Monday, November 18, 2013

Empowering the Bystander

Empowering the Bystander – A Workshop by Master Teacher Jonothan Neelands
By Nathan Schwartz

Three months ago I had no idea who Jonothan Neelands was. Nor had I heard of Heathcote, O’Neill, Bolton, or any of the other practitioners who I have been introduced to in the Drama in Education course. As a first semester student who came to our Educational Theatre program without a teaching background, I was expecting to learn about practitioners and theories that were completely new to me, but I hadn’t guessed that I would so quickly be participating in a workshop lead by a master teacher who’s work I have come to admire through his writings. The experience was invigorating, illuminating, and so fun! It really solidified for me that I have made the right decision by entering the program.

“Does drama have the power to transform a bully?” was the first question asked of us in Jonothan Neelands workshop at CCNY on October 19th. We positioned ourselves in a line across the NAC ballroom — those who thought strongly “yes” or “no” were at opposite ends. It was quickly apparent that there was a range of opinion, with the majority tending towards the more optimistic “yes” side – understandable given that the room was full of theatre educators. Neelands heard from a sampling of opinions, but it was obvious that it wasn’t an easy question to answer. I didn’t suspect it at that moment, but this question and the concept of “no easy answers,” were the keystones to the entire workshop.

Neelands eased into a drama almost imperceptibly. Out of the game “Grandmother’s Footsteps,” a story seemed to form itself: Janet, a fourteen-year-old girl, steals money from her mother to make amends with her friend Susan. Susan is blackmailing Janet because Janet’s mother was forced to fire Susan’s mother for stealing from the factory where they both work. By this point in the story the entire group is driving the narrative.

Neelands is a brilliant storyteller, with an almost spooky ability to inhabit the characters he has created. But he’s also empowering in his ability to give up control to the group, coaxing us with few words. Almost as an afterthought he gave us a suggestion to make our scenes more “complicated.” Complexity and contradictions, I later learned from his notes, were central to many of the lesson’s guiding statements. But instead of stating this aloud he let us experience it by enacting it. This tiny hint lead the groups to create fascinating and entertaining scenes where layer upon layer of conflict and tension were revealed. It primed us to really hear the statement later in the workshop: “As artists our job is not to make the world simpler, but to make it more complicated.” It resonated with me in a way I will never forget. I hadn’t thought about art in that way consciously before, but I recognized it as a very true statement. Making things more complicated is the purpose of great art, and perhaps the goal of theatre in education.

In the later part of the workshop we explored the difference between empathy and sympathy – another concept I had not considered. In the context of education and bullying it seems vital. We lined up behind one of the four characters (represented by fellow participants) based on whom we felt the most sympathy for. I chose Janet — as did the majority. Each group took turns sculpting the four bodies into a tableau that expressed their character’s point of view.

We observed and reflected upon the four tableaus and were asked if our sympathies had switched. I can’t explain what kind of mystical properties were contained in the activity, but I suddenly felt myself identifying with a Susan’s mother instead. I had empathy for her… Somehow the feeling of her predicament was more familiar to me. The activity was a testament to the power of acting and enacting over simply thinking about a situation. It was a great example of how “meaning” in theatre is created for “both spectator and participant” by the “fictional and symbolic uses of human presence,” which Neelands and Goode write in Structuring Drama Work. I hadn’t really understood that statement before, but now it was clear. As Neelands said during the workshop, “art has the power to change hearts and minds.”

But the question of whether drama can transform the bully was still hanging in the air…. During the last exercise of the workshop, we took on this question in full force. Neelands writes in his notes that the next set of activities was titled: “Disarming the Bully.” We staged a confrontation between Janet and Susan. A large group that backed up Susan formed and was taunting Janet from across the street (formed by the rest of the group sitting and watching). Neelands had the participants-in-role freeze at the apex of their bullying and we all reflected on the image. We voiced the inner thoughts of Janet, Susan, and the team of bullies. We were asked who had the most power, and who had the least power. 

At first, most of the comments focused around Janet, Susan and the unnamed bullies that seemed the most threatening. But one person in particular caught my eye; she was standing on the fringes of the confrontation. Maybe I empathized with her, recognizing this position from when I was a youth… As some participants brought attention to her we discussed whether she could potentially have the most power, because she did not seem fully invested in the group — she could easily walk away and find her identify elsewhere. Or perhaps she could intervene without fearing retribution from the group – people who didn’t seem to be her friends. She could also be the weakest, perhaps frozen with indecision, without the surety of having a strong opinion, or motivation. But whether she was the strongest or the weakest, once the group found her, Jonothan Neelands pointed out that this person was the bystander. And if drama cannot stop a bully, or save the victim, maybe drama has the power to empower the bystander. It can transform the one on the edges, the one who watches.

Monday, November 11, 2013

What I Learned at Middle School



What I Learned at Middle School 
Simon Trumble

            I’ve always been confident in my abilities as a director. I direct often and truly love it. I looked long and hard at graduate programs in directing but changed my course, which I now see was the best decision I could have made.
            As a new student in the Educational Theatre program we frequently discuss the value of our artistry and the importance of staying active in the arts as educators. The Fundamentals of Teaching Theatre class has been a perfect transition into grad school for me. I’m beginning with a class where I can easily use my artistry in the course work.
            We are directing Disney’s Aladdin Kids with middle schoolers at P.S. 161. That’s right, “We.” We as a class, 18 grad students, are dividing up the jobs of director, choreographer, and designers and directing the show together. With the amazing Professor Katona to guide us, we split the show into 5 sections and in groups are responsible for leading a rehearsal and for the staging of our portion of the show. The class gives us, as grad students, a chance to experience leading a middle school rehearsal with the rest of the class behind us for support. Its controlled chaos, like any good rehearsal is, but the kids have amazing focus and drive. They are able to learn the material much quicker than I anticipated and my group staged our two scenes and a full cast musical number in 90 minutes.
            The actors are inspiring by how excited they are by the different elements that go into staging a show. One of the girls in the ensemble raised her hand during our reflection period and said she liked that she got to hold the curtain that was being used as the set. She and another cast member are responsible for a bit of stage magic when Aladdin and Jasmine jump off of the stage and you could see how proud she was that she was in charge of something. The kids own this show. They are excited for any opportunity to be involved. They already take pride in their work, even when they may be unsure of how it fits into the big picture.
            The most exciting aspect of this class has been looking at my artistry from a new lens. Theatre is what I know better than anything else. It is what I have devoted most of my life to, and now its new and fresh and challenging again. I was beginning to feel too comfortable directing with adults in a professional setting. While it was still an enjoyable experience it did not spark my imagination the way this process has. Because there are additional challenges besides just giving direction to the actors, it makes me look harder at the material and at my plan for rehearsal. Every moment needs to be planned out, meticulously, and then you need a backup plan for each of those moments. The added awareness of the educational value of the rehearsal for the student makes me invest more in the rehearsal time. Through the program at City College, theatre has taken on a new life and given me new challenges to learn from.