Drama in the Community - Focus Course Profile
Course Profile
This course requires students to create and perform in dramatic presentations. Students will analyse, interpret, and perform dramatic works from various cultures and time periods. Students will research various acting styles and conventions that could be used in their presentations, and analyse the functions of playwrights, directors, actors, designers, technicians, and audiences. Students explore the potential of drama to build connections within the ensemble and with the wider community beyond the classroom. |
Course OverviewIn the beginning of the course, students define their understanding of community through the development of the ensemble. They critically investigate the elements of effective collaboration. Students conduct inquiries into social justice issues that impact their society. Subsequently, students apply their skills and understanding to build bridges to their local community. The community may be inside or outside of the school depending on location and access. Students experiment with a variety of drama processes and conventions to become agents of change within their communities. |
Scope & Sequence |
Unit Descriptions |
Unit 1 - Building the Ensemble (2-3 weeks)This unit focuses on creating a safe and caring community within the classroom. Students participate in activities that build their sense of togetherness as a theatre ensemble. They develop a class contract for a safe and productive learning environment. Students analyze the effectiveness of particular drama strategies in terms of building collaborative skills and improving a group dynamic and they begin creating a portfolio with these strategies included. Students investigate the meaning of the word community and develop a common language to explain what it means. Students begin to define their individual and shared communities. Unit 2 - Augusto Boal: A Model of Drama Practice within Community (2-3 weeks)Students research the life and work of Augusto Boal, who is famous for his work using drama to inspire change in communities that are marginalized or oppressed, and practice strategies honed by Augusto Boal to develop their tools for community engagement through drama. They begin to identify social issues that affect their classroom community through Boalian techniques. Students continue to reflect on the classroom dynamic and manage their sense of safety and togetherness. Students add to their portfolio of strategies. Unit 3 - Ensemble Skills in Practice/Outreach (2-3 weeks)Students apply skills learned in Units 1 and 2 to another group in or outside the school by developing a drama workshop in pairs or teams. The goal of each workshop is to identify key issues (or to explore one social issue like poverty or racism) in the community while building cooperation and trust in a short period of time. The first part of the workshop could include two ensemble building activities and one Boalian strategy to build some community and connection. The second part involves collecting stories, images, video, and/or interviews from the community participants. The class selects a group outside the classroom to receive their workshop. Examples of possible groups include a community centre, an elementary school, a seniors' residence, or even younger classes within the school. Ideally, students deliver the workshop in pairs to different groups. For example, pairs of students could go into different elementary classrooms in one school. Or, the class divides one workshop into separate parts led by different students in the class. If there is enough time, students practise their workshop within the drama class and receive feedback. While delivering the workshop, students observe each other and provide feedback. Students include reflections on the workshop process in their portfolio. Unit 4 - Working with Community Stories (2 Weeks)Students continue to build their knowledge about devised drama, and the process of collective creation through ensemble work. Collaborative skills from Units 1 through 3 provide a scaffold for students to deepen their understanding. By venturing beyond the walls of the drama classroom, students explore and gather community voices. Using the strategies and conventions of primary research, process drama, and the tradition of collective creation, students unpack notions about character, relationship and story, as they are represented in a particular community setting. Through story exploration, they uncover the tensions inherent in relationships and groups of all kinds. As a model for collective creation, students learn about the Canadian tradition of the collective, considering Ten Lost Years and/or The Farm Show as examples. Students might engage with any of a range of communities: from the school community itself, to a partnership with an elementary school, to a collaborative project with a community agency or the municipality. Ultimately, students improvise and write in role, and build scenes. Students include reflections about their explorations of community characters and stories in their portfolio. As well, students reflect to deepen their understanding of in-role work and the related strategies of process drama. Other pieces could include narrative pieces, polished monologues or scene, research notes and other primary research material. |
Culminating Activity |
