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harryleggappliedtheatre-blog · 6 years ago

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Workshop Blog Part 2 - Formative Lesson Plan

THEME: 1-hour workshop

Structure of the workshop

Activity

Time Taken

Facilitator

Phrases

What we’ve learnt

Introduce ourselves

2 minutes

All

‘Hi everybody! I’m ….’

‘Today we’re going to be playing some games and having fun - that’s the most important thing!’

Name game

5 minutes

Jaye

‘Okay, so we’re going to go around the circle and say our names. I’ll start!’ With loads of energy.

‘Good, can we do it faster?’

‘Now, I want you to jump as high as you can when you say your name!’

‘Okay this time I’m going to shout out ‘change’, and we’re going to change direction.’

‘Let’s see how fast we can do it without making a mistake!’ LOADS OF ENERGY… CAN WE DO THAT?

#Step into the circle

4 minutes

Harry

Stand in a circle

Facilitators will say some statements

If people relate to the statement, then they step into a circle. Statements: Step into the circle…

If you are feeling happy

If you’ve had breakfast this morning

If you have ever felt left out

If you have walked to school

If you have ever been called a mean name

If you have a pet

Check-in (How are we feeling)

3 minutes

Frances

‘Okay guys, now we’re just going to go round the circle to see how we’re all feeling today. Just give us one word to how you are feeling right now.

Introduce Promises

1-2 minutes

Harry

‘Okay, now we’re just going to introduce some promises to make sure that you guys have lots of fun. So we just want everyone to respect each other's feelings and to only have one person speak at a time.’

Name some emotions, shout them out

2 mins

Jaye

‘Does anyone know what an emotion is?’

‘Emotions are feelings, it’s how we feel. How can we let people know how we’re feeling?’

‘That’s right, we can show how we’re feeling using our body.’

‘Can anybody give me an emotion?’

‘Okay good! So if I was feeling [an emotion they’ve said] what might I do?’

Walk around the room

5 minutes

Frances

‘Okay, can everyone walk around the room, Make sure you’re trying to fill the whole space! If you see an empty space try and walk in it! Now looking back at the emotions you have given us we are going to pick some of them out. When one of them is called can everyone get into a freeze frame using their bodies to show this emotion? This is done in silence so I really want you to exaggerate your emotion as much as you can! I’ll start (Call out emotion). AMAZING! Okay now anyone can shout out emotion when they feel like it. LET’S HAVE LOADS OF ENERGY, EVEN MORE THAN LAST TIME

Check-in

2 minutes

Harry

‘Using these emotions we’ve just talked about, we’re going to go around the circle and say how we feel now and see if it’s different from the start of the workshop. ’

Bungalow

10 minutes

Jaye

Okay so now we’re going to teach you a song called bungalow (Sing through the song a few times and explain the actions). Great! Now in your groups, pick an emotion that you have experienced and that will be your team name. With the feeling, you have chosen you will have to sing bungalow and perform your dance move reflecting the feeling you have selected. You have 2 minutes to decide in your groups to discuss your dance move, and then we will bring everyone back at the end and perform them all.

Freezeframes

However many people are in the group, x-1 are the number of people in the freeze frame.

One person is always left out

NOTE

Ensure that each member of the group experiences being left out

Frances

Jaye

Harry

(allow time between each freeze)

Frances

Harry

‘So we’re going to stay in these groups now and do a few freeze frames. Can anybody tell me what a freeze frame is?’

‘A freeze frame is like a picture, it's still and it’s clear what’s going on. So, if I said make a freeze frame of ‘waiting at the bus stop’, it might look like this [Other facilitators demonstrate]’

‘Is everyone okay? Good, in your groups, make a freezeframe of:

A birthday party

A day at the beach

The park

The cinema

The bus stop

“Okay everyone, I want you to all decide amongst your groups which one was your favourite freezeframe and we’re going to show everyone else in the class, and then the other groups can guess which one it is, and we can discuss what is happening in the scene. Is that okay?” As this is your favourite freeze frame make it even better than the ones before. WE WANT LOADS OF ENERGY.

