What Is Green?
Everyone sits in a circle. Their task is to silently count the number of green things in the room. After one minute, several people say how many things they have...
Structures*
Divide into groups of four or five. Each group should “build” the given structure by linking themselves up. The structures can be: a bridge, a tree, a school, a plane,...
Statues Theatre
The main difference between forum theatre and statue theatre is that statue theatre involves setting up human bodies as statues (immobile scenes without sound), while forum theatre is about role...
Small and Big Animals
Everyone should silently think of their favourite animal (or any animal). The task is for everyone to line up from smallest to biggest animal without talking and only by imitating...
One – Two – Three
Step 1. Participants pair up. In their pairs they count together: they take turns to count to three and then they start again from one. (A: “One”, B: “Two”, A:...
Magical Object
Everyone stands in a circle. The trainer says that they have a magical object that transforms as soon as it changes hands: it changes its shape, size, weight, smell, turns...
Magic Box
One by one, people draw an “invisible object” (i.e. an imaginary one) from the “magic box” (which can be a box, a hat or something similar). They use mime to...
Linking Statues
Everyone stands in a wide circle. One person makes a statue in the centre of the circle and the first person who has an idea about making a joint statue...
Leading by the Palm
The group is divided into pairs. In each pair, one participant leads by holding their palm at a certain distance (5–10 cm) from their partner’s face. The distance from the...
Leading by Sound
The participants pair up. The pairs choose a sound (for example, onomatopoeia, an exclamation) that they will use to recognise each other. Person A in each group has the task...
I Am Telling You a Story
An exercise for waking up the imagination. Prepare cards (papers) so that each has one word written on it (nouns). The number of cards is three times bigger than the...
Grimace Circle
The participants stand in a circle. One person begins by turning to the person on their right and making a grimace (and/or a movement). That person now has to repeat...
Forum Theatre
Set of Introductory Exercises for the Theatre of the Oppressed Driver Leading by the Palm Leading by Sound Magical Object Linking Statues Duration: 35 minutes Setting the Play Duration:...
Fear Statues
Duration: 70 minutes Exercise description Split into three groups. The groups are separated into different rooms or spaces and given the task to prepare a statue about fear, paying...
Driver
The participants pair up. Person A is in front and has their eyes closed. Person B is the driver who drives by giving the following signals: squeezing the left shoulder...
Creative Conflict Transformation
The topic of Creative Conflict Transformation is tackled using the theatre of the oppressed method, also known as forum theatre or statues theatre. The main aim of this workshop is...
As If I…
Everyone walks around the room. When the trainer gives the signal, everyone acts as if what the trainer just said had actually happened: - You heard some great news. -...
An Emotion Expressed with a Number
The participants pair up. Participants have the task of telling an emotion to their partner that was given to them by the trainer (for e.g. “You are sad now” or...