The Wrestling Season

After-play Forum

by Laurie Brooks 

There is no curtain call following the end of the play. Instead the facilitator appears, greets the audiences and invites them to participate in the forum. The forum may be as long as an hour or as short as twenty minutes.

AGREE AND DISAGREE STATEMENTS

 As the facilitator reads each statement, audience members stand in support if they agree and remain seated in protest if they disagree. 

• Melanie should get back together with Matt.
• Jolt is lying when he says that he and Willy aren’t the ones who beat up Matt.
• Rumors can be hurtful but they usually don’t cause any lasting damage.
• Kori’s suggestion that Matt hook up with someone to help dispel the rumors was ill advised.
• Most people believe rumors without making the effort to discover the truth.
• The pressure Matt feels to succeed is mostly self-generated.
• In the end, Heather got what she deserves.
• Even though Matt stands by Luke, he is still homophobic.

EXPLORATION: Ranking

The facilitator invites the characters from the play to join the proceedings. The actors enter, remaining in character throughout the forum. The facilitator asks the characters to say their names in turn to remind the audience.

Facilitator: (To the audience) I’d like to ask you to help determine whose behavior was most objectionable to least objectionable. When I indicate a character, let me know by the volume of you yeses what you think. Did you object to Nicole’s behavior?”

The facilitator asks the question for each character, determining the most objectionable to the least objectionable based on the volume and energy of audience response, placing the characters along an imaginary line on stage.

Facilitator: Do you all agree with this order of ranking?

Audience members raise their hands and the facilitator calls on them, asking for their adjustments in the ranking. With each change, the facilitator moves the characters according to individual ideas. The facilitator encourages audience members to share their reasons for ranking the characters as indicated.

Facilitator: Do you agree with this ranking?

Audience responds with more rankings until many ideas have been expressed.

Facilitator: Let’s hear what the group up here has to say.

One by one the characters respond briefly to how they have been ranked. Each character is ready with several responses. They choose which response to use for each performance. One character, chosen before the performance, does not speak. It is important that this segment not become didactic, but that the characters speak from their personal point of view.

REFLECTION

Facilitator: Now I’d like to ask you to share a sentence or phrase of comfort or advice or affirmation to these characters. You may speak directly to any of the group up here.

The facilitator stands back, allowing the audience to stand, waiting their turn to speak. They negotiate this segment themselves. The characters are silent throughout, listening and reacting.

Now the character who did not speak steps forward and asks to speak. This speech ends the forum, so it should have a sense of closure.

Facilitator: Thanks for all your thoughts. Now give the cast of the Wrestling Season and yourselves a big hand.

The actors step out of role and take their curtain call.

End Forum