The Footnote: Why Would You Say That?
One of the big questions people asked when thinking about the footnote in conversation was “Why would he say that?”.
We worked with Theatre of the Oppressed Scotland (TOScot) to use the tool of forum theatre to create an immersive reflective conversation. TOScot worked with actors to develop an interactive take on how Scotland’s past impacts its present. Inspired by Hume’s work, the actors created a play designed to inspire conversation about how we might best navigate challenging situations around racism, class, power and history. debuted The Footnote: Why Would You Say That?
Forum Theatre, is a form of interactive theatre that encourages audience participation to explore and find solutions to real-life problems or issues, with an aim of finding a resolution which fosters greater understanding of differing perspectives.
The Footnote debuted before an audience of 100 guests, at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in May 2025. The audience feedback was phenomenal with surveys showing that every respondent said they would seek to learn more about Scotland’s past as a result.
Watch the performance below.
Content Advisory:
This performance addresses real-life systemic challenges regarding racism, class and power. The content is sensitive and may be triggering for some.
We encourage you to visit the Theatre of the Oppressed Scotland website for a list of resources that may provide support if you find the topics discussed to be personally impactful.