Unit 5 - Making a Difference Through Drama: Collective Creation in PracticeThe culminating activity allows students to revisit the community relationships they have forged during the course, determine the needs of a chosen community partner, and then explore the potential for drama within the partner's issue or particular need. They develop and execute a dramatic work to serve this group. Finally, they assess its impact in the community. A range of possible community connections exist for this partnership; the setting will dictate what is possible for the teacher to put into place for the students of the Drama in the Community class. Some of the potential directions for community partnerships include:
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Resources |
BooksThe following reference books are suitable for teachers' background reading and lesson preparation: Boal, Augusto. Games for Actors and Non-Actors. London: Routledge, 1992. Filewod, Alan. Collective Encounters: Documentary Theatre in English Canada, 1987. Goldberg, Natalie. Writing Down the Bones. Boston: Shambhala, 1986. Neelands, Jonothan. Structuring Drama Work, 2nd Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2003. Johnstone, Keith. Impro: Improvisation and Theatre. New York: Routledge, 1992. Spolin, Viola. Improvisation for the Theatre. 3rd ed. Evanston: Northwestern UP, 1999. Tarlington, Carole. & Verriour, Patrick. Role Drama: A Teacher's Handbook. London: Heinemann, 1991. Williams, David. Collaborative Theatre: The Theatre du Soleil Sourcebook. London: Routledge, 1999. FilmThe film is appropriate for students to view in order to understand the collective creation process: |
Instructional Strategies |
Direct InstructionThe teacher uses the convention of the drama class circle for giving information, modeling, and managing tasks. The teacher uses side coaching as a strategy in both whole group and small group activities. The teacher uses conventional direct instruction, with handouts, chalkboard, Smartboard, etc. Interactive InstructionThe students use the drama class circle as a vehicle for discussion, debriefing, and deconstructing tasks and activities. Experiential LearningThe teacher provides experiences for the students through a variety of carefully chosen and scaffolded drama activities including:
Reflective LearningThe students use reflective journal writing, portfolio building, and writing in role to deepen their understanding, and manage their own learning. Discussions in circle, and in small group, provide ongoing opportunities for reflection through debriefing and discussion. |
Glossary of Terms Specific to Course |
Collective Creation - both the technique and product of devising a play as a group, with or without the aid of playwright or dramaturg, leading to a performance style that expresses the authentic experience of the actor-creator (see Collective Creation in Arts Curriculum Document - Drama Glossary) Community - a social group of any size whose members reside or interact within a specific locality Outreach - an act of extending support or benefits to a wider group, to reach out to a group Primary Research - research conducted using original source material, not accounts of or reviews of facts 'second hand' Playback Theatre - an original form of improvisational theatre in which audience or group members tell stories from their lives and watch them enacted on the spot Voices in the Head - a convention from drama structures (see Jonothan Neelands) in which actors voice the inner thoughts of their characters Cop in the Head - a technique in drama process (see Augusto Boal) in which a character has a dilemma but is being stopped from taking action because s/he has a 'cop in the head.' Performers of a still image express the characters' thoughts in monologue, dialogue, and movement Story Whoosh - an animation strategy for storytelling (see Jonothan Neelands) in which actors assume the elements of a snippet of narrated text Verbal Chase - rapid fire and unexpected questions are addressed to a character "in role", who must respond spontaneously (see Keith Johnstone; see related under Hot-seating in Arts Curriculum Document - Drama Glossary) Image Theatre - a technique (see Augusto Boal) in which participants rapidly sculpt their own or each others' bodies to express attitudes and emotions; these images are then placed together and brought to life Forum Theatre - a process in which the actors or audience members could stop a performance, and would suggest different actions for the actors to carry out on-stage in an attempt to change the outcome of what they were seeing Still Image - related to both Freeze Frame and Tableau, and suggesting more layered meaning than either of these techniques (see related under Tableau in Arts Curriculum Document- Drama Glossary) |
Examples of Activities |