Face into the circle and show your work

“Amazing work everybody!”

Turning the freeze into a scene

Jaye

Harry

Frances

Jaye

Frances

“Okay, so because we have one person in each group who isn’t in the freeze frame, we’re going to add them in as a character who has been left out - think about how you all felt when you weren’t a part of the scene to work out what this character might be doing.”

“Has everyone done that? Good!”

“Right, remember earlier when we looked at emotions and feelings? Well, now we’re going to go back into our groups and come up with 3 things that your characters might be thinking and how they are feeling. So, with one of us helping you, we’re going to take it in turns and work down the line, each saying our character’s thoughts.”

“They can be anything you want and doesn’t have to link to what the other characters are saying. How might your character be stood because they feel [insert thought]?”

“Is everyone doing okay? Great work guys!”

“So lastly, we’re going to change the thoughts into some lines with some actions! You can now talk to other characters and change how you’re stood when you say your lines, but remember to take it in turns!”

“Excellent work! I think that we should show each other what we’ve done, is that okay? So everyone faces

into the circle again and get ready to do your little scene!”

Ending

All

“Now everyone back in the circle”

Check in with the group about the workshop and one thing they have learnt.

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harryleggappliedtheatre-blog · 6 years ago

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Workshop Blog Part 2 - Forum Theatre Lesson Plan

Forum Theatre Workshop

Games for actors and non-actors- Augusto Boal (Look at 2 games)

Jaye

CIRCLE, SHAKE OUT ALL THAT SILLY ENERGY

“Hello, boys and girls! Can everyone come and get into a circle with us please!”

“Right, so I’m Jaye...(I’m Harry, and I’m Frances)...and the first thing we’re going to do it shake all over like a jellyfish! Shake everything - Arms! Legs! Feet! Heads! Okay!”

“What we’re going to do first is take a minute to get to know our bodies! So, everyone takes a nice deep breath in through your nose and scrunch up your toes! And your feet! Nice and tight! And breathe out through your mouth and let go!”

“Now, breathe in and this time, squeeze the bottom of your legs! And your knees! And don’t forget your feet! And breathe out and let go!”

“This time, breathe in and squeeze your thighs! And your bums! And remember your knees, legs and feet and toes! And breathe out and let go!”

“Now we move up and breathe in and squeeze your tummies! And your thighs and legs and feet and toes! And let go!”

“Almost done! Now breathe in and scrunch up your shoulders to your ears! And your arms, hands and fingers! Nice and tight! Remember your tummies, bums, legs, feet and toes! And let go!”

“Okay so now scrunch up your face! As tight as you can! And your shoulders, arms, hands, tummies, bums, legs, feet and toes!” And let go!”

“The last one just takes one deep breath in and hold it! Hold it! Hold it! And let go! Relax everything! Shake everything out! Brilliant!”

Harry

ESTABLISH SAFE SPACE, SOME ‘PROMISES’ WE’RE GOING TO MAKE TO EACH OTHER

Harry, you smash this every time, just say what you always say, but call them promises instead of rules! For example:

Listening and respect each other

Clap clap shhh (Call for silence)

Frances

LEAD A NAME GAME

Go around the circle and say your name with whatever action you want and we’ll all say it back

Go around the circle and say something that describes you starting with the same letter as your name (Jazzy Jaye) and add action etc.

Jaye

Bungalow teaches them the song, Go round the circle into 3 teams (Harry and I step out), split into 3 groups, each facilitator with each group. Help come up with a team name for each group and one dance move!

Harry

“What are you doing?”

“Now everyone gets into a circle.” ”One person goes in and mimes something, e.g. ironing.”

“Then the second person walks in and says “what are you doing?”

“The person answers with anything except for what they are doing, e.g. skydiving and leaves.”

“The person who asked has to mime that ready for someone else to come in, and then it starts again.”

Ask them to sit as an audience

Harry - “Okay everyone, can we all have a little sit-down? We have a little scene that we want to show you!”

