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Socrates — Grundtvig 2 project — Learning Partnership |
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C’you — C’me; Looking Both Ways |
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Beside the historical details the participants were also given an insight on Augusto Boal’s intentions and ideas around Forum Theatre – from hidden theatre to legislative theatre as the last variation of it.
Participants learnt about the techniques used in Forum Theatre and the function of the Joker. They were also introduced to the concept of spect-actors as active parts of the audience rather than just onlookers.
In the afternoon the group was confronted with the first physical exercises in preparation of the hands-on approach which followed later. Energy exercises and awareness training allowed an open mind for the creation of sculptures and images, which are the basis of Boal’s Forum Theatre.
Because of the experiential teaching the participants managed to get a clear idea what Forum Theatre implies and values. The exercises also helped very much to develop a sense of team spirit and to create an atmosphere of trust.
In a feedback round participants could check their own learning and the grade of understanding they gained throughout the first day of the meeting.
In the morning session of the second day participants started to develop sculptures and scenes as basic elements of Forum Theatre. Again it was a very experiential approach and allowed participants to learn by doing rather than just watching and listening. This assisted the process of understanding and reproducing the skills requested for Forum Theatre.
Everyone had the opportunity to design a sculpture with the help of group members and to develop this original sculpture further into new dimensions. The input of the tutor streamlined the outcomes and planted helpful strategies for designing Forum Theatre plays.
The second afternoon of the project meeting was dedicated to the design of an actual Forum Theatre play by using all the skills adopted in the first 3 half days and the already available sculptures and scenes. During the session participants experienced the transformation of “frozen” images into something alive and vivid, including all the unexpected detours and turnoffs created by spect-actors – or in this case other participants – and the omnipresent joker.
Because of the strong involvement of participants the learning occurred almost accidentally, however as an experience one can easily remember and draw from at a later point in time. A feedback round at the end of the session again reinforced the learning and the full understanding of the process and the tool.
On Sunday morning the group of project partners and students from the Malta Drama School came together a last time for a brief reflection on the meeting. All the experiences and the learning that occurred before then needed to be transferred into the project content. At the same time participants had to reflect on how to use the tool of Forum Theatre in the project activities and to what extent the issues chosen for the project should provoke in order to trigger change in the spect-actors.
In a lively discussion between the project partners it was agreed to take risks and to provoke responses from the audience, which would create an environment for members of the audience, where they felt free and at ease to move into the role of spect-actors.
The rest of the day was dedicated to the project content and planning, as all partners were represented at the meeting and dates could be negotiated easily.
All over the meeting was well organised and planned and fulfilled the expectations of all participants, giving all a very good starting point for further project activities.
Vienna, 5 December 2005
Ingrid Wagenhofer Project Co-ordinator |
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The Project Meetings |
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The meeting started off with presentations of the partners on the results of research activities and project advancements in all partner countries. All partners had carried out the planned visits to one other partner country and intensively researched the culture of this particular country. The learning of the participants was tremendous, especially in the cases of learners travelling outside of their country of origin for the very first time of their lives.
The group reflected on the experiences made in the foreign culture and emphasised the good choice of visiting/visited countries, as obviously all partners were confronted with a culture fairly different to their own.
According to the work plan, by the time of the meeting partners were supposed to present their selection of scenes for the Forum Theatre play. However, due to the fact that Mario Azzopardi, the group’s Forum Theatre specialist, was unable to attend the meeting and the delay in some partners development process, the scenes were only discussed later in the meeting.
On the first day of the meeting the participants rather presented difficulties in the process of identifying possible issues for the scenes and the group made common efforts to resolve these problems, which was achieved throughout the meeting to a very satisfying degree.
In an evening session the partners met the members of the Akniste Drama Group and had the possibility of observing the group in action. The evening provided the guest with a very clear picture of Latvian traditional food, songs and games and initiated personal communication with the people of Akniste.
In the morning session of the second day partners, who already had developed their scenes to the point were they could act on it, presented their ideas on the researched culture and assisted the other partners, who were not there yet, with practical help and valuable input into the development of their scenes. The final drafts of the scenes will be presented and completed in the 3. meeting in Greece in September.
The afternoon was dedicated to the local culture and the celebration of Akniste’s town partnerships with municipalities from Poland and Russia. The programme included folk dances and songs from Latvia and neighbouring Lithuania and a stage play of the Akniste Drama Group. The partners also had the opportunity to meet with local and regional politicians and the press.
