Dramatizing propaganda activities
Within the framework of the training conference on building grassroots cultural life, organized by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor in Da Nang on November 12 and 13, People's Artist Xuan Bac - Director of the Department of Performing Arts, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism discussed and guided local trade union officials on skills to organize cultural activities for workers, civil servants and laborers.
According to People's Artist Xuan Bac, "forum stage" is simply understood as the dramatization of the propaganda activities of trade union organizations instead of the traditional conference and exchange channels to create appeal to attract more audiences.
This form was created by Augusto Boal, a famous Brazilian screenwriter, director, and social activist from the 1960s of the last century.
“Forum theatre” typically begins with short performances, either rehearsed or improvised, that present a problem, usually social, in the form of a situation. When finished, the play restarts with the audience replacing or adding to the characters on stage to present their alternative solutions or interventions to the problems at hand.
In Vietnam, the very famous TV show “Thank God You’re Here” is a typical example of “forum theater”.
At a lower level, organizations have recently used this form as a communication tool to raise awareness and change behaviors related to reproductive health, reduce discrimination against people living with HIV, eliminate violence in families and schools, and train communication skills in working environments.
Create drama with drama
At the training session, People's Artist Xuan Bac reiterated the current situation of trade union organizations having many cultural houses and not lacking funds, however, many cultural houses in localities across the country are not lit up to attract workers.
This problem comes from many causes, including the fact that the propaganda work and organization of cultural activities of the union have long been dry and not really attractive enough to attract workers.
And one of the directions of change is that in the future, the propaganda and cultural activities of trade unions need to apply the form of "forum theater" at different levels to create dramatic appeal.
“If you pay attention, you will see that a jealousy fight or a car accident on the street is usually very attractive and attracts viewers. The reason is that conflicts like this always have a climax and an unpredictable element of surprise.
And that is the drama. To make a drama, there must be conflict, conflict, then conflict resolution, then conflict arises again to a climax…”, People’s Artist Xuan Bac said.
According to People's Artist Xuan Bac, the "forum stage" of the trade union's propaganda activities is not only to create drama to create attraction, but also an opportunity for actors who are trade union officials and workers to transform into characters to express, to speak their hearts, and to solve the problems themselves.
And this is the factor that will help workers and union officials raise awareness and understanding of culture, society, legal policies, etc.
Not only talking about theory, People's Artist Xuan Bac also created an on-site "forum stage" with real material, which is the love conflict between a female worker and a foreign male expert in Hai Phong, actors playing the role of 3 union officials to both demonstrate, guide acting and handle situations... very attractive and engaging.
Of course, in order for local trade unions to be able to dramatize propaganda activities, just one training session with People's Artist Xuan Bac is not enough.
In order for localities to be able to regularly and effectively apply the "forum stage" method, there needs to be more hands-on training sessions.
