Evaluation

This term has been very enjoyable and satisfying. I didn’t know what to expect going into this project, I knew it was going to be very different to what I usually do and that it may push me out of my comfort zone. However, I think I coped very well and did a very good job. Helping others is very fulfilling and makes your time much more worthwhile. Before this, I have focused very heavily on acting and how to produce a high quality performance. I think that community arts has helped me in a way that you can’t be taught through a textbook. There is a great sense of achievement and pride that you get when working in the community and helping others. I think that I have been very good at this as I have created string bonds with the members of CDO to make them have fun, become more confident and improve as performers. My instructions have been clear and simple as well as being enjoyable. The lessons have been productive and very fun. I have discovered skills I didn’t know previously existed. The final performance lovey to be a part of.  The transition and improvement from when we first saw the group and the performance was incredible. I saw so much potential in and they exceeded my expectations. I was shocked about how far they’ve come. It would have been awesome to have had even more sessions with them. I very much enjoyed the show and so did CDO which was the most important thing about our time with them.

Workshop 5

This week, we decided that it would be very important to run through the show. It was important to keep running it over and over again getting the CDO group used to their lines and what they were doing on stage. We managed to complete 2 runs of the performance this week. It is lovely and very fulfilling to see the vast improvement in all of the members of CDO. They were all very enthusiastic this week and found it very enjoyable. The first run of the show was messy because we had to constantly remind them what they were doing as they had forgotten a lot of it. However, this wasn’t very surprising as it is what we expected. A large challenged I faced with Brian was to get him to concentrate rather than wander off or day dream. I think that if we encourage him and keep reminding him, he will become more confident and more focused. It is upsetting to think that this was the final session with Croydon Day Opportunities as we have made strong bonds with them and seen their journey of how they have improved and become more confident. As they have come out of their shells, they have enjoyed themselves greatly and it has been a pleasure to work with them.

Augusto Boal

Augusto Boal was born in 1931 and died in 1999. He is known as the “father” of Community arts. He is a Brazilian director, theatre maker and Politician.

Brazil has a huge divide in the hierarchy of the class system, the rich are incredibly wealthy and the poor are living in very harsh conditions. Boal helped those who were very poor that had no access to basic essentials such as education or health support. His work was with the poor was mainly focused on those who struggled to learn, to make learning easier for the children he taught them a technique called problem solving which is still commonly used today today.  This meant that you would learn in a practical manner in the classroom. Boal believed that this was a key method of learning. Being practical is something that is helpful for everyone.

During his exile in Argentina, he wrote a book called “Theatre of the Oppressed.” His book discusses that theatre that is traditional is oppressed and exclusive rather than being able to include everyone, no matter what. He said that there is nothing for any other type of audience. Being oppressed is where a group of people in society are completely disregarded or denied a certain thing due to them being a minority. Augusto Boal thought that theatre could be a successful method of helping the less fortunate. This links to community arts as it is all about working those who might be oppressed in some form such as being blind, having mental health issues or learning difficulties. Boal believed he could help them.

Presentation

Here is the link to my presentation which I have shared with Carly.

Overall, I think our presentation was very good. We had a lot of clear, informative and wel presented information. Our presentation was about 'Oily Cart'- we talked about the work they do and the people who help run the business. I think that I spoke loudly and clearly in my presentation. This is in my comfort zoen as I am in theare strand. The information was clear and I spoke slowly with authority. I feel like I met all the criteria for this. However, I could have been more prepared for it by either have cue cards or by learning what I was going to say. I read most of the information of the slideshow which could have looked messy or unprofessional.

Workshop 4

Structure of show

This week, we started to block and structure our piece.We had to work out what we wanted to included in our pefromance and how to teach this to CDO. We wanted to include various things in our performance, such as: Circle of life, Wave your flag, Animals, Tom Jones and Chinese dragons. We had to find a way to link all of these into our piece. We decided that the overall structure of the show would be:

VJ, Maybelle, Hannah in the Lounge talking about grandad the explorer.
Create the still image of the jungle with everyone like an animal
Vienne Counts how many animals there are
Errel talks about what animals are in the jungle
Cue Circle of life
Walk around in a circle as our animal and exit off
Return to the lounge
Talk about Wales
Tom Jones Dance with Dorian as Tom Jones
Maybelle then has her solo
Return to dance
Then make a link to the Chinese dragon
Everyone Does the Chinese dragon
Goes under the tunnel
Create different still images with Africa, Wales and China
Talk about Croydon’s Cultures
Wave Your Flag, singing and choreography
THE END

