In Vietnam, a novel form of theater is quietly making an impact, not just on stage, but in classrooms, communities, and people's lives. Known as Forum Theater, this interactive art form transforms audience members from passive viewers into active participants. Developed by Brazilian threater practitioner Augusto Boal, Forum Theater was created as a space to “rehearse for real life,” allowing theatergoers to step into the shoes of others, explore difficult situations, and test out new possibilities.
When the audience becomes the performers.
For Lạc Thư, one of Vietnam’s most passionate advocates for Forum Theater, its value lies not in theatrical spectacle but in education and empowerment. “The program you attended,” she explains, “features plays that are more educational and community-oriented than mere performance.” Although Forum Theater has been present in Vietnam since the early 2000s, it is only in recent years that it has gained wider recognition, evolving into a grassroots tool for dialogue, learning, and self-discovery.
Lạc Thư. Photo by Nguyễn Mai Bảo Trang.
Thư’s journey began not on stage, but at a crossroads. After failing her university entrance exams twice, she took up a job selling clothes at Mơ Market in Hanoi. “It felt like my youth was passing by in a dull way,” she reflects. Yet amid this routine, her keen observation of people sowed the seeds of empathy and curiosity. Then one day, she heard about a theater actor recruitment program through the Youth Union. She joined on impulse. “I had no idea it was an educational project, not just a simple theater. That project ended up lasting for six years,” she recalls.
The project focused on reproductive health education for teenagers in Hanoi, using what was then called “interactive threater.” The approach was simple yet insightful: a play would be performed with an open ending. “If you were the main character, how would you solved this situation?” actors would ask. Young audience members would then take the stage, assume the role, and test their ideas. It was Forum Theater in practice and it was transformative.
Theater as a space for dialogue
The themes of Forum Theater plays were grounded in the real challenges young people faced: making friends, navigating romantic relationships, dealing with consent, etc. In the pre-internet era, this format was a crucial vehicle for peer education, using shared stories and live engagement to spark conversation and insight.
Acting out everyday interactions allow young participants a chance to practice and understand their own reactions.
Phương Bảo, a performer in a more recent Forum Theater production titled Mở Xưởng, remembers a moment that struck her deeply. During a scene depicting family conflict, where Phương played a daughter who was scolded by her mother for keeping things to herself, a middle-aged woman from the audience volunteered to step into the performance and take on the role of the father. “I came into the scene angry, like the character,” Phương says, “but then she looked at me and gave me this playful, pouty face. It softened me immediately. I felt like my anger was being understood, not ignored or returned with more anger.”
Phương Bảo (right) during a scene.
This moment captures what distinguishes Forum Theater from traditional theater. It’s not about delivering a polished performance, it’s about promoting genuine human exchange. For performers like Phương, it also offers a different kind of fulfillment. “I’ve quietly loved the stage since I was young,” she shares. “Getting to perform, especially in a space where improvisation is welcome and there’s no pressure to act ‘well,’ makes it feel like play. I feel thrilled because I get to have fun.”
A seed that grew
The first six-year project left such a lasting mark in Thư that, when it concluded, she decided to continue its legacy. She took over Life Art, an organization initially set up to bring Forum Theater to a broader audience beyond NGOs. Life Art operates as a social enterprise, using theater to serve community needs. Thư’s goal is to preserve the original spirit of the work: making Forum Theater accessible, educational, and deeply rooted in lived experience.
Forum Theater is finding new ground in schools and youth programs across Vietnam.
Today, Forum Theater is finding new ground in schools and youth programs across Vietnam. Thư believes that gaining support from educators and school leaders is the key. “As long as they understand what this form is, what’s good about it, how beneficial it is, then the articles and stories you tell will be extremely important. Because just one person reading it can make this form go much further,” she says.
Groups like Cái Tổ Nhỏ and Saigon Theaterland, now working in partnership with Life Art, are helping to spread the practice. Together, they’re ensuring that the “seed” planted by early practitioners continues to grow.
Rehearsing for life
Forum Theater doesn’t offer ready-made solutions. Instead, it provides a rehearsal space for the complexities of life, where people can explore, fail, try again, and most importantly, be seen. For Thư, one moment from a workshop remains unforgettable. “The instructor told us, ‘Now, move through the room like you are a gust of wind or air. Go ahead.’ And something in me opened up. I didn’t care about being judged. I just felt so happy.”
Viewing Forum Theater can inspire a range of emotions, from utter joy to tearful realization.
Phương also found unexpected joy through the process. Her introduction to Forum Theater came through a Compassionate Communication class, where her facilitator used it as a practice method. Although she missed the chance to perform then, she eagerly joined Mở Xưởng when the opportunity came. “I’d already wanted to participate,” she says. “When I saw the audience stepping in to test out their own solutions, it felt like success.”
Still, letting go of the script wasn’t always easy. “In those unscripted moments, I had to return to myself,” she reflects. “It was a bit hard, but also real.” And maybe that’s the heart of Forum Theater: it turns people to themselves — on stage, in dialogue, in community.
Photos by Trí Dũng courtesy of Saigon Theaterland.
