Throughout this lesson, the class will explore a famous game from Augusto Boal’s work with Theatre of the Oppressed. Students will also engage in another Word Study, this time exploring power and its various meanings. Students will then have the opportunity to create a series of tableau, accented with thought-tracking from the character’s personal perspectives. Before engaging in this lesson, take time to establish class norms and expectations for the discussion of power. Students’ various lived experiences will inform their positionality to this discussion, and it may be very challenging for some. It is important to co-create a “brave space” with students before entering into this lesson. Although educators try to create “safe spaces”, that cannot always be guaranteed for our students, but we are asking students to be brave as they engage in this work. Consider the following ideas:

  • Establish community norms, such as full body listening, no cutting others off, respond without attacking
  • Allow for students to self-regulate with breaks or stepping to the side as needed
  • Ensure there is dedicated time for debriefing and reflection - avoid leaving students in high emotional states at the end of the lesson
  • Establish the right to pass
  • Use content warnings for difficult topics
Lesson Overview

Estimated Time: 2 class periods plus rehearsal and performance time as needed 

Learning Goals/Big Ideas/Key Questions
  • What is power?
  • Who has power and how do they get it?
  • How does Reading and Writing (Literacy) give us power?
Readiness

This lesson builds on the previous two in the unit, so it should not be taught without completing those. Prior experience with Thought-tracking is helpful, but not necessary.

Terminology
Materials
  • Chart Paper and Markers/White Board/Jam Board or other note taking option
  • Completed PDF #1 Word Study 1
  • Individual copies of PDF #4 Word Study 3
  • Computer with Internet Access
  • Projector
  • Speakers
  • 4 matching chairs
  • A water bottle

Minds On

Whole Class > The Great Game of Power

This game, created by Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner, Augusto Boal, challenges students to create physical and symbolic representations of power which exist within relationships. This is played as a whole class, either with individual participants and an audience, or can be adapted into teams to allow for low-risk and high collaboration. As students play, encourage them to carefully observe and analyze the choices their peers are making.

Decide if the activity is being played with individual players or collaboratively. Place four matching chairs and a water bottle at the front of the playing space. Instruct the first volunteer to arrange the chairs and water bottle in a way which suggests that one chair has more power than the others. The chairs and water bottle can be moved around the playing space, stacked, and turned over, but they cannot be removed.  The other students should observe. If working collaboratively, consider using multiple sets of chairs and water bottles so all students are engaged at once. Consider giving students one minute to brainstorm before they move the chairs. Once the chairs have been moved, the individual(s) return to their seat in the audience. Using the following prompts, the teacher will lead a discussion to guide the audience through analyzing and understanding the choices made. It is important that the audience gets a chance to discuss before the volunteer/team announces their vision. 

Teacher Prompt:

  • What do you see? Describe how the chairs and water bottle are laid out.
  • Which chair might have the most power? The least?
  • What story might be being told?
  • What world event, moment from a book/film or relationship type might this remind you of?

Continue to play the game and reflect until students have a good grasp of visualizing power and are comfortable with discussing power from various perspectives.

Action

Whole Class/Partners > Defining Power

Hand out copies of PDF #4 Word Study 3. As a class, preview the handout and read the sample sentence for power together. Collaborate on a student-friendly definition of power, then have students copy the definition onto their handout then read the definition aloud as a class. With this definition in mind, prompt students to fill in the chart with ideas about who has power in their lives, and the positive and negative ways to use power. Finally, students are asked to reflect on how words can have power. 

Teacher Prompt:

  • What might give someone power?
  • Can power be taken away?
  • How might relationships be influenced by power?
  • Can power be influenced by a relationship? For example, who traditionally has power between a child and parent, versus a child and their sibling?

Next, have students return to the PDF #1: Word Study 1; in small groups, students will workshop the scenes they began writing and turn them into a series of tableaux with moments of thought-tracking. Recall the definition of equity with students and then discuss what it means to be equity-seeking (people who are seeking equitable treatment based on the protected grounds of the Ontario Human Rights Commission). Start by reviewing the initial lines, then have students plan out how the conversation would continue. Students should create the following tableaux:

  1. The beginning of the conversation
  2. The conflict (one person or group is equity seeking)
  3. A possible solution
  4. A final moment

Once students have devised their four tableaux, instruct students to utilize thought-tracking to allow for the characters to reveal their inner thoughts. For each tableau, one or two characters should break the freeze and reveal what they are thinking at that moment, then return to the freeze. Each character should reveal their inner thoughts at least twice throughout the four tableaux performance.

Allow students sufficient time to rehearse their tableaux with their thought-tracking lines embedded.

Consolidation

As students rehearse, and after performance, encourage them to consider the following questions:

  • Can equality be achieved in this scene?
  • Does one person hold power over the other?
  • Does the balance of power need to shift in order for equity to exist?
  • Is equity good enough, or is there something better?
  • What would happen if the barrier was removed all together? 
  • What might justice or social justice look like?

Following the performances, discuss the prompts as a class, or have students complete an individual reflection response.

Extensions

At the end of the Action activities of this lesson, introduce students to the Ontario Human Rights Commission list of “protected grounds”. There are 17 personal attributes which are legally protected under the Code.

The Consolidation activities of this unit could be furthered by having students engage in a script writing project. Students can use the ideas from the tableau scenes, or take their writing in a different direction. 

Students should consider the following in their script writing:

  • Clear beginning, middle, and end
  • There is an obvious conflict which needs to be solved (but it may not be fully solved in the scene)
  • The characters develop and learn something about themself or another person
  • There is a clear need for equity
  • Students can engage in peer and self editing and evaluations throughout the writing process
  • Students can perform the scenes upon complete of the writing process and rehearsal period