Anna Salát, Drama Teacher, Psychodrama Assistant

MARGINALITY AND EXHIBITIONISM – OR PLAYING CREATIVE GAMES IN COSTUMES?

Anna Salát, drama teacher, psychodrama assistant.

Tel.: 36-30-251-2464; e-mail:

„ Games heal, but you need to know how

to play”

Jakob Levy Moréno

THEORETICAL QUESTIONS

“What does marginality mean in a changing world where traditional family values are lost, but new ones are not yet born, where the concept of family is undefined, especially when children are brought up by single parents?

Children who live in these families experience being different, and they try to hide this feeling. They need a variety of methods, techniques to overcome their isolation and inferiority complex in order to acquire the real ability to play, spontaneously and in a creative way. We have to create a special temporary space for them where they learn to play and discover themselves during the games.” (Hanna Kende B.: Gyermek-pszichodráma– Psychodrama for Children)

Bevezetés

I would like to present the structure of my way of leading a game, and using the experiences of a workshop. The workshop took place in the summer of 2002. Children between the age of 8 and 12 participated in it. The principal aim of the drama camp, which lasted 10 days, was to create a play for the stage. While doing this, my main focus was to explore the possibilities of therapy and art during the workshop. This presentation focuses on the art therapeutic features of the work. (Therapeutic games are indicated with a T, games providing an artistic experience are indicated with an A, games involving the possibilities of humour. H)

Warming-up

We start and finish the workshops by sitting in a circle. In the first few of games I can see what mood the children are in. My first impressions help me to improvise the type of game necesarry for the situation. These games can be relaxing and awakening, and games demanding concentration: seeing, hearing and movement. Relaxing elements are always present in the warm-up. We often circle-dances, even simple steps can be strongly emotional. (Illustration: basic steps to Greek music on video).

Things that help group making:

Games developing a sense of space: The children with covered eyes, try to walk around some chairs without touching them H, T

Skills developing speaking: Reciting rhymes, articulating words ( video ) H

Skills focusing on the volume of speech: Children stand in two rows, increasing the volume in four steps: First row: “Jump in the well” The other row responds: “ I won’t.

“Marry her” “I won’t” H

Laughter is the prerequisite of receiving an artistic experience later.

Memory games: Children memorise new names given to them.

MAIN PART

Situations: Teamwork H, T For example: Imagine that you are holding a burning candle. Walk from one corner of the room to the other. Watch out for the wind. H

One group is acting and the other group recognises what they bring. (a burning candle).

The task of the first group: You are in a castle, behave accordingly. H

The task of the second group: You are in the house of a poor man, behave accordingly.

Improvisational skills in small groups H, T, A

a.)create a story to the words: dog, friendship, lost. Act it out ( to music).

b.):-first step: pantomime;

second step: babble-language (or talk using only numbers instead of words) H

third and most difficult step: in speech.

Games developing imagination Starting with introducing each other, ”In 20 years from now”; “Building a vision of the future”. Time-travel: each child stands behind the other and says in first person singular, for example “I’m 31-year-old, am an astronaut, my wife is a hairdresser, my children go to school”, etc.

Storyline Each person says a sentence adding one sentence to the previous. They act the story out.

Choosing a story I’m the storyteller. The choice of the tale depends on the composition of group. I try to find the best role for the children by paying attention to their individual needs.

We act out the story in the following steps:

1. After understanding the story we act out the players’ most important characteristics. For example: “Walk as if you were a cruel witch.”
2. Finding the main turning points of the story together.
3. Bringing the story line to stage without using words, with movement, variable players, later with permanent players.
4. Children act out the story with their own words.
5. Using the text without learning it by heart.
6. Making costumes.

LAST PART

Relaxing to music, for example, acting out the melting of a snowman. A

Trust-building games, for example, we stand in a circle, one of the children stands firmly on the floor, the others sway his body.

Reflections, expectations. “Did I enjoy it, was it good for me, what would I like to change?”