Jaye will sit with them to show how we’re all on the same level

Frances - “We want you to watch it and have a little think about what you could maybe do differently, and we’ll have a chat at the end!”

Script:

Frances is sat reading her book, Enter Harry.

H: (slyly) What are you doing?

F: I’m just reading my favourite story…

H: Haha! Why are you reading that? It’s rubbish!

F: Oh, I...I...um…

H: You’re such a nerd anyway. You’re always quiet and would rather read at break time instead of playing. Not that we’d let you play anyway.

F: ...that wasn’t very nice. I just like reading. But why can’t I play with you?

H: Because you’re such a geek! It’s my birthday party on the weekend, and you can’t come. It’s going to be so fun, and I’m going to tell you all about it next week.

F: Oh, okay…(visibly starting to get upset)

Going to play the scene again, however, this time you guys can interject at any time.

Joker needs to intervene if the audience isn’t participating

Teacher and student scenario: Showing good behaviour

The piece played once through, Second time through the audience are encouraged to say ‘stop’ and become Spect-ACTORS. Protagonist’s actions change

One person as the joker encourages suggestions from the audience

The person in the scene is experiencing the oppression

Give them the tools to tackle oppression, They have agency, they can change

They are not ‘passive’ consumers

Rules of Forum Theatre

1.Introduce the cast and the subject - Show the piece in full

2 Ask the audience to describe what happened in the scene? ,

Ask them if they can see anything that the protagonist could do differently.

Explain that the play will be performed again.

The audience is informed that to stop the action, they simply shout out STOP

Practice STOP with the audience.

Give responsibility to the spect-actors if no one changes the world it will stay as it is!

3. The audience is told they can take the place of the protagonist to bring about a better solution. The actor playing the protagonist stays at the side – coaches and helps. The action on stage freezes. The spect-actor must say where he or she would like to take the scene from - indicating the relevant phrase and take the place of the protagonist.

4. Once the spect-actor has changed, all the other actors take on the role of oppressors to counteract that change, but only within the realms of their character.

5. The Joker breaks the scene – let it go on for a while, let them really try out their idea but don’t make them struggle. – Open up a discussion with the audience as to why this didn’t work.

6. Go back to the same place in the scene – replace the actor again in the scene and carry on until someone else spect-actors steps in.

7. Once the forum is over – there is created/discussed a model for the future – this is then performed by the spect-actors. (tell the group that this version doesn’t always happen) but can in a closed group.

Role of the joker – accept all possible ideas – encourage the spect-actors, make sure everyone understands and sticks to the rules.

At the end bring all of the possible outcomes together to make sure everyone understands them.

To hold the space but not to say what should happen.

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harryleggappliedtheatre-blog · 6 years ago

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Workshop Blog Part 2 - First Workshop Lesson Plan

Applied Theatre - Workshop Lesson Plan (Frances, Jaye, Harry)

Welcome

Introduce ourselves

Establish ‘safe space.’

Introduce ‘drama position.’

Bungalow - Name Game

Stood in a circle

Everyone sings:

‘Bungalow, bung-bungalow. Bungalow, bung-bungalow.’

Start with one of us, everyone sings:

‘Hey (name)! Hey (name)! Let me see your bungalow, let me see your bungalow!’

Person 1 response with

‘My hands are high, my hands are low, and this is how I bungalow.’

While doing the appropriate actions plus any dance move they want

The circle replies to this with

‘His/Her hands are high, his/her hands are low, and this is how he/she bungalows.’

Repeat and move around the circle

Splat - Energiser

A low focus game that will warm up the body and bring in the focus

Opportunity for a check in - how did being out feel? Relate to isolation

Who’s the leader?

One person leaves the room

Another in the circle is chosen to be the leader, to the knowledge of the room

Person re-enters and stands in the middle

Facilitator sets the circle off with tapping their knees

The leader can change the movement whenever they want, and the rest of the circle has to follow

The person in the middle has three guesses as to who the leader using only their observational skills

Step into the circle

Stand in a circle

Facilitators will say some statements

If people relate to the comment, then they step into a circle

Statements: Step into the circle…

If you are feeling happy

If you’ve had breakfast this morning

If you have ever felt left out

If you have walked to school

If you have ever been called a mean name

If you have a pet

If someone has said something nice to you today

If you have ever felt afraid

Freeze frames

Make freeze frames of things like “a fight”, and then that leads on us doing it and one of us going around saying “how might this person feel”? Then that goe to “what might this person say”?

