TEAMWORK FOR THE THEATRE CLASSROOM
WORKING IN GROUPS
In most of your classes, you are reminded to do your own work, keep your eyes on your own paper, be original, don’t copy, and don’t work together. However, in many creativity based classes, especially those that exercise students’ gifts and talents, working individually is rare. Instead students are to told to help each other, share ideas, try what other students are doing and work in pairs and groups.
There are a number of benefits in working in groups. For one, students share more in common with their peers than they do with their teachers, so there is chemistry. Secondly, regardless of the ability levels within the group, as long as there is drive, there are advantages. For example, if a group member is very skilled and hardworking, they may combine their talents to achieve success. A mixed group has the potential to work together to capitalise on everyone’s skills, and a group of all beginners may all develop skills on an even keel, allowing each group member to contribute and shine, leaving no one in the shadows. Working in groups keeps an assignment interesting, allows students to see a goal from a number of perspectives and breaks up the monotony of always having to be quiet and work alone. Think of how a team is made up in business. Each member has an area of expertise, but they all have the same goal and can work together to accomplish it quickly and with a higher level of success than any one person alone. Theatre is very similar, and that is one reason the work company, a team of actors working together on a show, is so appropriate.
Of course, we are all aware that there are the inevitable obstacles. If it was a perfect scenario every time, there would be no need to include lesson on teamwork, no more often than not, a group-regardless of chemistry-will come upon some problems. Because so much of the work in theatre is done on groups, it is important to address these problems so that you and your peers will be equipped to manage them as you work towards the goals of the assignment.
What happens when everyone in the group lacks drive and does not wish to attempt to achieve success? Believe it or not, this is not the worst-case scenario because if everyone lacks drive, they will get the grade on their project, they have earned: a failing one. So, what is the worst-case scenario? Perhaps it is one where those who desire to make good grades and complete a successful project are grouped with those who do not care and cannot be persuaded to try.