Process Drama
Year 8 Drama students have been exploring the techniques involved in Process Drama. For this style of performance, it’s all in its name: this creative instructional method offers students the experience of an event, a place, or a time period using improvisation as a tool of discovery.
Teacher and students create an imaginary world and work to address challenges or events through dramatic improvisation.
Process Drama differs from other dramatic frameworks such as “theatre games,” specifically Viola Spolin’s improvisational acting system developed in the 1950s. Spolin transformed theatre education by engaging students in short-term, performance-based activities or games.
But with Process Drama, the focus is not for the students to create a performance for others, but to create an experience for themselves by working through an issue or challenge, making important discoveries about themselves and others along the way.
The development of traditional theatre skills, such as listening, speaking, and cooperation, are in fact cultivated and an important component in process drama.
All three Year 8 Drama classes are using Process Drama to help solve the ‘Mystery of Joe’. They were assigned the role of ‘expert’ and had to sit in on a meeting with the head of the Psychiatric Unit (played by their teacher) at the local hospital.
There students were presented with facts about a boy named Joe, who had been brought to the hospital after being found by his mother in a non-responsive state.
Students began to ‘hot seat’ as interview subjects – crucial to the mystery to generate more information for their shared story. Once all information was gathered, students formed groups and developed their scenarios about what happened to Joe.
After several sessions of exploration, groups are now fine-tuning their pieces that will showcase their theories.
Mr Mike O’Brien - Director of Creative Arts K-10
A Catholic School in the Salesian Tradition