Ending

Check in with the group about the workshop and one thing they have learnt.

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harryleggappliedtheatre-blog · 6 years ago

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Workshop Blog Part 1 - Readings (Weeks 1-8)

Week 8- Freire Banking Model of Education

1. What does Freire mean by the Banking Model of Education? Please be specific

Freire mentions education and how it is similar to banking. He discusses how students are being deposited knowledge through what they are expected to learn. In this book, it explains how teachers control the thoughts and ideas of students and the way that they behave. He believes that this is getting them into ’oppressive conditions’ to make them all think in the same way without ’freedom’ of their own knowledge.

2. Have you had experience with this type of teaching, how do you feel about it? If you have not, how do you think you might feel about it?

I have experienced this type of teaching throughout my school life. This for me has been very frustrating, challenging and upsetting because, as a learner, I was being oppressed as I needed to meet specific requirements by being ‘inside’ society. However, as a learner, it is important to learn both the ‘outside’ and ‘inside’ of society. Though for many children this isn’t the case now as education is about knowing the right answers for exams rather than the knowledge itself. I did find exams difficult given my dyslexia (I was not diagnosed at school), and the teachers said: ”Harry won't get anywhere in life and he has a nice personality, but struggles”. Although I disagree with this as actually, it was me who was being oppressed by the conditions of education because I did not fit in the expected learning environment. It was only because I worked differently and did not have the support in place to help me with my disability, and even working really hard made no difference. Therefore, education was failing me as I did not get the freedom to excel as a leaner and children now in today's society, I believe, are becoming less educated as teachers have no democracy within the national curriculum, and that school is not about teaching anybody regardless of their background or academic level. It's about getting people to pass specific criteria, and I have really noticed this since visiting schools. Children are not able to think for themselves. Unfortunately for me, this is the same as the teacher was very much the ‘depositor’ of the information I received. There needs to be more freedom for learning.

3. How do Freire's ideas chime with Augusto Boal's theories of Theatre of the Oppressed?

The theories and ideas of Freire chime with Augusto Boal as the Theatre of the Oppressed discusses how oppression of people affect people through not being able to have their own opinion. This idea is similar to Boal’s approach in that Freire mentions how the teacher is the one who knows it all and the student does not know anything, meaning that the student should only listen to the teacher and not the other way around. This can be identified by Freire and Boal as people being oppressed through their learning as this can be seen as them not being listened to, that they are being judged as they are being controlled by the powerful.

Week 7- Augusto Boal’s book Theatre of the Oppressed

1 Third stage - Theatre as language. 1st degree - simultaneous dramaturgy, 2nd degree - image theatre.

In the third stage, Boal discusses how the spectator is involved within the action and not the performance itself by using their own bodies through the themes that need to be addressed. The first degree is simultaneous dramaturgy to let the spectator get involved, but not on stage and is usually between ten to twenty minutes long. The actor will then allow the audience to intervene with the action. So the actors will develop the scene to a certain point to reach a crisis point and then needs a solution. The actors will then ask the audience for any ideas of the solutions that can be thought of to solve the crisis. Once this has happened, the actors will take all the answers from the audience and will act them out straight away. The viewer can then tell the actors if they want them to change what they are saying or doing at that moment and the actors then need to comply with this. Through doing this type of theatre, it gives the audience the opportunity to intervene with the actors. Image theatre is a little different from simultaneous dramaturgy because it's more about the body and the view/s of the spectator on a theme. Although the participant is not able to voice their opinion and can only sculpture others about their thoughts and feelings. Then after they will all discuss the sculpture and see if they agree with the idea through the image. At the end then they would be able to show a picture of how they would show change or create it.

