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Writing for theatre in community and educational settings Phil Richards and Maggie Pitfield In this session we will consider: the nature of drama which has an ‘educational brief’; the writer-teacher role of the Theatre in Education (TIE) dramatist; the effects on the creative process of writing to a commission, with particular reference to the TIE play Gang*Star; the aesthetic and pedagogical aspects of Gang*star. Theatre in Education: what is it, what are its aims? From Nicholson, H. (2009) Theatre and Education. Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan ‘Theatre, when it meets education, often articulates deeply felt social aspirations as well as giving shape and form to the circumstances and difficulties faced by young people in the here-and-now. One enduring legacy of TIE practitioners is that they showed how to develop a theatrical pedagogy by asking profound questions about the purpose of education, the social role of theatre and its ability to affect the lives of young people.’ The Origins of TIE in Britain TIE emerged as a separate art form and educational activity at the Coventry Belgrade Theatre in 1965 as part of its ‘outreach’ and community programme, bringing together a team of actors, teachers and social workers. Later resident TIE teams were established at other theatres such as the Bolton Octagon and the Cockpit in London. During the 1970s organisations such as The National Association for the Teaching of Drama (NATD) and The Standing Conference of Young People’s Theatre (SCYPT) developed a theoretical framework to inform TIE practice. This was influenced by the work of Jerome Bruner (drawing on the psychologist Vygotsky) and by drama in education theorists/practitioners such as Dorothy Heathcote and Gavin Bolton. The playwright Edward Bond has also been influential through his association with one of the more famous companies, Big Brum, for which he has written nine plays. The most recent of these was produced in 2012. He is a strong advocate for the importance of TIE. The influence of Boal TIE also acknowledges as an influence the work of Augusto Boal and his ensemble of techniques (forum theatre, image theatre, etc.), rooted in an ethical framework, designed to enable change both within the individual and society, with particular application to communities experiencing oppression. Theatre and education for empowerment. Theatre of the Oppressed (1979). Boal Theatre is a process, rather than a product to be consumed. Spectators should not be passive, they are ‘spectactors’ and are the subjects not the objects of the drama. ‘The cop in the head’ refers to the oppressions that are internalised: ‘the cops are in their heads but the headquarters of these cops are in the external reality.’ Boal, A and Epstein, S. (1990) The Cop in the Head: Three Hypotheses. TDR Vol. 34, No. 3 pp. 35-42. ‘Dramatic action throws light upon real action. The spectacle is a preparation for action’ (Boal 1979, p. 155). TIE... combines ‘the art of performance with the skill of teaching’ to ‘produce a form of work particularly relevant to education’. (Romy Baskerville); is a powerful learning medium that is child-centred, problem oriented, and socially determined; may include work with the young people before a performance, in between scenes and episodes and/or after. There may be an even more fluid boundary between the two different modes of audience and active participant. Participation may require no more than watching and listening, but however it is defined, it should serve to increase understanding and therefore enjoyment of the programme; requires political and educational commitment (Nicholson 2009). In Nicholson’s view, ‘The challenge that faced theatre educators in the 1990s, which remains relevant today, is how to maintain the educational commitment that characterised the most innovative TIE and at the same time redefine its aesthetics and politics for a new cultural and educational climate.’ Discussion of the Winston (2005) article ‘…didactic theatre speaks only to the already converted’ (p.310). And ‘Reasoned, reasonable and safe theatre is a recipe for dull, predictable theatre’ (p. 313). Therefore central to effective TIE practices is the negotiation of certain tensions. Tensions …between instructional and open-ended expressive objectives; …between an educational agenda and artistry; …between the moral and purposeful and the aesthetic and playful. Do these tensions have any resonance for your own practices in writing and working with young people? Read Scene 12 of Gang*Star Watch film version: Writing to a brief Language – authenticity and accessibility versus acceptability Realism and breaking the fourth wall Suspension of disbelief and making a contract with the audience Links to the Winston article. Read Scene 9 of Gang*Star The commissioning process and necessary adaptations Maintaining the writer’s integrity and managing gatekeepers Other Issues Self-censorship and censorship Financial considerations and the effects on the creative process Growth and change through performance The final scene – the progression from page to performance. How does the play Gang*star effectively communicate with its audience? Through referential aspects (content/issues). Through performative aspects (immediacy of the action, the physicality of the performance, interaction with the audience). Considerations Artistic and pedagogical skill Influences on the writer Mike Leigh – in the development process Brecht – audience to laugh and think Boal – a forum theatre approach (if not full forum theatre) Audience participation (workshops) ‘Dark play’ or ‘sabotage’? Openness – creative ‘gaps’ requiring the audience to construe meaning through imaginative engagement (versus the closure of didacticism). Funding from Prevent the British government’s counter-terrorism, antiextremism strategy “Of course, to work artistically within Prevent is necessarily a partisan choice: the strategy itself demands a ’consistency of message’ (Home Office 2008a, 59) to which alliance may inevitably be perceived as ‘taking sides’.” p. 190. Alice Bartlett who wrote ‘Not in My Name’ (verbatim theatre) concludes that the dangers are: Creative and ethical dilemmas Funding removed from other valuable local projects to pay for the Prevent agenda. Government funding may inhibit artistic freedom by demanding the promulgation of a particular viewpoint. Focuses on the local rather than on political responsiveness and constitutional change. Apprehension experienced by Muslim educators that, if they open up and encourage debate of the issues, they will be labelled ‘extremist’. Fears that Prevent might use artists’ privileged access to the community to provide information (spying). And the positives…? Drama is an appropriate means of intervening in this debate. It offers “exciting and valuable opportunities for creative multi-agency collaboration and regeneration.” p. 174 “…the greatest danger of failure is through silence.” p. 192 Read the following if interested in this area: Bartlett, A. (2011) Preventing violent extremism and ‘Not in My Name’: theatrical representation, artistic responsibility and shared vulnerability. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance. Vol. 16, No.2, 173-195. Winston, J. and Strand, S. (2013) Tapestry and the aesthetics of theatre in education as dialogic encounter and civil exchange. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance. Vol. 18, No. 1, 62-78. The TIE writer-teacher How can TIE fulfil its ‘potential to help students grapple with large questions about the world’ without falling back on ‘easy moralizing which verges on “propaganda” and “spoonfeeding”’? (Sharon Grady) How can it do this and at the same time fulfil its commissioning or sponsorship brief? How does the writer of a TIE play operate within this space?