Devising — Drama · 2018-04-29 · improvisation and students can confuse these terms. Devising is a process by which a piece is created and the work often remains fluid as it is

Learning Resource Pack

Devising — Drama

Arts & Education Network South East Wales Devising — Drama Learning Resource Pack

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Contents 03 Introduction

04 GettingStarted

05 Games

06GettingintoGroups

07 DevisingandImprovisation —DevisingExercises —RoomLayout —IntroducingaStimulus —StimulusExercises —DevisingUsingText —UsingTextExercises

25 TopTips

27 Appendix


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Applyingthetechniquesandmethodsofpractitionersandrecognisedtheatrecompaniestothisprocessalsodevelopsresearchskillsandfurthersanunderstandingoftheatricalstyleandthesocial,historicalandculturalcontextoftheatre.

Devisingoffersstudentstheopportunitytoadoptdifferentroleswithinthecreativeprocessandthroughtheselectionofstimulusmaterial,theycanapplytheirunderstandingtoideasandsubjectmatterthatareofinteresttothem.

Therearedistinct‘devising’tasksinUnit1oftheGCSEsyllabusandUnit3oftheA Levelsyllabusbutitisimportanttorecognisethatthesamepaletteofskillscanbeutilisedmorebroadlyacrossthespecification.Devisingandimprovisationarelegitimatetechniquesforphysically

exploringsettextsandthelearningthattakesplacethroughthecollaborativecreativeprocessshouldhaveapplicationsacrossallunits,whichshouldnotbetaughtinisolationasseparateentities.Forexample,Unit 1 — Theatre Workshop on the AS Levelsyllabus,whichrequirestheuseofaselectedtext,isinmanywaysanadditionaldevisingunit,wherebythetextbecomesaresourcematerialfromwhichtocreatesomethingfreshandnew.

Thisbookletseekstorefreshthetoolkitofclassroompractitioners,offeringnewexercisesfordevisingandreimaginingtextandotherusefultoolsforeffectivepracticalwork.

IntroductionDevisingisakeyelementwithinthecurrentWJECGCSEandGCE A Levelsyllabibecauseitallowsstudentstogainknowledgeandunderstandingabouttheprocessofcreatingtheatrethroughpracticalmeans.Bydevelopingtheirownwork,theyexplorestyle,form,structure,plot,character,dialogue,staginganddesignfromtheviewpointofrealtheatremakers.Thiscanonlyenhancetheirunderstandingandappreciationoftheseelementswhenitcomestotheexplorationofdramatictextsandtheanalysisofliveperformance.


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Getting Started

Whenembarkingonanycreativeactivityitisimportanttoconsidertheatmosphereofthespaceasthiswilloftendictatethemoodandattitudeofthestudents.Itisagoodideatosetuptheenvironmentpriortothestudentsentering.Clearingawayanymessorobstaclesorsettingoutresourcesorchairs.Musiccanalsobeagreatwaytosetoralterthemoodandisanexcellenttoolforfuellingcreativity,moreoftenthannotactingasasubliminalstimulusthatcaninformthetoneoftheworkbeingmade.

Besensitivetothefactthatyoungpeoplecanoftenbringtensionintoasession.Aschoolenvironmentcanbestressfulandtheremaybeexistingelementsofconflict.Thinkabouttheactivitiesaheadandassessthegeneralfeelingintheroom.Isithighenergyorlowenergyandwhatsortofwarmupisrequiredtoestablishthedesiredworkingatmosphere?Ifyourplanforthesessioninvolvesphysicalworkthenpreparethestudentsaccordinglybutifyourmainactivityisadiscussionorwritingtaskthatrequirescalmandfocus,askyourselfifyouneedaphysicalwarmup.Energisingthegroupdoesn’thavetomeanaskingthemtomoveaboutalot,itisimportanttopreparethemmentallytoo.


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Games

SeeAppendix1foralistofgamesthatkeepeverybodyinvolvedfortheduration.

Manypracticalsessionsbeginwithawarmupgametoencouragefocusandengagementbuttherecanbenegativeconsequencesingameswhereparticipantsaretold‘you’reout!’Astudentmayfeelembarrassedorostraciseduponhearingthisstatementsoconsideradaptinggamestokeepeveryoneinvolved.Groupsloveconsistencysoiftherearegamesthattheyreallyenjoythenitissensibletostartwiththeseandinvitethestudentsthemselvestoimproveonthem,addingtheirownrulesandtailoringthemforthegroup.