Examples of Activities are contextualized within the sample lesson, to illustrate how these activities might be implemented: Unit #1 Lesson #1Students engage in Collaborative Games to build an immediate sense of connection and playfulness in the class. Students reflect on what it feels like to belong and not belong in order to build a class set of norms to make all students feel welcome.Unit #1 Lesson #2Students continue to use Collaborative Games in order to build a class dynamic. Students create and share individual poems that tell a story about their individual communities. The individual poems are then transformed into Collaborative Poem about shared community in the classroom. Unit #4 Lesson #3At this point in the course, students are consolidating the skills required in making community connections, and exploring and representing through drama the material they have gathered. The challenge of what to do with their primary research is met with a series of exploration strategies. These include physicalization activities (character walks, mime, still image ) and drama process conventions (voices in the head, inner/outer circles), culminating in character exploration through writing in role. |
Assessment and Evaluation Strategies |
Assessment for Learning:Teacher observation of ensemble building and collaborative skills Assessment as Learning:Student contributions to the de-briefing of the drama process Assessment of Learning:Workshop Evaluation RubricStrategies and Reflections Portfolio Checklist Creation Process Rubric Performance Evaluation Checklist Teacher/student culminating task conference and self-evaluation Culminating Task Assessment Tool
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Unit 1 Sample Lesson: Getting Started
Critical Learning | Guiding Questions |
| In this lesson, students will engage in collaborative games and drama activities to develop an immediate sense of community and playfulness. Students will learn the importance of the circle and they will practice community building strategies through Playback Theatre. | What makes me feel like I belong to a community? |
Curriculum Expectations | Learning Goals |
A3.1 use a variety of techniques to increase interaction with or participation by the audience B1.1 use the critical analysis process before and during drama projects to assign roles within the group, monitor the group process, and modify the roles and process as needed. B2.2 identify ways in which drama can influence personal growth, relationships with others, and aesthetic judgement B2.3 identify ways in which drama can influence the broader community C3.1 identify and follow safe and ethical practices in all drama activities | At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
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Instructional Components | |
ReadinessStudents should already have an interest in both drama and community building if they decided to take this focus course. They will already be familiar with drama games and icebreakers from previous drama courses. TerminologyCommunityTableau Thought tracking Talking Stick Playback Theatre | MaterialsChart paper |
Approximately 40 minutesMinds On | Pause and Ponder |
Whole Class > Don't Let GoAsk students to gather together in a standing circle where they can see everyone and be seen. Instruct each student to say their name one at a time in a big, loud voice. Tell students to walk around the room and do the double handshake. Instruct students to introduce themselves to one person while shaking their hand and then reach out for another person's hand to shake. Tell students they cannot let go of the first person's hand until they have found another hand to shake. Allow students to play this game for five to ten minutes. Ask students to return to the circle and invite any student to see if they can name everyone in the class. Whole Class > HuggieInstruct students to walk around the room, trying to fill the whole space in the room. Tell them to change directions so they don't get stuck in any pattern. Explain that you are going to call out the word Huggie followed by a number. Tell them to form a group of that number and to hide any students that are left out. Explain that this is a class where no one is left out. Change the activity so that when Huggie groups are formed, students have to create a tableau of the word called out i.e. bicycle, car, scary forest, rock band, kitchen, etc. Interview students while frozen in their tableau: Who are you? What's the hardest part about being a __________? Whole Class > Guided WalkingAsk students to continue walking around the room, changing directions, and to imagine now that they are walking along a busy city street. Tell them to think about whether they feel like they belong to this city or don't belong. If they feel like they belong, ask them to show it in their bodies. If they feel like they don't belong, ask them to communicate that through their bodies as well. After 1-2 minutes of guided walking, ask students to begin looking around to see if they can notice other students who belong or don't belong. Tell them to try and form a group with the other people that belong or don't belong. Have the groups face each other and thought track different students in each group. What do you see when you look at the other group? How does it make you feel to look at them? How do you feel as someone who belongs/doesn't belong? Ask students to continue walking, imagining that they are still in this city but this time they are going to transform into the other i.e. from belonging to not belonging. Repeat the same questioning techniques as students form groups. Pairs > DiscussionAsk students to partner with the person on their right. Invite them to discuss situations where people might feel as if they do not "belong". Tell them to come up with two suggestions for how our class can make everyone feel welcome and like they belong.
