Theatre of the Oppressed in Schools

Recently, I worked with a group of students to develop a piece of Forum Theatre based on Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed.  The process was powerful and effective both in its creation and execution. I have always been drawn to Boal's techniques because they fit perfectly in to one of the goals of my philosophy of Theatre on Purpose - using theatre as a way to promote positive social and political change. It is an ideal blend of my training as a Pastoral Counselor and Theatre Director. I have employed numerous techniques with students over the years including Image Theatre,  Newspaper Theatre, and Invisible Theatre, but I find Forum Theatre to be the most powerful in the school setting.

In this most recent project, students identified some of the issues facing them on a daily basis. They rejected the word "bullying" stating that the word has now lost much of its meaning because of its over -use. They preferred the more general idea of "disrespect."   The topic the students chose was a more subtle kind of oppression within "friend groups." "Normal" seemingly harmless kinds of exchanges that happen on a daily basis that have the potential to hurt and defame a person's character. They focused on the use of social media, posting of pictures to their finsta, tweeting, subtweeting, captions, and snapchat. In effect, they focused on a less obvious form of cyber-bullying without calling it that.

Once the topic was agreed upon,  we undertook a process that included tableaux, improvisation,  inner monologue, rehearsing, refining and outlining  the scenario for clarity. Half the group served as the actors and half as "Spect-Actors."

In rehearsing the process, the Spect-Actors watch the scenario and then respond to what they see.  They are then invited to step in to the scene by freezing the action and "tapping out" and replacing one of the characters to affect change or to transform the outcome through their words or actions.
In this respect, the process departs slightly from Boal's intent, where the protagonist, in this case the target of the cyber-bullying, would be tapped out. We elected to have any character in the scene potentially be replaced including the protagonist.

It is extremely important that in the development of the piece that each character have a distinct role in the oppression so that the result of replacing the character significantly changes the outcome. In a school setting we identified the overt bully, the victim, the by-stander, the escalator with more malicious intent, the authority figure - be it a teacher, coach, or counselor-  and the so- called friend.
Identifying these characters and shaping them is a critical piece in the development process.

Typically, the  development process includes a bit of floundering, confusion, and feelings of failure. It is not unlike writing a play or developing any kind of original material - the process takes time before it is ready to go up in front of an audience.  In Forum Theatre, the rehearsal process is an attempt to give the actors time to solidify their roles and to develop confidence in their improvisational skills. The entire process is guided by the "Joker" who serves as the facilitator. This person needs to be someone who has the keen ability to listen and conduct a discussion without imposing ideas, viewpoints, or opinions.

At the point that the piece is ready to go up before an identified audience,  it is akin to a theatrical high wire act without a net.  No one knows what direction the piece will go or if it will have the intended impact. In order to give the student actors a feeling of a safety net, I allow the other members of the class to serve as "plants" in case of impending disaster. We identify one or two places to stop the action and transform the scene as a model for the audience.
Fortunately, I have never had to employ this tactic but it offers the actors a sense of security.

Using theatrical processes to raise awareness of societal, cultural, and political issues is one of the most fulfilling experiences one can have as a theatre educator. It takes skill and courage to undertake this process and must be used within appropriate boundaries of the school setting. This is where a teacher must use care, sensitivity and understanding of their particular school community.

I always say, if the process has integrity, the product has integrity. I have yet to see a Forum Theatre piece  fail to impact an audience. I have witnessed countless examples of profound responses from various populations based on the topic being explored.  It is a powerful tool for theatre educators.

Hamilton Rocks the Cradle

In case you thought that the theatre's relevance in the public discourse has a limited reach - check out HAMILTON's  latest act of "political theatre."  Lin- Manuel Miranda and Brandon Victor Dixon join the ranks of Mark Blitzstein, Orson Welles and John Houseman whose 1937 Federal Theatre Project musical, THE CRADLE WILL ROCK, was shut down by the WPA out of fear that it would insight unrest because of its highly charged pro-labor subject matter.  In one of the theatre world's greatest and most courageous moments, Houseman, Welles, Blitzsetin and the cast walked twenty blocks  from the Maxine Elliot Theatre to the Venice Theatre and performed the show from seats in the audience.
Click here to listen to the riveting story told by John Houseman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LDb0fn4Uek

Brandon Victor Dixon's speech from the stage of The Richard Rodgers Theatre just over a week after the divisive election of Donald Trump and Mike Pence has created a firestorm on social media with calls by the President-elect for the cast to apologize stating that the theatre must always be a "safe and special place" and that the cast was "very rude."