2 Fourth stage - Theatre as discourse.

In the fourth stage, Boal discusses to main types of theatre: Newspaper theatre and Invisible theatre. Firstly, newspaper theatre is used to change a non-dramatic piece into a performance. Whereas invisible theatre and this consist of an environment outside the theatre and the spectators get involved too.

3 In detail - How might you use these stages in your own work?

I would use these stages in my work when facilitating a group workshop by Boal at different points within the session. Though this does depend on your aims as the facilitator and what you want the group to achieve. For instance, if I were facilitating and wanted the group to do some Theatre as a language, then I would use forum theatre for this. As this will give the audience time to intervene and to be able to change the scene from the actors, relying on heavily just dialogue. Although for the next session as the facilitator I might focus on body and therefore image theatre would be great for this as this mainly focuses on the body and issues of society so the group can discuss opinions. So the ‘sculpting’ activity would be a good one for my workshop to be able to see how the same issues are looked upon differently through various images of the participants.

Week 6- Augusto Boal’s book Theatre of the Oppressed

1. What specifically stood out for you in the Boal reading? ( Give two examples. Be specific) What is your response to that? (Did it make you think about something - if so, what? Did it raise questions for you - if so, what are they?)

From reading Theatre of the Oppressed by Boal, it became clear how the ALFIN plan has been introducing as an experiment. There are two aims for this, and these are: to have the first language taught as literacy and all possible languages of each social group. Therefore, Boal talks about how they experiment with this by having a theatre as a language and placed at the oppressed to be able to find out about a new style and to be able to learn new things. It has become noticed through reading Boal that this links to loads of ideas of how this can link in to being a good facilitator. For example, by applying games to a workshop and how these should be introduced not to cause alienation and to make the group comfortable to help let them understand together. It also mentions the ruling classes and dividing walls as initially there was shared by actors and spectators, and walls must be torn down, and the spectator should start acting. The function of the protagonistic is important for theatre and society. It became challenging to teach people to write meaning they are unable to express themselves through dialogue.

2. What can we learn from Boal's experience with the man's picture of the home on pg 100?

Boal’s experience was a fascinating read as the man had questions repeated about where he lives. He mentions that the area he lives is a child through a photograph. At first, it wasn’t evident exactly, but when thinking about this, it shows that an image has so much background and that other things can represent much more creating a powerful platform. As a facilitator for this particular topic it is clear that one image is more powerful then theatre on stage itself as it doesn’t have the same meaning behind it, hence this will make it more challenging to communicate to an audience. So as a facilitator this is important when referring back to different social backgrounds- meaning this creates various symbols. One example of this is when people were asked in Lima what exploitation means. The outcome of this was that everyone viewed the word differently in the picture and how it stood out for them. Boal mentions photographs and how this is easy to handle. Whereas theatre is human-made, making it harder to show.

3. Please explain Boal's first two sections (1. Knowing the body, 2. Making the body expressive) briefly in your own words.

Firstly, from reading knowing the body by Boal, it is evident how one’s body experiments. It can vary from different types of people and how theatrical performance is applied. People from different backgrounds can be a challenging thing at times as some of them may have never heard of it or have different ideas around it and can be a worrying factor for the educator as they can tend to alienate the group of people. So people should only take part in the experiment if their body enables them to and this is to help stop dividing anyone within the group and their behaviour of different job roles. For example, specific exercises will be soft to support all the participants to take part and to understand. It is apparent for making the body expressive that words are very much overused while the body can create a powerful message. Boal talks about using games to be able to embody a character better through using their bodies.

