Sometimes, the best way to solve a problem is to get down to grass roots and ask the staff on the front line to voice their ideas. Forum Theatre is an interactive theatre form invented (or discovered) in the early 1970s by Augusto Boal who wanted to empower the audience of his plays. TDRP take that format into your training day which allows your staff to interact or direct the actors with their ideas, which may or may not resolve issues or improve operations.

Your staff or delegates are shown a short scenario in which a central character (protagonist) encounters an oppression or obstacle which he or she is unable to overcome; the subject matter will usually be something of immediate importance to your staff or workplace, usually based on real encounters. For example, maybe it could be a difficult or even aggressive customer.

When the scenario has been performed, your staff or delegates can take to the stage as ‘directors’ and suggest alternative options for how the protagonist could have acted. The actors explore the results of these choices with your staff or delegates, creating a kind of theatrical debate, in which experiences and ideas are rehearsed and shared, generating both solidarity and a sense of empowerment.