As a theatre educator, I constantly preach to my students to use their artistic voices to make our world a better place. I encourage them to use theatre as a means for social and political change.  Art is not safe - it is dangerous in the best sense of the word. Even Shakespeare said that the players are the "abstract and brief chronicles of the time."  Playwrights from Arthur Miller, Athol Fugard, to Vaclav Havel have heroically given voice to social and political injustice. Indeed, Lin-Manuel Miranda is among these heroes.

We are in a time of grave dissent but also we are in a time of essential discourse.  Perhaps it is most accurate to say that the theatre in America must continue to be a "safe and special place" where diversity is celebrated, ideas are openly discussed, and the power of art can continue to call people to think, question, and challenge injustice by giving voice to the voiceless.

On Doing OUR TOWN and Other Standard Fare

     

     I just finished directing OUR TOWN by Thornton Wilder. I will admit to having  been mildly embarrassed when people asked me what my fall production was going to be. One of my greatest fears is being unoriginal. So for a high school drama teacher to be doing OUR TOWN is about as unoriginal and predictable as it comes. I felt the same way last spring when I directed GUYS AND DOLLS. Standard high school fare.  I could almost feel the collective eye roll.  Nothing edgy about either of these choices.

     As I get older, I find that I am more self- conscious about being out of touch. Nothing original about that fear either. I am now part of the “older generation.” The gap is the gap no matter to which “older generation” one belongs. Just a different set of things separate us from decade to decade.

     But here’s the funny thing…when I polled the parents of my cast, asking them how many had ever seen OUR TOWN about three hands went up. They’d all heard of it. But truth be known, the majority had never seen a production of it.  Frankly, the same held true with GUYS AND DOLLS. Everyone knew “Luck Be a Lady,” but few knew the story and even fewer knew of its Damon Runyon origins.

     This has been an eye opener for me because, I now realize that the gap is not only with teenagers, but there is what I would call a culture gap with the parents.

So here’s my latest epiphany – OUR TOWN is a new play to my entire educational theatre audience.  As a theatre educator, I am beginning to realize that my responsibility is to expose students and their parents to the great works of art in order for them to appreciate good writing and to give them the opportunity to experience the transcendent power of theatre.

I no longer apologize for doing “standard fare” but instead consider it a privilege to delve in to a well -written script or  a great musical score.  OUR TOWN is not a museum piece. It is as relevant today as it was in 1939 and arguable more so.

     In rehearsal, my students have discovered the profound meaning in Wilder’s simplest turn of phrase.  Wilder’s insight into humanity is not nostalgia because in the twenty-first century, not one of us remembers what life was like in 1901. But somewhere in our collective conscience – in our very souls – we yearn to “look at one another”  as if we really saw each other as Emily says in Act III; to “pay attention to the birds”  as Editor Webb points out in Act I;  to think about what it really means to be appreciate life  “every, every moment.”

     OUR TOWN reminds us of our mortality but in so doing, inspires us to live every day to the fullest. And it does it without preaching, sermonizing or teaching. The play does it through good storytelling with characters who live out their ordinary lives in Grover’s Corners without pretense, expectation of fame or greatness, and appreciation for the simple pleasures of the earth.

     Working on standard fare when the play is great, inspires me because I feel like I have a chance to open my students’ eyes to why the theatre is so enriching.

The more sophisticated they become at theatre -going, the more skilled and discerning they become at recognizing what makes a production great or why a production may have missed its mark.  By sorting through the various elements of mise en scene, students are better able to articulate the difference between a good play and a lousy production and vice versa.

