Devising Drama

What do your students find difficult about devising?

Transitions, Structuring, Developing, New Ideas, Avoiding Distractions, Inspiration, Feeling Based,
One Perspective, Visually Noisy (too much going on!) TV/cinema based as opposed to theatrical,
Time Management, Fear of Failure, Too many ideas, Lacking creativity

Initial Ideas

“Learn by Do” Splendid

Look at opening of Lion King. In groups of 5 recreate it in a theatrical way (encourages role play/ how
to do long shots/close ups in a theatrical as opposed to cinematic way )

Worse piece of GCSE drama devised (encourages students to experiment with not what to do on
stage)

Scratch Sessions

“Off Balance” Robin Hood ( Youtube ) (useful for space, ensemble, physicality, structure)

Intro to Splendid (Youtube) ( intro to a variety of techniques )

Team building exercises/status prior to devising process ( “Impro for Storytellers” by Keith Johnson
useful for looking at different types within a group) Game/who can have the lowest/highest staus in
a group

“I’m a professional” exercise, (encourages experimentation with different stances, gestures and
breathing)

Use British sign language to initially develop an understanding of Gestus (Sign language companion “
A handbook of British Signs” by Cath Smith) Play Rock, paper scissors

Key areas to consider

What Do you want to put across to your audience? What? Why? How? (which technique/ style best
serves your purpose? Encourage students to always focus outside as opposed to inwards

“Nodol Point “

Edward Gordon Craig – simplicity of staging

Jacque Copeau “essential sound, essential movement”

Each group establishes a “shared language” design their own “contract”

Ability to play – exercise based on” Forced Entertainment” Bag Exercise Tell the story of your life
pulling objects out of your bag (look at “Tabletop Shakespeare” online) Background reading : “The
Clown Manifesto”

Ability to “sieve” ‘ Holding on tightly, letting go lightly”

Different perspectives (ref: “Rashomon” Japanese film which considers the same event from 3
different perspectives)
Work from student’s own experience

Structure important / encourage episodic (Shared Experience, Splendid, useful companies to

consider for ensemble work)

“Make the boring brilliant”

Allow students to take risks and fail (Essential Ted talk “teaching girls bravery not perfection”)

Don’t generalize, stay away from issue -based themes “Death to generalization. All hail the detail”
Splendid

“Rinse” every idea, i.e. take it to the limit.

Tapas Board of Techniques

See attached Kerry’s notes

Looking at the Stimuli

Who am I?

With a partner discuss who you are without referencing personal details e.g. job, family etc.

August Boal “This is your film “Rainbow of Desire” ( book) / students play every “version” of
themselves e.g. in a class, with parents, best friend etc.

Group Discuss? Where could you go with it

Poetry, song, etc. linked to theme

Exercise A

i) Shape where you are connected, choose a point of focus. Who will trigger it?
ii) “Exploit “ shape, don’t choreograph it/ talk about it, play around ideas, don’t worry
about making it “ beautiful”
iii) Most graceful version/ rewind ugly version/ Think of other extreme ways
iv) Eventually decide on “ your version” experiment with it
v) Choreograph breath with shape/ Dynamically interesting
vi) Decide on a second shape/trigger/ point of contact/breath/exploit
vii) Decide on a third shape/trigger/ point of contact/breath/exploit
viii) Each group has a piece of information regarding stimuli.
ix) “Sieve” relevant info/ relate to shapes/ test shapes don’t initially decide/ “ riff” ideas e.g.
experiment tone of voice etc. / keep testing
x) Consider juxtaposition of speech and movement
xi) Choreograph your “clocks” where/what do you want your audience eye/ attention to
focus on
xii) Position of audience, send “lassos” to audience to draw them in through
questions/clocking/ Anti fourth wall
xiii) Discuss work in group/pair off with member of another group to discuss etc
Exercise B

i) With a partner/group read through 20 facts about the human body

ii) Agree on one fact
iii) Stand by side /physicalisation of fact/ keep vocal boring ( consider gesture: use Hitler
salute as example) precision simplicity of movement
iv) Repeat fact but “ embody” one aspect of the fact
v) Repetition of fact but think of a way of how to involve the audience
vi) Sieve fact, choose key piece of information which you want to highlight and present that
aspect to make it stand out e.g. slowmo, ( V effect/Brecht)
Consider: Transition Chorus e.g. brainbox chorus of facts
vii) ‘Graining’

Exercise C

Boal/Circle/Image Theatre

Social Characterisation/Brecht

Start with Marmite example to clarify/ find your “tribe” where do you position each group
perspective

i) Creating a character through physicality N.B clarity is key

ii) In a circle turn and create silhouette of character
iii) Happy, sad, anger, fear shock, surprise, curiosity and confusion key expressions
iv) Gestus of character/relate to social politics /highlight of social attitude/inequality of
social politics e.g. show teacher’s attitude to caretaker /headteacher
v) Breath in and breath out made sound/
vi) Opposing tensions, take what you’ve got and make it bigger eg pull each others
imaginary strings to make things better
vii) Introduce a line
viii) Move in space
ix) Consider tasks as moving eg brushing hair
x) Consider public/private version
xi) Vocalise your character to “My (movement) Plants (posture) Grow (gestus) Fast (facial
expression)”
VAPTURE ( volume, accent, pitch, tone, emotional range, rhythm )

Exercise D

Creating character using body shape from job/social position e.g. scaffolder e.g. “physical centre
“where the energy is concentrated, think how it effects physical/vocal patterns /interaction/ draw
and narrate what they’re wearing

i) With a partner decide on job create physicality, movement

ii) Consider physical centre/quality
iii) Move together, keep clocking Remember don’t recreate job but quality of movement
consider a variety of everyday tasks
iv) In groups create “stage management “One character the rest of group creates physical
environment e.g. sounds, objects etc.
Extension
Take naturalistic monologue and rest of group add random objects

Exercise E
i) Use of material/rope
ii) Multifunctional e.g. create environments, e.g. epic journeys, objects, characters
iii) Estate agent character to develop, narrate, introduce scene/object further