Week One - Week Five

Wednesday 25^th February

I have been looking forward to taking this unit for sometime now. Ever since I watched the video in Introduction to Creative Arts, I knew I was going to take Children’s Theatre. In high school and primary school I was in every drama group possible. It has been about a decade since I have participated in any stage work, and this is one reason I want to take part in this unit.

At the end of this unit I would like to find out if I can still act on stage. It is also important for me to understand children’s theatre and how it works, as it is an area I will focus on in the future. My final goal in university is to become a drama teacher in high schools, for which I will have to develop many of my own productions. It is important for me to acquire a basic understanding of productions if I am to succeed in teaching.

Today in the workshop, after a quick introduction, the class took part in some improvisational exercises. We stood in a circle and practiced some voice and movement exercises. In addition, we developed an animal by adding characteristics and speech. For what purpose was this workshop?

 One of the main reasons was to be introduced to the unit and the other students. This was achieved by allowing us to participate in a fun and interactive activity making us feel comfortable in this new environment. Another purpose was to view the skills we currently hold. One of the unit objectives endeavours ‘to develop performance skills’. This cannot be achieved without first observing the skills we already have.

 The main focus of this unit is on children and in particular, how they learn through Theatre in Education. I am extremely interested in developing this knowledge, as it will be useful for me in the future.

Wednesday 3^rd March

 Today we broke into groups and presented a small segment of a play. I believe the script we used was called The Dragon Variation (1996). In a short amount of time, our group rehearsed, blocked (plotted the actors movements) and presented our scene.

Our group focused on each character’s importance and how they fitted into the scene. The success of our scene was based on the whole group working together.

 The group consisted of Stan, ‘Diggers’, Melissa and myself. As a group each member contributed ideas to not only their performance but also the performances of the other members. Stan suggested that we were not projecting as well as we could, so we took it upon ourselves to make the necessary improvements. We also assessed each other’s movements, suggesting better placements where necessary to avoid masking.

I played the character Vinny the Pin, presenting him as overtly camp and nervous. I felt this was the most important characteristic of the role to focus on, and given more time I would have presented him using a foreign accent as the script intended. I chose to work on these main characteristics, of which I was more confident rather than attempting an accent.

Another purpose of today’s workshop was to stress two main points to remember, ‘be prepared’ and behave ethically. Ethical behaviour is an important point, especially in this unit. Once you agree to take part in this production, you have made a commitment to everyone. To produce a production lacking quality or simply not turn up will not only harm the production but also the good name of the Children’s Theatre unit.

 Each member of the production is a vital component. Commitment is not only important for rehearsals and the performance, but each member also represents the production itself, the Nexus Theatre and Murdoch University. Everyone needs to present an image of professionalism. With this in mind being prepared becomes a valid point.

 No matter how professional the production, things can go wrong. I once saw a high school production of Sherlock Homes where the actor playing Mr Homes skipped a page of dialogue. It resulted in the delayed death of a character due to die in the previous scene. As a result, the actor had to improvise her death in a scene she was not supposed to be in. I also saw a production of Fiddler on the Roof. While turning the rotating stage one evening, the crockery furnishing the set fell to the floor. The result was three minutes of blackout while the stagehands scrambled wildly to sweep up.

 ‘Every production will be accompanied by a crisis’. (Green, 1993: 55) The trick is to try to predict the problems before they occur. Test the properties, doors, windows and similar objects. Don’t assume they will work on the night.

Saturday 6^th March

 Today I saw a magician perform for a group of children. It was quite different from any performance you would see in a theatre. I want to talk about some of the positive and negative aspects of his performance. Hopefully, by looking at what he did and how he did it, I can demonstrate some of the differences and similarities between his performance and that of an actor on stage.

 Firstly he presented himself as a character, Muddleford Wizard, just like an actor on stage. As the name suggests he was always in a muddle. This told the children exactly who he was, a ‘forgetful’ wizard. Just like ‘Daffy Duck’ and the ‘Big Bad Wolf’, children know the type of character being presented by the name they are given. In addition, Muddleford used his forgetfulness to allow the children to call out the simple words he could not remember.

 This interaction became quite distracting to some children. Due to the absent-mindedness of Muddleford, some children became annoyed and stormed onto the stage. Being used to this type of reaction, the actor was able to redirect the children’s energy into assisting him with his magic. Unlike regular acting his performance could not be fully scripted, as children’s behaviour cannot be predicted. This all supports the point, to be prepared. Expect anything to occur on stage.

 The actor was dressed in a bright wizard costume. He also wore a fake beard in which he hid a microphone, allowing the full use of both hands. In this situation there was no difference between the edge of the stage and the start of the audience. Muddleford spoke directly to the audience and was always in character. The context of his performance required the show to be fun and exciting and outside the parameters of regular theatre. Presentations like this can occur because children have not yet discovered the full definition of theatre or the appropriate way to view a performance.

Wednesday 10^th March

 Today we took part in the Circus workshop. Again this was a really great class to allow us to work together as a team. After breaking off into groups we all attempted some different circus skills. In some areas I was proficient, in other areas I had trouble. In this situation I was able to help people by explaining how to balance more effectively on the high wire, and other members were able to help me by explaining my areas of weakness on the stilts and juggling.

 What were some of the reasons for today’s class? One of the most obvious was to learn new skills. To learn, practice and perfect new skills is a vital part of any education. In this instance, the skills demonstrated by Reg Bolton will help to further develop aspects of our final performance. The learning of new skills builds confidence. I thought I would be able to master the stilts without a problem, for some reason though, I was unsure of my balance. Given time, I may be able to build my confidence in these skills.