On Sunday morning the group of project partners were informed about the possibilities around the planned Culture Festival in Austria in June 2007 – already stated in the application. In a short power point presentation the partners learned about the publicly funded event “Viertelfestival Niederoesterreich” and agreed to join the presentation of the C’you – C’me - Forum Theatre Video with the activities of this event. In a brain-writing session the partners jotted down all the ideas they could come up with, on how they can support the event and what they are ready to contribute to its success.
The rest of the day was dedicated to the project content and planning, as all partners were represented at the meeting and dates could be negotiated easily. The minutes of the organisational part of the meeting are attached.
All over the meeting was well organised and planned and fulfilled the expectations of all participants, giving all a very good guide line for further project activities.
Vienna, 15 June 2006
Ingrid Wagenhofer Project Co-ordinator |
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1. Meeting in Malta, 17-21 November 2005
In November 2005 all partners met for the first time in Malta - only three partners had already met at a Grundtvig conference in Vilnius the year before.
The main purpose of the meeting was for the participants and project partners to get familiar with Forum Theatre and its particularities.
The meeting started off with a lecture on the theoretical background of Forum Theatre and its founder Augusto Boal, giving an outline of the development and implications of Forum Theatre in the last 40 years. |
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Sculpture in Mdina in Malta |
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2. Meeting in Latvia, 25-29 May 2006
The partner of the Grundtvig2 project C’you – C’me: Looking Both Ways met in Akniste, Latvia for their second meeting.
The main purpose of the meeting was for the participants and project partners to report about the research phase of the project, the visits to one partner country - the one partners had agreed to in November. At the same time encountered difficulties and obstacles were discussed and at least partly resolved. |
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Participants: Ingrid Wagenhofer (Austria), Peter Fischer (Austria), Mario Azzopardi (Malta), Skaidrite Medvecka (Latvia), Aina Deksne (Latvia), Lilian Lytra (Greece), Maria Papanikolau (Greece), Kai-Eerik Känsälä (Finland) and Liisa Nikkilä (Finland)
The third project meeting (first of the second year) of the Grundtvig2 project C’you – C’me: Looking Both Ways took place at the conference facilities of the Hortiatis/Asvestohori Town Hall, Greece.
The main purpose of the meeting was for the participants and project partners to report about the theme identification and scene development phase of the project. At the same time encountered difficulties and obstacles were discussed and resolved to a very high degree.
The meeting started off with presentations of the partners on the results of scenes development activities and project advancements in all partner countries.
The group reflected on the impact the foreign culture had on the learners and on the experiences during the theme selection and scene development processes. A delicate issue chosen by one of the partners was discussed in the plenary and the partners concerned agreed to a satisfying compromise in the end.
According to the work plan, by the time of the meeting partners were supposed to present their selection of devised scenes for the Forum Theatre play. This happened during the first day of the meeting, leaving some open questions for the following days of the meeting. The partners presented their scenes to their colleagues, while Mario Azzopardi gave valuable input on how to work these scenes on stage with local audience.
The main question for the partners, which remained unsolved till then, was the issue of language. As the audience is expected to move in on the scenes and to alter them according to their value system, the spect-actors need to understand the spoken words of the play.
In the morning session of the second day partners continued to discuss this issue and finally came to the conclusion, that the guests will perform their scene in their own language. The audience will receive a synopsis of the scene in order to follow the play and to be able to “hot-seat” the actors; afterwards the local actors will step in and do a rewind of the scene in the local language, but still from the perspective of the guest actors. In this second go the spect-actors can move in and change things, hot-seat actors in their own language and take actively part in the play.
The afternoon was dedicated to the practical testing of several versions of translating during the play – within the scenes and from an onlookers perspective, which proved the decision made in the morning session right, as the translation dramatically slows down the acting performance and an audience would loose interest in the play through the interference of the translator. After completing the exercises the partners also had the opportunity to meet with local and regional politicians and the press.
On Sunday morning the group of project partners discussed further details around the Culture Festival in Austria in June 2007 – and the Co-ordinator informed the partners about the actions taken since the last meeting in Akniste. The application for the publicly funded event “Viertelfestival Niederoesterreich” was confirmed and the partners developed a schedule of activities to be taken by every partner to ensure the success of the event.
The rest of the day was dedicated to the project content and planning of the staging in March/April 2007, as all partners were represented at the meeting and dates could be negotiated easily. The minutes of the organisational part of the meeting are attached. In the late afternoon partners enjoyed an excursion to the tomb of Philip of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great, for the purpose of soaking up a bit of Greek-Macedonian culture.
All over the meeting was well organised and planned and fulfilled the expectations of all participants, giving all a very good guide line for further project activities.
Vienna, 5 October 2006
Ingrid Wagenhofer Project Co-ordinator |