Ultimatelygamesactasagreatwaytounifyandchannelenergybutrememberthattheydon’talwayshavetotakeplaceatthestartofasession.Considerplayingagamespontaneouslymidwaythroughthesessionmiddleifthegroupseemdisengagedandlackinginfocus.


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Askthegrouptowalkaroundthespace

Askthemtogetintoapairortrioifnecessary

Inthatpairfind3newwaystoshakehands

Quicklyshowbacksomeofthenew‘handshakes’


Askthemtogetintoanewpairortrioifnecessary

Askthegrouptochooseafoodtheyloveandintheirpairs/triosmakeagesturetheycanbothperformforeatingit

Quicklyshowbacksomeofthegesture


Askthemtogetintoagroupof4(orasclosetoaspossible)

Inventanewdancecraze

Showbacksomeofthedances


Askthemtogetintoagroupof6(orasclosetoaspossible)

Makeahouseholdapplianceoutofyourbodies

Showbacksomeoftheappliances

Thesesuggestionscanbeaddedtobuttheyquicklycreateaseriesofgroupsofdifferentnumbersothatlaterontheteachercanaskthestudentstogetintotheir‘dancecraze’or‘handshake’groupsratherthangroupsofacertainsize,removingsomeoftheassociatedtensionandsimplifyingtheprocess.Itisalsoimportanttoconsiderhowtheactivitiesbuild.Startwithsomethingsimplethatdoesn’trequirecontact,introducephysicalityandcontact,moredevelopeddialogueorsoundandcomplexityasthesessionprogresses.

Getting into Groups

Separatingaclassintogroupscanbefraughtwithdifficultiesasmanyfactorscomeintoplay.Oftenthestudentsformtheirowngroupsandthisresultsinalackofproductivityforsomeandafeelingofisolationforothers.Alternatively,theteacherdecidesonthegroupsoftenwiththesameoutcomeorwithsomepupilsleftdisgruntledthattheyarenotworkingwiththeirfriends.Usinggamesasarouteintocreatinggroupshowever,cancounteractsomeofthisnegativityandthisexerciseisparticularlyusefulifyouwanttoworkonanumberofactivitiesduringasessionbutwithdifferentgroupseachtime.


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Spontaneousimprovisationcanbeadauntingprospectforeventhemostconfidentstudents.Askingavolunteertostandinthemiddleofacircleof30peersandimproviseisahighpressurerequestunlessthegroupareveryfamiliarwiththisformatandcomfortablewithoneanother.Askingthegrouptosplitintopairshoweverandtrysomethingisalowpressurerequest.Theterminologyusedcanbethekeytotemperingtheanxietyofstudentsandencouragingthemtobebrave.Termssuchas:play,make,try,share,exchange,create,tellandallowsoundunthreateningandencouraging.Termslike:devise,improvise,perform,show,writeandevaluatearetermsthatasprofessionalsweusedailybuttheysoundmorerigidandfullofexpectation.Obviouslyitisessentialthatstudentsbecomefamiliarwiththisterminologybutconsiderhowandwhenitisintroduced.

Devisingcanbeequallydauntingtosomestudents.Thenotionthatyouwillbesplitintogroups,givenanobjectandaskedtocreateapieceofdramain15minutesmightoverwhelmthosewholackconfidenceincommunicatingortakealittlelongerthanotherstoformulatetheirideas.Devisingisalsoaprocessofstorytellingandforittobetrulyeffective,studentsneedtobeinspiredenoughbytheirstimulusmaterialtowanttomakesomethinginresponsetoit.

Devising & Improvisation

Theprocessofdevisingoftenbeginswithanactofimprovisationandstudentscanconfusetheseterms.Devisingisaprocessbywhichapieceiscreatedandtheworkoftenremainsfluidasitisdevelopedandrefinedbutatsomepointtheactionbecomesfixed.Improvisationisanactofspontaneousperformancewheretheactionisnotdeterminedinadvance.Preparedimprovisationhassomeelementsofplanningbutretainsspontaneityandthereforeisstillnotdevisedworkassuch.


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Devising ExercisesDevising&Improvisation

Thefollowingactivitiesaimtofamiliarisestudentswiththeskillsrequiredfordevising.Theycanbeusedasstandaloneactivitiesortogenerateadditionalmaterialduringanongoingcreativeprocess.Forexample,theseexercisescouldbecarriedoutinroleasaspecificcharacterorusedtoopenupanewpathwayiftheprocessisstalling.Theyofferstudentsachancetocreateshort,simplescenesbutwithencouragementandconsiderationoftheactoraudiencerelationshipandthestyleofdeliverytheycanbecomemorecomplex.