     By engaging my students in what I call a process of integrity, the product ultimately has integrity. It begins with the material and for young people, introducing them to the great plays will never betray them nor the audience. In fact it can help them to become better actors, designers, directors, and playwrights themselves.   I always say it takes just as much work to mount a production of a lousy play as it does a great one – so why settle for mediocrity?  If OUR TOWN is standard fare, at least it was worth the effort and another generation was exposed to this great play.

The Lessons Of Terezin

ISTA FESTIVAL Art at the HeART 

Day One March 10, 2016

I just walked down the hall from my room in the Park Hotel in Terezin to find all of my students congregated in a common area with other students from around the world staying in this hotel - laughing, talking, and playing games. The life energy was in itself inspiring. In one brief instant, I knew why we were here, why I had spent ten months planning this trip, and why I believe travel is the best teacher. Boundaries, boarders, hatred, distrust, fear, ignorance disappear when people form personal relationships and that is what is happening at this very moment down the hall from my room. 

Terezin is a gloomy, somewhat eerie place. I was here ten years ago and never imagined I would be back actually staying in the town – a former ghetto for the Jews awaiting transport to Auschwitz. The last time I was in Terezin, I was alone. I took myself on a side trip from Prague and experienced the power and heartache of a story that has stayed alive for one reason – Art. Much like Anne Frank’s diary, the artwork and poetry that was produced in this gray stoned fortress has kept the brief lives of the young children and teenager who were held here alive in the hearts and minds of all who have had the privilege of coming to Terezin or reading the compilation of the stories in “I Never Saw Another Butterfly.” 

Tonight, as laughter and joy echo down the hallway of this rather grim, sparse hotel – of which we are the only guests – I imagine the laughter of the children over seventy years ago in the midst of the horror of the Holocaust, here in Terezin with their teachers encouraging them to draw, paint, sing, and write their stories  – and I imagine in some way, their spirit and the spirit of the place  are one with us. Past and present came  together tonight through the laughter of young people.  My heart is full of gratitude knowing that ten years ago, I was alone here. Tonight, I am here with sixteen students passing on the lessons of Terezin.  And so our journey begins

Day Two March 11, 2016

Hard to know where or how to begin to fully capture the experiences of today. We began the day in a ballroom of the Memorial Hotel where  ISTA artists began working with the students theatrically using aspects of life in the ghetto of Terezin as the starting point. Under the harshest of conditions, art thrived in Terezin. In one exercise, a student was selected as a musical conductor and the rest of the group was divided in half. One half of the group created a chorus. The other half waited to step in as one by one members of the chorus were tapped on the shoulder slowly falling to the floor symbolizing the people who died or were taken away by transport. The chorus continued with a constant flow of people stepping in and others falling to the floor.  Then at one point, the conductor was tapped and he fell to the floor. And the singing continued.  This is an example of how theatre can bring history to life in a way that other mediums cannot.

Art was a form of resistance during the Holocaust. Cultural resistance. In Terezin, the Jews created operas, musical compositions, artwork, poetry and stories. Much of what was done was in secret, hidden from the Nazis. While in Terezin, an underground newspaper was created by some young boys as a means of communicating with one another. To simulate this, the school groups were encouraged to devise a secret method of communicating while here and to create some form of artistic work in secret. 

The group then was split into ensembles to begin the process of working together to develop a piece of theatre based on their experience in Terezin.  The students in the ensemble I observed were blindfolded before entering the space. While trust exercises are common in theatre, this took on a very different context in light of the Holocaust. The students followed each other, blindly moving slowly  into an unfamiliar room – many grasping for hands of complete strangers for safety and security. It was a powerful and visceral experience.  The group then created a series of living images or tableaux depicting life before the ghetto, being torn apart, and triumphant defiance. Finally, the ISTA artist asked each student to consider why they came to Terezin and to respond with three words.

A bit about the town itself –

The hotel we are staying in once housed the SS officers. Terezin is essentially a ghost town. The ISTA students and teachers are the only guests in the Park hotel. The town is eerily quiet. There are only 2000 residents of Terezin. The buildings are mostly vacant and the square barracks and buildings are all the same height. The Memorial Hotel where much of our ensemble work is being done is also empty. It was built with the hope of bringing some tourism and conferences to the town, but it failed. Now, like the other buildings, it is a haunting place. It feels as if we are the only people here.

