What?
On the 21st of October we had our third session of Forum theatre. The class started with mixed emotions and I could already see the enthusiasm narrow down among students. Why was that, I wondered? But as time went on, it was as usual – we forgot the outer world and all the things that were oppressing us, and left our troubles behind the doors of the assembly hall.
Once and again we started with the name and emotion circle. This time you were supposed to say one more word – name one thing, situation or a person who controls you. Then came the games. Week after week I am still amazed by the simplicity of the games and yet they control and change you in ways you could never imagine. Some games are really simple, yet some send your mind to another level. I was really affected by two games particularly – one was the game where eventually rules were turned upside down (go means stop and stop means go, name means clap and clap means name, laugh means cry and cry means laugh) and the other one, where you were supposed to rule the other person with your hand.
There were more than thirty people in the assembly hall – quite a crowd. And our mission is to be in the moment, to see the world through trouble and pain and to put yourself into another person’s shoes. And with all that you mustn’t forget to be polite, not to laugh at other people and no prejudices. The main goal, I think, is to be equal – in this room we are all the same, no matter how much money you have, or if you are famous or not, what you believe in, or what you don’t believe. We are all humans, and that should be enough for every person in the world. Unfortunately, it’s always not enough, for many unknown and known reasons, but in that room, during those hours, we are all in the same level.
These experiences make me feel comfortable, they give me confidence and I don’t have to worry if I look silly or embarrassing. When I attend these sessions, I have no expectations. I am free to think, do and feel whatever I want. And surprisingly this makes me feel free, and my worries disappear for those brief hours.
So what?
These sessions are always meaningful. They are there because of a reason. You might think it’s all fun and games, but some of the games are so manipulating that you might be confused during or after playing. The two games we played this session made me slow down in my thoughts. Like the game where rules are turned upside down. You must act contrary to habit or what you are used to. This shows how our behaviours are automatic, and it’s difficult to control yourself if you are in a new situation. Your behaviour is your habitude, and if you are not willing to learn new things in life, you will always behave the way you are doing it now. You should accept changes, and make yourself free to learn something new every day. And sometimes you do smile when you are actually crying inside, those are the times to accept and knowledge that it’s only natural to ask for guidance.
The second game, the controlling game, was very symbolic to me. It reminded me Harry Potter movies, where there was this Imperius curse.
„The first of the three Unforgivable Curses, Imperius gives the spell-caster total control over their subject. As fake-Moody explains as he demonstrates on a spider:
‘I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats…’
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Those subjected to the Imperius Curse don’t seem aware of what they’re doing while under another person’s control, but imagine how traumatic it would be to look back on actions you made against your will.“ [1]
We all are controlled by the significant other. This can be a person, or social media, politics, religion, family, beliefs, the organisation you work for and so on. Or the other way – you are controlling something or someone. How does that make you feel? Whether you are the controller or the one who is being controlled? I see a lot of mixed emotions. I, myself, felt quite fine in both situations. I wasn’t bothered or confused or angry. I was adjusting with the situation. And that is because in my heart, I know I am a good person. I don’t want to hurt or damage anyone. Yes, we do tend to manipulate with people, but it’s very important that your heart is in the right place, you are not doing that because of greed or pure evil or because you need to achieve something (wealth, position, fame, etc). I cannot say what others were feeling, but being controlled or controlling another person was not a difficult task for me.
As time went on, we did the theatre of the oppressed images and we finished again with the name and emotion circle. Again you were supposed to say one more word – this time it was someone or something you would like to control. My word was people.
Now what?
What have I learned from these sessions? I have learned to forget my emotions and my problems during the class. I have learned to be more confident and to perform in front of other people. What have I discovered? I have discovered that it’s easy to perform in front of strange people when you have agreements and that it’s okay not to speak up.
I wouldn’t do anything differently, even if I could do it all again. Forum theatre sessions are like a trust-sessions to me. I observe and I acknowledge the people around me. We are all equals. I grasp the ideas and games and emotions in that room at that time. I love those people there. They are all individuals. The all have their own thoughts, ideas and values, and if they are willing to share even a dash of their mind(set), then I am a very lucky person.
[1] What is the worst spell from the wizarding world? (May 13th, 2018).
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