| Assessment for Learning (AfL)Observe the way students interact in the collaborative games and opening circle to assess group dynamic i.e. Are some students already friends from before this class? Does anyone seem to be excluded? Is anyone having difficulty working on tasks with the group? Observe the scene rehearsals to assess each student's ability to stay on task, share ideas, listen and create respectfully. Assessment as Learning (AaL)Provide side coaching and feedback as students move through the activities. Encourage students to explore what skills they use to stay in role. Differentiation (DI)If students are uncomfortable shaking hands, ask them to stand shoulder to shoulder or bump fists.Instead of sharing personal stories about belonging, ask students to tell a story about someone they know who was in that situation. Allow students time to think about a story and provide them with the option of writing it down first. Quick TipInstead of a busy city street, ask students to imagine that they are walking down a hallway in school or are outside during recess. The school setting might be too 'close to home' for students who feel excluded at school so make that decision carefully. Call out different huggie groups to carry out tasks. Try building up to a group of 10 where students work together to make a courtroom scene (for example), and then spontaneously bring the courtroom scene to life for 10 seconds. Create a special 'talking stick' object with your class. Decorate and design it with the students to help them invest in its importance. Decide if you want to use the object all the time, only for certain conversations, or when the class isn't listening to each other. Allow the class to weigh in on this decision. If a student interrupts another student's right to speak, gently remind them of the rule. Ask students to raise their hands if they want to say something while the object is being passed around. Create a speakers' list of student names and ask them to record their comment or question on a piece of paper if they are worried about forgetting. Consider building a circle into the beginning and end of each class: do a check in, share a reflection prompt, or play a game in the circle. Consider asking students to transform each Community Building Strategy into a poster. Link and LayerHuggie is the British version of the Atom game. The nice thing about the word Huggie is that it encourages students to hug!The playing back of each scene using a strategy anticipates an important drama strategy in this course: Playback Theatre. Hyperlinks in the LessonImages of Talking SticksThe Farm Show collective creation at TPM Collective Creation - Canadian Encyclopedia |
Approximately 70 minutesAction! | |
Whole Group > CircleAsk students to sit in a circle, ideally on chairs. Explain that it is important that everyone in the circle can make eye contact and be seen. Ask students why being in a circle is different from being in a row of desks and chairs (you can look at each other, see faces and expressions, etc.). Ask students to explain what is positive about being in a circle (everyone is equal, everyone is responsible, no one is excluded) and what feels scary (you are more vulnerable, you have to take an active role, can't hide behind jackets and technology). Ask students to name things that are circular in the natural world (sun, moon, earth, egg). Explain that the circle is going to be a powerful metaphor for community in the classroom. Introduce a special object (a stone or stick) to the group that will be passed around as each person speaks. Explain that the person who is holding the object has the right to speak without interruption. Pass around the object and ask each student to say their name and relate one idea that was shared with their partner about how to make everyone feel welcome in the classroom. Record student contributions on chart paper or a blackboard under the title Community Building Strategies. Small Groups > Scenes about BelongingNumber students off into random groups of 4-5. Ask each student in the group to tell a personal story about a time in their life where they felt like they did not belong. Prompt: What or who made you feel that way? Ask each group to choose one story to dramatize as a 2-3 minute realistic scene. Explain that everyone must be in the scene as a character; even if the personal story only has two characters, create new characters that are in the background witnessing the scene. Give students time to rehearse. Whole Class > Performance and DiscussionHave students present each scene to the class. After each scene, invite the audience to suggest one community building strategy that would help a character feel more like he/she belonged. Ask the audience to suggest another character in the scene who might use this strategy to intervene. Invite the performers to playback the scene using this strategy.Prompt: Was the use of this strategy realistic? How can we make it seem more realistic? Can you get up and play one of the characters so that it feels more authentic?
