatre his approach was distant from Forum Theatre. There was a laudable mis-en-scene, with evocative lighting and an impressive music score, complimenting the stylization employed throughout the performance.
The production would have scored highly in any student festival, but unfortunately, it was far removed from Boal's essential concept of Forum Theatre. It clashed directly with "the poetics of the oppressed" in the Boalian system and veered heavily towards what Boal calls "aesthetic osmosis". It also created a formula of "empathy" through the style selected (music, lighting, interpretation, etc). According to Forum Theatre philosophy, Theatre of the Oppressed is strictly against any form of empathy. Boal regards empathy as "a terrible weapon: against the creative power of citizens. It takes power away from the public and invests it in the image. Empathy makes the spectators surrender power of thought and action to the actors onstage, on film and television. This is precisely what was happening with the Abortion script.
Moreover, rather than moving towards the SPECT-ACTOR solution, which is absolutely essential in Forum Theatre, the audience at the AHE was being asked for an opinion, a reaction, not for action. Forum Theatre, therefore, became "theatre-forum". No member of the public went on stage to "transform" the action. Instead, the actors were told what to do by members of the audience. Again, this is totally against the notion of Forum Theatre democratic participation, where the audience empowers itself and physically attempts to change the outcome of an issue.
The Joker presented another problem. As with the performances in Hungary, there seemed to be inherent difficulty in understanding the role of the Joker. In this case, the Joker tended to be too clinical, detached and strictly "academic".
The first practical workshop, lasting about 2 hours, was based on the limitations and shortcomings of the Abortion play. After an in-depth evaluation of the filmed piece with students and animators, the Consultant moved into workshop mode. Intense activity was based on improvisation related to the central argument. Participation level was excellent and attention span was optimum all the time. The workshop led to a practical approach with a series of actual structured scenes being devised for a proper Forum Theatre experience, with the audience watching out for the need of direct intervention to change the course of events.
The Homosexual issue was taken up in the second project, with a hands-on workshop on a separate day. The issue of Gay rights in Lodz (and Warsaw) has been brought to a high level of consciousness in the past couple of years Freedom parades, however, have been censored but underground protests were held in August 2005. The media is in favour of homosexuals "coming out" (actually this was the phrase selected for the title of the second Forum Theatre project at the AHE), and TV debates and talk shows have been on the increase. The Church assumes that homosexuals are "sick people" but generally it does not take stands against homosexuals. The blocking of the Gay parade in summer led to the issue being presented to the European Court.
The very relevant argument selected by AHE has very pronounced social and "political" implications. One needs to remember that, according the originator of Forum Theatre, "all theatre is political". It is the political act that interests profoundly any event connected with Forum Theatre. And this is exactly where the participants at AHE found difficulty.
Most of them became inhibited to interpret the "protest" element in dramatic terms. The Gay issue was treated on a domestic and collegial level (between friends), but not on "political". The workshop dealt with this reality with a measure of success, which then led to the introduction of the concept of Legislative Theatre, the lastest phase of the Boal System.
The Consultancy visit was very well received and it is the considered opinion of the undersigned that the evaluation, debates and most importantly, the workshops, went a long way into consolidating in an authentic and practical manner the work which was started in Bucharest. The Consultant is very grateful to the diligent and often taxing translations of the proceedings wand would like to thank the two main collaborators in this respect, Ms Elzbieta and Ms Justyna Jaworska. The Consultant would like to acknowledge the optimal attention and hospitality shown towords him by the Lodz organizers, especially as shown in his regard by Ms Elzvieta Michalska, a sound and very reliable generator/administrator whose contribution to the Lodz project is greatly appreciated.
Mario Azzopardi
The Malta Drama Centre
24th October 2005
Lodz is an important economic city with a population of almost one million. Numerous contacts are established globally as can be witnessed from an increasing number of partnership agreements.
The city's cosmopolitan nature necessarily presents issues pertaining to a bustling social centre and it is clear why the Polish partners in Lodz have opted for two very relevant arguments to be treated by way of Forum Theatre: abortion and homosexuality. The latter issue was selected after the local authorities in Warsaw blocked a "freedom parade" prompted by gay rights, with the result that the whole issue being submitted for judgment at the European Court in Strasbourg.
The two Forum Theatre projects undertaken in Lodz were related to the Academy of Humanities and Economics (AHE). This is a prestigious, private institution, the only Polish university that fulfilled requirements required for the conferment of the European Diploma Supplement Label. All faculties of the AHE have accreditation from the Polish ministerial body's Governmental Accreditation Commission. It is part of the mission of the AHE to search constantly for new and creative solutions which will widen the range and scope of educating young people.
The Forum Theatre experience at the Academy is based on a special programme offered to two training groups that have been working since the initial training in Bucharest. The participants are students of the different faculties of the Academy and who occupy themselves with training in educational matters, from upbringing to social communication skills and social therapy.