Theseexercisesencouragestudentstothinkquickly.Timeisoftenoftheessenceinlessonsanditisagoodideatousetimelimitstoencouragequickdecisionmaking.Whendevising,groupscanhabituallywastetimemullingovervariousoutcomesbutifatimelimitisimplementeditcanputanendtodisagreementsandcompelstudentstoworkmorequicklyandefficiently.


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Oneofthesimplestwaystocreateashortpieceofdramaandencouragestorytellingisbyusingthegroup’sownexperiences.

Splitthegroupintopairsorusetheaforementioned‘gettingintogroups’exercise

Askeachpersoninthepairtoshareatwo-minutestory,forexample,theirearliestmemory;theirfavouriteholiday,apet;somethingtheyregret,theirproudestmoment,atimetheyinjuredthemselves

Askthepairtoselectonepieceandwhoever’sstoryitis,tellsthestory,whiletheotheractsitout

Askthosewhowantto,tosharetheirstorieswiththegroup

Askthepairstoformgroupsof4andselectoneofthetwostories.Nowexpandthedramabynarratingthestorywithmoreperformers

Buildonthedramabyaddingextracharacters,sharinginnerthoughts,relocatingthescenetoanewlocation,addingdialogueandplayingwithform

Devising&Improvisation

ExerciseSharing Experiences


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Thisexerciseisasimplewaytohelpapairfinda‘commonword’orideaaroundwhichtoimprovise.

AsktheclasstosplitthemselvesintopairsandlabelthemselvesAandB.

PersonAholdsanimaginarybox

ExplainthatPersonBnowhas30secondstoremoveasmanyitemsaspossiblefromthebox

Oncetheyhaveremovedanitemtheythrowitonthefloorandsoonuntiltheendofthetimelimit

AskpersonAifpersonBcantellthemsomeoftheimaginaryitemstheyremovedandreversetheactivitysothatbothpartnersplay

Repeattheactivitywithbothstudentshavingasecondturn

Askthepairstofindawordoranobjectthattheybothsaidduringtheexercise

Usethiswordorobjectasastimulusforcreatingashortconversationbetweentwocharacters

ExerciseCollecting Words


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Thisisaneasywaytouseobjectsthatarealreadyintheroomtoinspirecreativityandit’salsofascinatingtoseefamiliarobjectsviewedinanewway.

ExerciseWhat’s In Your Bag?

PART 1

Bringinanobjectthatyouhaveselected,forexampleamug.Nothingtooelaborate.

Sitthestudentsinacircleandaskthemtoconsidertheobjectandwhatstoriesitcouldbeconnectedto.Whatisit?Wherediditcomefrom?Whoownedit?

Askthestudentstocreateastoryabouttheobject.Thestorycouldbetoldasagroupnarrative,witheachstudentaddingtothetalelinebylineorstudentscouldinventtheirownstoriesindividually.

Discussthestory/storiesandsplitthestudentsintogroups

Askthemtocomeupwithashortsceneabouttheobject.

Challengethemnottousetheobjectintheirpiecebuttouseitasinspirationratherthanaliteralandphysicalprop.

PART 2

Askeachstudenttogototheirbagandfindanobject

Formacircleandaskthestudentstoplacetheirobjectsinthecentre

Asksomeoneinthecircletostandandselectanobjecttohandtothepersonnexttothem,who,inturn,mustchooseanobjectforthepersonnexttountileveryonehassomething.

Givethestudentsatimelimitandaskthemtocreateaveryshortperformanceusingtheirobject.Thismightbejust30seconds.

Sharethepiecesandreflectonhowtheobjectshavebeenused.


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Thisisagoodexerciseforexploringstyleinperformancebutalsoencouragesresearch,whichisessentialindevising.

TakethefrontpageofanewspaperandcopyitontoanA4pagesothateachstudenthasacopy.

Handtheseoutandwithatimelimitoftwominutes,askthemtolookatthefrontpageandcircleanythingthatstandsouttothem.

Discusswhatthingsthegrouphashighlighted.

Askthestudentstoselectonethingtheycircledandfindoutmoreaboutit.Forexample,ifit’sapictureofthequeen,findoutwhatshe’sdoing,whyshe’sthereandanyotherinformationyoucan.Mobilephonesorcomputerscanbeused.Ifresearchtoolsarenotavailable,youcanskipthisstep.

