| Product: |
Drama Workshops |
| Date: |
16.12.01 (398 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Fun and uses imagination,, can be a form of therapy, can help people face and discuss problems.
Disadvantages: Drama is not for everyone.
This category could have been created for me. From the age of 14 I was involved in the youth theatre and I was in several productions. I went on to do GCSE Drama and Theatre Studies A Level. In my year out I joined a theatre company called RAGE and starred in a production of Shakers by John Godber (an excellent play!)
As part of all this Thespian stuff I did, there were many workshops put on. At the youth theatre, which was held at the Crescent Theatre in Birmingham, we had workshops occasionally, put on by visiting companies.
When we were putting on "The Pirates of Penzance" we had a voice workshop. Now the principal actors all had to sing solos without microphones, to an audience of a few hundred people. Surprisingly, I was one of the main parts (Ruth, the pirate-maid!) even though I didn't think I was a very good singer. I had difficulty with my breathing whilst singing, partly due to asthma and partly because I have never had professional training.
The voice coach made me do all kinds of strange things like lying on the floor and feeling my diaphragm as I sang. We had to do lots of voice exercises such as saying "Ma makes me moody and Ma makes me mad" in different keys.
At college, where I did Theatre Studies as one of my A Levels (there's another op on that), we had some great workshops. One particularly memorable one was a make up workshop. We had a professional theatre make up artist come in and do the workshop with us. One *lucky* member of the class was made to look like an old woman with the help of white make up and wrinkles! The rest of us came out of the class looking like extras from Casualty, with twigs sticking out of hands, painful looking open cuts, whilst yours truly sported a glorious black (and green/blue/yellow) eye all the way home, to the horror of the bus driver, who asked me if I was ok!
I would love to help out at a drama group for kids, running workshops and putti
ng on plays as I have lots of ideas and I love drama and the theatre.
I have compiled some ideas for a workshop.
Firstly.....
WARM UPS
You need to warm up to relax your body so you are ready to act. Many warm up games are also great fun as you get to run around as though you are still at primary school!
** Splat! **
(needs at least 10 people)
Everyone stands in a circle with one person (the Splatmaster) in the middle. The splatmaster has to point at someone. This person ducks down and the person either side have to point one hand out toward each other and say "SPLAT". The slowest person to do this or the person that makes a mistake is out. The last remaining person becomes the nest Splatmaster. This is great fun but may result in arguments between the losers!
** The Sun Shines **
(needs at least 10 people, and chairs)
Everyone has a chair, with one person standing in the middle. The person in the middle says "The sun shines on anyone..." then they add something like "wearing blue" or "who likes cheese" or "is wearing a thong!". People who fit into the description have to get off their chair and run to another empty chair, as does the person in the middle. The person who is left without a chair has to go in the middle. This is also great fun and requires imagination and fitness!
CONCENTRATION
After warming up, concentration exercises allow the mind to focus and the body to calm down.
** Counting **
Yes, you guessed it, everyone in a circle again, sitting down. The aim is for everyone to stand up one by one, with no people going to stand up at the same time. This is more difficult than it sounds and can be frustrating but feels great when as a group you achieve it.
TRUST
In drama, trust is very important. In any production, the cast have to rely on one another to carry
the action along and cover up any mistakes. Trust games are a great way of getting closer to people although it can feel uncomfortable doing them at first!
** Falling **
In pairs, take turns to fall backwards and let the other person catch your fall.
** Staring **
I hate this one! You have to stand opposite another person and -yes, you guessed it- stare at each other! Like the staring competitions you had at school, the first one to look away loses. People in every day life rarely make much eye contact.
~~~~~Hot Seating~~~~~~
This is great for developing characters that you may be playing. The idea is that you sit on a chair "in character" and people ask you questions which you answer as your character would.
For my Drama GCSE monologue, I played a teenage prostitute (no comments please!) and hot seating proved very helpful for me as other members of the class asked me questions about why I did what I did. I got into the mind of my character and began thinking like her. So thanks to hot seating I feel much more empathy towards prostitutes, you will be pleased to hear.
Often when you are in a play you only have limited knowledge about your character from the script. Hot seating allows you to create a past, and "full life" for your character which will improve your performance no end.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Improvisation~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** "Freezing" **
You can do this with as many people as you like, within reason. Start off with two people, who have to improvise a scene; anything they like. Examples for people with no imagination (!) could be
* Two people on a blind date
* Parents evening
* A TV chat show
As soon as someone watching gets another idea, they shout "freeze!". The actors have to instantly freeze in the same positions, and the person with the idea runs in and swap places with one of the actors, th
en startes a new scene in another situation.
This can be very funny as long as the people watching have plenty of ideas. If they have no ideas, the director/teacher can just randomly shout out ideas such as "you're in a hospital waiting room" which the actors have to adapt to.
Improvisation is great for keeping the mind quick and alert which is important for actors. It's also great fun.
Improvised theatre is becoming more popular- I am the assistant stage manager for a production called "Theatre Anarchy" which is being put on in a few months at Cardiff University. The audience will go along with no expectations (or idea of what they are letting themselves in for!) and hopefully they will like it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Why do Drama?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wiseguy has already written some great reasons for people doing Drama. My personal experience follows. At secondary school I had troubles with friends and confidence. Being at a top all girls school is a strange experience what with bitchiness and competitiveness. When I was 14 I joined the youth theatre which did me loads of good. Not only was it something fun to do out of school, it improved my confidence in general. I never thought I would sing on a stage in a theatre but I got one of the main parts in the musical we put on which was a great experience (if nervewracking).
Drama can also help a person through personal problems. Issues such as divorce, bullying and drugs can be expressed through drama workshops which can give people support and help them get their emotions out into the open without being explicit-ie. talking to a counseller, which they may not want to do.
For me, doing GCSE Drama allowed me to wear a tiny mini skirt and see through leopard print shirt (hey, they were the height of fashion in those Spice Girl days!) in school whilst rehearsing and doing the actual exam.
Drama is not censored like many other for
ms of expression.
I remember with a smile the day of my Drama exam. Part of my monologue involved me screaming "Bas***d" very loudly. I was rehearsing in the common room and when I got to the end I turned around to realise that my headmistress and two visitors were watching. Oh well, I got an A grade at the end so it was worth it!
Drama isn't for everyone-some people hate the idea of performing for others-but drama can also be a great form of therapy and entertainment. We all watch Dramas and soaps on TV-most of the actors on there will have pretended to be a tree at some point in their career!
Being involved in drama does not have to cost a lot either. Professional classes or drama school fees can cost a lot, but they are not necessary. Jessie Wallace, who plays Kat Slater in Eastenders, didn't go to drama school until she was 25 and she then went to the "poor actors school" in London. Many famous actors/actresses have been to drama school, but many others have not, but develop their skills through local drama groups.
The youth theatre I attended had minimal fees, only a subscription fee of £4 every term. It is worth looking around in your library to find a reasonable theatre group.It's not just for young people either-most theatres have adult drama groups that put on productions. Most areas have adult musical societies that put on things like Gilbert and Sullivan. Try looking in your library to find out about groups in your area if you are interested.
Even if you do not want to become an actor, many people get a lot out of acting. I know I do!
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