Applied Drama
Encyclopedia
Applied Drama is an umbrella term
for the wider use of drama
practice in a specific social context and environment. This practice doesn't have to take place in a conventional theatre
space. It can be shared with, or created for, a specific audience
, making them the starting point and the driving force for what is often a personal based exploration.
Applied Drama can be a therapeutic
medium, using narrative and both real or imagined story
as a tool to examine shared experiences through a dramatic framework. It uses symbol
s, role play and improvisational theatre
to allow us a point of entry into the 'self', and as a vehicle for exploring the relationship between knowledge and action.
What the audience perceives and contributes categorises the very nature of Applied Drama, for example, Theatre in Education (TIE), Drama in Education (DIE), Community Drama, Drama in Healthcare (such as Clown Care
), and Prison Theatre. It requires the participants to be willing, truthful and honest, tapping into feelings to provoke responses and sometimes to encourage change.
There are many post-secondary academic institutions across the world that offer training in Applied Drama, which may also be called Drama in Education and Community, Theatre and Development, Industrial Theatre, etc. In Canada alone there are degree programs offered at the University of Windsor
, Concordia University
Montreal, the University of Alberta
, and the University of Victoria
in B.C.
In Ontario the University of Windsor
is renowned known for its undergraduate degree in Drama in Education and Community. This program explores applications for drama such as Theatre for Social Action, Drama in Education, and Drama in Healthcare. Professor Bernie Warren
is a tenured professor in this department and one of the world's leading researchers on clown therapy which is one example of applied drama.
There are several books that have been written on using drama games that can serve as excellent resources for anyone wanting to incorporate drama games into their work. Games for Actors and Non-Actors
by Augusto Boal
is perhaps the best known internationally and includes writings on his life work as well as hundreds of games. There are also smaller books however, which serve as excellent practical guides. For example, Drama Games by Bernie Warren
is an excellent pocket book for someone looking to try drama games for the first time.
, and picture books. Students can experiment with voice, sound gesture and movement (Swartz, 1995).
involve students creating visual pictures with their bodies, emphasizing key details and relationships (Wilheim, 2002). Tableaux are frozen scenes and usually involve at least three levels. Students focus on a focal point, facial expressions, and body language.
is the practice of acting and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one’s immediate environment; see Wikipedia: Improvisation
. Improvisation can be a great introduction to role playing. Students focus on position, expression and creativity in their impromptu skits.
in a real or imaginary situation. One of the simplest forms is where “the student plays himself faced with an imaginary situation.” (Wilheim, 2002, p.62) Other strategies have students playing real-life or imaginary characters in a variety of contexts. Role play can be used throughout many areas of the curriculum, especially history
and language arts
to support and strengthen understanding of content. Below is a list of some common role-play strategies.
Umbrella term
An umbrella term is a word that provides a superset or grouping of concepts that all fall under a single common category. Umbrella term is also called a hypernym. For example, cryptology is an umbrella term that encompasses cryptography and cryptanalysis, among other fields...
for the wider use of drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
practice in a specific social context and environment. This practice doesn't have to take place in a conventional theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
space. It can be shared with, or created for, a specific audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
, making them the starting point and the driving force for what is often a personal based exploration.
Applied Drama can be a therapeutic
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
medium, using narrative and both real or imagined story
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
as a tool to examine shared experiences through a dramatic framework. It uses symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
s, role play and improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
to allow us a point of entry into the 'self', and as a vehicle for exploring the relationship between knowledge and action.
What the audience perceives and contributes categorises the very nature of Applied Drama, for example, Theatre in Education (TIE), Drama in Education (DIE), Community Drama, Drama in Healthcare (such as Clown Care
Clown Care
|right|thumb|250px|A clown care group at service at the hospital Bambin Gesù in ItalyClown Care is a program in hospitals and medical centers involving visits from specially trained clowns. They are sometimes called "Clown Doctors" which is a trademarked name in several countries...
), and Prison Theatre. It requires the participants to be willing, truthful and honest, tapping into feelings to provoke responses and sometimes to encourage change.
Drama in Education
Drama in education provides a forum for students to develop an understanding of themselves and others. As students develop a better understanding, they are able to create works using the forms, elements and techniques of the drama discipline (Ontario Arts Curriculum, 1998)http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/arts18curr.pdfThere are many post-secondary academic institutions across the world that offer training in Applied Drama, which may also be called Drama in Education and Community, Theatre and Development, Industrial Theatre, etc. In Canada alone there are degree programs offered at the University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
, Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
Montreal, the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
, and the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
in B.C.
In Ontario the University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
is renowned known for its undergraduate degree in Drama in Education and Community. This program explores applications for drama such as Theatre for Social Action, Drama in Education, and Drama in Healthcare. Professor Bernie Warren
Bernie Warren
Dr. Bernie Warren is an internationally respected researcher, writer and teacher on the role of the arts for persons with a disability, the arts in healthcare and therapy, and drama-in-education and community...
is a tenured professor in this department and one of the world's leading researchers on clown therapy which is one example of applied drama.
Techniques
There are many methods for teaching drama. Each strategy involves varying levels of student participation. Drama can be done as an activity on its own or as an extension of another subject area. Picture books are often used as a source in drama.Drama games
Drama games, activities and exercises are often used to introduce students to drama. These activities tend to be less intrusive and are highly participatory. See Drama Games for some example activities.There are several books that have been written on using drama games that can serve as excellent resources for anyone wanting to incorporate drama games into their work. Games for Actors and Non-Actors
Augusto Boal
Augusto Boal was a Brazilian theatre director, writer and politician. He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical popular education movements...
by Augusto Boal
Augusto Boal
Augusto Boal was a Brazilian theatre director, writer and politician. He was the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatrical form originally used in radical popular education movements...
is perhaps the best known internationally and includes writings on his life work as well as hundreds of games. There are also smaller books however, which serve as excellent practical guides. For example, Drama Games by Bernie Warren
Bernie Warren
Dr. Bernie Warren is an internationally respected researcher, writer and teacher on the role of the arts for persons with a disability, the arts in healthcare and therapy, and drama-in-education and community...
is an excellent pocket book for someone looking to try drama games for the first time.
Choral speaking
Choral dramatization involves students reading aloud by assigning parts to each group member. Choral dramatization can use texts such as rhymes, poetryPoetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, and picture books. Students can experiment with voice, sound gesture and movement (Swartz, 1995).
Tableaux
TableauxTableau vivant
Tableau vivant is French for "living picture." The term describes a striking group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models, carefully posed and often theatrically lit. Throughout the duration of the display, the people shown do not speak or move...
involve students creating visual pictures with their bodies, emphasizing key details and relationships (Wilheim, 2002). Tableaux are frozen scenes and usually involve at least three levels. Students focus on a focal point, facial expressions, and body language.
Improvisation
ImprovisationImprovisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
is the practice of acting and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one’s immediate environment; see Wikipedia: Improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
. Improvisation can be a great introduction to role playing. Students focus on position, expression and creativity in their impromptu skits.
Role playing
Role playing allows students to play a characterCharacter (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in a real or imaginary situation. One of the simplest forms is where “the student plays himself faced with an imaginary situation.” (Wilheim, 2002, p.62) Other strategies have students playing real-life or imaginary characters in a variety of contexts. Role play can be used throughout many areas of the curriculum, especially history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and language arts
Language arts
Traditionally, the primary divisions in the language arts are Literature and Language, where language in this case refers to both linguistics, and specific languages....
to support and strengthen understanding of content. Below is a list of some common role-play strategies.
- Reenactment: Students perform scenes from a historical time period or a scene in a story. “An enactment may be cast in the past, the present, or the future, but always happens in the ‘now of time’” (Wilheim, 2002, p.8). This strategy encourages students to interact with a text and challenges them to take on the perspectivePerspective (cognitive)Perspective in theory of cognition is the choice of a context or a reference from which to sense, categorize, measure or codify experience, cohesively forming a coherent belief, typically for comparing with another...
of a character.
- Extended role play: Students may create the scene that takes place before or after a story or scene. This strategy helps students to predict and theorize about cause and effect.
- Hotseat: Student is interviewed in character. By putting the character from a scene, event or story on the “stand” students can further explore their understanding of the content. Other students in the class prepare questions that explore the character and their conflicts. Students are encouraged to write open-endedOpen-endedOpen-ended may refer to:* "Open Ended," song by Sebadoh from their 1996 album Harmacy* Open-ended contract A contract with no definite time limit...
questions. Teachers may wish to model hotseating first by acting as the character in the role. Also, the person in the hotseat may have a couple of students who act as their “brain.” They are there to help answer questions if the person on the hotseat needs them. There are many variations available for this strategy.
- Teacher In Role: This strategy is key to involving teacher participation. This strategy can take on many forms. The teacher may take on the role of a character or figure from the event, scene or story. The primary objective of this strategy is to allow students to ask questions and help discover answers to any unresolved issues. The teacher may also choose to immerse themselves in the scene and take on a role while interacting with other characters. The primary role in this situation is to further the evolving drama.
- Expert panel: Students themselves become an expert. In order to prepare for this role students must determine what an expert in the area might know. This works well in history or when focusing on broader issues/topics in literature. This strategy can unfold by having students meet as a group of experts or by having students meet in pairs in an interviewInterviewAn interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
situation.
- Writing in role: A variation on the above strategies, students may also write in character. Often they are asked to imagine themselves as a real or fictitious character in a particular state or situation. Writing in role can take on many forms including a journal, letter, monologue, or newspaper article. This is not meant to be a summary of the story, but instead a further exploration of the character and their interaction with events.
See also
- ACT 2 CAMACT 2 CAMACT 2 CAM is a production company and acting school based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.The company is notable for producing independent films with cast and crew of young people from 8 to 18 years old...
- ImprovisationImprovisationImprovisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
- William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
- Shakespeare on screenShakespeare on screenMore than 420 feature-length film and TV versions of William Shakespeares plays have been produced, making Shakespeare the most filmed author ever in any language...
- Y Touring Theatre CompanyY Touring Theatre CompanyY Touring Theatre Company is a national touring theatre company which produces original plays and debates exploring contemporary issues. It was founded in 1989 by Nigel Townsend...
External sources
- The Far Games Educational drama and improvisation games
- Drama Games Drama games
- Creative Drama Educational Resource
- Cre8tive Drama Drama Resource
- The Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators Resources, lessons and articles on Drama in Education.