Balloon Holder/Popper

• Number of Participants: any number, divided into teams of 4
• Age Level: Teen to adult
• Source: Jeannie LaFrance, Director of Act for Action - Theater for All
• Uses: understanding the chaotic nature of abusive and oppressive relationships

Divide everyone into groups of four and spread about the space. Each team is given an inflated balloon.

Each person is told that he will play a certain role: the balloon holder, the balloon popper, the child, and the voice of society. The job of the balloon holder is merely that - to hold the balloon and keep it safe. The job of the popper is just as simple - to pop the balloon. The popper is given no tools to pop the balloon (no pins or pencils... just hands and body).

The role of the child is to be demanding. The person who chooses to be the child can pick any age. If she chooses to be four, she can say things like "Mommy! Mommy! Feed me! Mommy! I'm scared! Daddy! Pick me up!" If he chooses to be 14, he can do what a 14-year-old would do.

The "voice of society" is given a list of phrases to say. The content of the phrases depend on the topic of your workshop. This exercise is particularly useful when talking about domestic violence, so if that is your topic, give each "voice of society" a list of phrases such as: "It's all your fault...he wouldn't hit you if you didn't make him angry," "You burned the dinner two nights in a row, of course he's going to be angry," "You're exaggerating, it's not that bad," "If it's that bad, why don't you leave," and so on. Adjust your phrases to your topic. The "voice of society" says these phrases to the balloon holder.

Once everyone understands their roles, the facilitator says, "One, two, three, go!" Everyone begins at once. Once a group's balloon has been popped, the group sits in silence and waits for everyone else to finish.

When all the balloons have been popped, begin a dialogue. Ask the balloon holders how it felt to be under attack from the poppers. Ask the poppers what they were thinking as they were trying to pop the balloons. Ask the children if they got what they wanted, or if they felt abandoned. And ask the voices of society whether they thought they were heard or not, and what affect their words had.

The first time I played this game, I recall that one of the balloon holders said that she turned the wrong way, and that her balloon was popped almost immediately; she then said, "It was all my fault." How often do people in abusive relationships say the same thing?