Scenes of Change: Forum Theatre with SDGs

Step by step instructions

Step 1

Theoretical Input
15 min
• Brief introduction to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): What are they and why are they relevant?
• Example: SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): Indigenous communities in Colombia and peace dialogues.
• Explain that participants will work with an SDG that resonates with them, creating short scenes using Forum Theatre methods.
• Visual support: draw or show the “Forum Theatre curve” (e.g., conflict escalation and transformation).

Step 2

Warm up exercise
5 min
• Walk freely around the room
• Imagine a character that is not yourself (pause and raise hands once imagined).
• Choose an inner number (1 = insecure, 10 = very secure) and an outer number (1 = visibly insecure, 10 = completely confident).
• Interact with others as this character (greet, introduce yourself and show your ‘habitus’).
• Shake off the character at the end.

Step 3

Create scenes
25 min
Form 3 groups that create a short scene with no happy ending. The groups have 20 minutes time for a 1-2min scene.
Choose one clear theme with a conflict, everybody embodies a character in the situation.
Choose one SDG, afterwards the groups get three words to create a scene around.

• SDG 1 No poverty: SLandlord, capitalism, single father
• SDG 2 Zero hunger: Supermarket, food waste, asylum seeker
• SDG 3 Good health and well-being: Factory, ambulance, worker
• SDG 4 Quality education: Private school, socioeconomic background, student
• SDG 5 Gender equality: News channel, sexism, non-binary person
• SDG 6 Clean water and sanitation: Contamination, privatisation of water, girl
• SDG 7 Affordable and clean energy: Gas, inflation, dog
• SDG 8 Decent work and economic growth: Textile factory, riot, woman leading the department
• SDG 9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure: Investment, traffic, nurse
• SDG 10 Reduced inequalities: Bureaucracy, deportation, hiding person
• SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities: Smog, corruption, mayor
• SDG 12 Responsible consumption and production: Smartphone producer, increased consumption, teenagers working in a mine
• SDG 13 Climate action: Government, coal energy, family
• SDG 14 Life below water: Trawling nets, species extinction, fisher
• SDG 15 Life on land: Forest, biodiversity, Indigenous community
• SDG 16 Peace, justice and strong institutions: Group of rebels, dictator, siblings fleeing
• SDG 17 Partnerships for the goals: Nuclear bomb, economic sanctions, president

Step 4

Perform and intervene
1-5 h
• One group at a time presents their scene.
• Scenes are repeated; now the audience can stop the performance and intervene either by:
a) Stepping in to replace a character, or
b) Asking questions to the performers before the scene continues.
• Rule: You cannot take the oppressor’s highest power position to solve the conflict.
• Only one intervention per group per round; on-stage participants stay in character, those stepping in try to propose improvements or alternatives.
• Joker moderation: countdown “3, 2, 1, action”, then ask: What feels wrong on stage? What is each character’s secret wish? Discuss with the audience and actors how the intervention felt and what changed.

Step 5

Debrief
15 min
Take time to properly debrief this experience in smaller groups or a plenary depending on group size.