Askthestudentstoselect3factstokeepaboutthestoryandaskthemtoinvent3newelements.Thismightbeachangetolocation,whothestoryisaboutorsomethingwithintheaction.

Askthestudentstothenindividuallymaketheirownlivenewsreportoftheiralternativerealitystory.

ExerciseWhat’s News?


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Thisisanexcellentexerciseforcreatingandexploringcharacterandalsoagoodstartingpointforthinkingaboutthelinksbetweencharactersandcostume.

Formacircleandaskeachstudenttoremoveoneshoeandplaceitinthecentreofthecircle.

IntroducethegrouptoMountShoe.Thisisamountainmadefromshoesoverhundredsofyears,differentshoesfromallwalksoflife,allwithastorytotell.

Askthegrouptolookattheshoesinsilenceandwithoutdiscussingitselectone,thatisn’ttheirs,thattheywouldliketotellastoryabout.

Encouragethestudentstothinkdeeplyaboutwhowouldhaveownedtheshoeratherthantheshoeitself.

Askthemtosharetheirstories.

ExerciseMount Shoe


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Room LayoutDevising&Improvisation

Beforebeginningdevisingworkitisusefultoconsiderthelayoutofthespaceandwhetherornotitisconducivetotheworkyouwanttotakeplace.Dramastudiosareoftenveryopenspaces,deliberatelyso,toallowroomforphysicalmovementandexplorationbutintroducingasenseofstructuretothespacecanbeausefultool.Onewaytodothisisbyintroducinga‘grid’onthefloor,usingtape.Thiscanactasawayofdefiningthespace.Itcanbeusedasboarduponwhichtoplaygames,see Appendix 2,orasawayofexploringstructureinthedrama.Forexample,youmightattributescenesthathavebeendevisedtocertainsquaresonthegrid,likeastoryboardbutthenrearrangethem.Inthecaseofreimaginingtext,youcouldputscenesintothesquarebutthenremovecertainonesandaskthestudentstoimprovisenewactiontolinkthesquaresinstead.

Whensharingbackexamplesof‘freewriting’resultingfromastimulus,thegirdcanbeusedtoshowthreedifferentpiecesofwork.Eachperformertakingadifferentsquareandexploringhowtheirscenesmightworkintandem,supportingorcompetingwithoneanother.Thisisaveryvisualwayofexploringworkasitisbeingcreatedbutonceagainitkeepseveryoneinvolvedandfocusedonthetaskofgeneratingmaterialtoplaywith.Thegridoffersverydifferentopportunitiescomparedtoasimplecircleorsharingworkinaconventional‘endon’stageformat.


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Introducing a Stimulus

BoththeALevelandGCSEsyllabushaveunitswhereapieceistobedevisedfromachoiceofstimuliavailable.Theobviousthingtodowiththeseistogivethemtothestudentsandinvitethemtoselectonetoworkwith.Thisishowever,aratherdrywayofexploringthepossibilitiesofapoem,statement,pictureorpieceofmusic.Therefore,youmightwanttoconsiderhowthestimulicanbeusedpracticallybeforethestudentsevenknowthattheyare.

Devisingcanrequirestudentstothinklessliterallyandcallsforthemtousetheirimaginationsfully.Theseskillscantaketimetodevelopbutintroducingstimulusmaterialinacreativeway,encouragesacreativeresponse.Belowaresomesuggestionsforhowdifferentstimulusmaterialmightbeexploredpractically.


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Devising&ImprovisationDevising&Improvisation

Askthegrouptolieonthefloorinacomfortablepositionwiththeireyesclosed

Playthepieceofmusic

Ensurethatthestudentslistentotheentiresongwithoutinterruptionandfocusonthelyrics,tone,formandmood

Oncethemusichasfinishedasktheclasstocomebacktogetherandinitiateadiscussionofhowthemusicmadethemfeel;whatwasittryingtosay;whetheranysectionsstoodout;whowassingingandwhatweretheysingingabout

Handoutthelyricsonapieceofpaperandplaythesongagainbutthistimeaskthestudentstocirclewordsorphrasesthatstandouttothem.Itcouldbeoneworditcouldbeten

Askthemtofindaspaceintheroomandeitherusingthewordstheyhaveidentifiedorthemoodandtoneofthepiecetheymustchoosetowrite:

—alettertosomeone —aspeechforanevent —ashortmonologue

Informthegroupthattheirresponsesdonothavetotellthestoryofthesong,simplybeinspiredbyit.

