Forum Practice Guide

Download & print this Forum Practice Guide.

How to train forum participants

Preparation - Schedule a workshop: 

• All students going to the festival MUST participate.

• Including others in your program will help

• Allow about 30-45 minutes.

• Groups of 2 to 4 students will present short scenes of 2 to 5 minutes. These can be works in progress. They can use scripts. They can be cold readings. Reading in advance is better.

• It is best to meet in a classroom but any space will work.

• Make double sided copies of, Forum Participant Guidelines for all attending the training. Download it from the Participant Info section of the Festival Info page at www.nhetg.org  or let them use the phone friendly version.

Distribute the Forum Participant Guidelines: (2 pages back to back)

• Read the Forum Participant Guidelines out loud to the group, explaining with examples as you go and make sure everyone is on the same philosophical page. 

• Explain that these are guidelines only and if someone provides a Statement of Meaning during the Performing Company Members as Questioner section, it's fine. If, however, they stray off topic, do reign the forum back in.

• Review the Alternate Process on page 2. (performing company absent)

• Review the lists of Topics for Discussion and example questions also found on page 2.

Practice Forums: 

• Have a group present a short scene (5 minute max). It’s best if the scene is unfamiliar to most.

• In this document “performer” means actors, director, techie.

After each scene is presented: 

• You, the teacher, advisor or director, will facilitate a forum. Don’t be the teacher. Let the students talk. You just initiate each part of the process. You are simply a moderator, recognizing the next speaker.

• Arrange desks/chairs in a circle for a more comfortable setting or sit in a circle on the floor.

• Be aware of the time. 10 minute limit.

• The first 4 steps in the process are likely to move quickly leaving plenty of time for #5.

• Have the artists from the current show introduce themselves along with their roles at the forum start.

The Process:

1. Introductions, Performing Company: Name, Show, Role.

2. One Word Reactions: Say something like, “Let’s have a one word reaction from everyone.” This is the one time you might go around the circle so everyone speaks. This is just intended to get the ball rolling. This should take less than a minute total.

3. Performer/Technician as Questioner: “Do the performers have questions for the audience?”

4. Neutral Questions: “Who has a neutral question for the performers.”

5. Statements of Meaning: “Let’s move onto Statements of Meaning.”

Do this 2 or 3 times till everyone gets the idea.

Everyone in your company needs this training!!

Rev 1/8/2023