Week 5- Geese Theatre

1. Describe in your own words Geese theatres' fundamental theories.

The three critical theories for Geese Theatre are the social learning theory, and this explores how learning is developed within a social context to help participants develop new skills through modelling role play. There are various processes for this theory, and these are Assessment/ self- assessment, instruction, modelling, multiple practices, testing and real-world practice. Secondly, the cognitive- behavioural theory is known as the most effective approaches for offenders as this explores our thoughts, feelings and behaviours become affected through everyday life, how these are processed and how re-offending takes place when these beliefs change. Therefore, this is to modify offenders views by having the main focus to help create a “gap” between the views of the participant and their behaviour/s. This helps offender/s to think about their actions and the effects this has on others. Finally, role theory covers our behaviours around people, the impact this has on others and the person. The theory talks about how everyone is role players in a certain cultural context. This means that as long as we can play these roles effectively then, this helps us to meet our needs and to function properly. Though in some cases many people haven’t experienced all these roles, for example, some young people might not have had a job. Hence they may not get a job as they have never experienced this role. So this gives the participants the opportunity to model this to let them have experience. thoughts From reading the Geese theatre handbook “This research demonstrates that experiential methods are at the heart of effective practice with offenders and people at risk of offending.” The theories behind this are explicit through how they help model people to think differently through the participant’s thoughts and behaviours to develop their functions and skills in a structured way.

2. What specifically stood out for you in the Geese theatre reading? (Give two examples. Be specific. Did it make you think about something - if so, what? Did it raise questions for you - if so, what are they?)

When reading the Geese theatre handbook, the first thing that I thought about, was how the three key concepts aforementioned are merged together for their participants to be able to take part. For example, the mask is used to help create better understandings of different characters portrayed and how each reaction has affected their actions and behaviour/s. Secondly, the uses of the various theories can relate to everyone in an applied theatre setting. An example of this, when a young person has a job, and if this hasn’t happened, then they are more likely not to take the same opportunity. Therefore, meaning this is the same thing for people who are more likely to offend as they may have missed roles within society and this affects the actions and behaviours as their beliefs could change through the process and their experiences being limited.

3. How does the work of Geese theatre company join up with the broader world of Applied theatre and the idea of dominant narratives?

The work of Geese is to apply the world of applied theatre to their work, to develop social understanding, self- control, ego- esteem and sense of responsibility to help offenders and vulnerable people who could offend. The dominant narrative for Geese is how most people live their lives and that there is only one story to be told. Though with offenders this is used to explain how to get back onto the narrative and how this can be achieved. So Geese do many activities to enhance this, and I have mentioned this in the previous paragraphs. Although Geese do work with these sorts of people, it can also link to everyone’s life experiences and how this should shape peoples dominant narrative through them.

Reading - Laying the Foundations: A guide to youth drama facilitation (Week 4)

1. Is a game ever just a game in Applied Theatre?

From reading A guide to youth drama facilitation by David Kelly, he spoke about the different games used within an Applied Theatre setting and how these develop through the session as Kelly mentions three experiences that the participants have, and these are: ‘Familiarity’, ‘Presence’, and ‘Achievement.’ Some examples of the exercises used are ‘Our circle’, ‘Jump Ha’ and ‘Good morning’. These three things are to create focus within the workshop. Aforementioned, games are not just for fun as these exercises are to develop a level of expectation from the facilitator to the group taking part. He mentions theatre and how games can be structured for a particular workshop and Kelly suggests that there is much detail in games within an applied theatre setting, and how those games lead on from each other by linking the exercise together. Even though a workshop starts with games, it is essential to be thinking about how this helps develop the participant’s confidence and theatre skills.

2. How would you describe the role of a facilitator?

There are many ways to describe the role of a facilitator. Firstly, the ideal workshop space for the participants to work in as if this is not safe then the people cannot take part fully. The facilitator also needs to be able to create a safe space for everyone who is involved within the workshop to make sure no one feels alienated or separated. To be able to do this with reasonable succession there needs to be energy, focus, concentration, timing, instructions, the warm-up, the rules of the games, and feedback. Another role of the facilitator is to make sure everyone has a voice who would not typically have the opportunity and finding ways in session to make this happen. The role of the facilitator is to be able to help bring mostly oppressed people together to discuss a particular social issue, affecting them. So as the facilitator it isn’t about teaching them right or wrong, it’s about talking about these issues applying drama to the particular subject. This then enables the facilitator to let each participant experience very different experiences in the workshop and by having focus within the room. The facilitator needs lots of energy from the start o the workshop to help the participants feel comfortable. The facilitator will observe the group be able to praise them and ask questions to further develop their thoughts.