 Unlike other concentration camps or labor camps, the entire town of Terezin was taken over by the Nazis as a ghetto for the Jews. But there is another aspect to the dark and sad history of this place. The Nazis used Terezin as propaganda. They “allowed” the Jews to be “self- governing.”  They even made a propaganda film depicting life in Terezin as a “spa” – and a safe place for the Jews. The Red Cross visited the ghetto and, much like visiting  a movie set, things appeared good on the surface when in fact, faucets had no running water, and people were coerced to say that life was fine in Terezin. Even the musicians were used as a propaganda tool – showing that Terezin was a cultural center for Jews.  

Today, we walked over five miles across nearly every inch of this place. Terezin’s history precedes WWII. It was built as a fortress by Emperor Josef II and was named for his wife Maria Theresa – hence Theresenstadt (Terezin). During WWII, the fortress was used by the Nazis as a prison for political prisoners. There is a huge crematorium which was only built after the Nazis ran out of space to bury the bodies of the dead. The ashes were placed in individual urns as another way of showing that they were treating the Jews well. But toward the end of the war, they wanted to dispose of any evidence and had the cremains thrown into the Elbe river.  We visited the fortress, crematorium, and heard  story after story of the cruel, inhumane treatment of the Jews in Terezin. Our guide’s family was among the victims of Terezin  - as thousands died of diseases caused by the lack of hygiene.

The students listened, respectfully and were visibly moved. Finally, after the long, cold walk through the town, we returned to the hotel for dinner.

The evening session brought everything together, as the students in eight separate groups, imagined they were opening one of the boxes of ashes before they were thrown into the Elbe. Each group then created a series of silent, imagined scenes depicting the five most significant events of that person’s life. It was performed by the entire group as a memorial to those who died in Terezin.

The result, as one student stated as we circled up to debrief, was the “single most powerful theatrical performance she had ever seen.”  We all agreed. Each of our students then had the opportunity to process out loud the most significant take away from the day.  Each shared  thoughtful and insightful  responses.  I know that the experience we are having here will work in them for the rest of their lives.

We were the last to leave the Memorial Hotel after our reflection on the day.  As we left the large ballroom, we closed the door behind us and walked the dark, bleak streets back to our hotel. And again, the life energy of our students filled the place with joy. I told our students that God is found in the joy of our lives – so while this is a heavy and sad history, they have the gift of life so celebrate that with one another. And so, they did.

 Day Three March 12, 2016

“We are so few now it is better to learn it from someone who was there. It is necessary that I come here.” Doris, A Survivor

Today we had an incredibly inspirational experience as the entire ISTA group met and had the opportunity to interview a survivor of Terezin.  Now 89 years old, she was a young girl who, as she said, spent four birthdays in Terezin from 13 years to 19 years.  Her mother died in Terezin from disease. Her father was transported to the east and perished at Auschwitz. Her brother, five years older than she, survived Auschwitz but she didn’t know that until after the liberation.

Terezin was liberated by the Russians. While they were in many ways the savior of the Jews in this part of the world, they soon dominated it through the political oppression of Communism. Czechoslovakia was officially under Communist rule from 1948 – 1989 and the history of Terezin was suppressed. Terezin was returned to its original function as a military garrison. Not until the Velvet Revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 did the story of Terezin begin to emerge.

“How could the clever Germans follow this evil. I still do not understand this,” Doris said.  “But in Terezin, everything was not bad. Especially for young people. The old died – many of hopelessness.”

When asked if she had heard of or knew about the other camps, she said “We didn’t know anything. It was only after the war we found out what happened to our people.”

They were permitted to bring to Terezin 50 kg of personal belongings in a suitcase. Her family was among the first transports to Terezin and she does not know why they were that “lucky.”

She lived in the Hamburg barracks with her mother. Her father and brother lived in the Sudeten barracks. The poor German Jews paid large sums of money to come to Terezin – thinking it was a “spa.”

They had high hopes when the Red Cross visited the town. The Nazis hid all people who were “not looking good” from the Red Cross. After the Red Cross left, they had little hope.

