creative drama sources
DESCRIPTION
My mid-term paper in "Creative Drama" was to elaborate on the usefulness of Creative Drama in different facets of life.This class also got me to break some of my personal comforts.TRANSCRIPT
, .--Mike Rana
Analysis of Creative Drama source
Creative Dramatics
10/29/08
The book that I chose, "Creative Drama Handbook and Roleplay Guide" by Lou Furman, was
not divided up by chapter, but rather by topic. The book as a whole covers basic principles to be
followed when teaching a creative dramatic session and includes over twenty creative drama exercises
that can be implemented in any kind of session and is doable for any age group.
Drama is subdivided into two categories: formal and informal. Formal drama has the super-
objective of putting on a performance that will impact the audience with the hopes of teaching a
specific lesson or telling a certain story. You could almost think of formal drama as a play or theatrical
performance, since it runs on a script with specified characters, specified behaviors combined with a
desired result. Informal drama is the polar opposite: ninety-five percent of the "drama" involved is
improvised, creatively prepared and depends on the efforts put forth from your participants. The
biggest focus on informal drama is allowing participants to express themsevles verbally, physically,
emotionally in an environment where they won't be judged by their peers.
Anyone of any age can particpate in creative drama (both formal and informal). "Creative
drama is appropriate for all ages and often times you can use the same activity for different age groups
with an appropriate adjustment in the directions" (Lou Forman). As we are seeing by the class that we
are taking, creative drama can applied to college students in the 19+ category with the same games that
you'd play with little kids, perhaps with a slight deviation in rules to make it more age appropriate.
Typically, you're more likely to succeed in creative drama with younger kids (6-8 years old), since they
worry not about the reactions of their peers but are rather interested in letting out excess energy, orthey
are quite interested in making a fool of themsevles.
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The size of your group can make an impact on your session. According to the book, "eight
persons or more is the minimum size for your session to have some impact; otherwise, group
development is lost" (Lou Forman). The working space is also a crucial plan -- with warm-up
exercises and any activity requiring a heavy amount of physical activity with a large crowd, you want
your space to be able to accommodate the group that you're working with. With smal1(er) groups, such
as classes or playgroups, a stage or small auditorium will most likely suffice.
In almost all groups, the drama session will be only as good as the leader/instructor/coach that's
rwming it. If you are working with kids, you will need an leader that is patient with kids who mayor
may not be obedient to your instructions or be able to intepret them the way you'd been thinking. You
must also be capable of keeping your group in check. While the purpose of creative drama is to allow
your participants to be expressive and innovative, you also want them to stick to the guidelines of the
exercises provided. You also want to make sure you prepare and execute exercises that encourage
creativity and stimulate the senses. One of the exercises that I'm considering for my final project is to
take the musical score of several songs and ask the class to tell me what comes to mind. I hav~ to keep
in mind that if! play "The 1912 Overture", that some people will have our country come to mind,
others may think of the last movie trailer or commercial they saw. -" Oc (,,ll-:t -l'
It may come easier for adults than children, but you also want your group to fe€l free to express T~h'~L-.l.) H-u ~L
themselves however they see fit. Professor Hood said it best, "I make it a point to swear around you
that way you can feel free to express yourselves in your own way." While, I don't feel that profanity is
appropriate in every context, there have been some moments where it has be utilitized to make
something seem more colorful or dramatic than was intended. This approach probably wouldn't work
with children, since you don't want them swearing up a storm, however, you could act silly around
them and speak to their level of expression so that they don't feel as if you're inhibiting their creativity. ,----r-
In the half-semester that we've covered in Creative Dramatics, I have discovered many thingJ:
creativity that I didn't know existed, how to work cooperatively with people whose mindsets are not
like mine, how to be expressive in groups with minimal criticism, and how to just simply "win\S it"
when it comes to accomplishing a goal. I've also learned that not everything is as structured or as
cryptic as I've been used to. My classes in the past have always had a certain set of rules, a structured
format/syllabus, and a professor that's very by the book; this class has been the polar opposite. We've
had a quiz that was very easy due to the help of the "game" that we played thus I didn't have to study,
since the hands-on approach helped me remember things. Our final project, from my understanding is
doing precisely what Professor Hood does with us on Monday and Wednesday: creative exercises that
stimulate our sense and hopefully we learn something from it.
I would say that the book did help me in writing this paper, but it also paralleled our class
discussions and exercises. The exercises that are in the book are similar to ones that we've done in
class, but I believe that the ones in the book were written to be done with kids. I don't think the book
was 100% helpful in terms of helping me find something about myself that was dormant until now, but
it gave me the textual version of what we are learning in class. -
~~, l( l 1{ Bibliography: Furman, Lou. Creative Drama Handbook and Roleplay Guide. Denver, Colorado:
Pioneer Drama Services, 1990.