( End of summary)

The possibilities in drama and psychodrama and the combination of the two in heterogeneous groups

My intent is to see how drama can be combined with elements of psychodrama in order to overcome two extreme forms of behaviour. Though I believe in both methods, I can see that these methods are different concerning their aims. Whereas drama is an educational tool, elements of psychodrama can cure psychological traumas, or they can help prevent their occurence. My aim is to create an artistic experience through creative games that contain healing elements as well.

In the summer vacation of 2002 I placed an advertisement in a newspaper. Eight children responded to it. In the first meeting I could see that the two week summer camp was going to be a special challenge because of the heterogeneous feature of the group. In the first games (introduction) I could see how diverse they were in their intellectual abilities and in their attitude towards each other. We talked about our common aim, which was to enjoy ourselves as much as possible (it was summer vacation!), and at the same time to create a play of high standard, which was going to be enjoyed by others. Though we created our own planet and country with a new name and with new names for ourselves in that country, but in order to protect their personal rights I m going to introduce them by other names.

Games with introverted and extroverted children – Can it be done?

If yes, which aspects should be taken into consideration?

It is difficult to decide whether marginality or an exhibitionistic form of behaviour causes more pain to the individual and to the community. The child who is on the periphery feels that he is excluded from something. His presence is unimportant. Things can happen without him. He doesn’t get the attention he needs, because he is not noisy, “he is not problematic”. The child who is always in the centre of attention evokes negative feelings in the members of the group and in his teachers. They can not easily tolerate him, and in some cases they are afraid of him because his exhibitionism is combined with aggression.

In reality, his being in the centre is often an appearance, emotionally he is not accepted, he is just as marginal as a shy, introverted child. The root of both forms of behaviour is the same inferiority complex and fear of separation. For this reason the methods used as therapy in the play, are very similar, they differ only in their gradation. It is important to chose from very differentiated options for acting.

How heterogeneous is the group?

Intellectual level / Emotional level / Creativity / Marginality or/and Exhibitionism
Zsuzsanna
ten and a half / exceeds her age / exceeds her age / very mature / introverted (showing by body language) MMM
Ágnes
eight and a half / exceeds her age / exceeds her age / rarely manifested / introverted (not even showing by body language) MMM
Zsófi
eight and a half / 5-6 years old / according to her age / 5-6 years old / Self- presentational skill
is average
Péter
twelve years old / according to his age / according to his age / very developed / Self-presentational skill
big EE
András
ten years old / according to his age / according to his age / relatively d developed / Self-presentational skill
big E
Dodó
nine and a half / according to his age / normal for his age / developed / Self presentational skill
bigE
Mózes
ten years old / excellent / excellent / excellent / Self presentational skill
big E
Mary
eleven years old / normal for his age / normal for his age / normal for age / Self presentational skill
small M

M- the extent of marginality

E the extent of exhibitionism

Basic Tools and Methods

which help overcoming separation and motivate spontaneity, creativity:

HUMOUR

In addition to artistic experience humour is ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS of my tools. It helps in the most difficult situations, when carefully applying it.

ARTISTIC EXPERIENCE

Its presence is important in every workshop, but as an aim it rather focuses on the final performance.

Possibilities from the world of fine art: the sight of a sculpture group

“We are sculptors”

“We are visitors in a museum”

Making symbolic costumes together, using our clothes, table-clothes, blankets, paper, wires. There is a big emphasis on matching the colours according to the roles, and giving an aesthetic overall impression. The scene (A) is the common work of the group under my guidance.

Musical experiences Improvisations. One of our favourite creativity-developing game is to improvise, to create a story, while listening to music. The music can help us express our extreme emotions: while listening to Carl Orff:’s Carmina Burana, and using mime we create the story of how to detach ourselves from an unloved person.

During the two week the children composed a variety of “musical scenes”: the blossoming of flowers; the melting of a snowman; storm; my dog has died, mourning with the help of music; “taking photographs” by interrupting movements.

Practical steps in the work of “Tücsök” (Grasshopper) drama workshop-2002 July

Aims and their realisation

In the first meeting I tried to grasp the children’s ability of self-presentation in order to create a space for a play, based on creativity, suitable with their level. The possibility of a fairy tale seemed to be appropriate. The choice fell on a Norwegian fairy tale, with the title of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon”. I chose situations that fit the analogy of the tale. Emphasis fell on the emotions that came up in the tale; objects that could be represented: animals, people, phenomena of nature (wind), that were the bases of the situations.