It was easier for young, strong people who could work. She tended the sheep and said the sheep saved her life.  Her first love was a Gendarme. He disallowed her from taking the train to Auschwitz with her father and intervened once to save him by getting him off the transport. He went on the next transport and he couldn’t do anything about it.  She took care of the sheep which provided clothing and food for the guards. Over her life time she collected 500 sheep figurines.

When asked if she knew that the artwork was being hidden she said, “no, it was secret. It would cost them their lives.”

Our students asked many questions including what dreams she had after the war. She was afraid of bicycles because the guards who rode bikes beat people. It was not easy. “It took a long while to be normal again.” She has one son who married an Indian woman and she has two grandchildren who are half Indian. She even made a joke about how her mixed race family defied Hitler!

She was factual. Unemotional. Non-religious though she said she believes in doing good deeds and has committed her life to this.

When asked after she was liberated, what she felt and what she had missed the most she said one word: “Freedom.”

“I hope you will have a good life. I listen to the radio and there is nothing positive.”

This is learning at its deepest level. Experiential, site specific, historical and creative.  This is Theatre On Purpose.

 Day Four March 13, 2016

Today was the day that all of the creative work and preparation done in the ensembles and in our whole group was woven into a complete piece of theatre. The process of devising original work begins with a starting point. Terezin provided a site specific starting point and the individual experiences of the students’ response to what happened here provided a deep and rich context for exploration and development. Through a variety of processes which included physical theatre, text, music, voice and imagery, students worked in four separate ensemble groups led by ISTA artists from around the world. Each night, all of the ensembles were brought together to explore some aspect of their experience from the stories of Terezin.  As one of the artists said, “Your creative self doesn’t know where it wants to go.” The magic happens as the ensembles collaborate and build on various ideas. Each student was asked to reflect on what they saw, what they heard, and what they felt as they toured the ghetto and museum filled with the drawings and poetry of the children of Terezin. From these personal responses, the theatre storytelling begins to take shape.  As a theatre educator, this is the most exciting kind of work to produce and to experience. The layering process occurs as each element of theatre storytelling is added to the process. I witnessed our students doing some incredible work with respect, integrity, commitment, and vision. Each ensemble had to identify the theme of their piece, what each of them wanted to accomplish  individually, and what impact they hoped the piece would have on the audience.  

On this final day of development, the four ensembles worked separately for three hours to create their piece. Then all four ensembles were brought together and the Artistic Director, Deborah Kidd, asked each ensemble to identify two people who knew their piece really well. To my astonishment (but not really) our Talon Theatre students were the representatives from every group! On the International stage, among eighty students, SM students stood out. It was this group who determined the order of the ensemble pieces so that the story had a cohesiveness. Keep in mind, none of the individual ensembles had seen each other’s piece so the shaping of the entire collage happened only at this point – one half an hour before the performance.

Deborah then anchored these four separate ensemble pieces with two whole group performances developed during the evening sessions. The opening set the tone by showing the five key moments in the life of one person who perished from Terezin. The closing piece was the original musical composition developed by the students . “Believe in Me” became the repeated phrase. Deborah worked the group through the transitions and the audience moved around the space to view the approximately 30 minute piece. There were moments of hope, moments of being torn apart, moments of resistance, moments of joy, moments of love all depicted through the lens of life in Terezin.  The question posed at the end of the last ensemble’s piece connected the past with the present – “What Happens Next?” The echoes of the Holocaust, its lessons, the examination of power and oppression continues to be relevant in our world. For these young teenagers, the question of “What happens next” is real….

The final sharing was profound, moving, and powerful.

We have been in another world – in an 18^th century walled military garrison and former Jewish Ghetto, walking the halls where Nazi SS once walked and learning about the life, art, and culture that thrived despite horrendous conditions. The town of Terezin has some signs of life, with 2000 residents -  but mostly it is a town of desolate streets and block after block of large, vacant, haunting buildings where the artwork was hidden away until after WWII.  Artworks are still being discovered to this day.

