Process Drama IDEAS

ECA 431

ASSESSMENT TASK ONE

PROCESS DRAMA-LESSON PLAN

GROUP MEMBERS: Laura Rotin, Anna Woodburne and Thalia Kurzel.

LESSON DURATION: 90-100 minutes (a double lesson)

TUTOR: Ms. JO RAPHAEL

TUTORIAL TIME: Monday 9am-1pm

TITLE OF WORKSHOP: “Changes and Beginnings.”

Rationale:Process Drama is a genre that is based around the concept of the whole class and teacher working as an ensemble to create a drama. The drama is created in real time and is usually driven by stimulus material, for example, the implementation of objects, song lyrics, poetry and letters. Process Drama does not require students to learn scripts, but rather to work with improvisation, observation and discussion skills in order to discover the meaning of the drama as it unfolds. (Bowell, 2001, p7)

Process Drama allows students the opportunity to move through a number of dramatic convention’s and strategies in order to create a drama based around the stimulus material. Process Drama is an important genre as it allows students to learn through play. Student input drives the process drama development, which allows students to feel a sense of ownership of their work and therefore be committed throughout all aspects of the creative process (Bowell, 2001, p7). Throughout the course of the drama, students are able to make connections with and relate the drama to real life situations and issues, drawing from their own and other students’ experiences. (Heathcote, 1984, p10)
The following Process Drama lesson is aimed at the Victorian Essential Learning Standards, Level 5. Process Drama provides an interdisciplinary approach for student learning, as it is relevant across all three strands and works across a broad range of domains within the curriculum. (See Appendix 1)

Our selected pre-text belonged to a member of our groups Great Grandmother and has only been recently discovered. Nothing is known about the family member except for the information that is stated inside the passport. The passport is dated 6th August 1959. As a group we decided that the passport would be a rich learning pre-text for students to explore, as it has a close connection with immigration, and thus, is relevant to the issues current in the world today. It also addresses the idea of leaving home, and allows students to consider the reasons as why someone may choose, or be forced to leave their home/country of residence, and how they manage once they make the transition.

Step 1: Manifest Conflict Prior to the commencement of the class, the teacher prepares a copy of the pre-text for each student and arranges it in a circular formation within the drama space. An image of the pre-text is projected. A compilation of sounds are played that reflect a creaky boat, with the deafening sounds of crashing waves. As students enter the classroom, they form a circle and independently explore the pre-text. The teacher should probe the students by asking the following questions:

1. What is the pre-text?

2. When was the passport issued?

3. Does anyone own their own passport?

4. Why do you need a passport when traveling?

Ask the students to look at the pre-text closely. Identify and agree on the full name of the passport owner, their nationality and socio-economic status.

Step 2: Role Circle

The class stands in a circle. The teacher introduces the information that the passport owner (who will at this point have a full name, and be the central character of the workshop) decided to leave her country of residence. Each student identifies him/herself as member of the local community who at some point had an affiliation with the central character. The member of the community must state who they are, and speculate as to what may have happened, and why the central character left her country of residence. The teacher may choose to take a role him/herself to provoke, deepen or control the discussion. (O’Toole, 1998, p1) At the conclusion of the Role Circle activity, students decide on the main characters that are linked to the central character as a result of the activity. Identify and agree on the full name of the characters, and their affiliation with the central character.

Step 3: Teacher in Role/Hot Seat

The teacher adopts the role of one of the prescribed characters. Students must decide as a class which character they would like to probe. The teacher transforms into the chosen character and allows the students to ask three questions. The teacher should reply minimally and evasively to all. (O’Toole, 1998, p1)

Step 4: Latent Conflict - Improvisation

Students form groups of four. Students create a naturalistic scene which depicts the central character and the main characters in a situation that occurred prior to her departure. Students may create a scene taken from the central characters childhood, right up until the day of departure. Students are provided with an insight into the life of the central character, and her relationship with the other characters.

Step 5: Sound tracking

As a class, students are asked to stand together to form the shape of a boat. This boat reflects what the central character endured throughout her long journey to Australia. The teacher then poses the following questions:

1. What different sounds do you think you would hear on this boat?

2. Are they sounds that would come from the people on the boat or from their surroundings?

3. What was life like aboard the boat?

The teacher then proceeds, asking students to move in unison, in a swaying motion. Students are then asked to close their eyes and continue to sway, and one by one they create sounds and/or dialogue that may have been heard on the central characters journey to Australia. Students continue to create sounds until all have participated, and a glimpse of what life may have been like on the boat, has been created through the soundscape.

