Tool Description
This is a theatrical performance about cooperativism that includes a forum with the public. The show explains various phases of a cooperative life, including beginning and crisis.
Cooperative theatre
For the development of the activity we have various possibilities:
- The performance is interpreted by professional actors and after we have a debate on the contents accompanied by the facilitator, all together or in little groups.
- The audience watches a video about the performance and after we have a debate about contents accompanied by the facilitator, all together o in little groups. The video is in Catalan and it is online, subtitles can be added.
- Some of the audience interpret the performance with the accompaniment of the facilitator. In this case:
- Divide the group into small groups of 4-5 people
- During 15 minutes, they will prepare their “show” : they need to come up with an idea for a service, and then form a cooperative to make reality their business. In the story/play they are creating, they need to incorporate a difficulty, economical and relational crisis, etc. They need to ask the support of an evaluator, they have to make decisions… and the show stops without a definitive end.
- At this point the workshop facilitator invites the public to comment on the cooperative experiences and to propose a continuation for the play.
Each group will have 5 minutes to present their show, and then the public will have 10 minutes to help find a solution and debate.
The forum theater can be done in one big group that includes all the people present, generating a big brain storming, or it can be done in small groups, allows for greater insight.
Aims
This theater performance is a very good introduction of how a cooperative can be created and its process of development. It gives the possibility to inexperienced persons to approach the cooperativism values.
The format is very powerful to make alive to the audience the advantage and the difficulties that usually we can meet in the cooperative day to day activities, decisions, satisfactions, etc.
It explains the good moments and successes but the more frequent problems and crises too.
We can summarize two main goals:
- Dissemination of the values provided by the cooperative economic model towards a more just and egalitarian society.
- Deepen the complexity and strength of human relations inherent in democratic self-management projects.
Duration
The duration of the professional performance, live or in video is approximately 1 hour, more we need to add an half hour for the cineforum. If the performance is released from some of the audience the duration will be 30 minutes approximately.
Background and where it has been employed
At the moment it is presented in different Solidarity Economy Fair, and schools, to bring young people closer to SSE. To be transferred, the best is to produce a theatre piece for every country. But we have a cheaper solution: it exists a video of the theatre play, so a cheaper solution is to subtitle this video. In this way, we make it possible to easily bring these tools in schools or other educational collectivity, and promote a dialogue around the SSE. The expected learning is that the beginner audiens lives and visualizes the more frequent cooperative situations, so they can live a strong approach to cooperativism. Advanced audiens can have new ideas and visualize their own situations.
Material needed
Actors, a stage. Or a video can be proposed. In both cases you need a facilitator.
Links and downloads
https://www.escuelateatrobarcelona.es/la-asamblea-una-obra-de-teatro-forum-sobre-cooperativismo/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz2-HHWlg1g
Created by
Consultoría Coopdemà (www.coopedma.cat), )e(spai en construcció (www.espaienconstruccio.com), El timbal centre de formació i creació escénica (www.escuelateatrobarcelona.es)