This is the environment in which theatre students from around the world have been living for four intensely emotional days.  This is the place from which they will continue to tell the story. Terezin has taught them to stand up against persecution and oppression. Terezin has taught them the power of artistic expression. For the children of Terezin, art was essential to survival.  I believe It is essential to our own. 

Terezin has taught me that art matters and I vow never to stop fighting for its rightful and essential place in our educational system. 

Art saves lives. For anyone who doubts this truth, go to Terezin.

Terezin. Never Forget.

To Be a Citizen of the World

To Be a Citizen of the World

I feel compelled as an IB teacher to share some observations and thoughts about the value of attending a conference such as the  IB World Conference entitled Utopian Visions: Employing the Arts for Social and Political Change that I attended in 2013.  One of the aims of IB is to foster global citizens.  Understanding cultural context is critically important for a student to begin to see the world from a perspective other than their own. The experience of traveling  to a foreign country and meeting students from around the world is the best possible way for students to understand what it means to be a "citizen of the world." Through the IB curriculum, these students are inherently breaking down barriers and embracing diversity. The philosophy of IB is creating future leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, educators, and scientists who will be equipped to use their gifts and talents to make significant differences in the world. Through collaboration, they begin to learn how to build coalitions and capitalize on the strengths of the many. IB students learn how to ask the right questions. They learn that failure is not a bad thing.  The only way to grow and push beyond the known is to sometimes stumble. The accidental discoveries lead to personal insight and great innovation. As Jeremy Gilley, Founder of Peace One Day said, "What you get wrong, the next person can get it right." This sense that we are all in it together - and that we are stronger when we stand together, may sound idealistic - but as I sat in the opening plenary of the World Conference in 2013, with students from around the world, I was thrilled that such idealism is being translated into concrete action. Cynicism is deadly. It is unproductive. As Jeremy Gilley identified "cynics are a product of society." But for just a moment think about the impact that cynicism has on youth.  What message does the cynic send? What kind of world does the cynic say these young, bright, creative students are inheriting? A hopeless one? Cynicism is in many ways irresponsible because it is an argument for no possibility. And if you are a young person, how discouraging is that message? It's deadly. IB does just the opposite of this.  It says to students that the human potential to create, devise, problem solve, question, search, and solve is within them. IB says that as a life -long learner, this driving force to be explorers of yet to be discovered frontiers will continue to unfold and that they will be the ones to bring about big changes.  Teaching is a hopeful profession.  To be an IB teacher is the best possible situation because of the underlying foundation of the entire program.  IB students develop the skills and confidence to use their creative abilities and to employ them in every area of life.  As a theatre educator, I see the implicit value in using story to communicate different perspectives.  Storytelling is a basic human need.  It is common among all cultures. When we hear one another's stories, we understand. Artistic expression - whether it be visual art, dance, music, or theatre, can change the world. 

Theatre Educator as Role Model

Careful the things you say. Children will listen.  
Stephen Sondheim From Into the Woods

The question of role modeling in educational theatre takes on different dimensions than in other areas of high school academia because of the intimate nature of the working environment.  The drama room, black box, theatre, or stage provides an alternative to the traditional classroom with its rows of desks. The space allows for the necessary freedom to create.  I have watched the glee in the eyes of students when they enter a theatrical space.  Liberated from the rigidity of their day, the theatre or drama room provides an escape from linear thinking and invites the controlled chaos of creativity, exploration, and discovery through play. The theatre educator is the facilitator of that exploration.  Sometimes beginning theatre students confuse freedom with a lack of discipline. It is imperative that the theatre teacher nurture a disciplined artistic environment that is both safe for exploration and respectful experimentation.

One way I have seen this break down is when the teacher has not established clear objectives for the class. If you look at Viola Spolin's improvisation exercises, you see a clear example of how play is directly tied to purpose, objective and diagnostics. Beginning theatre teachers need to become masterful practitioners of their techniques so that they may be employed with clarity and focus. This takes time to master but it begins with intentionality.

