Forum Theatre as a Tool for Community Development: BSPU Lecturer Helps Organise a Research Workshop in Shumsk

How can discussions about community problems become a collaborative search for solutions? How can people from different sectors be encouraged to listen to one another and view familiar situations from a different perspective? These were the questions explored by participants in a three-day Forum Theatre research workshop in the Shumsk community, Ternopil region. In October, its findings and proposals were presented in a document entitled “Shumsk 2.0: A Roadmap for the Community’s Future”.

Alla Melnychuk, a lecturer at Berdyansk State Pedagogical University and a trainer, co-organised the workshop and served as its Joker, working alongside Oksana Cheremysina and Inna Palko with support from the NGO Theatre of Change. In Forum Theatre, the Joker acts as a facilitator, supporting dialogue between the stage and the audience, helping participants reflect on what they have seen, and encouraging them to try different courses of action.

Forum Theatre transforms spectators into active participants. During the interactive exploration of a scene, audience members can stop the action, step into a character’s role, and propose their own way of addressing the problem. This creates a space for testing solutions, considering their consequences, and exploring alternatives. In community work, the method helps move discussions from abstract issues to concrete situations from everyday life.

The workshop brought together women representing local government, education, culture, social services, and youth initiatives. This mix of participants enabled dialogue across sectors: each participant could share her experience, voice needs, and contribute to a shared vision for the community’s future.

An initial survey was an important part of the process. It found that 68% of participants lacked a comprehensive vision for community development, while rating their confidence in the success of change at 4–5 out of 5. These responses suggested both a readiness for change and a need to jointly determine its direction. The research also identified a gap between public-sector employees’ formal involvement in decision-making and their meaningful participation in practice.

During the theatre sessions, participants developed and performed short scenes addressing environmental issues, communication between generations, and toxic interactions on social media. Switching roles allowed them to see conflicts through another person’s eyes and better understand their motivations and constraints. In particular, local government representatives could step into the roles of other community members and reflect on their experiences.

The workshop’s practical outcome was “Shumsk 2.0: A Roadmap for the Community’s Future”, which brought together participants’ proposals and findings from observations. Suggested initiatives included repurposing closed schools as community centres, improving accessibility, and expanding opportunities for young people to participate in community life. The document was submitted to the head of the community for consideration in strategic planning.

The workshop demonstrated the practical value of combining interactive theatre methods with an action research approach. Participants helped investigate problems, tested possible solutions, and jointly developed proposals for change. This format encourages dialogue, responsibility, and residents’ active involvement in community life.

For BSPU, this experience is valuable for preparing professionals through its degree programmes in Social Work and Social Pedagogy, Social and Psychological Support for Resilience, Social Pedagogy, and Post-War Social and Psychological Reintegration. Forum Theatre connects the analysis of social problems with practical interaction, helping students learn to identify people’s needs, establish communication, involve different groups in decision-making, and work together to find ways of addressing difficult life circumstances.

Within these programmes, theatre practices can support social and pedagogical work, strengthen resilience and social connections, and facilitate the reintegration of people affected by war. In particular, incorporating these practices into the course “Innovative Models of Social Service Delivery” allows community engagement experience to serve as practical material for the professional preparation of future specialists.

The initiative also aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 4, Quality Education, through experiential learning and the development of collaboration skills; SDG 10, Reduced Inequalities, through attention to accessibility and the inclusion of different groups of residents; and SDG 16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, through support for dialogue and public participation in decision-making.

The BSPU lecturer’s involvement in the research workshop illustrates how university expertise can support community development, while experience of working with residents can enrich the education of future social sector professionals.

Alla Melnychuk, Assistant Lecturer
in the Department of Social Work and Inclusive Education
and Coordinator of the BSPU Leadership School