Workshop Overview
Introduction
Introduction
For the second half of the Applied Theatre module, I will document and evaluate my own and my groups progress in creating and adapting our Seasons Workshop for the Misfits. I will also discuss what went well in the other groups workshops and how we can take into consideration those good points and put it into the Seasons Workshop.
Description of the workshop's client group, structure and intended journey- What is the Seasons Workshop?
My group and I came up with the idea of creating a 2 hour workshop which explores all the seasons throughout the year. We wanted to cater it to the Misfits, who has learning and additional disabilities. They are a lively bunch who likes to express themselves and perform, so we wanted to put these qualities into good use. In order to do this our initial ideas was to include a lot of games such as tickle murder (adapted from wink murder), walking around the room and represent the seasons through movement, create movement pieces of each season, the opposite game, soundscapes and a final performance to show to the rest of the group. We thought of these games as we would like each participant from the Misfits to enjoy themselves, think about different traditions and events that happens in each season, the environment and weather of each season and generally to go on their own personal journey of discovery.
Where this workshop fits within the wider world of applied theatre practice
Applied theatre is a broad term for different kinds of theatre that is performed in non traditional settings. Applied theatre challenges and questions social and political issues through performances and workshops in order to hopefully promote some form of positive change to the world. Our Seasons workshop fits within the wider world of applied theatre practice as we are going to work with the Misfits and help them to express their ideas of the seasons in different ways through speech, sounds and movements which will then hopefully empower them to create and participate in more performances. This will then hopefully challenge societies views on people with learning and multiple disabilities and make them think about this more differently. Drama in general is a great tool in helping people to gain and increase their confidence, communication and other life skills. It is also a gateway to different subject areas and information so my group and I will be promoting these areas in the Seasons workshop
Key theories that informed the development of your workshop (e.g. Freire, Boal, Mantle of the Expert etc) Explain the theory, with references, and how it specifically connects with your workshop
The key theory that partly informed the development of our workshop was Boal's 'Theatre of the Oppressed' because our target audience which is adults with learning and multiple disabilities are classed as the minority of people who are oppressed from society. For the workshop my group and I want to facilitate, we want to give this target audience the opportunity to discuss and perform their ideas in a safe space where they feel they are listened to. We as a group are not planning to guide the target audience to rehearse their skills and ideas to directly change societies views, instead we want to promote and enhance their confidence, communication, team building and other essential life skills so then they can go out into the world and no longer be those that are oppressed as people will not view them as this.
It is not just societies responsibility to change their views and make active decision to ensure those minorities are not oppressed, it is also the responsibility for those minorities to make changes so they no longer be the oppressed.
This theory will be discussed in my later post on the rehearsal diary as it makes more sense to be discussed there.
Analysis of your own practice as a facilitator in the workshop (final practise with peers)
Personal Evaluation of Workshop- Peer and personal observations
Applied theatre is a broad term for different kinds of theatre that is performed in non traditional settings. Applied theatre challenges and questions social and political issues through performances and workshops in order to hopefully promote some form of positive change to the world. Our Seasons workshop fits within the wider world of applied theatre practice as we are going to work with the Misfits and help them to express their ideas of the seasons in different ways through speech, sounds and movements which will then hopefully empower them to create and participate in more performances. This will then hopefully challenge societies views on people with learning and multiple disabilities and make them think about this more differently. Drama in general is a great tool in helping people to gain and increase their confidence, communication and other life skills. It is also a gateway to different subject areas and information so my group and I will be promoting these areas in the Seasons workshop
Key theories that informed the development of your workshop (e.g. Freire, Boal, Mantle of the Expert etc) Explain the theory, with references, and how it specifically connects with your workshop
The key theory that partly informed the development of our workshop was Boal's 'Theatre of the Oppressed' because our target audience which is adults with learning and multiple disabilities are classed as the minority of people who are oppressed from society. For the workshop my group and I want to facilitate, we want to give this target audience the opportunity to discuss and perform their ideas in a safe space where they feel they are listened to. We as a group are not planning to guide the target audience to rehearse their skills and ideas to directly change societies views, instead we want to promote and enhance their confidence, communication, team building and other essential life skills so then they can go out into the world and no longer be those that are oppressed as people will not view them as this.
It is not just societies responsibility to change their views and make active decision to ensure those minorities are not oppressed, it is also the responsibility for those minorities to make changes so they no longer be the oppressed.
This theory will be discussed in my later post on the rehearsal diary as it makes more sense to be discussed there.
Analysis of your own practice as a facilitator in the workshop (final practise with peers)
Personal Evaluation of Workshop- Peer and personal observations
Overall I was very enthusiastic and bouncy as a facilitator. This was evident when I facilitated the patting up and down warm up. I used different words like 'clapping' to show everyone what to do. Another good part of this workshop was that when it came to the exercise of creating movements of our chosen season, I reminded the group I worked with to not be inappropriate
in the workshop as one participant used inappropriate language. During this exercise I also reminded my small group that everyone has different views
and experiences of different seasons and that this is okay.
However, at times the group I was working with on this particular activity was not focused on the
task of creating 4 images of the season. In the future I need to be able to identify when participants are going off focus and then quickly bring back the focus and
remind them to keep focused on the task and the workshop. To achieve this I need to use my sense of hearing more as I am unable to identify the visual side of things due to my visual impairment. Also I need to pay attention on when my group and I move on to the next activity and I need to be clear in myself what the activity involves, as I was unclear on what the movement of the seasons exercise involved, so I was not professional as a facilitator at this point. In future, this situation can be prevented if my group and I had more rehearsal time and meetings. Also this situation can be prevented if I use my hearing more and concentrate on what I can hear around me.
As I have a visual impairment, my job as a facilitator is more challenging than everyone else as I do not have enough sight to be able to pick up on visual cues. I have to work harder than everyone else as I have to use my listening skills more. If I use my listening skills more, I will know instantly when my group and I move on to the next activity, if participants are struggling with a particular task, if participants are not focused on a task or if anyone requires my help. As a partially sighted person, I have the tendency to try and use the sight I have to try and see what is going on around me. However, by doing this, I make myself and my eyes get tired as I try to concentrate on the visual side of things constantly. instead of focusing on the hearing side of things. I need to put all of my concentration and energy into what I can hear around me. I will be a better facilitator if I use the senses I have, rather than the senses I don't have.
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