Oncetheyhavefinishedwriting,askthegrouptostandinaspaceandtellthemthatyouwillmovearoundtheroomandtapthemontheshouldertobeginreadingoutloud.Theycanchoosewhereinthepiecetheystartandyouwilltapthemtofinish

Movearoundtheroomandselectpeopletoread,sharingexamplesofeachperson’sworkasyoumovearoundtheroom

ExerciseMusic Stimulus


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Placethepictureorphotographonthewall

Askthegrouptolookatthepictureandwritedownona‘postit’notethefirstworditmakesthemthinkof.Remindthemthatthereisnorightorwronganswer.

Askthestudentstoworkinsmallgroupstocreatea‘before’and‘after’picturesothattheynowhavetwotableaustoworkwith.Explainthatthe‘before’and‘after’imagesdon’tnecessarilyhavetoincludethesamecharacterorcharactersthatcanbeseeninthepictureorphotograph.

Redistributethepostitnotessothateachgroupisworkingwithanideatheydidnotcomeupwithandaskthemtofeedthisideaintoeithertheir‘before’or‘after’tableaux

Discussthesituationsthathavebeeninvented

Usethoughttrackingtoexploretheinnerthoughtsofthecharactersinthetableau

Askstudentstoselectoneofthecharactersfromtheirtableauandwriteadiaryentrybasedontheirpointofviewofwhatishappening

Movearoundtheroomandaskthestudentstosharesnippetsoftheirdiaryentrieswhenyoutapthemontheshoulder

ExerciseVisual Stimulus (Painting or Photograph)


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Collectarangeofmagazinesandnewspapers

Revealthestatementorconcepttothegroupandaskthemtocutoutasmanyimagestheycanfindinthemagazinesandnewspapersthatlinktothestatementorconcepttocreateacollage

Askeachstudenttoselectthreeimagesfromtheircollage

Individuallyoringroupsrecreatetheseimagesphysically

Considertheseimagesasthebeginning,middle andendofastoryandcreateamovementsequencemovingslowlyfromoneimagetothenext

Discussanythingthatarisesfromthesequences

Theaimofeachoftheseapproachesistoinspireavarietyofinitialresponsestothestimulusanditisimportanttorecognisethatthesearenotnecessarilygoingtobeusedinanyfinalpiecesofwork.Studentscanfixonanideaearlyintheprocessandthenbereluctanttochangeitbutemphasisingthatgeneratingmaterialandexploringideasispartofanongoingprocessiskeytostudents’understandingofhowtheatreismade.Encouragingpeerevaluationoftheworkcanprogressitfurtherandmeansthatstudentswilldevelopthetoolstheyneedtoevaluatetheirownprocessandrespondwithacriticaleyetotheprofessionaltheatretheysee.

ExerciseStatement or Concept Stimulus


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Unit 1 - Theatre WorkshopontheAS Level syllabusrequiresstudentstoworkwithasettextandre-imagineitusingthetechniquesofaspecificpractitionerortheatrecompany.Thereisscopetobeextremelyinventiveinthisunitbutwhenfacedwithasubstantialpieceoftextitmaybehardtoidentifyastartingpoint.Belowaresomesuggestionsforhowtoapproachusingtextasasourcematerialeitherinshortform,suchasapoem,orusingexcerptsfrombooksorplays.

Devising Using Text


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Takeapieceoftext.Eitherafewlinesfromabook,apoemorsonglyricsanddivideequallyontoseveralsheetsofpaper.

Crumpleupthepagesinfrontofthestudentsandthrowthemintothecentreofthecircle.

Askthestudentstocomeforwardingroupsandchooseapieceofpaperfromthecentre.

Withinasettimelimit,invitethestudentstocreatetheirownmovietrailerusingthewordsonthepageasinspiration.Thetrailersshouldbepunchyanddynamic,givingasenseoroutlineofastorybutnotincludingtoomuchdetail.

Shareanddiscussthemovietrailers.

Theoutcomeshouldbethateachgroupdevisesatotallydifferenttrailereventhoughthetextwasallfromthesamestimulus.Thisshouldhighlightthespectrumofpossibilitieswhenre-imaginingtext.

DevisingUsingText

Exercise

1.


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DevisingUsingText

Dividethestudentsintogroupsandgivethemeachacopyoftheplayandadice.

