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The HATS Manual -> The Methodology -> Applications
Applying to Your Community
There are many creative ways of applying Action Theatre in the community, depending on the group's objectives.
One of the advantages of Action Theatre is that it is flexible enough to adapt to the differences within a group,
thus rendering any chance of an identical replication of the model from group to group a virtual impossibility.
The method can be used and adapted to different types of activities such as information sharing, civic engagement,
problem solving, conflict resolution, critical thinking and fighting oppressive situations.
Even though Action Theatre was discovered by senior women to raise awareness and sensitivity about seniors issues
and adapted to work with different language groups it can also be used with other age groups. HATS has experimented
with groups for women, children (10-12) and youth groups and the results were as satisfactory as when working with seniors.
How HATS Applied Action Theatre
- Workshops - We used the eight HATS activities described in the methodology.
The workshops vary from half-day to two-day workshops, depending on the size and
number of languages in the group, and on the extent to which the theme is explored.
(Activities 1 to 8)
- Presentations - HATS troupes go to other organizations to perform and engage
audiences in critical thinking, analysis and debate of the issues portrayed in the plays.
(Activities 4B to 7) or (Activities 1A, 4B to 7 8) or (Activities 1A, 4C to 7)
- HATS sessions -Presenters are invited to talk about issues pertaining to the area of health
determinants. Participants learn about the topics/issues, participate in non-verbal theatre games and
exercises, and have the opportunity to apply their knowledge by rehearsing the possible solutions to
the real-life situations presented by the Action Theatre.
(Activities 1, 4B to 8)
- Training -This includes a series of 6-8 workshops designed to provide groups with the experience
required to initiate the creative process. Throughout these sessions participants learn about Action
Theatre while engaging in fun and highly interactive exercises.
During the training participants have the opportunity to talk about their "anti-model"
experiences in a small group setting. The group discussions provide the platform from which the
stories develop and are then adapted into plays performed for the larger group. Pantomime is
used to enact the stories since we work with groups of different languages.
Facilitator Tip: It is important that Action Theatre players participate in the training workshops
because they need to work together not only to warm up and to know each other better but also to get
rid of inhibitions and to feel comfortable and confident when acting in front of an audience or speaking
up about a subject-matter and to express their opinions during the interplay.
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