Statue Theatre: Women, Men
Exercise description
The participants split into two female and two male groups. Each group should prepare a statue, but the topic for one female and one male group is
Displaying the Women statue (45 minutes): First the male group sets up the statue they prepared, and then the female group, so that the rest can see both statues at the same time. Then the “male” statue is removed so that its participants can see the “female” statue.
Ask the audience: “What did you see? What did the actors of the statues want to show? What are the differences/similarities between the statue set up by men and the one set up by women?”
Then ask the actors of the statues: “What did you want to show? What was it like playing the roles?” Short discussion in the plenary: insights, comments.
Displaying the Men statue (45 minutes): First the female group sets up the statue they prepared, and then the male group, so that the rest can see both statues at the same time. Then the “female” statue is removed so that its participants can see the “male” statue.
Just as before, the audience is asked questions, and then the actors of the statue.
Notice:
Keep in mind that this exercise can easily run overtime. The exercise should be carefully moderated because it almost inevitably elicits strong emotions and reactions. It is confrontational and conducive to conflict. It is recommended to not leave it as the last exercise of the workshop, but to allow time for dialogue and thinking about what could be done to change the situation.
Possible difficulties:
Related Workshops: