The play is happening in two weeks. The sets are tarnished and dusty, numerous parts of it unfinished. The actors are tripping and stumbling over their lines, the less fortunate would have rejoiced at having something whatsoever to stumble upon. Amidst the rising fatigue and the Arabian swelter, tempers are shortening and temperaments are turning belligerent. A few months ago, I would have banged my head repeatedly on the stage floor. Now, survival would be a plausible option.
The drama club was a product of my school’s attempt to invigorate its curriculum by encouraging various student clubs. When asked to be the Assistant Director, I was happy to oblige; there really was nowhere I would rather be.
Two months later, the school withdrew the time allocated for student clubs, after ascertaining that many students were misusing it. Meanwhile, the drama club had evolved surprisingly fast. Hence, I could not accept defeat. I stalked my administrator for weeks, feverishly producing argument after argument; I lurked outside his office, an indefatigable, yet terribly talkative shadow. After our repeated appeals, the administration agreed, on the condition that all our work was done after school hours.
There were about ten students working together on everything. We worked long hours, and in close proximity therefore clashes, differences of opinion and impatience were frequent. One afternoon we had gathered in the playground to paint our set, sleeves rolled up and paintbrushes held out like conductor’s batons, when Katie timidly suggested using blue. In the spirit of this newfound openness,John recommended yellow; apparently, the set needed a brighter colour. I was delighted at this newborn participation, and was eager to take ev...
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...igerence a result of hours of work, the ticking clock yet another deadline, and I could practically feel my teacher’s eyes burning into my back, challenging me to loose control of the situation.
Sometimes, it doesn’t even take a particular situation for this “drama mode” to spark up. Whether it’s the larger stock of patience I seem to possess, the budding optimism toward even the worst situations or the uncanny ability to force opinions out of people - the skills I learned at the drama club have become a part of me. Time seems proportional to their development: as the days go by I feel them evolving and expanding. I do not know what will ultimately become of them, but I will fight to preserve them, and part of me will always stay true to their very first attribute- forever looking for new ideas, people to observe, and opportunities to pursue the things I love.
Woolway, Joanne. Drama for Students. Eds. David Galens and Lynn M. Spampinato. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 292-94. Print.
Lazarus, Joan. "On the Verge of Change: New Directions in Secondary Theatre Education." Applied Theatre Research 3.2 (July 2015): 149-161. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1386/atr.3.2.149_1.
This paper focuses on dramaturgy and how it plays a part in our everyday life. On this particular day I participated in both back stage and front stage behaviors and played different roles. I kept a log of my activities for the day and social interactions I encountered throughout my day. It was interesting to note that some casual interactions we don’t even think about, we just instinctively use old familiar scripts. The example used in Goffman’s Dramaturgical Sociology, was a casual acquaintance asking how are you and the person replying fine and yourself? “This is a fragment of conversation we are so used to employing that it feels automatic” (Kivisto, Pittman, 2007).
Finally, it is fun to study drama. It is fun to dramatise and dress up and fall over dead behind improvised curtains and fence with blackboard pointers and cook up a witches brew and come to school with a spade over your shoulder for the Graveyard Scene. It is fun, and while all the fun is being enjoyed an incredible amount of language is pouring into these students' heads, through listening, reading, watching videos and learning lines off by heart.
As the dull scent of chalk dust mixes imperceptably with the drone of the teacher's monotone, I doodle in my tablet to stay awake. I notice vaguely that, despite my best efforts in the shower this morning after practice, I still smell like chlorine. I sigh and wonder why the school's administration requires the students to take a class that, if it were on the Internet, would delight Mirsky (creator of Mirsky's Worst of the Web), as yet another addition to his list of worthless sites. Still, there was hope that I would learn something that would make today's first class more than just forty-five wasted minutes... It wouldn't be the first time I learned something new from the least likely place.
"The Piano Lesson." Drama for Students. Ed. David M. Galens. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 2000.
Additional extracurricular activities such as adding a showdown box component into the therapy to help her coping skills and emotional regulation. The therapist and client will discuss her recent participation in a school play. The client played the role of the principal who was forced to resolve a conflict between two groups of students; one group was labeled as the bullies of the school whereas the second group was the queers. Acting out this character encouraged the client to share some of her interests in order to identify additional activities she could become involved in. Her affect improved as she discussed playing the role, and how she felt she had the power to help resolved the issues that surrounded the others being bullied. When she lived in Texas, She recalled how she was encouraged to find out from her school what she would need to do to be a positive role model for others in her
Drama is a subject that I thoroughly enjoy with its academic and practical areas. Whilst studying drama at GCSE and now at A Level. I have noticed that it is something I am passionate about as it gives me the ability to show my enthusiasm and to use lots of energy. By studying at different levels I have recognised that I am able to understand emotions easier whilst learning a lot about the subject academically. Following this, I would love to have the chance to continue to learn more about the subject and gain more experience and skills.
A truly entertaining drama not only has an interesting plot, but additional, subtle factors that snake in and entertain the audience. This entertainment does not have to be funny or lighthearted; rather, a significant impact is just as
Leading into my sophomore year of high school, band was the center of my life. Providing acceptance and a sense of purpose, I could always count on the fine art to get me through the hardest of days. Everything seemed to effortlessly go right while encompassed within the band world. I was convinced that my desires would invariably be provided for, as I was somehow the special (albeit, shy) exception. With this entitled mentality, I felt invincible going into my first serious audition.
The person I respect is my coach, Lee. Around November last year I met coach. It was during, my game, against his team, I had just stole the ball, when Lee walked to my mom, and talked to her. After the game he introduced himself and we talked. Once we got in the car my mom told me Lee said he wants me to come to a practice of his, and check it out. Sadly it took me several months to come see what his practices were like. I’m thankful I did because he’s the best coach I’ve ever had and I like his qualities, even though he’s very strict.
A mere mention of the term theatre acts as a relief to many people. It is in this place that a m...
The presence of Drama in the form of performative elements both dramatic and theatrical in almost every society throughout civilization is predominant. In the past the function of dramatic performance was evident in the rituals which witnessed enactments that portrayed the culture, beliefs and social being of a particular community. However in due course of time these enactments of rituals and ceremonies ceased to exist whereas dramatic performances were enacted simply for the sake of enjoyment and entertainment. Yet as the years go by the dramatist and playwright saw something else beyond ceremonies and entertainment. Drama was then viewed as an effective medium for the portrayal of real life itself while its objective circulated around creating
Historically, drama, and indeed all areas of the arts, have been seen to make an unimportant contribution to society as a whole. As recently as the mid to late 20th century, the arts were seen as a luxury, and a purely leisure exercise or hobby, with only gifted children having access to classically defined art forms such as music or art. This ideology still exists in some form today, although the arts are beginning to be recognised as an integral part of our everyday and working lives. Many drama practitioners and educators consider the arts to be a growing power within the economy, and that drama has benefits to society, culture, and a person’s inner development. These benefits have shaped the incorporation and delivery of drama within Queensland schools. This essay will examine how, by teachers delivering a rich aesthetic experience to students through drama in schools, students are provided with opportunities to develop self identity and equipping them with a skill set that is transferable across a variety of learning areas.
Applied Theatre work includes Theatre-in-Education, Community and Team-building, Conflict Resolution, and Political theatre, to name just a few of its uses. However, Christopher Balme states that “Grotowski define acting as a communicative process with spectators and not just as a production problem of the actor” (Balme, 2008: 25). Applied Theatre practices may adopt the following “theatrical transactions that involve participants in different participative relationships” such as Theatre for a community, Theatre with a community and Theatre by a community Prentki & Preston (2009: 10). Whereas, applied theatre one of its most major powers is that it gives voice to the voiceless and it is a theatre for, by, and with the people. However, Applied Theatre practitioners are devising educational and entertaining performances bringing personal stories to life and build