 The class also contained a forum for circus issues. Basic knowledge of circus history is necessary in this unit, as the circus is closely related to children’s theatre. The circus has many role models who show children they have the ability to do anything. Using skills that can be learned through training, children can see their own potential. The circus, like children’s theatre, uses vicarious reinforcement of role models, allowing the audience to observe the ‘consequences of others’ (McInerney and McInerney, 2002: 142). After viewing the positive role models, children believe they can achieve anything.

The workshop broadened our minds on circus issues with relevance to education and even insurance. Insurance seems to be a tricky area. In the first century of the circus, fire seemed to destroy a lot of the original troops although this was not mentioned in the workshop. Circuses began with equestrian events and developed into part animal and part human attractions. With these changes, circuses developed ‘from a public spectacle to a pay on entry arena’ (Stoddart, 2000: 14). The circus therefore became an entertainment event. Is it educational?

 This question is a relevant issue for this course. Is there a place for the circus in education, and is there a need for theatre in education? The answer would be yes, however the same problems of lack of funding and support are raised. The teaching and learning of circus skills is a great idea, giving children the ability to develop and learn new skills and attitudes. This is the purpose behind circus classes and indeed theatre in education.

Wednesday 17^th March

 Audition day was an interesting day for many reasons. I went into class with one train of thought and then left completely different. I am not very confident when reading a script for the first time without rehearsal. I stumble over lines and therefore also stumble over the stage seemingly lost. It is an area I am trying to correct and only through consistent readings and practice will I improve. I therefore find it hard to achieve any characterisation as I focus more on what I say, rather than what I do.

 Today I approached the auditions with a character in mind. I wanted to be the villainous cat, henchmen to the sports coach. From the synopsis last week, it sounded like a great character so I focused on any cat characterisations and movements I could think of. I should have thought of the quote ‘don’t go to succeed, you will only fail’ (Hodge, 2000: 124).

 I’m not saying I failed, just that I approached the auditions using the wrong attitude. Take into account some of the concepts of Peter Brook’s approach to the actor. His concept of actor training was based around the ‘growing awareness of the importance of the actor within an ensemble’ (Hodge, 2000: 175). As an actor it is important to be part of the ensemble, not just a part of the play. Each actor is important to the overall meaning of the play, as the ensemble is a ‘storyteller with many heads’ (Hodge, 2000: 177).

 It is therefore irrelevant which part I want, it is more important which part wants me. The significance of a role is to help tell a story, to place the wrong actor in a part may destroy the meaning. With this in mind, it helped direct my attention to another problem, to sing or not to sing?

 I was not going to sing today due to, I guess, lack of confidence. One I had decided that I would be happy in any role; I decided I would sing. Although I was not confident, I knew it was more important the ensemble and therefore the production to show my singing voice as it may be of some use. I am not fazed if I don’t get a singing part as today I sung for the production, not for myself.

Wednesday 24^th March

 Today we were given our roles. A rather exciting time and one I had never before experienced. I received the role of Ares the Kangaroo, friend of the protagonist Athena Emu. It’s a great role as the character is nervous, timid and unsure, but develops through the play to acquire self-esteem and develop strength of character. The character I developed in week two closely resembled the way I see Ares.

 We began by conducting a read through, allowing everyone to try their lines and understand the totality of the play. It is important to not only understand the play, but also where each character fits. My initial understanding of Ares is that he is a representation of the audience, in animal form. The audience sees Ares develop through the play.

 The audience first sees a kangaroo scared of his own shadow and unsure of his own abilities. Through the play Ares the Kangaroo practices and practices and achieves greatness. This is my initial idea of the character and his perception; I will be interested to see how my thoughts change as the production develops. The setting for the production is based around the Athens Olympics. This production focuses on the notion that the true meaning of the Olympics is lost. This is one of the main concepts behind the play; it is not whether you win or lose but how you play the game.

 The purpose of the production is to use the appropriate settings, characters and dialogue to present this message to the audience. Plays are prepared to ‘entice the audience into engagement with the theatre event and finding the means to challenge the audience into thinking for itself’ (Jackson, 1993:101). Two main characters who direct the audience to discover the plays meaning are Hera and Zeus. The characters address the initial question to the audience and throughout the play reappear to remind the audience of the purpose of the production.

 Without a purpose, a true Theatre in Education (TIE) production could not function correctly. ‘Pure entertainment alone is not TIE’ (Jackson, 1993:74). A Theatre in Education production should allow children to discover attitudes and concepts for themselves. The purpose of a production is to present a situation and allow the audience to view the process by which the characters’ react.

 Children learn through the vicarious observation of the actors on stage. The children view the production and learn through the characters’ situations and the way they respond to conflict. The native animals in this production are a representation of the children viewing; therefore in this way the children are able to observe themselves on stage. There are still many aspects of the play I need to address and some I am still discovering for myself.

View other 'Children's Theatre' journal entries...

Week One - Week Five          Week Six - Study Break Two

Week Eight - Week Twelve          Week Thirteen - Week Fourteen

...or view other journals...

Semiotics and Performance: The role of the Actor (2005)     Performing Shakespeare in the Classroom (2005)

Drama and The Curriculum (Summer, 2005)     Children's Theatre (2004)     Acting (2004)

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Contact Andrew @ thechaseison@optusnet.com.au