Bradley Bernstein Becoming Involved: Spolin Theater Games in Classes for the Educationally Handicapped The Spolin Theater Games consist of more than 200 games and exercises originated by Viola Spolin to encourage spontaneity, creativity, and interper- ‘sonal communication in group settings. Since the Publication of Spolin’s book, Improvisation for the Theater (1963), her work has become a cornerstone ‘of drama training programs in many countries. Use of the Spolin games now extends well beyond the- atre to all levels of primary and secondary education as well as numerous social programs. ‘The Spolin work, which takes place in a group context, develops physical awareness and inter- action with the environment. By presenting a prob- om for players to solve, Spolin work spurs players (on to focused, full-bodied involvement, tapping their intuitive, creative faculties, and giving them the structure to work together noncompetitively. Every- one is part of the whole, Part of the whole is the important link in the playing of theater games. Becoming or being part of the whole produces one body through Which all (onstage players, audience players, sidecoach) are directly involved in the out- ‘come of the playing, supporting one another in a process of mutual fulfilment. (Spolin, 1978, p. 22) Elements of interaction which impede group wholeness are avoided. “Competition makes (group) harmony impossible: for it destroys the basic nature of playing by occluding self-identity and by sepé Bradley Bernstein is @ psychotherapist and director of theatre in Litchiets, CT: rating player from player" (Spolin, 1963, pp. 10- 11), Authoritarianism, prejudice, assumptions, judg- ‘ments, criticisms, and personal interpretations cre- ate divisions among players and are anathema to group play. ‘The leader, called the “'sidecoach,” assists players in staying on focus—without distinguishing between good and bad, right and wrong, or giving ‘a solution to the problem. Sidecoaching offers the ‘classroom teacher the opportunity to drop the role ff teacher (being an authority, giving directions, praise, or punishment) and to become part of the whole as a guide and fellow player. ‘The atmosphere of the Spolin games creates a sense of community, “a phenomenon of the spirit which comes and goes and must be deliberately sought after” (Spolin, 1975, p. 37). The action of individual players in creating a common dramatic ‘experience leads to a sense of harmony and mu- tualty. All players are necessary for the event and all participate in the joy of its creation. Spolin work. isa group method in which the process of becoming involved leads to healing a player's sense of iso- lation and releasing the player's creativity Spolin Games and the Educationally Handicapped Spolin work can be used effectively with ed- Uucationally handicapped students because of its ability to bring people into closer relation with each other and to foster the individual development of children who are socially isolated and emotionally disturbed. The Spolin games are radically different from most activity in the educationally handicapped Conwicht © 2001. All Richta Reserved.classroom where children and teachers tend to fo- ‘cus directly on children’s problems, often through ‘excessive verbalizing and remediation administered through reward or punishment. In the Spolin games children learn to work together and to develop a Personal sense of the mutuality of give and take through the act of playing. This article illustrates Spolin’s work as it was Used with educationally handicapped (EH) children in a major American city. The children and their teachers were part of a research study on the uses. land effects of Spolin’s work (Bernstein, 1979). A workshop was given twice weekly in four classes. {for a 10-week period. Sessions averaged 45 min- Utes and were conducted by the author, a specialist trained by Spolin, thus enabling the teachers to Participate in the sessions as “fellow players.” The ‘events of each workshop were recorded by inde- pendent observers, and extensive interviews were Conducted throughout the study with the children and teachers in the four classes. ‘As the workshop progressed, the children’s Participation changed from unfocused, uninte- ‘grated, and destructive action, to genuine involve- ‘ment, enjoyment, and creativity. in the following sections we will look at the Spolin games as they Were utilized in the workshop and analyze some of the changes that occurred, particularly in the way children related to one another. Pre-Workshop Observations Children are recommended to classes for the ‘educationally handicapped (EH classes) for a variety of reasons: psycho-emotional (aggression, depres- sion}; physical (minimal brain damage, hyperactiv- ), anda myriad of diverse problems labeled “learning disorders" (dystexia, poor auditory mem- ory, etc). Most of the children in the participating classes were at least 2 years behind their expected agelgrade levels and had learning disorders and/or problems related to social adjustment. The children were 6-9 years of age and of the 48 children in- volved in the study, 42 were male and 6 were female. Prior to inating the Spolin games the chit ‘dren's activities in the classrooms tended to be individual and stationary. Virualy all activities were determined by the teacher and compulsory. Many children were disruptive, often resisting the teachers ‘and acting in ways to gain attention from the other chiidren in the class. Name calling and physical fighting occurred frequently, and most children had difficulty focusing on an activity. They appeared to 220 Theory Into Practice bbe and often acted lke losers, fighting the system ‘and always coming out on the bottom. Classroom life was a struggle among the children and with the teacher. Al four participating teachers were female; their professional experience ranged from 5 to 20 years. ‘Although three ran fairly structured programs (in- ‘luding point-reward systems for behavior man- agement), the teachers varied considerably in how they interacted with the children—from very rigid, threatening, and distant, to more informal and Personable. The Workshop Period: Becoming Involved Becoming involved—that is, moving from iso- lation to being part of the whole—is a process. it ‘occurs through the intertwining of three types of interaction: with the physical environment; with