Asksomeoneinthegrouptorollthedicethreetimesandrememberthenumbersgenerated.

Askthestudentstoputthefirst2numbersrolledtogether,forexampleiftheyrolleda4anda6thenumberis46.

Askthemtoturntothatpageinthebook.

Askthestudentstousethe3rdnumbergeneratedtoselectthelineonthepageandusethistoinspireashortscene.

Sharethescenesanddiscusswhattheyillustrateabouttheplayorhowtheymightbedevelopedfurtherpossibilitieswhenre-imaginingtext.

Exercise

2.


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DevisingUsingText

Selectascenefromthesettextandremoveallthecharacternamesbeforedistributingcopiestothestudents.

Askthestudentstoreaditthroughanddiscusswhattheyobservedaboutthesituation,thelanguage,thethemesetc.

Askthemtoperformthetextasanensemblepiece,usingunifiedactionandvoicetotellthestory.

Invitethemtoaddadditionaldialoguewherenecessary.

Shareanddiscussthework.

Exercise

3.


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StructureAskthestudentsifthisstory,beitamonologueoraseriesofscenes,needstobetoldinalinearfashion?Couldtherebeanotherwayoftellingit?Suggestre-writingthestoryinbullet-pointfashion,thenseparatingthepointsandre-aligningthemtoseeifitcouldbetoldinadifferentorder.

Point Of ViewEncouragethestudentstoconsiderwhoistellingthestoryandhowthiscouldthischange.Howwouldthestoryalterifitwastoldfromanothercharacter’sperspectiveorwithadifferentideologicalspin?Hotseat3charactersfromtheplayandaskthemtogiveasummaryofeventsfromtheirperspective.

Setting/LocationHelpthestudentstoexplorelocationandtimeperiod.Selectashortexchangeofdialoguefromthetextandasktwopeopletosimplyreaditout.Askforsuggestionsfromtheotherstudentsfordifferentlocationsandtimeperiodsandobserveanddiscusshowapplyingthesechangesthewaythecharactersinteractwithoneanother.

FormChallengetheform.Useashortextractfromthetextasabasisfortheworkbutthenaskthegrouptochangeitsform.Forexample,presentitasanafternoonradioshow;asasong;apowerpointpresentationtobusinesspeople;atouratamuseum;agameshowusingthecharactersofthestoryascontestantsorarealityTVprogrammewithrunningcommentary.

Additional Exercises for Playing with Text

DevisingUsingText


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Formacircleandaskthegrouptonametraditionalfairyorfolktalesforexample:HanselandGretel,LittleRedRidingHood,SnowWhite

Writeeachonedownonaseparatepieceofpaper,foldthepaperandplaceinapot.

Askthegrouptolisttheatregenresforexample:Physicaltheatre,MusicalTheatre,TheatreinEducation,ForumTheatre,Mime.

Writeeachonedownonaseparatepieceofpaper,foldthepaperandplaceinasecondpot.

Askthegrouptolistasmanytheatrepractitionersastheycanandatleastthreeoftheirtechniques,forexample:Brecht-Directaudienceaddress,playingmultipleroles,gestus;Berkoff–Physical,expressionistic,ensemble.Thiscanbedoneinadvanceifthestudentshavelimitedknowledgeofpractitionersatthisstage.

Writeeachonedownonaseparatepieceofpaper,foldthepaperandplaceinathirdpot.

Splitthestudentsintogroupsandaskeachgrouptochooseapieceofpaperfromeachpot.

Givethegroupsatimelimitandaskthemtoapplythepractitionerandgenretocreatetheirownversionofthefairytale.

Shareanddiscussthework.

Introducing Companies and PractitionersWhenintroducingthemethodsofindividualpractitionersandtheatrecompanies,itcanbeusefultoexperimentandfamiliarisestudentswiththekeyelementsoftheirapproachusingsimplesubjectmatterfirst.Thisexerciseshouldprovideanaccessiblewaytoworkwithdifferenttechniquesanddiscoverwhichonesareofmostinteresttothestudents.


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Top Tips

Get the idea up on its feetItisgoodtodiscussideasbutuntilyoutrysomethingout,youwillneverknowifitworksornot.

Setshort10or15minutetaskstocreatematerialquickly.Thiswilllimittoomuchdiscussionandgeneratemoreideasworkwith.Themoreideasyouhave,themoreideasyoucanplaywith,refineanddiscard.

LimitationsIfthestartingpointsaretoogeneral,itcanbehardtoknowwheretobegin.Setrestrictionsorboundariestocreatemorefocusedmaterial.

