What we did
Today we did warm up exercises on our vocals and relaxing of face muscles. Voice is a very important part in drama because we all need this to listen and communicate with one another clearly. It is also very important that we articulate the words well so that there will not be any misunderstanding.
Throwing an imaginary ball
One of us have to throw this imaginary ball to another person across the circle with a 'HA!' sound and a 'HEY!' to throw across. It is a very good vocal exercise because our bodies move forward as we throw and pronounce our words 'HEY!'. Then things get more complicated by having two balls thrown at the same time. I think it was quite messy where we had to see which ball is going where simultaneously. It trains our concentration skills.
Leader
A and B together in a group. A is suppose to lead B with his hand. B is suppose to follow the hand of A. Exchange places. Started with slow movements then getting faster. Adding another layer where we can use two different parts of our bodies to follow or lead one another. This exercise should have improvisatory element in it where we explore the different speeds, height, distance, etc.
Devising a short performance base on a newspaper article
Based on a newspaper article on a woman named Madam Goh who filed a police report on a teacher and whom apparently cut the hair of Madam Goh's primary 6 boy, we had to come up with scenes that we think is important in the article and devise a performance on it. There was the hairstyling scene, Sobbing at home scene, Office scene, calling the mother scene, Hairchecking scene and police office scene.
What is Applied Theatre?
After much researching on the websites and articles, it is the idea of Applied VS Pure. For example, Pure math vs Applied Math. Nicholson (2005) mentioned that 'Most practitioners working in applied drama are motivated by individual or social change and there is, therefore, a similar interest in the effects and usefulness of the work' (pg 6) And this is for the benefit of the community, making the world a better place to live in. Pure theatre suggests theatre where it is performed rigidly and without any action or thought disrupting its discourse. Wheareas, 'Applied' suggests introducing or experimenting ideas or concepts to change for the better.
In Ackroyd's essay, (2000) she mentioned that Applied Theatre works beyond classrooms and gives alot of opportunities where drama in education might not be able to offer. One thing that needs to be mention is the frequent use of Boal's technique in Applied Theatre.
Nicholson then goes on to say that 'Applied Theatre' was inspired by the 20th century Euro-American Avant-garde movements (2005, pg 6). More than that, it goes way back to the ancient Greek times where the Greek uses other cultural theatre practices on theirs to build bonds between the people. However, it was not called 'Applied Theatre' at that time. Though it wasn't 'Applied Theatre' but it has its roots there.
To me, as the name suggests, I think Applied theatre is to think and apply base on our knowledge and skills. It is not not only based on the traditional way of basing on one interpretation of the ready script but it also involves the present generation of people to conceptualise and change things. It is not a right or wrong answer because it gives freedom for the participants to move in any direction they want to. The main agenda of 'Applied Theatre' might therefore just be changing the lives of people and strengthening relationships with one another, thereby making the community a safer and more satisfying place to live in.
Bibliography
Ackroyd, J. (2000) Applied theatre: Problems and possibilities. Applied Theatre Researcher, vol.
1, www.griffith.edu.au//centre/cpci/atr/journal/article1_number1.htm. —— (2004). Role reconsidered. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books.
Nicholson, H. (2005). Applied theatre: The gift of drama. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
