Play Your Anger – Forum Theatre in School is a socially engaged project developed by Metaart Foundation in collaboration with Theatre of Responsibility, Hand Theatre and the Plovdiv Municipality focusing on the intersection between performing arts and youth engagement.
Working with students from Nikola Vaptsarov Secondary School in Plovdiv, the project unfolds as a three-month process combining theatrical practice, psychological support, and collective reflection. At its core lies the use of forum and documentary theatre as tools for exploring themes of aggression, violence, and social tension within the school environment.
Rather than approaching theatre as a finished product, the project emphasizes process-engaging students as active participants in writing, developing, and performing a stage production based on their own experiences. Through a series of workshops, rehearsals, and guided sessions with a psychologist, participants transform personal and shared narratives into a structured performative form.
The project culminates in a public performance on a professional stage at Hand Theatre, presented to an audience of students, teachers, parents, and the wider community. This transition-from classroom to stage-marks a key moment, positioning the participants not only as learners, but as creators and voices within a broader social dialogue.
Beyond its artistic outcome, Play Your Anger functions as a platform for discussion and awareness, addressing urgent issues such as bullying, isolation, and discrimination. By creating a safe and open environment for expression, the project contributes to the development of emotional intelligence, empathy, and critical thinking among young people.
Through this initiative, Metaart Foundation supports the creation of sustainable models for integrating art, education, and social practice-demonstrating how cultural tools can actively engage with and respond to contemporary societal challenges.