Keep an open mind, listen and say yes!Aswithimprovisationgames,acceptandbuildonideasratherthanrejectingthem.Everystudentshouldbeabletoexpressanideasafeintheknowledgeitwillbelistenedtoandconsidered.Goodthingscancomeoutofpoorrehearsalsandbadimprovisationscanyieldasinglemomentofbrilliancethatyoucanbuildon.

Be extremeBeassillyasyoupossiblycan!Maketherehearsalroomasafeplaceforexploringandplay!

Aim to complete tasks quickly and create lots of material

Therearesomanydifferentactivitiesandexercisesthatcanbeutilisedinthedevisingprocessthatthisresourcebookletreallyonlytouchesthesurface.Asallclassesandstudentsaredifferentitisimpossibletopredicthowaprocesswilldeveloporcreatea‘onesize’fitsallapproach.However,thesetoptipsshouldhelpyoutobringoutthebestinyourstudents.


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Findsomethinginyourstimulusmaterialthatreallymatterstoyou.Ifyoudon’tcareaboutthestoryyouaretelling,thenwhyshouldanaudience?

Do your researchResearchisessentialinthedevisingprocess.Itgivesyouconfidenceinwhatyouaredoingandinformsandnourishesthework.Italsobringsauthenticityandhelpsyoucreatetheworldoftheplay.Whatevertopic,themeorideayouareexploring,buildupyourownknowledgeandunderstandingofit!

Set goals during the processTrytosetgoalswithintheprocessandsharethework-in-progresssothatyoudon’tleavethingstothelastminuteandcangaugehowtheaudienceresponsetowhatyou’recreating

Look for counterpointsDramaworkswellwhentherearecontrasts.Ifyoursubjectmatterisserious,lookforthemomentsofhumour.Ifyouarecreatingafarce,rememberthatitisseriousforthecharactersinvolved.

Don’t rely solely on wordsToomuchdialoguecanweighdownaperformance.Considerhowyoucantellthestorythroughaction,movement,music,design,soundandlighting.Theseelementsarejustasimportantaswords.Notonlydotheyaddinterestformastylisticpointofviewbuttheycanactuallytellthestorymoreeffectivelythanwordsinsomecases.

Remember we are all differentBesensitivetothewaysinwhichdifferentpeoplework.Somepeoplewillcreateworkthroughimprovisationbutothersmaywanttositandwriteandbothapproachesarevalid.Acceptthatmaterialcanbecreatedinnumerousways.

Don’t be afraid to change courseIfsomethingisn’tworking,evenifitseemedessentialatthestartoftheprocess,don’tbeafraidtodiscardit.Continuetoreworkthingsandmakechangesforaslongasyoucan.

Above all stay positive and enjoy the process of creating theatre!

TopTips

Be passionate about your source material


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Appendix 1 Games and Warm Up Exercises

1. THE EMPTY CHAIRAIM:Toencouragefocusandteamworkandphysicallywarmup

Askeachstudenttoplaceachairinthespace

Askforavolunteertoleavetheirchairandmovetotheoppositeendoftheroom

Thevolunteermustthenwalkbacktotheirchairbuttheothermembersofthegrouptrytositinitbeforehe/shehasachanceto

Thevolunteercanwalkbuttherestofthegroupcanmovemorequickly

Oncethegroupbeginstomovethevolunteercanadjusttheirpathtotryandsitinanyseatavailable

Iftheysecureanotherseat,thatseat’spreviousoccupantbecomesthevolunteer

2. COMMON GROUPS AND ORDERED LINES AIM:Toencouragestudentstointeractandconsidercommunication

Walkaroundthespace.

Askstudentstogetintogroupsofsimilareyecolour,haircolour,amountofsiblings,age,commoninterestsandsoon.

Expandonthisbyaskingthemtocreatealine,orderingthemselvesintermsofthemonthoftheyeartheywereborn,shoesize,shortesttotallest,howfarawaytheylivefromtheschool.

Increasethechallengebyaskingforthesetobedoneinsilenceencouragingnonverbalcommunication.


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3. GROUP KEEPY UPPY/BALL GAMESAIM:Tounifythegroupinacommongoal

Useasoft,mediumsizedballsuchasafootballorbeachball

Spacethegroupoutevenlyintheroom

Askthemtokeeptheballintheairforasmanytapsaspossible

Oncethegameisestablishedaddnewruleseg.foreachdenominationof5theballmustbehitwithadifferentpartofthebodyorforeverynumbercontaininga3(3,13,23)everyonehastogoontotheirkneesuntiltheyreachthenextmultipleof10.