Conclusion

'Follow the leader' was a very succesful start to the workshop, furthermore, they has a sense of pride and acheivment from this as it will be used in the final performance. they were happy that they did it successfully and therefore it’s good enough to have in the show. This means the game was very productive. Overall, the rehearsal for the performance went very well. We managed to get through the whole piece which meant that we worked quickly and efficiently. We partnered up with a member of the CDO group to make sure that everyone could have equal treatment and we could go at the pace that they wanted to. In addition, this meant that nobody felt left out and that every member could continue to build strong bonds with us so that they will like and trust us.I was with Errol who didn't need much help as he is one of the most able members of the group and is very confident and eager to work. However, this was his last week with us as he will be on holiday during the performance. This is difficult for me as I will have to be partnered with someone who doesn't know me as well and I haven't had much chance to create a strong bond with. The piece is lookingg really good and everyone is really enjoying it. Vienne’s counting surpised us and we were shocked and delighted about how far he had come in just a few sessions with us. Next week we will run through everything and polish bits that need work on.

Workshop 3

Animals

In this game, everyone had to become an animal and we helped them see life through the perepective of an animal in order to help them become one in their performance. We got everyone to think about what animal you might be and how they move and sound. We then created a jungle scene with everyone being animals. We thought about what the animals were like and what aurrounded them.This allowed them to engage with the task and use their imagination. We can create a whole new environment with these animals and it might be useful to use them in the final performance. I believe this activity was quite succesful. Everyone was fully engaged with the task and most people had different animals which they ejoyed turning into. They loved becoming an animal as it was fun and so simple. Everyone was included in this task so nobody felt left out or felt as if they were unable to participate. However, I think that this game was too complicated which made it very confusing for them. There were too may questions and they struggled to think about more then a couple of things at once. It would have been more succesful if we concetrated on one or two features in greter detail rather than many features.

Wave your flag lyrics

We taught the members od CDO the lyrics to the sng 'Wave your flag.' We know that singing is something they enjoy and that this song is easy to learn. This was very difficult to teach as most of them aren't very vocal or don't speak at all. I think that they found it very difficult to learn the lyrics or to remember all of them. However, they enjoyed the singing greatly. It was mainly the BRIT student who were singing, however I don't think that matters too much. The CDO group seemed really enthusiastic about it and the flags are a great success. We also incorporated different fabrics and flags into our dance, we circled round the room holding onto them and throwing them in the air which they all enjoyed and made everyone feel positive and energectic.

Tom Jones dance

We choregraphed a dance to the song 'It's not unusual' by Tom Jones. We will use this dance in our final performance. We have created and put the dance into 3 simple movements. These will be simple and easy for everyone to follow. At first, the movement was too complex and was too difficult for CDO to follow, therefore we has to adapt our moves in order to make it easier for them to do. After we did this, it became easier and more enjoyable. I think that it gave everyone in the room a lot of confidence and joy. Furthermore, it gave those who are more able a chance to show off their talents which made them feel very proud about themselves. However, I think that we should give them a chance to freestyle and do whatever dancing they want to do as the dancing may be too complex for some or too restricitng for others. It may be a good idea to let them dance in whatever way they want to in the show.

Workshop 2

In this week, we used  musical statuses and pass the gurn again, I think these two games were very successful. Musical stastues was very good as it helped them to relax and have fun as well as showing off their ability. Furthermore, we used songs from different cultures. This was interesting as we could see how different people were proud of their culuture and wanted to explore this further. They would dance in different ways to music from different places which was very interesting. We could incoporate their movement into our performance. I think it would be great to base it around culuture as it gives a clear srtructure to our piece as well as a strong theme which they can relate to easily and enjoy. Pass the gurn was enjoyable and got the energy going, however they some of them did struglle to concentrate as they were laughing too much, this did dominate some of the session. More of the CDO group opened up a little more which was a nice surprise and made us all feel reassured.