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Approximately 10 minutesConsolidation | |
Individual > Exit CardGive students the following prompts to complete on an index card before they leave the class. Explain that their answers will be kept confidential and will help you to meet and understand their needs. In this class, I am looking forward to - |
Unit 1 Sample Lesson: Where I'm From
Critical Learning | Guiding Questions |
In this lesson, students will continue to build classroom dynamic through collaborative games. Students will explore their individual communities by writing a structured poem and will create a shared community by developing a collaborative poem for performance. | What communit(ies) do I come from? |
Curriculum Expectations | Learning Goals |
A1.2 select and use appropriate drama forms to present a variety of adapted or original drama works A2.1 highlight selected elements of drama and subordinate others to achieve specific purposes B1.1 use the critical analysis process before and during drama projects to assign roles within the group, monitor the group process, and modify the roles and process as needed B2.2 identify ways in which drama can influence personal growth, relationships with others, and aesthetic judgement B3.1 identify the collaborative skills and techniques they used to produce ensemble drama works and explain how they can be applied in a variety of other contexts C3.1 identify and follow safe and ethical practices in all drama activities | At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
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Instructional Components | |
ReadinessStudents have participated in introductory activities to the course and the beginnings of a classroom community have been forged. Students have negotiated their own class code of values. The teacher has surveyed students who have shared privately their interests, values, and drama backgrounds. Students have engaged in preliminary discussions to define and understand the meaning of "community". TerminologyChoral speech | MaterialsPaper |
Approximately 20 minutesMinds On | Pause and Ponder |
Whole Class > DiscussionInvite students to begin the class in circle for the opening discussion. Introduce the concept of identity within community and elicit student responses to questions. Prompt: What are the elements that make up our identity? How is a community distinguished by the individuals within it? How can individuals influence their community? Whole Class > Hot SeatInvite one student to assume a secret identity for the hot seat activity Who Am I? The student volunteer assumes the role of a person in their own community i.e. sanitation worker, principal, karate instructor. In the style of "20 questions" students in the circle take turns asking a question that has a "yes" or "no" answer. The student in the hot seat answers the questions until a student in the outer circle chooses to take a guess at the secret identity. | Assessment for Learning (AfL)Gauge student understanding of community and identity from their participation in the opening discussion and from the questions they pose in the Minds On activity. Use the rehearsal and performance of the poem to gauge how comfortable different students are with using the dramatic elements. Assessment as Learning (AaL)Use the Creation Process checklist (see BLM#2) to provide feedback on the rehearsal process. Differentiation (DI)When combining poems, students can work in groups of four or six. Start with pairs then build towards a larger group. Use different reflection prompts: Describe your community outside of school. Describe your community inside of school. Quick TipCreate I am From prompts based on what is relevant to the students and their communities. Consider creating an art piece out of the poem by placing the poem on a canvas with a visual self-portrait or photos of student family and community members. Link and LayerConsider building a larger piece of theatre from the poem, using the whole group. You could have each student walk on stage saying one line from their poem as a possible beginning for a show. |
Approximately 110 minutesAction! | |
Individual > I Am FromTell students to find a place in the room where they can write a poem. Explain that each line in the poem is going to begin with the phrase "I am from..." and that you will give them a prompt (see BLM#1) to complete the line. Students may use the phrase I Am From for each line of their own poem or they may choose to use the phrase only once, or not at all. When finished, encourage students to spend 5 minutes reading over their work to make any edits to their poem before they share with the class. Pairs > We Are FromInstruct students to find a partner who they have not worked with yet in class. Tell each pair to sit back to back with their poem in their laps. Decide who is A and who is B. Tell Bs to read their poem first while As listen. Then switch roles. Ask each pair to select the parts in both poems that seem similar or familiar. Tell students to write a new poem with the similar parts, beginning with the phrase We are from... Pairs > Dramatic PoemTell students to create a piece of theatre from their combined poem. Instruct students to incorporate the following dramatic elements into their piece:
Give students time to rehearse. Ask everyone to do a dress rehearsal at the same time. Tell everyone to freeze in their opening image and begin at the same time on your signal. Ask them to freeze when they are finished and wait until everyone has completed their poem. Whole Class > PerformanceAsk students to return to their opening image but adjust themselves so they can watch others perform (but still return to their image quickly). Move around the room and tell students to perform their poem as you stand by their image. Whole Class > DiscussionReturn to the circle. Pass around the talking stick (or special object) and ask each student to name one image or line from someone else's performance that they found powerful or moving. Explain that once one image/line has been named, it can't be repeated.