When considering the theatre educator as role model, I often find the biggest hurdle to be the teacher's discomfort with psychologically being in the role of adult.
Erik Erikson, (1902 - 1994) the German psychoanalyst, identified an eight stage life-span theory of identity and psychological development.  Based on the impact of external factors, personality development and influences, Erikson believed that a person must pass through these eight stages throughout one's life cycle. Briefly summarized, the eight stages are:

1. Infancy (Birth - 18 mos) During this stage children develop basic trust or mistrust which establishes a sense of security or mistrust of their world. (Basic Trust vs. Mistrust)
2. Toddler - Early Childhood (18 mos - 3 Years) During this stage the child has the opportunity to build self esteem through the acquisition of skills . (Autonomy Vs. Shame and Doubt)
3. Pre-School  (3 - 5)  During this stage the child plays roles about what they perceive as being grown up. Parents are still the most important influence on the child at this stage. (Initiative Vs. Guilt)
4. School Age ( 6 - 12) During this stage, the child is developing new skills and will either experience a sense of competence and self-esteem or a scense of inferiority and inadequacy. Parents are no longer the primary and only authority in the child's life.  Socialization among peers takes on greater significance. (Industry Vs. Inferiority)
5. Adolescent (12 - 18) At this stage, development depends on what a person does. The primary task during adolescence, is discovering one's identity.  During this stage, the determination of moral right and wrong and understanding of one's beliefs is central.  (Identity Vs. Role Confusion)
6. Young Adult (18 - 35) Developing relationships with other people is the primary task of this stage. (Intimacy Vs. Isolation)
7. Middle Adulthood (35 - 65) Work and Parenthood dominate this stage of the life span.  Establishing a sense of usefulness and accomplishment that will outlast them. (Generativity Vs. Stagnation)
8. Maturity (65 - Death) Older adulthood provides opportunities for wisdom and a sense of fulfillment.
 (Integrity Vs. Despair) 

Psychologically speaking, the theatre class can be considered  ground zero for adolescents and adults. Given that the primary task of the adolescent is focused on identity versus role confusion, it is critical that that the theatre educator recognize that these "stages" impact the relationship between themselves and their students.  Because theatre is collaborative and the environment more informal, the need for the educator to be clear about his role is even greater than in a more traditional classroom.

Many theatre educators enter teaching during their young adulthood where developing relationships is a primary focus.  Like with anything, the foundation must be solid in order to build a secure structure.  The unprocessed theatre teacher who struggles with unresolved esteem issues based on his or her perceived success or failure is at risk for unconsciously looking for that fulfillment through his students. This often is characterized in the "Teacher as Friend" model.   I am not suggesting that there is anything wrong or pathological in what is the natural human experience and capability of developing deep relationships with one another. I am, however, saying that it is the teacher's responsibility to be clear about his or her role and to establish appropriate boundaries.  I have been known to say, "The grown ups need to behave like grownups." Directly put, this is not a peer to peer relationship. The theatre educator must recognize that the needs  of both teacher and student are based on their respective life stages and are influenced by previous experiences that have either resulted in a strong sense of self-esteem or insecurity. When one considers that in the educational theatre environment, adolescents who are struggling with their identities and sense of industry are looking for healthy, well balanced adult role models, the importance of the theatre teacher's own conduct and self awareness is obvious.

This is where I believe the Theatre On Purpose (T.O.P.) philosophy  is critically important. Theatre educators are on the front line of fostering well-balanced, high functioning, thriving human beings using artistic methods. For the T.O.P. practitioner, the focus need always be on facilitating the growth of the student - and while in theatre this often means performance-based skills, when viewed through the lens of psychological development, it is rather evident the performance skills are only part of the work being done by the adolescent.
As we know, the artistic personality is sensitive. Emotion and empathy contribute to the actor's ability to step into the skin of another on stage.  If not channeled, molded, and guided carefully, the student can be subjected to symptoms of psychodrama.  The development of acting skills and the focus on the creative work in rehearsal or class develops a student's confidence and affirms that hard work and discipline can result in a sense of accomplishment.
Just as we teach students that one must be "off book" in order to truly be free to become the imaginary character, the theatre educator must be free of confusion about his or her calling.  The T.O.P. practitioner approaches theatre education with an understanding that the theatre is a tool and role modeling needs to come from the inside out.