3. What is the purpose of feedback in an Applied Theatre session?

The purpose of feedback is to be able to find out how all participants have felt throughout the whole session and to be able to get an understanding of the groups to progress and their achievement through the course. This is to allow quieter members of the group to be able to voice their opinion/sand to be ready to applaud the group’s successes. For the group, this provides them with the understanding of everyone having a voice and opinion by giving space by being able to respond from work created in the session. The purpose of feedback is for the people taking part to be able to discuss their own experiences and if they found this helpful or not, through the various activities. This is for both the participants and the facilitator so that one can learn from. This then is clear to the group that their opinions are important and listen to. Though for the facilitator the purpose of this is to understand if the activities worked for a particular group and to be able to congratulate a group on specific work created.

‘Six Polarities’ in Chris Johnson’s House of Games (Week 3)

1. In your own words discuss what Johnson means by the six polarities

Johnson describes the six polarities and finds ways to link them to each other. These said polarities are how the facilitator keeps the group safe while still letting them explore the topic freely. These six polarities are as follows: ��the fixed and the free”, “the surface and the depth”, “the centre and the depth”, “the individual and the collective”, “the performer and the audience” and finally “the simple and the complex”. It was clear when reading Johnson’s book that the facilitator should always use the six polarities, but should adapt and tailor them to a particular group or scenario. Otherwise, this will prevent the facilitator from fulfilling the session and what they are trying to achieve from the exercise(s). Hence, in workshops, the fixed elements and free elements are essential for the continuity of the session and being able to implement these skills, so that everyone is brought back into the project and thus no one feels alienated or excluded.

2. Choosing one of the polarities name a situation where a facilitator might encounter one.

The fixed and the free polarity is an excellent example when facilitating a session involving young people, for instance, as many can often feel very vulnerable. At the start of the workshop, the terms need to be explained to the participants as soon as possible after the warm-up activities; otherwise, people might become less engaged in the topic. Therefore, to keep everyone focused on the events, the facilitator will need to introduce fixed elements to keep the structure of the workshop allowing people to explore their creativity. Hence, this will then help everyone feel comfortable enough to take risks in the session and work at their full potential, this being crucial for the example of vulnerable young people mentioned before. However, if a facilitator does not incorporate this polarity, then they will not be able to explore freely and so will become restricted as to how they think in the session.

3. Describe how Johnson's descriptions of polarities might relate to last week’s reading?

Johnson’s descriptions link to last week’s reading about Sheila Preston. In her text, she discusses how to be critically aware of the different members of the group depending on the environment. Therefore, in both books, they explain that the facilitator needs to meet the needs of individuals to create a safe space. If the facilitator does not follow this, then the workshop will not work successfully, meaning that peoples’ ideas and feelings may be restricted. So without these six polarities being used in a workshop, the group will not have any terms or fixed elements, which will cause the session to lose focus.

Sheila Preston Reading (Week 2)

1. What is meant by the term critical pedagogy?

Critical pedagogy trials knowledge and social constructions in a particular setting. For example, schools do this by looking at groups of people, and their values, to help educate them to question their political thinking, aiding young people to develop their own thoughts and views and use their voice to create positive social change. Therefore, critical pedagogy involves looking into social issues further by reflecting on the problems in society to enable positive change in the future.

2. What does Preston mean when she refers to the ‘cultural context’ of a group?

Preston facilitated two groups that were referred to her by mental health services. However, when groups do activities together, it does not always mean that they share the same values; this links into ‘cultural context’. For example, everyone has been brought up in different societies, and so often come from completely varying backgrounds and cultures – meaning this affects the group members’ behaviours, ways of life and their opinions on what is right and wrong. This can make it difficult when facilitating as some groups will not agree with a group member. Preston suggests a facilitator needs to be fully aware of this and should consider these issues before the session. While reading about Preston and her facilitation aforementioned, it was clear that many people had different opinions on mental health and to deal with this, many participants would speak directly to the facilitator or project worker. Therefore, thinking back to ‘cultural context’, the group being educated in her project is formed from a range of diverse people who have experienced a variety of different things in their lives.