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Approximately 10 minutesConsolidation | |
Portfolio Reflection Question:What are the communities that you were born into (family, country, race, religion, ethnicity)? What communities have you chosen to be a part of (hobbies, friends, partners)? Is there any tension in your life between the community you chose to be a part of and the community you did not choose? Elaborate. |
Exploring Unit 4 Sample Lesson - Creative Process to Discover Community Voices
Critical Learning | Guiding Questions |
| In this lesson, students will appreciate how individual story is at the heart of improvised drama and that in order to connect with and capture the essence of community, we need to connect with these stories. Students will develop awareness for those who do not have a voice and will learn how to tell those stories in a respectful and authentic manner. Students will give voice to characters and explore characterization through physical exercises, voice work, and acting technique. | What is a community? |
Curriculum Expectations | Learning Goals |
A1.2 select and use appropriate drama forms to present a variety of adapted or original drama works A2.2 use a variety of drama conventions to establish a distinctive context or role in original or adapted works B2.2 identify ways in which drama can influence personal growth, relationships with others, and aesthetic judgement C3.1 identify and follow safe and ethical practices in all drama C3.2 demonstrate an understanding of the tasks and responsibilities involved in producing drama works
| At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
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Instructional Components | |
ReadinessPreviously gathered stories, images, and quoted material from the students' community research is posted as an inspiration wall. Students understand the notion of "authentic voice." They have learned techniques of Augusto Boal and have practised them in an earlier unit. Students have committed to the values of improvisational role play, including spontaneity, agreement and chivalry, and they understand the roles and responsibilities of collaborative work. TerminologyThe following strategies are elaborated in the lesson. The terms can be posted on a class Word Wall if they are being newly introduced: | MaterialsBlank bulletin board, or wall covered with mural paper for the collection of pictures, text, ideas to create the inspiration wall Blank note paper Chart paper posted/masking tape 4 X 6 sticky notes Markers Story Access to community publications ( paper or web-base) Magazines, newspapers, images for clipping BLM#3 Writing in Role |
Approximately 75 minutesMinds On | Pause and Ponder |
Whole Class > Inspiration WallWelcome students to the classroom with an invitation to examine the inspiration wall. Ask students to find an inspiration in the form of an image or a piece of text which suggests one character in action i.e. postal worker delivering the mail, school bus driver greeting the student passengers. Individual > CharacterizationIn a circle, invite each student to demonstrate their inspiration physically. Then have students describe in words their character in action. Record these on chart paper. Lead students, now on their feet, through a series of stretches connected to the characters in action from the community. Have students either in place or while walking about the room, assume the physical shape and persona of the character called out i.e. "You are the child running in the playground," or "You are the woman hailing a cab." Ask students to think in terms of complex characters and avoid stereotypes in their portrayal. Individual > ReflectionDistribute sticky notes and markers to the students in circle. Ask each student to silently reflect on what they contributed to the wall and what the other students have posted. Instruct students to consider their experience in meeting with the community members during their research. In one word, have students state an emotion that was experienced, either in the field or now as they revisit the wall. Once a word has been written, it can be taken to the wall and added to the collected materials. Once everyone has walked over to the wall and then returned to the circle, distribute the blank paper. Ask students to recall their interviews, pictures and quotes. Prompts: What were the things people said that seemed most important to them? What struck you about what they said to you? Instruct students to Free Write to the prompt: Someone told me about.... Allow students several minutes of silent writing, without stopping, editing, or second-guessing. Side coach the process with the reminder: Keep the pen on the paper; don't stop writing. Announce time is up after about 3-5 minutes of silent writing. Whole Class > Hall of VoicesInstruct students to move to a personal space in the room with their page to create a Hall of Voices. Tell students to silently re-read their piece, choosing two or three words or phrases that they particularly like and underline or highlight. Without eye contact and with room lights dimmed, instruct students to choose the moment to read their chosen bits. Encourage them to wait for a moment of silence and a space where their bit feels right. If voices overlap, proceed. Continue until all have spoken and the room is silent. Return to circle.Whole Class > DiscussionDeconstruct the Hall of Voices activity with the following Prompts: What was the mood we created just now? How did your words relate to the images and text already on our inspiration wall? How did you decide when to speak? Explore the effects and elicit students' deepened understanding of their contact with people outside the drama classroom and with each other as co-creators. Emphasize sensitivity, respect and empathy for the stories of others. Add the written pieces to the wall, as another layer of meaning. | Assessment for Learning (AfL)Review students' stories, interviews, quotes and images from their research checking for understanding of story, community, and character. Assessment as Learning (AaL)Encourage students to consider the skills they use to develop character and to self-assess during the reflection opportunities provided. Provide frequent opportunities for peer assessment, questioning and responding. See