We used examples from our everyday life when presenting emotions.

Fear: Children were encouraged to present the emotion of fear by movement, by play of features, by “sculpture” (a motionless standing child). (A)

Joy:just like fear (A)

Improvising a dance (A)

Feeling vulnerable: presenting a girl facing a bear; presenting solitude (a girl, alone all day long, parents and brothers and sisters are far away (A)

Sense of detainment: improvising a scene, based on a newspaper article: “two criminals caught by the police". (A)

Poverty: life-situation: 1. playing a homeless in the underpass, 2. playing a poor classmate –situational games.

Wealth: Children are encouraged to represent the symbols of wealth: silver, gold, and its danger to make people become lazy, in a situational play.

Situational play with objects as part of the tale, (burning candle – “Don’t drop the wax!”)

Animals: Evoking the characteristics of a bear, of a horse, imitating their movements. (A)

Humans:Moving like a handsome prince/a witch in the space. “Use your imagination!” (A)

Eastern, Western, Southern, Northern wind (features in the fairy tale):presenting the winds – improvisations to music and movements with mime.

I used the following methods: improvisation to words; children are split in two groups, they have to recognise the key element in each others’ stories.

The places of improvisation: castle, poor man’s house.

I read the story out only at the end of the first week. The plays and games described above should be regarded as arrangements for the story.

Steps

The first day, the first meeting is significantly important. Getting to know each other types of games.

Warmer:

1. We imagined that we were in the hall of a hotel. where children met by chance then they became couples, everybody chose a partner.( choosing each other). I played soft music (A), served soft drinks and coffee– as part of the play they ordered. (I played with them whenever I could, that time I was in the role of a waitress). (H) After a few minutes of getting to know each other we sat back in the circle and introduced each other in first person singular. My aim on the first day was to feel myself at home in the group and with each other by the end of the day.
2. In order to achieve it they chose a planet, a country and a name for themselves. (In addition to the relaxing games.) They usually mixed the letters of their names up. By the end of the day we got to the story line game. As a result of this a story about a little dog was created. :

Differentiated options for choosing a role

First everybody could try every role. Some people could add to the already existing figure and I let them do it. This was the way the workshop functioned. Then slowly the players were taking the roles of a figure, following their personal desires, listening to the reflections and notes of others with my agreement.

They recited the texts without learning the words by heart. Their text came from within and it was based on the situations.

The roles of the tale “ East of the Sun…” were the following:

Narrator Péter (EE) he had a continuous desire to act, and his intellectual capacities enabled him to do it. (He was the protagonist in the other play, the group performed.)

Cruel witchZsuzsanna (MMM). Since the third day she played in a creative way, as a result of the volume-developing games she had no problems with speaking clearly and in a loud voice. Her self presentational skill. was becoming stronger mainly in this role. She took a double role, she was also the mother in the poor family.

MotherZsuzsanna’s acting was authentic and enjoyable in both roles, she was characterised by some “over-doing”, which compensated for her anxieties present two weeks before.

Horse, dog, flowerZsófi chose these roles by herself, finding a comfortable place in the group. She acted well in her roles, she prepared her costumes. (She goes to a special school)

Poor man, FatherAndrás He played in a free way on stage as well as during the workshop. The progress he made concerning his method of speech could be noticed during his play.

Bear and PrinceMózes He took the role what the others chose for him. The joy he experienced and showed towards playing was the most important feature of his acting. It made an influence on others as well.

The four types of wind Mary in addition to her verbal expression, her dance (with the poor girl) was very expressive.

Poor girl Dodó She screamed, but later she realized it herself. Enjoyed acting.

The eighth child did not come on the last day (For some personal or family reasons and he gave notice in advance.)

The play, which was the result of the storyline, was born on the fifth day. The performance took place at the end of the second week – along with the fairy tale. The audience applauded.

Appendices: video recordings, interview with the parents and with the children half a year later.

Photographs of the situational games.

Parts of the performance on video.