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Drama in the classroom – by V.R.Devika
Using imagination as a stepping stone for understanding
For many people, Drama is something that happens on a stage, a stage that separates the performers from the audience and establishes as skilled craftsmen, the people presenting events to the people watching them. Yet this presentation of imagined acts on a stage is simply one facet of dramatic activity and although it is perhaps the most generally accepted view of what drama is, it is not necessarily the most important. It is this misconception in many people's minds, that drama is only a presentation on a stage and thus the sole property of skilled and talented individuals that has created blocks for individuals seeking to achieve their full creative potential, and in some cases even prevents their imaginations from coming into play at all. It is against this often self-imposed wall that professionals in the fields of developmental drama, personal creativity, and drama therapy have been chipping away for more than two decades.
The origins of drama are to be found in story telling and in ritual. In most cases, spontaneous actions precede ritual. These spontaneous actions, which are seen to have meaning for the well being of the group, become transformed into a symbolic act.. It now becomes essential for the original spontaneous actions to be carried out in a set order and with a particular style. This specific pattern is believed to be essential to the ritual working and as a result, spontaneity is lost. This is a similar process to the one most people have consciously or unconsciously, pursued with their own creativity. They have lost contact with their source of spontaneity and have fallen back on external frameworks that impose boundaries on the imagination and more disastrously, often totally remove any emotional reaction and substitute it with conscious control.
Drama rarely occurs in isolation. Individuals may occasionally indulge in isolated dramatic actions but for drama to occur, more than one person has to be present. Drama is an example of human interaction. It is concerned with human being communicating with one another, verbally, physically and emotionally. Most importantly, this dramatic interaction is part of our everyday lives. Many role theorists have pointed out that we are constantly shifting role. The roles we take are dictated by circumstances beyond our control.
For me, drama is about the process whereby imaginative thought becomes action in word and deed and is particularly concerned with the way that this dramatic action affects other people's actions. In essence drama can be thought of as the communication of our imagination, through our action in a way that affects our inter actions with others whether this be on stage or in our daily lives.
Drama is concerned with communication between people. Many of the people we work with have difficulty communicating. Much of this results from an inability to change roles or response to an alteration in external circumstances. This lack of role flexibility may be a result of a number of interrelated factors for example, poor language use, inadequate body control, emotional blocks, poor social skills etc. These factors often conspire to maintain an individual's inability to respond to external changes.
It is through dramatic process, by playing other roles and through engaging imaginations and emotions that we can increase our role flexibility, develop our powers of communication and learn to interact well.
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