The total complement involved in the project involves some 30 students (mostly from the pedagogy and cultural studies sectors) and five animators/organizers/trainers, split into two groups.
It is clear that the two respective projects, notwithstanding the difficulties presented by the very structure of academic studies (resulting in limited time considerations) have been explored in depth and very seriously. The Consultant was shown a very creditable film recording of one of the drama tasks, based on the issue of Abortion, and on which he based a wide-ranging debate on the nature and application of the Forum Theatre methodology.
The drama performance on film was directed by Darek Lesnikowski, a talented director of experimental drama, attached to the Cultural Studies Department at the University of Lodz. Because of the director's experience in "aesthetic" theatre his approach was distant from Forum Theatre. There was a laudable mis-en-scene, with evocative lighting and an impressive music score, complimenting the stylization employed throughout the performance.
The production would have scored highly in any student festival, but unfortunately, it was far removed from Boal's essential concept of Forum Theatre. It clashed directly with "the poetics of the oppressed" in the Boalian system and veered heavily towards what Boal calls "aesthetic osmosis". It also created a formula of "empathy" through the style selected (music, lighting, interpretation, etc). According to Forum Theatre philosophy, Theatre of the Oppressed is strictly against any form of empathy. Boal regards empathy as "a terrible weapon: against the creative power of citizens. It takes power away from the public and invests it in the image. Empathy makes the spectators surrender power of thought and action to the actors onstage, on film and television. This is precisely what was happening with the Abortion script.
Moreover, rather than moving towards the SPECT-ACTOR solution, which is absolutely essential in Forum Theatre, the audience at the AHE was being asked for an opinion, a reaction, not for action. Forum Theatre, therefore, became "theatre-forum". No member of the public went on stage to "transform" the action. Instead, the actors were told what to do by members of the audience. Again, this is totally against the notion of Forum Theatre democratic participation, where the audience empowers itself and physically attempts to change the outcome of an issue.
The Joker presented another problem. As with the performances in Hungary, there seemed to be inherent difficulty in understanding the role of the Joker. In this case, the Joker tended to be too clinical, detached and strictly "academic".
The first practical workshop, lasting about 2 hours, was based on the limitations and shortcomings of the Abortion play. After an in-depth evaluation of the filmed piece with students and animators, the Consultant moved into workshop mode. Intense activity was based on improvisation related to the central argument. Participation level was excellent and attention span was optimum all the time. The workshop led to a practical approach with a series of actual structured scenes being devised for a proper Forum Theatre experience, with the audience watching out for the need of direct intervention to change the course of events.
The Homosexual issue was taken up in the second project, with a hands-on workshop on a separate day. The issue of Gay rights in Lodz (and Warsaw) has been brought to a high level of consciousness in the past couple of years Freedom parades, however, have been censored but underground protests were held in August 2005. The media is in favour of homosexuals "coming out" (actually this was the phrase selected for the title of the second Forum Theatre project at the AHE), and TV debates and talk shows have been on the increase. The Church assumes that homosexuals are "sick people" but generally it does not take stands against homosexuals. The blocking of the Gay parade in summer led to the issue being presented to the European Court.
The very relevant argument selected by AHE has very pronounced social and "political" implications. One needs to remember that, according the originator of Forum Theatre, "all theatre is political". It is the political act that interests profoundly any event connected with Forum Theatre. And this is exactly where the participants at AHE found difficulty.
Most of them became inhibited to interpret the "protest" element in dramatic terms. The Gay issue was treated on a domestic and collegial level (between friends), but not on "political". The workshop dealt with this reality with a measure of success, which then led to the introduction of the concept of Legislative Theatre, the lastest phase of the Boal System.
The Consultancy visit was very well received and it is the considered opinion of the undersigned that the evaluation, debates and most importantly, the workshops, went a long way into consolidating in an authentic and practical manner the work which was started in Bucharest. The Consultant is very grateful to the diligent and often taxing translations of the proceedings wand would like to thank the two main collaborators in this respect, Ms Elzbieta and Ms Justyna Jaworska. The Consultant would like to acknowledge the optimal attention and hospitality shown towords him by the Lodz organizers, especially as shown in his regard by Ms Elzvieta Michalska, a sound and very reliable generator/administrator whose contribution to the Lodz project is greatly appreciated.
Mario Azzopardi
The Malta Drama Centre
24th October 2005
© 2008 - The Drama Centre Malta , All rights reserved.
CONSULTANCY REPORT ON FORUM THEATRE PROJECTS
IN LODZ (POLAND)
By Mario Azzopardi Dip.Ed., M.Phil (Theatre)
The Malta Drama Centre
IN LODZ (POLAND)
By Mario Azzopardi Dip.Ed., M.Phil (Theatre)
The Malta Drama Centre
Malta Drama Centre
A State institution providing comprehensive drama training, including outreach theatre.