3. Why is critical awareness important for a facilitator?

Critical awareness is essential when facilitating as many people have different opinions so may not agree with each other. Therefore as a facilitator, it is vital to get them into groups that have near enough the same ideas as each other by considering the social and political impacts on the individuals attending. Also, it is particularly essential to keep an eye on specific people and to be sensitive around topics, to ensure that it is a safe space for everyone taking part. Hence, there needs to be sensitivity to the task to ensure everyone can participate without any limitations, as many people may not agree with each other.

Harry Legg Applied Theatre (Week 1)

1. How would you describe applied theatre to someone who has not read this introduction or experienced applied theatre in other ways? Working with a partner or a group of three, take turns role-playing this conversation.

Applied Theatre involves using places that are not typically incorporated into the theatre environment, and it includes portraying grassroots, social, political and radical issues, so you do not need to be skilled in theatre to participate. A key difference to other types of theatre is the inclusion of members of the community from the audience. For example, post-performance, the actors sometimes work with the audience in small groups and re-interpret scenes from the piece, allowing genuine issues for the people watching to be adequately conveyed through drama. Applied Theatre emerged through historical roles in society as a way to talk back to power, as a place to tell their stories and a safe way for citizens to express concerns for a social change. The purpose of Applied Theatre is to find the distinction between presentational and representational theatre. This was done to enable artists to find means to combat crises and challenges. Therefore, interventionist theatre involves getting an outside organisation, theatre group, individual or facilitator that struggle with socio-political issues to target a group, and to tackle a specific topic through community-based theatre. In Applied Theatre, contemporary theatre strategies are useful for finding out the experiences of real people, for being able to get a theoretical understanding of a variety of issues around the world and to be able to learn from your experiences and improve.

2. Re-read the thumbnail descriptions of applied theatre practices at the beginning of the chapter. Which of these types of applied theatre most draws your interest? What is it that attracts you to this particular form? Write a reflection that begins with, “I could see myself working in this particular area of applied theatre because…”

While reading the thumbnail descriptions, I found that the prison theatre draws my interest most. I could see myself working in this particular area of Applied Theatre because it is about the journey of offending women. The actors undergo a week-long programme called Journey Woman facilitated by England Geese Theatre, entering the prison environment and learning about the stories of women prisoners. It was really while reading about the story of a girl called Ellie that I grew to love the form. After leaving home, there were three key moments in her life: being a mother, her involvement in offending and her first prison sentence. What I found particularly interesting, however, was how the audience is asked to consider the different masks she has worn (which I interpret to mean the different portrayals of her own character throughout her life), and the various roles she has played. The audience really delves deep into her emotions, enabling them to understand the character and how she became to the position she is in today. I found this particularly interesting, as I did not realise how theatre can be used, working with current offenders, to make other members of society question the prison system and the law itself, through telling moving stories of inmates and their experiences, allowing the audience to analyse the events for themselves, and if the punishment was reasonably given.

1. What is meant by the term critical pedagogy?

2. What does Preston mean when she refers to the ‘cultural context’ of a group?

3. Why is critical awareness important for a facilitator?

Critical awareness is crucial when facilitating as many people have different opinions so may not agree with each other. Therefore as a facilitator, it is vital to get them into groups that have near enough the same ideas as each other by considering the social and political impacts on the individuals attending. Also, it is particularly essential to keep an eye on specific people and to be sensitive around topics, to ensure that it is a safe space for everyone taking part. Hence, there needs to be sensitivity to the task to ensure everyone can participate without any limitations, as many people may not agree with each other.

Bibliography

Boal, A. (2008). Theatre of the Oppressed. Pluto Press.

Farmer, D. (2007). 101 Drama Games. Lulu.

Morgan, N., & Saxton, J. (1987). Teaching Drama. Stanley Thornes Ltd.

Bennett, S. (2005). Theatre for children and young people. Aurora Metro Press.

Johnston, C. (1998). House of Games. New York .

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