The Importance of Creating Original Work with Theatre Students

I am convinced that the most important work done in any theatre program is for students to develop and present original material. I have championed this kind of work for my entire educational career.  For a teacher, it is a high wire act balancing the impulse to jump in, rescue, direct, and edit with the free-fall of surrender allowing students the freedom to fail and succeed on their own.
It is not for the faint of heart.

While the process for creating theme-based original work can take on a variety of forms, I have found certain aspects of the IB Theatre Collaborative Project to be highly effective. I have adopted a number of its approaches and combined them with my own Theatre on Purpose method.

 The process begins the theatre class assessing their individual interests, theatrical skills, and passions. Determining the make-up of ensembles is a  critical first step. Recognizing that a production team should be comprised of people with complimentary interests and diverse skill-sets is an important lesson not only for theatre but for any collaboration.  Once the class is divided into ensembles, the group draws up a list of rules for collaboration. Mutually agreed upon, these rules are similar to a contract to which  all are held. This process encourages communication and a philosophical work ethic.

The ensembles explore potential topics for their original piece. This is an exciting yet murky time in the process as each student introduces ideas and starting points for the work based on their personal context. The exploration of the starting point is guided by various processes. The more versed the students are in the elements of theatrical story-telling, the greater their ability to attempt new and different approaches. The degree to which students have been exposed to various styles of dramatic literature, genre, and narrative structure impact this stage of the process. Directorial practices,  combined with some knowledge of rehearsal processes and ensemble work contribute to the final outcome.

Along the way,  students struggle with clarity. Conceptual ideas must be transformed into practical performance using whatever means available. Their days are filled with moments of discovery and discouragement.

Through the process, students learn about themselves. They learn the importance of team work. They begin to understand  their own personality. The come face to face with their own ego. They learn to listen to others and to focus on a common goal. They strive to articulate a vision and intention for their work.  Most often, students create pieces of theatre that are sophisticated, compelling, hard-hitting, and relevant.

Inevitably, the final performances, no longer than fifteen minutes in length, make for a powerful theatrical experience. At the conclusion of each piece, with courage, vulnerability, and conviction, students stand before their audience soliciting feedback,  facilitating discussion and justifying their artistic choices.

As a theatre educator, it doesn't get any better than this. You cannot teach this in a book or lecture on this in a class.  In the post -performance discussion, you witness the birth of the next generation of theatre makers. Through the subjects students choose to tackle, you get a glimpse into what matters to them.  Most importantly, you empowered students to creatively express themselves through theatre.

This is Theatre on Purpose at its best.

A Fiddler on the Roof

     After a recent read-through of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, I asked my cast of high school students to unpack the title. For those of us familiar with the musical based on the Shalom Alechem's stories, this may seem like an overly simplistic, obvious question. But for a group of teenagers, the majority of whom had never read the script nor given any thought to the meaning of the story, this question evoked insightful dialogue and responses.
     My first encounter with FIDDLER was as a twelve-year-old 7th grader when I was cast as one of Tevye's younger daughters, Shprintze. At that time, I was far more caught up in the blossoming romance between the characters of Perchik and Hodel than considering the potent story and themes of the generational erosion of custom and tradition embodied in Tevye's struggle to balance tradition with his love for his daughters who, one by one, challenge his beliefs.
I was practically ignorant of the historical context of the play and the weight of oppression under which the villagers of Anatevka lived.
     But my students are living in a time when the highly visible plight of modern refugees permeates the media and spurs both moral and political discussion. FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is arguably as relevant today as at any other time in its musical theatre history. The opportunity for students to delve in to its rich, textured, and human story against the backdrop of a dictatorial, prejudicial regime is Theatre on Purpose.
     Always at risk of falling off that roof, the fiddler represents the constant striving to maintain the shaky balance of tradition and progress. It is complicated. It is generational. It is universal.
     FIDDLER ON THE ROOF does many things, but above all, it uses theatre to tell a story that reaches in to our hearts and causes us to examine the rooftops on which we all perch.
"It is dangerous," one student said. "There is always a risk of falling off that roof, " said another.
     While breaking with tradition is the common through-line of the story, tradition's role and importance to cultural identity provokes an interesting point of view not often considered by high school students.  As Tevye says, "Because of our traditions, everyone knows who he is, and what God expects him to do." This blind, unquestioning obedience to customs passed down through the generations is upended throughout the story of Tevye's daughters. But for a teenager in 2017, the story provides a window in to their own attitudes and beliefs. The answer, as I usually discover, is less important than the process of questioning. "How did you come to know what you know? Why do you believe what you believe?"  Through critical analysis, one may end up even more committed to one's beliefs or driven to  redefine them in light of greater depth and insight as a result of daring to ask the question.
     At the end of the play, as the villagers of Anatevka disperse to lands unknown, driven out  by "an edict from the authorities," Tevye turns and gestures to the questioning, seemingly abandoned fiddler, to come with them.  This poignant moment is filled with meaning. While things change due to circumstances completely out of our control, that which is important to us remains. There is a  dignity  to the moment.
     When I consider the countless refugees who have been forced to leave their homes and those who have  fled the  political or religious oppression of brutal, murderous regimes, my heart aches. We take for granted the safety and security of our homes. How many of us, like Golde, in one final, pride-filled act, would sweep the floor, so not to "leave a dirty house."
     FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is full of educational theatre lessons. It is an important work that connects us to our common humanity, while forcing us to look squarely in the face of prejudice, provoking us to consider the precarious edge of our own teetering.