Thriller

Originally, this game was going to be focused around the hakka, a series of moves used in rugby to intimidate the opposition. However, we felt like this may have given the wrong impression and it wasn't what we were aiming for. Instead, we changed it to a game based around Michael Jackson's song 'Thriller' as we know that many of them knew this song well and really like it. We passed around a Michael Jackson move/noise to the next person- similar to pass the gurn. I feel like they enjoyed this game because they like Michael Jackson and his dancing. However, this wasn't ery prodcutive as we got nothing out of it. Furthermore, it didn't allow them to use their imagination and creative side which we should defnitley encourage more.

Wave your flag

The session this week was about music and exploring what people's interests and trying new things. We played the song 'Wave your flag' and choreagraphed a dance to this sing with them. We started off by freestyle dancing and seeing which dance moves they liked and what they were capable of. We split off into smaller groups so that we could see what each individual wanted to do.Once we discovered an interesting or aesthetically pleasing move, we would all copy this move. We repseated this process until we came up with a short sequence of moves that we could use in our dance. This game was very succesful because it was enjoyable and productive. They has a lot of fun because they feel passionate about dancing. Furthermore, we created a series of moves that we will use in our final performance. However, this was quite challenging for some people as occasionally the moves were too complicated and they found it very difficult to copy or replicate them. This may have eknocked their confidence. However, I believe it made them feel more determined to push themselves and improve their ability. It is important not to underestimate them and to challenge them. I think this would have been easier if we choreagraped the dance ourselves as they mainly relied on us to create the movement and it was quite messy at times when we were trying to fin certain dance moves. I was working in a group with VJ and Errol, I noticed that they were doing very large and expressive dances. Daisy and I guided them in the direction to create some choreography which wroked really well. They danced with the flags that we made and were very happy to be given a flag which represented their culture.

Image theatre

In this game, we would walk around the room and then when something like 'shop/beach' etc. is said, everyone would create that image as a whole group. We hadn't yet tried acting or drama with this group. I think it is a good way to get their imaginations going. We do need to ensure that in we ask questions about it to get them talking and to get their imaginations motivated. This game was very fun and succesful. The group seemed to really enjoy it and I think it could be used easi;y in the performance. By asking CDO questions, we were able to establish what they liked to be, when we were in the jungle they all adapted to be their own favourite animal which was really nice and I think that we could use that later on in the final performance. All the images constarted each other well asnd were very interesting. I think that if we use this game too much, it would become tedious. On the last go of doing image theatre a few people did seem uninterested and wanted to move on. I believe this was succesful, however we should make our games more active as this is what they will enjoy more. Moreover, some of the members who were less vocal were unable to get their ideas across which may have frustrated them or made them feel left out.

Conclusion

Workshop 1

Name game

We started off the session by getting to know everyone through a name game. In this game, everyone stood in a circle and we would go around the circle saying our names, something we like and use an action to accompany this. Everybody in the circle would then repeat this action. For example, I said "My name is Jack and I like cars" etc. I think this was a successful and simple way to introduce ourselves to them and for us to learn their names. In addition, this is fun for them as they feel included and proud when they say their name or perform an action. Furthermore, we are able to learn about their interests. This builds a starting point for conversation and makes it easier for us to get to know them. This game also builds their confidence by creating a welcoming and non- judgemental environment for them to work. We are able to see their confidence and their ability, both vocally and physically, through this game. However, some of them may not like to be the centre of attention or to have suddenly have pressure on them straight away, so it might be difficult for them. In addition, it is a hard game for those who cannot speak, therefore they might feel upset of left out during this game.

Pass the gurn

In this game, we stood in a circle ad passed around a 'gurn', this gurn was made up of a large movement and a silly noise. Each person in the circle would pass this gurn around until it went the whole way round the circle. We then repeated this with even more energy to help them come out of their comfort zones and have a lot of enthusiasm in their energy. This helped them come out of their shells and made them feel comfortable in front of everyone. This is very good as they feel less reserved and ar more willing to be a part of the workshop without feeling self-conscious or embarrassed about what they are doing. Furthermore, it allows us to see how confident and willing they are. The down side to this is that it may have made some of them feel uncomfortable and may have made them feel even more shy because they didn't want to be 'weird' in this activity.