Asimplegameofthrowingandcatchingcanalsobemodifiedbythegroupwhentheyaddtheirownrulessuchasswappingplacesinthespace,imaginingtheballisonfire,usingnoisestoindicatethecatcher.

Decidingwhichruleswork,andwhichonesdon’t,alsointroducesadiscardandrefinementality,usefulforthedevisingprocess.

4. PRISONER AND GUARDAIM:Toencouragefocusandgentlylowerinhibitions

Createacircleofchairsleavingatleast3empty

Eachstudentmusteitherstandbehindachairorsitinone

3studentsmustvolunteertostandbehindtheemptychairs

Thepersonsittingintheseatbecomestheprisoner;thepersonbehindtheseatistheguard

Guardswithemptyseatscanwinkorblinkatapersoninaseatto‘steal’themfromtheotherguards.

Guardscankeeptheirprisoneriftheytapthemontheshoulderbeforetheymoveoutoftheirseat

Guardswithemptyseatsmustremainasguardsandguardswithaprisonercanswitcharound.

Applyastricttimelimitof2minsperround

ThePrisoner/Guardrelationshipcanbechangedtoallowformorephysicalisation,improvisationorcharacterdevelopmenteg.toddlerandparent,shopkeeperandthief,teacherandstudentorspacemanandalien

PhrasescanbeaddedwhenescapingorthelocationcouldchangetoVictorianLondonorthedeepsouthofAmerica.



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5. PAPER ISLANDAIM:Tounifygroupandbuildonteamdynamics

Splitthegroupintoequalteamsofnomorethan6pergroup

Setout2chairsroughly6metresapart,theserepresentthetwoislands

Giveeachmemberoftheteamapieceofnewspaper

Outlinethescenarioforthem:Thefloorisnowlavaandtheyneedtoevacuatetheislandtheyarelivingon.Intheirteamstheymustgettotheotherislandbyonlystandingonthenewspaper.Thefirstteamtoarriveattheotherislandwithalltheirpaperintactwins.Ifthepaperripsduringthegametheyloseit.Ifateammemberfallsinthelavatheylosethem

Extraroundscanbeaddedtoincreasethechallengeeg.makeanotherjourneybutremainlinkedtogetherinsomeway;takeaway3sheetsofpaperfromeachgroup;tellthemtheyhaveleftateammatebehindandhavetorescuethem

It’simportanttoencourageteamworkandcommunication.The‘lavaandisland’setupcanalsobechangedtoadifferentscenariooraskthemtocomeupwithanewdisaster



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Appendix 2 Grid Game

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1. THE GRID GAMEAIM:Tointroducethegrid,towarmupphysicallyandcreateasharedsenseoffocus

Createagridofninesquaresonthefloorusingtape

Explainthatthesesquaresarenumberedfrom1to9likeaspiralandthat9isthewinningsquare

Askthestudentstostandinasquareandthosethatarenotinasquarecanformalinenexttosquare1.

Useasoftball,whichcanbebouncedandservedunderarmbythepersonstandinginsquare9.Theballisallowedtobounceonceinanyothersquareandthentheoccupantofthatsquaremustreturnitorbounceitintoanothersquareonthegrid

Iftheballisnotreturnedorifitisknockedoutofthegrid,thenthepersoninthatsquare,orwhostruckitlast,leavesthegridtojointhelineandeveryoneelseinthegridmovesalongonespace.Newplayersjointhegridfromthelinenexttosquare1whenaplayeriseliminated.Thewinneristhepersoninsquare9attheendoftheallottedtimeornumberofrounds

Aswithallballgames,studentsshouldbeencouragedtoadaptthegameandaddtheirownrules

@ArtEdNetSEWales@CelfAddysgCymruArts&EducationNetworkRhwydwaithCelf&Addysg

ThisresourcepackwascreatedfortheArts&EducationNetworkbyGeorginaHarrisandJustinCliffefromTinShedTheatreCompanyandFrancescaPickardDramaPractitionerandDirector.

www.artsandeducationnetworksewales.orgwww.rhywdwaithcelfyddydauacaddysgcymru.org

Documents

Devising — Drama · 2018-04-29 · improvisation and students can confuse these terms. Devising is a process by which a piece is created and the work often remains fluid as it is