, .--­Mike Rana

Analysis of Creative Drama source

Creative Dramatics

10/29/08

The book that I chose, "Creative Drama Handbook and Roleplay Guide" by Lou Furman, was

not divided up by chapter, but rather by topic. The book as a whole covers basic principles to be

followed when teaching a creative dramatic session and includes over twenty creative drama exercises

that can be implemented in any kind of session and is doable for any age group.

Drama is subdivided into two categories: formal and informal. Formal drama has the super-

objective of putting on a performance that will impact the audience with the hopes of teaching a

specific lesson or telling a certain story. You could almost think of formal drama as a play or theatrical

performance, since it runs on a script with specified characters, specified behaviors combined with a

desired result. Informal drama is the polar opposite: ninety-five percent of the "drama" involved is

improvised, creatively prepared and depends on the efforts put forth from your participants. The

biggest focus on informal drama is allowing participants to express themsevles verbally, physically,

emotionally in an environment where they won't be judged by their peers.

Anyone of any age can particpate in creative drama (both formal and informal). "Creative

drama is appropriate for all ages and often times you can use the same activity for different age groups

with an appropriate adjustment in the directions" (Lou Forman). As we are seeing by the class that we

are taking, creative drama can applied to college students in the 19+ category with the same games that

you'd play with little kids, perhaps with a slight deviation in rules to make it more age appropriate.

Typically, you're more likely to succeed in creative drama with younger kids (6-8 years old), since they

worry not about the reactions of their peers but are rather interested in letting out excess energy, orthey

are quite interested in making a fool of themsevles.

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The size of your group can make an impact on your session. According to the book, "eight

persons or more is the minimum size for your session to have some impact; otherwise, group

development is lost" (Lou Forman). The working space is also a crucial plan -- with warm-up

exercises and any activity requiring a heavy amount of physical activity with a large crowd, you want

your space to be able to accommodate the group that you're working with. With smal1(er) groups, such

as classes or playgroups, a stage or small auditorium will most likely suffice.

In almost all groups, the drama session will be only as good as the leader/instructor/coach that's

rwming it. If you are working with kids, you will need an leader that is patient with kids who mayor

may not be obedient to your instructions or be able to intepret them the way you'd been thinking. You

must also be capable of keeping your group in check. While the purpose of creative drama is to allow

your participants to be expressive and innovative, you also want them to stick to the guidelines of the

exercises provided. You also want to make sure you prepare and execute exercises that encourage

creativity and stimulate the senses. One of the exercises that I'm considering for my final project is to

take the musical score of several songs and ask the class to tell me what comes to mind. I hav~ to keep

in mind that if! play "The 1912 Overture", that some people will have our country come to mind,

others may think of the last movie trailer or commercial they saw. -" Oc (,,­ll-:t -l'

It may come easier for adults than children, but you also want your group to fe€l free to express T~h'~L-.l.) H-u ~L

themselves however they see fit. Professor Hood said it best, "I make it a point to swear around you

that way you can feel free to express yourselves in your own way." While, I don't feel that profanity is

appropriate in every context, there have been some moments where it has be utilitized to make

something seem more colorful or dramatic than was intended. This approach probably wouldn't work

with children, since you don't want them swearing up a storm, however, you could act silly around

them and speak to their level of expression so that they don't feel as if you're inhibiting their creativity. ,----r-

In the half-semester that we've covered in Creative Dramatics, I have discovered many thingJ:

creativity that I didn't know existed, how to work cooperatively with people whose mindsets are not

like mine, how to be expressive in groups with minimal criticism, and how to just simply "win\S it"

when it comes to accomplishing a goal. I've also learned that not everything is as structured or as

cryptic as I've been used to. My classes in the past have always had a certain set of rules, a structured

format/syllabus, and a professor that's very by the book; this class has been the polar opposite. We've

had a quiz that was very easy due to the help of the "game" that we played thus I didn't have to study,

since the hands-on approach helped me remember things. Our final project, from my understanding is

doing precisely what Professor Hood does with us on Monday and Wednesday: creative exercises that

stimulate our sense and hopefully we learn something from it.

I would say that the book did help me in writing this paper, but it also paralleled our class

discussions and exercises. The exercises that are in the book are similar to ones that we've done in

class, but I believe that the ones in the book were written to be done with kids. I don't think the book

was 100% helpful in terms of helping me find something about myself that was dormant until now, but

it gave me the textual version of what we are learning in class. -­

~~, l( l 1{ Bibliography: Furman, Lou. Creative Drama Handbook and Roleplay Guide. Denver, Colorado:

Pioneer Drama Services, 1990.