 Chats/water break

This was a great chance to get to know everyone and create personal relationships with them. This helped us build up trust by creating a friendly environment. It was great to get to know them and see what they are like as people and what hobbies/interests they have so that we could relate to them and find something to talk about. In addition, we could get feedback from them to find out what they enjoyed most, what they didn't like and what they would like to be included in other workshops. This helps us work around what they want, therefore making workshops that are better suited to them that they will enjoy. Finally, it was a chance for everyone to get to rest because the workshop had been very tiring and we didn't want to push them too hard or make them too tired.

Pointing game

In this game, we all stood in a circle and had to raise our heads and point at someone else in the circle. If two people both pointed at each other, they were out of the game. In my opinion, this game might have been boring for them as they prefer to be more active rather than just standing around. Furthermore, it might have been quite confusing as the rules are quite vague and it isn't always clear who was pointing at who. However, this helped improve their concentration and focus. This meant we could see how easy it would be to teach them and how well they take on instructions. Moreover, it helped us find their competitive edge and their determination to be good at something.

Musical statues

I lead this game during the workshop and I believe this was very successful. It was the only game that everyone seemed to be fully committed to and they enjoyed it thoroughly. They had a lot of fun and it was a chance for them to show off their favourite moves and their dancing ability. We would then be able to incorporate this into our final performance. It was interesting to see the different levels of skill they had and to see who was most enthusiastic and most physically able. We found out who would be the best dancers in the final performance. I believe that I did very well in leading this game as my instructions were clear and simple. Also, I made sure that I was approachable and frienly to them at all times in order to make them feel welcome.

Lesson 1

We have just started our community project in which we are working with “Croydon day opportunities.” This is a centre who specialise in helping and caring for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities. We are working with nine members who are all physically able, however some of them are non-verbal or speak very little. This means it is important to adapt our teaching methods and our workshops to suit this. I do have some previous experience in working with adults with learning difficulties as I have been in a couple of plays which had a cast containing actors both with and without learning difficulties. Moreover, I have experience in teaching and directing drama. However, I have never put the two together before. I really wanted to put this experience into action with the group as we were mixed with other people with varying levels of experience in this area. It was interesting to see other people express their ideas and what their opinions were about what would make a successful workshop and what would be most enjoyable or beneficial for the members of “Croydon Day opportunities.” We discussed what we already knew about the group and how much knowledge and understanding we had about the types of challenges or issues that may occur. We listed traits that we would need in order to make ourselves come across as friendly and approachable. For example, we would need to be: enthusiastic, energetic, not patronising, understanding and patient. Carly told us that Croydon day opportunities had have previously been partnered with The BRIT School and that they had put on a final piece to show to their friends and family. I believe that a performance would highly beneficial for them as it would give them the chance to show off their talents individually and enables them to understand that you can express your feelings and emotions through performing arts. This will boost their confidence by making them feel good about themselves and proud as they are doing something that they enjoy. We were told that the general themes that they enjoyed were culture, musicals and 90s music. I feel that it would be good to include these in our workshops and the performance as they can relate to it and it is something that we are confident that they will enjoy. We split off into groups and expanded upon these initial ideas and discussed methods of how we could branch these out and develop them. An idea I liked was using the Olympics as a structure and how we could visit different cultures from around the world via the Olympics. Each time it was a new sport, we'd enter a new country, hence exploring a new culture. I feel that this idea has a lot of potential as it is creative, well-structured and incorporates aspects that we know they enjoy or are interested in. However we don’t know what the members of “Croydon day Opportunities” will think about this idea. For all we know they may not want to participate and may not like the idea and as it’s about them we need to make sure we have back up plans to adapt to them. Therefore we have to come up with a backup plan in case this idea is unsuccessful. Our idea is quite vague and we may have to be more specific and do more of the creative aspects in their behalf. We decided to narrow down our ideas and have a specific target for each week. On Friday, we want to get to know their cultures and use this as a template to base our workshops around. For example, some of them may be from Africa. Therefore we can aim next week’s lesson with some African drumming. We then decided to link together the ideas of musicals and culture.  We brain stormed this in our groups and decided that “The Lion King” would be a great one to link with African Cultures. We could incorporate African drumming and dancing along with possibly using music therapy too.  I feel this was a very productive and successful lesson and I am excited for the first workshop.