other people; and with one's own intuitive-creative func- tioning. These interactions were seriously restricted or absent in the EH classes in the study Prior to and at the beginning of the workshop period, many chiidren had strained relations with their classmates. The tension in these relations was manifest in verbal abuse, bickering, and physical aggression hitting, pushing kicking, taking things from one anther, ete). The Spoln games provided 8 context for diferent socal interaction The most striking example of a chid trans- forming his social relations through workshop par- ticipation was Norman, a 7-year-old boy with a history of aggressive and hostile behavior. The cu- Imulatve record of his participation in the workshops points out the varity of changes that occured ‘Observations: Norman + Session 2. Ourng "Tug of War Norman takes his end ofthe rope and ran around with tin te apace, whoop: ingit up. The game nds. + Seesion 3, 'n "Have You Seen My Sheep Norman osorbes Andy 23""My sheop picks his nose and oaks koa fat moms.” Athough te seems fended to get rae ut of tho other cere, they are not nughing Sno appear annoyed tat Norman has earuptd anchor + Soaion 4. ater the season the teacher repos, “The chikren told Norman. they” didn ke. hi during Sveryting In oer classroom actives no one wants to play with hm, He sooing iust how difiout his Dehavir usualy is The eather expressed concern thatthe chien do not begin to scapegoat Norman + Session 6 During "Three Changes” Nerman chooses ame, but than susden announces rom ont have 8 partner” Al the ern are tready paired up so te worcshop leader takes Norman ax he parr. During the. game. Noman nas some ‘rouble Paying—he is sracted by others and begs Conwicht © 2001. All Richta Reserved.Imakingvrelokas. He is coaches o “ay the game. {is puts im back on foc + Sesslon 8 n"Buing @ Sty.” Norman's scton to the story wanders say trom te story he. When Teny Cnt the story ne tos away to stegrete Notas «= Stoson 1, The teacher rpors, “Noman is geting Seng etter win te ohiren. There. dows ts06m Te be te need 10 ih and act ut Occasional he's come ror to et ear rest to be cose, thnk The sterfops aren tose that can pay wih the hers and they wl aceon hi. ‘As the sessions progressed, Norman's disrup- tive and anti-social action continued to dissolve. Athough he sometimes seemed distracted, and on occasion chose not to play, he no longer fet the need to be difcult Not only was he making more of 8 contrbution to group efforts, but the other chieren were fing ways to include him, and he began to develop a diferent relationship with the teacher. In this way, the story of Norman's devel opment shows the unity of the group a8 ane in- terrelated body: When one part changes, the oth parts are also affected, Several elements ofthe Spolin work contribute to improved interpersonal relations. They Include: (@) choosing to participate, (0) agesing to rules, (2) Intiating and rellecting, (6) use of space substance, and (e) chid-adut relations Choosing to Participate In Spolin workshops children are given the choice to play the game or observe from the side- lines. This was a radical departure from the usual practice in the EH classrooms, where participation was almost always required (and non-participation penalized). At the beginning of the workshop period some children did not participate—some were in- terested in watching how a game or exercise evolved before they joined in; some disrupted from the side- lines; and some sat out, enjoying the freedom of ‘Rot having to join in. As the workshop period pro- gressed children more readily participated and their involvement became increasingly appropriate. Gi ing children the choice to participate accords them responsibility for their action. In choosing to par- ticipate they cross the threshold from isolation and become fellow players. Observation: "Three Changes." Everyone gets 8 partner. Sammy does not want to play; he watches from the sidelines. He enjoys watch- Ing, as evidenced by the smile on his face. After the first round he asks for a partner so that he can play too. ‘Agreeing to Rules Children often broke the rules of the games at the beginning of the workshop period. This was Interpreted to be a child's way of getting attention and also a way of showing resistance. As the ‘workshop progressed rule breaking decreased and sometimes dissolved within the course of a single game or exercise. ‘Observation: “Building A Story." When he is sup~ posed to contribute to the developing story Darryl purposely starts another one. His contribution ‘cannot be integrated and a new story starts. Later Darryl does the same thing again and this time gets complaints from his classmates. In his third ‘opportunity to participate, Darryl adds an inte- ‘grated part to the story and the game continues. Initiating and Reflecting ‘The Spolin games offer experiences of initiating and reflecting. This continual opportunity to be the ‘one who initiates or the one who reflects, and the changing of these roles often within the course of a single game, gives children the chance to break ‘out of their already established action patterns. This happened spontaneously during the course of play- ing and had a stronger effect than if the workshop leader or teacher were to direct the children as 10 ‘who would initiate and who would reflect/follow. Observation: “Relay Where.” Susie, who has ap- peared sleepy and quiet in the first weeks, wants to initiate in the “Relay Where" exercise. Observation: “Part of a Whole." The leader asks for someone to start. Terry, who often initiates, is quick to raise his hand, but when Dennis, who rarely initiates, asks to begin, Terry relinquishes the opportunity to be the initiator. ‘The children were making the choices, exer- cising new-found capacities, and having the ex- Periences themselves, Use of Space Substance In the Spolin games there are no props or ‘scenery. On a bare floor area, the players use the ‘space substance between them to create what they eed as the playing develops. This demands a high degree of communication and focus among players. ‘When players create an object in space and use it together, they are responsible for that object and, by consequence, to one another. The use of space ‘objects in the Spolin games is an ingenious method Volume XXIV, Number 3224 Conwicht © 2001. All Richta Reserved.