DRAMA THERAPY OR MESSING AROUND?!?! (Drama Workshops)

Name: Wiseguy

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Product:	Drama Workshops
Date:	15.12.01 (1036 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Builds confidence, Encourages team work, FUN!!!

Disadvantages: None really

Drama classes are too often dismissed as messing around. I took G.C.S.E drama and it was full of people who simply wanted an easy way out. The benefits of Drama workshops are, however, enormous. I am of the opinion that particpating in such workshops can be invaluable in terms of personal development and social integration and should not be dissmissed as simply 'messing about'.

Firstly, let me give you a little background about my experiences of directing drama workshops and using drama as a means of facilitationg pesonal development. Initially I assisted in teaching workshops at a small drama school. This experience led to my studying dama at university. Since then I have developed a keen inerest in the possibilities of drama within the community preparing workshops with behaviourally challenged kids in America, young offenders in England, European children who couldn't speak english and a group of enthusiastic state school children who wanted to develop a piece of drama. I hope to be accepted on to the JET programme next year where I will apply this practical technique to the teaching of English.

The benefits of drama workshops are massive. Below are just some of the ways I believe participating in drama can be valuable.

#1: As a means of therapy.
There is emerging at the moment a popular trend in using drama as a means of therapy. The process of drama allows a persons to research problems such as behavioral conflict in a safe and controlled forum. Role play can be extremely important as realistic enactments allow for people to explore situations of conflict and potential violence. Even largely ficticous or fantastic role plays may have an important symbolc resonance that may be related to the lives of those taking part. Thus role play can be used as a means for people to objectively observe aspects of their own life without the explicit statement that what they are watching is a direct representaion of their own personal
situation. This level of objectiity created by role play prevents subjectivity and therefore encourages a more reasoned, dissassociated and therefore more practical assesment.

To illustrate: When I worked with young offenders we wanted to portray the difficulties of returning to an unfamilar environment when released. We therefore devised various role plays around the idea of a soldier returing home to find his mother has a new boyfriend. By using such a ficticous envionment that had close connections with the process of being released the inmates were able to discuss and enact the possible reactions of those involved without the notion that it was a direct comentary upon themselves and how they will adapt to being released. They were able to speculate outcomes and reactions in a safe controlled environment. More importantly they are able to criticise characters without feeling they themselves are being juged or criticised.

Processes of role reversal, where role playing uses a variety of roles to create empathy, can also be extremely beneficial. For example, the bully is able to assume the role of victim therefore (hopefully) creating empathy with the victim. It also has the advantages that a person is able to view their own actions and therefore make abservations anout themselves again in a safe and ficticous but highly relevent portrayal.

Even such simple practices as improvising often result in the expression of unconcious and unexpressed feelings by providing a medium through which they may surface. An example of this occured recently when I was working with a group of children at a local state school. We were doing improvisation based on monologues speeches. We asked each child to bring in an object. One child brought in a photo of his dog and during the improvisation around this found himself talking about the previous summer when he ahd been very ill and his dog came tovisit him. He became uite upset so took some time ith my par
tner to discuss how he felt. He wasn't aware how upset he might become but the improvisation brouht to the suae a previously unexpressed emotion.

#2. Encourages group participation.
Drama workshops and activites are often use to relax people both phyically and psycologically enocuraging them to work in groups. Games can be devised where everybody has an equal oppurtunity to participate. The process of devising a piece of drama means that group members must learn no only to present their own ideas but to listen and encorporate the ideas of others. I am of the opinion that such experience is vital, especially in terms of graduate recruiters who often specifically look for these qualities.

#3. Increases Self-confidence.
The group participation as described earlier means that more shy, even introverted characters have a means in which to be invlolved without having to volunteer to be thrown in at the deep end. I personally was very shy before I started attending drama workshops but a fun and supportive environment can work wonders in terms building self confidence. I worked with an autistic child in America and created a two minute sketch where he was able to participate in a talent show, which he had never done before. His parents were amazed that he had the confidence to do this as in group situations he was often very shy and resrved but I believe the environment of a well directed talent show or workshop provides a more supportive environment encouraging people to stand up infront of others therore increasing their self confidence.

#4. IT's FUN!!
Perhaps I have overlooked the most important aspect of drama workshops. THEY ARE FUN! All the above advantages are possible because, when run well, drama workshops should be relaxed and fun. It may even be messing about but as long as this messing about is directed and controlled in a safe but fluid environment then surely even this can be beneficial as messing around in drama
games and activites enables confidnce to be supported, encourages group involvment and consideration and can even provide the basis for a wider more specialised means of therapy.

So in my opinion Drama workshops are more than a hobby. Yes they are enjoyable but there are important advantages that are all a part of having fun.

There will undoubtedly be a community drama near you. Ask at local schools or libraries.

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