Volume 1 Number 13
Hi Folks,
Sorry for my absence last week - but you'll be pleased to know I had a great time in Sydney and managed to catch some live performance. Hannie Rayson's new play "Inheritance" was probably the highlight. Celebrity TheatreSports at the Enmore Theatre was a great night out and as usual with Improv there were highlights and lowlights... I was a little disappointed with "The Arab's Mouth" at the Darlinghurst Theatre which, to mind, fell victim to some leaden writing (Gothic Romance isn't a style that sits well with contemporary audiences) that sought to say more than the heavy handed direction allowed it to show.
I am still running my online survey. A few people have queried the meaning of "digital environments" - really this just refers to any computer-mediated communication system. PLEASE: refer any colleagues to the survey, especially those who might not normally be browsing the web. I would like to ask for your assistance in completing a short survey I am conducting. It relates to my return to studies at university. It has 12 questions and should take less than 2 minutes of your time. Essentially it is a quick look at attitudes towards Drama and Technology.
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LESSON/ACTIVITY IDEA
This is definitely one activity of my own devising. It seeks to cut through some of the nonsensical mysticism that some teachers try to bring to bear on their students.
For many teaching the Western Australian Drama Studies E647 course it is rapidly approaching the time when students need to start working towards creating their original performances. For those of you unfamiliar with this course, students are required to create an original solo performance between 5 and 7 minutes running time. The student is responsible for all aspects of the production from devising, writing, rehearsing, directing and performing. Additionally the performance is then presented as a substantial component in the practical external Tertiary Entrance Examination.
I find that there is a lot of procrastination and concern over what needn't be a burdensome task. It is possible to create the basis of the performance in a matter of minutes. My experience is that everyone wants to say something particularly profound and really don't have the basic ingredient... depth of knowledge. So, my solution is to initially abandon the "message". Begin with simple action and and words. What follows is one way of approaching the task...
Step 1. Start with anything but write something down!!
OK - gather your students around and insist that they follow instructions for the rest of the period. (This process can take as little as 15 minutes)
Ask them to think of a person they have encountered in the past 24 hours. This is best if the person is someone the student has limited knowledge of, but have formed an opinion about.
Write down a name for the person. Make it fictional.
Now begin by thinking of a place where that person has been today, eg. in bed, on a bus, in a restaurant, up a tree, down a hole, in a shop, etc..
Write down the setting "We find <name> at <location>"
Choose a starting action. What is the person doing in this place, eg. sleeping, eating, waiting, looking, etc
Add this into the the stage direction.
Now have the students think about what is the first word this character will say and how it will be said. (Refer to my "Single Word Script" idea in an earlier edition of this newsletter). Write that down as if a line of dialogue in a script.
What does the character do after saying the word? Write it down... starting to see where this is heading? Keep up this process until there is about 2-3 pages of script written down.
Step 2. Explore the script so far.
Now that students have generated a basic script, they need to find what it contains in a dramatic context. Have the students work on a moved reading of the script. Give them 10 minutes to do so. Have a look at a couple. This is very similar to a "neutral script" activity whereby students overlay an essentially neutral scene with some measure of intention/subtext/function, etc
Step 3. Decide what it is actually about.
At this stage students should ask themselves what the play means to them. What is the significance of the piece they have written? Contrive a meaning if necessary, but work out something that has relevance to them in the piece they have written. Rehearse the piece with this new intention/meaning in mind.
Step 4. Start editing.
OK, the students have now got a piece of theatre to work with and have done so without wasting hours worrying about how good it will be. They've probably made more headway in the past hour than they would have in 3 weeks if left to their own devices. What they need to do now is start editing the piece and playing with performance styles.
RECOMMENDED WEBSITE
Welcome to the Biggest Theatre Glossary on the Web, now in its sixth year.
Thanks to all of you who've sent definitions in - keep 'em coming!
OVER 1400 TERMS NOW LISTED, AND MORE ADDED MONTHLY!
PROFESSIONAL NEWS
The Fulbright Scholar Program is offering many lecturing, research, and
lecturing/research awards in Art for the 2004-2005 academic year.
Awards for both faculty and professionals range from two months to an
academic year.
While many awards specify project and host institution, there are a 153 open
"All Disciplines" awards that allow candidates to propose their own project
and determine their host institution affiliation. Foreign language skills
are needed in some countries, but most Fulbright lecturing assignments are
in English.
Application deadlines for 2004-2005 awards are:
* May 1 for Fulbright Distinguished Chair awards in Europe, Canada and
Russia
* August 1 for Fulbright traditional lecturing and research grants
worldwide
For information, visit our Web site at www.cies.org <http://www.cies.org>,
e-mail apprequest@cies.iie.org <mailto:apprequest@cies.iie.org>, or contact:
The Council for International Exchange of Scholars
3007 Tilden Street, N.W. - Suite 5L
Washington, D.C. 20008
Phone: 202-686-7877
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Strategies
for Playbuilding: Helping Groups Translate Issues into TheatreA very useful book for newcomers to the playbuilding process. This book taps into genuine learning through drama as it explores the process of tackling issue-based performance.
Playbuilding (New VHS)
Price: $69.00
Details: For many students learning how to work co-operatively with their peers is a way of developing self confidence in themselves and their own ideas. Through Drama, students experience a sense of security and trust that allows them to develop the confidence to take risks and express themselves in performance. The video is in three parts; * Warm ups * Germination and group formation * Performance and evaluation
Kim Flintoff
Copyright © September, 2004