BLM#3. Assessment of Learning (AoL)Assess the Writing in Role exercise to gauge students' understanding of creating a multi-layered character. Differentiation (DI)Give students choice in the selections and responses they make from the inspiration wall. Allow students to volunteer in the circle activities and discussion. Let students decide which characters they will explore and develop through the activities and the writing in role task. Adjust the timing of the Writing in Role task so that it is done in class or in a computer lab with coaching and feedback from the teacher and/or peers. Quick TipSupplement students' research from their community exploration with articles, clippings, and images from community newspapers or website printouts referred to in the Materials section. Add these materials to the inspiration wall. For Story Whoosh, choose a compelling story from the class experiences in the community. BLM#3 can be used for self and peer assessment, as well as, for the final evaluation of the writing in role. Link and LayerStudents have a developed competency in collaborative work and have examined the potential impact of drama on community. HyperlinksFor teachers to investigate collaborative theatre projects in community settings with audience participation see: National Film Board of Canada The Clinton Special: A Film About the Farm Show www.nfb.ca |
Approximately 150 minutesAction! | |
Small Groups > Still ImageAsk each student to revisit the Inspiration Wall, and bring back to the circle a moment (a character, a quote or a story) that was compelling. Divide students into groups of four or five and encourage them to chose a moment which is the most compelling in terms of emotion, physicality, or any other criterion they wish to use to define "compelling". Instruct students to represent their choice from the inspiration wall in a still image. Groups present to one another after a short period of preparation. As each still image is examined, lead the class in questioning and observing the image. Encourage the group presenting to justify the reasons for their choices and their interpretation of the image. Whole Class > Story WhooshWith the students in a circle, narrate a story, one sentence or two at a time. As the narration unfolds, instruct students to spontaneously assume, in still image, the role of the characters and the environment - human, animal, structural, natural- from the story in the centre of the circle. Once the circle has been filled, call out "whoosh" to represent a wind blowing the actors back into the circle. Encourage students to assume a variety of different roles in the story; any lead characters should be shared by different students. Repeat. Whole Class > Voices in the HeadOnce the story is finished, select two or three moments from the story to explore with the drama technique voices in the head. Encourage students to return to these key scenes created in Story Whoosh. Tap individual characters in the scene to prompt the actor to voice the character's thoughts in that moment.Whole Class > DiscussionDe-brief the activity by asking the students questions about the characters they have developed through the exercise. Prompts: What did the character mean by .....? What was the relationship between --- and -----? What might have happened to that character before the scene? What do you think might have happened next? Invite students to ask questions of each other about the characters they created. Whole Class > Verbal ChaseModel the technique Verbal Chase with a character from the created story or from the list made on chart paper. With a student volunteer from the Story Whoosh exercise, demonstrate the technique of NOT asking the obvious questions but rather the unexpected using a rapid-fire format i.e. What's in the bag? Who was that you were talking to just now? Where did you buy that?Two or three student volunteers may need to take a turn before the strategy is clear to all. Debrief by asking the students to explain what they learned about the characters that were just questioned. Explore through questioning and discussion how the characters' responses helped the actors to deepen the complexity of the character and move beyond superficial, obvious and stereotypical responses. Repeat the Verbal Chase strategy using an Inner/Outer Circle interview format in which the students role play a new character from the inspiration wall or from their physical warm-up at the start of the class. As (inner circle) are the interviewers; Bs (outer circle) are the characters. Move the outside circle so that all students have the opportunity to work with several different partners to develop their characters. If time, switch so that As are the characters and Bs are the interviewers. Debrief this exercise with the same questions as above. Small Groups > Cop in the HeadDivide the class into groups of 4 to 5 and have each group choose a character to focus on. Instruct students to explore the complexities of this character through a soliloquy or monologue and decide on a still image to begin their scene with. Explain that all students will be involved in the scene and that the purpose of the scene is to illustrate the feelings and thoughts of the character through movement and tableau. Instruct one student to improvise the soliloquy while the group members move slowly out of tableau to explore movement in response to the character's thoughts. Eventually, other people in the character's life will take shape and interact with each other and with the character. Give students time to rehearse and develop these characters and interactions. Present. Whole Class > DiscussionProvide the audience with the opportunity to ask questions about choices and intentions. Re-group in circle to debrief the activities of the lesson. Prompts: What strategies worked best to help us to develop complex characters? What kinds of things did we learn? Why are the characters more interesting once we see their conflicts and incongruities? | |
Approximately 15 minutes Consolidation | |
Individual > Writing in RoleInstruct students to write in role as one of the characters they explored. Share writing with a peer and have students assess the writing using BLM#3 Writing in Role. Tell students to polish their writing at home and be prepared to hand in next class for evaluation. |