Applied Drama

As part of my course Applied Theatre at the Central School of Speech and Drama, I’ve seen a lot of theatre lately. I’m not referring to the mainstream classical theatre presented by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre or the National Theatre. No, I’ve been visiting local (community) theatres, where different organizations from the field of applied theatre performed engaging, participatory theatre.

One of the shows had me – and the audience! –  dancing, singing and rocking on our chairs. It was a wonderful night: energetic, lively and full of anarchy and Rock ‘n Roll. It was called “Reasons to be Cheerful” performed by Graeae Theatre Company.

What is Graeae Theatre Company and their work like?

In order to get a good impression of the musical “Reasons to be Cheerful” please do watch this short movie;

“Out there they say disabled people can’t act, disabled people can’t do that, blablabla… Hello!! We are SO out there!”

Graeae is,

“a disabled-led theatre company that profiles the skills of actors, writers and directors with physical and sensory impairments.  The artistic approach (more…)

Before you start reading this post, think back a moment about your time in school: what course or subject did you like the most? Why? Which teacher comes to mind as a special one? Why was he or she so special? And what do you remember as a bad experience or teaching style, class or teacher?

Now I’d like you to keep this picture of your learning experiences (both the positive as the negative) in mind while reading the remainder of this post. Perhaps you can help me answering this question I’ve been puzzled by over the last few weeks: how does learning take place? How do we learn?

Participation and engagement in the classroom

As mentioned in my last post about the pedagogy unit I am following this term, an important influencer of the pedagogies of learning and teaching is Paolo Freire (1921-1997). He is famous for his dislike of treating students as ‘empty vessels’, “waiting to be filled by the knowledge of the teacher.” (Babbage 2004: 19). Freire calls this the “banking form of education”. Instead he advocates the process of ‘conscientização’ (consciousness-raising) “a process that emphasises the ownership of knowledge”, instead of “receiving, filling and storing the deposits” (ibidem).

What does this mean? It simply means that you don’t fall asleep in the classroom, (more…)

From September 2010, I am studying “Applied Theatre (Drama in the Community and Drama Education)” at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. The past few weeks were all about settling down in my new house and getting to know London. Since last Wednesday I am officially a student at Central, which shifted everything in a higher gear…

I told you in my first post about my motivation for this course and London. Now that the course has actually started, let me try to share some of my latest thoughts on the coming year with you.

What does my course actually look like?

My course at Central is not a regular one. For instance, my school attendance is not fulltime. This term I will only follow one weekly Friday of Pedagogies, combined with Critical Context (theory) classes on Saturdays. The guideline for fulltime students for the first term is to spend one day reading, 2-3 days at your placement and only 1-2 days at school.

The learning outcome of the pedagogy unit is (more…)

From September 2010, I am studying “Applied Theatre (Drama in the Community and Drama Education)” at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. In my first blog post I explained more about this Masters and I mentioned that the UK is the place to be for participatory theatre.

However, I must mention here an extremely professional Dutch organization I met last May in the Netherlands, called “Formaat, Workplace for Participatory Drama”. They made a huge impression on me. Let me tell you something about my experiences with working with them.

My first encounter with Formaat was on a course day of the Joker Training in their physical Workplace, a nice working space with a view on the Port of Rotterdam. As a born and raised “Amsterdammer” I always feel a bit lost when I arrive at Rotterdam Central Station, with its large skyscrapers and immense (more…)

In September 2010 I will start studying “Applied Theatre (Drama in the Community and Drama Education)” at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. On this blog I will share my experiences and the lessons I will most certainly learn. My goal is to provide a lively document about the width and depth of applied drama.

In this first post I will explain more about the contents of my studies and my motivation to move to London for them.

What is applied drama?

Applied Drama (or Applied Theatre) is the unconventional use of theatre, outside of the official theatres, close to communities. The word ‘Applied’ in ‘Applied Theatre/Drama’ implies that the use of drama is aimed at something or someone. This means there’s a common belief that the practice of theatre must and will benefit individuals, communities and societies.

(more…)