The Consultations: 1^st October-31^st December 2024 in Canberra, Wagga Wagga and Sydney

To ensure the performance is relatable and compelling, we are conducting a consultation process to gather ideas and considerations for the show. In each location we will hold one consultation for members of community organisations, and another for members of the community with disabilities. Participants will learn about the play and share their insights to help shape the piece. In the evening, all participants will attend an interactive Playback performance, where audience members’ stories will be performed on stage by Rebus actors.

Rehearsal Process:   Jan-April 2025 in Canberra

For the next stage of the project, we’ll take the ideas generated in the consultation and use them to create an original piece of Forum Theatre. We’re looking forward to assembling a team of actors, who also have lived experience, to craft compelling and relatable scenes based on the stories we gather. They will also draw on their own experiences and ideas to ensure the scenes are authentic and true-to-life. The scenes will be about the experiences of individuals and organisations who are trying to create accessible and inclusive workplaces, and the often unexpected challenges that may arise when embarking on such a noble feat. We’ll draw on techniques found in Theatre of the Oppressed, making a rehearsal process that is as cathartic for participants as it is creative.

The ‘Forum Theatre’ Training: April -December 2025 across NSW, VIC and the ACT

In ‘Forum Theatre’, actors with lived experience present a short play in which their characters experience exclusion, and the audience works with the actors to explore how to change the outcome. The process builds empathy and generates practical ideas to bring about change in real-world environments. Through the ‘Forum’ process, the audience collectively brainstorm how to do better and rehearse making change. The audience leaves with increased empathy and knowledge, having practised standing against difficulties in bringing about change, and with specific ideas for change to enact in their own organisation.

Our standard presentation will be 2 hours, consisting of approximately 20 minutes of performance from the Actors. The audience will then choose one or more scenes to interact with. There will be one hour and ten minutes of interaction with the audience in the Forum process, and half an hour of discussion, turning the insights from the Forum Theatre experience into concrete plans for change within each individual’s organisation. Each attendee will be left with a resource handout.