Copyright Amy Luskey-Barth 2014

To Thine Own Self Be True

Many years ago, my therapist told me that if you don't take responsibility for your own pain, you will spew it on everyone around you.
Taking responsibility for your own pain begins with getting in touch with your story.

 When I was eleven-years-old, I got bitten by the theatre bug.  I remember it as if it were yesterday.  I was playing Brigitta in Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music." One afternoon, I walked into the gymnasium where we performed our shows to find the set of  the Von Trapp veranda awash in a blue light.  The transformation brought about through the magic of stage lighting captivated me and from that moment on, the trajectory of my future was before me.  I knew I was going to be an actress.
At eleven, that dream fueled and dominated my life. Encouraged by supportive parents, with enough natural talent to make it seem like a possibility, I pursued my passion through high school and into college as a drama major.  Frequently cast in leading roles, and blessed with a good singing voice, things looked promising for me through graduation from college.
  And then life struck.
Two months after I graduated, my father died suddenly and unexpectedly and my life course abruptly switched direction. At twenty-two, I abandoned my dream of becoming an actress and went to work helping my mother and brother in our family business.
Over the next eight years,  I gained a lot of executive skills. I worked in sales, public relations, customer service, and dabbled in video production.  But life had not gone in the direction I had "planned."

One day, I was perusing the local newspaper's "help wanted" ads and saw that a local all girl's high school was seeking a drama, musical theatre, and choir teacher.  Something stirred deep inside of me.  My abandoned "actress" was calling out to me.   I had not ever set out to be a theatre teacher. However, my theatre and music training through high school and college had given me access to some excellent teachers, including my father who coached me until his untimely death at sixty-four. With no teaching experience,  I decided to apply and was hired for the position.

My career in educational theatre began. I sought out opportunities to learn classroom management, teaching techniques, and exercises.  I devoured books like Viola Spolin's Improvisation for the Actor and endless books on directing, theatre history, techniques, and styles.  I joined the Educational Theatre Association and attended conferences and workshops for theatre educators.
I entered the profession of teaching hungry and determined to learn.
As my program grew to include two other single-sex high schools, I found that the executive and business skills I had developed during the eight years I'd worked for our family business helped me to build a nationally recognized, award-winning theatre program.

I also began to recognize that the profession had "chosen me."  While my dreams of being a Broadway star died the day my father dropped dead, I was able to bring the many different experiences of my life together with a greater sense of purpose.  I had grieved my losses and had sought counseling and mentorship.  Through therapy, journaling, and hard work, I grew to know myself well.

So often, I hear parents express concern that their son or daughter wants to pursue theatre arts in college. They worry that the business is too risky or that their child will not be able to earn a living.
They often say they want their child to have something to "fall back on."
I understand those concerns and acknowledge there is validity in that line of thinking.
I also hear the voice of my father who believed that theatre skills are life skills.  What one learns in theatre can be used in other areas.

By the same token, the actor who decides to "fall back on teaching" because his or her career hasn't panned out needs to carefully examine that choice.
My circumstances were different and while my dream was reshaped by life circumstances, I entered teaching seeking to be not only a skilled practitioner, but a role model for life.
I took responsibility for my pain and channeled my creative talents in a different direction with intentionality.

One of the greatest concerns I have is when I see theatre teachers who clearly are not over their own loss and decide to take up teaching without the true sense of calling or purpose.  Their unprocessed pain and disappointment over their unfulfilled dreams gets "spewed" on their students.  The ego-centric theatre teacher is still like the character of Paul in A Chorus Line  who sings "Who am I anyway?"
When the theatre teacher is still pining for his or her fading star, the journey can not be about their students.
The profession of educational theatre is as much a calling as any other teaching profession.
Just because one was an actor does not make that person a good theatre teacher.

A Theatre Teacher needs to be emotional mature. Theatre On Purpose, at its core, is about recognizing  unprocessed pain and using theatre as a means to facilitate  healing and wholeness.
The Theatre on Purpose practitioner has taken responsibility for processing his or her own pain and disappointment, so that his work with students can be fully about the student's growth.

To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst then be false to any man.


 Copyright Amy Luskey-Barth 2014