Empowering in-service teachers: A resilience-building intervention based on the forum theatre technique

Abstract

This chapter discusses the potentialities of the Forum theatre technique to empower teachers’ resilience. The Forum theatre is a three-phase participatory drama technique based on Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed that includes: (a) a theatre performance mainly described in terms of the oppressed-oppressor dynamic; (b) an interactive phase where the audience members are invited to replace the actors in order to solve the represented conflicts; and (c) a final shared reflection and exchange of feelings and thoughts about what they have experienced. This theatre technique was applied in continuing education workshops involving a total of 230 in-service vocational school teachers in Switzerland. The study aimed to explore the emotional, cognitive and social perceived impact of this participatory drama technique among the participants. The findings showed a high potential of the theatre-based technique to stimulate emotional, reflective and social resources that are fundamental for resilience at both the individual and organisational levels.