Step 6: Venting

Students are asked to simultaneously come forward to the front of the class and vent feelings, emotions and confusions in the central characters mind. Students may wish to reveal contrasting views of the characters train of thought. During this time the teacher may wish to ask prompting questions such as:

1. What do you think is the central characters concern on this journey?

2. Is she worried about anyone/anything?

3. Is she sad, depressed, and angry? Why?

Step 7: Still Photographs/ Tableau

With support from the teacher, students decide on one particular moment in the central characters journey, that they would like to analyze in finer detail. For example:

1. When the character first steps off the boat.

2. Whilst the character is on the boat.

3. When the character decides she is leaving Australia.

Once the students have decided on a specific aspect of the drama to analyze, they create a tableau to represent or reflect this moment. This may be done as a whole class or part class activity. If part class, the teacher should proceed in splitting the class in half and asking each group to create a different aspect of the drama. This will then enable both groups to become audience members.

Step 8: Letter-writing

The class is brought back together in a circle, where they sit around blank sheets of paper. The compilation of sounds, as seen in Step One-Manifest Conflict, is played lightly in the background. The class is then asked to write the letter that was sent home to the central characters loved one/s, either explaining:

1. Any significant happenings on the journey.

2. An important message they want to tell a loved one.

When all students have completed their letters, they are asked to close their eyes and listen. During this time, the teacher will raise the volume of the sounds, whereby she/he will then proceed in tapping individual students on the shoulder, where they will read their piece aloud.

Step 9: Conscience Alley

One student nominates themselves to take on the roll of the central character, the remaining members of the class make two even parallel lines facing each other. Working with the dilemma question, “Should I stay or should I go?” the central character slowly walks between the two lines of students. As he/she passes each person, they are free to speak the thoughts, feelings and desires that are running through the central characters mind. When they have reached the end of the line they take a moment to absorb all of the thoughts offered by the students and to reach a decision. As a group it is best to decide beforehand whether each line represents a different point of view. For example, the left line represents staying in Australia, and the right line represents leaving Australia.

Step 10: Moment of truth

Students take part in a discussion based around the events that have occurred throughout the drama so far, in order to draw out the key events, tensions and emotions and use these to create a focus for a final scene. The students then construct the final scene of the drama as a group.

Step 11: Flash Forward

In small groups students devise short scenes set two years into the future. Students consider questions based around the central characters final decision. For example, the students can decide if she stayed in Australia, moved back home to her country of residence, traveled to an alternative country, reunited with a loved one, etc. One group at a time performs their piece, offering the class a glimpse of the central characters life two years after her final decision. As an audience the group will be able to draw on similar themes, that will ultimately thread all of the pieces together.

Step 12: Reflection

The students take a moment to revisit the original passport and listen to the compilation of sounds for the last time. During the reflection, the teacher should probe the students with the following questions:

1. What have you learnt from today’s workshop?

2. How do the issues we explored in today’s workshop correlate to the issues we are facing as a society today?

3. What activities did you find most effective in exploring the passport owners life?

4. What are some possible alternative scenario’s that could have been explored as a result of the information found in the pre-text?References:

Bowell, P & Heap, BS (2001), ‘Distilling the principles of planning for process drama’, Planning process drama, David Fulton Publishers, London, pp. 7-14.

Bowell, P. & Heap, S (2001) ‘Planning Process Drama,’ David Fulton Publishers, London.

Heathcote, D (1984), ‘Dorothy Heathcote’s notes’ in L Johnson & C O’Neill (eds) Dorothy Heathcote: collected writings on education and drama, Hutchinson, London, pp. 202-210.

Neelands, J (1998) ‘The A-Z of drama conventions and techniques’, Beginning Drama 11-14, David Fulton Publishers, London, pp. 93-98.

O’Toole, J. Morrison, M. Plunkett, Anna. Drama and Conflict Management, Process Drama Without Tears, (The Leaving Home Drama), Australia, 1998.

Victorian Essential Learning Standards, accessed on 5^th April 2007.

www.vels.vic.edu.au