Activity # 1: “Pass the Clay”
“Pass the Clay” is not a “pure” drama activity but it helps to build several important skills such as concentration and cooperation while it stimulates the imagination. The emphasis is on change and transformation as each child works with the clay differently. It is a fun yet simple game that can be played anywhere and connects very nicely to the themes found in the myth of
Pygmalion
.
Equipment:
6-8 chunks of modeling clay; a variety of colors is best.
Setup:
The students should be seated in chairs placed in a circle. The teacher should be seated with them and act as a participant.
How it is played:
The teacher distributes the pieces of clay to the students, spreading them out around the circle. The children are told to begin molding the clay into any shape they want. When the teacher says, “Pass it!” the students will pass the piece of clay they have to the student on their left, going clockwise. The teacher will pause for a few minutes allowing the clay to be worked and then “Pass It!” will be called again. The students will keep receiving new clay to sculpt. No one is to destroy or alter drastically the clay piece he is handed.
The object of this game is to build on what you are given.
The creation becomes a group piece rather than an individual’s own work. This is a little hard for the students to adjust to at first. They want their own piece of clay. But as they see the group creations close to completion, the attitude changes. If a person is handed a piece they feel is completed they ask the opinion of those around them. If all agree the piece is finished it is placed in the center of the circle. “Pass It!” is called until all of the pieces are complete and placed in the center.
Conclusion:
The pieces are then titled by the group and given as many titles as possible. The qualities of the statues are discussed both realistically and abstractly. This game allows the student to briefly explore the sculptor’s world and to work on being a group member. These sculptures are created by many hands just as the folk tales were told long ago and molded by many tellers.
Activity # 2: “Two Sticks”
“Two Sticks” is a theater game that emphasizes the skill of pantomime. It asks a student to problem-solve and to use his imagination in creating something out of nothing. Students find this game a lot of fun and beg to play it as often as possible. It could be connected to any fairy tale as it has an element of magic but I will be using it with the myth,
Pygmalion
. I feel this activity connects well to the concept of the creative process and it can help to illustrate how and why his sculpture is so important to Pygmalion.
Equipment:
two sticks of equal size and length, eg. dowels, rulers or yardsticks.
Setup:
The students should be seated in chairs placed in a circle. The teacher should be seated with them and act as a participant.
How it is played:
The teacher should show the group the two sticks and ask the children what they are. Of course the reply will be that she is holding two sticks. The teacher will say, “No, I’m not. I’m holding
(name an object)
.” She will proceed to create that object out of the two sticks such as skis, knitting needles, chopsticks, a violin and bow, earrings, rabbit ears or anything else she can imagine. The sticks can be turned into larger or smaller items. The key is in how they are used.
The teacher will now pass the sticks to a child who will use them. He will not tell what they are but the rest of the group will try to guess his object. This goes on around the circle until everyone has had enough. I find it takes one or two turns before everyone is warmed up and then no one wants to stop playing. An object can only be pantomimed once but the ideas for use of the sticks are limitless.
Conclusion:
After this game is played a discussion could be held about what it felt like to create “something out of nothing”. This could be related to the game, “Pass the Clay” and to the struggles of Pygmalion. The discussion could be extended to cover areas of the students’ lives where they feel troubled creating. Comparisons to acting could be made.
Activity # 3: “Making Monologues”
The first element of playwriting I expose my students to is the monologue. The egocentric middle school child loves this form of self expression. Through monologues I have been able to connect students to the character empathy that is necessary for acting. The monologue asks a child to look inside himself to see what quality or emotion he has that he can share with the character speaking the monologue. It also reinforces language arts skills and is the first step to writing dialogue and the more complicated play. I will be asking my students to write several monologues but the first will be for
The Frog King, or Iron Henry
.
Equipment:
paper and pencil
Setup:
After having heard the story and having acted it out once the students will be asked to discuss the concept of a monologue. It is a one person speech within in a play where the character reflects on a conflict he is involved in. This monologue can be directed to the audience, another character on stage or work as if the character is commenting to himself.
At this point the story will be discussed and the conflict of the lead character explored. I will ask the students to share problems they may have faced that could compare in any way to the character’s struggles. After the discussion I will ask the students to write a free form, stream-of-consciousness speech. These first monologues will be read to the class then refined and worked on under my supervision as well as at home.
The completed monologues will be given a final performance and one or two of the stronger ones will be performed within the context of the improvised playlet.
Conclusion:
After the monologue work students could be asked to look at dialogue. In
Prometheus
,
the Firebringer
I give an example of a dialogue activity. These activities serve only to give students a taste of playwriting. That is an art form that takes great talent and practice to truly achieve success but these activities can whet a child’s appetite and persuade him to look at playwriting more seriously.