The school production – to be or not to be

VOLUME THESIS i The School Production – To be or not to be? Gillian Lee Schroeter College of Education, Victoria University Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 2015 ii Abstract School theatre productions are performed throughout Australian secondary schools each year Currently Broadway model musicals are often performed as the content of these school productions The examination of the secondary school production involved in this research focuses upon a Victorian coeducational government secondary school’s collaborative rewrite, rehearsal and performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream Drawing from literature in Drama in Education, Theatre in Education, Applied Theatre, Australian Curriculum documents, Pedagogy, Authentic Learning, Extra-curricular education and Creativity, the question, ‘The school production – To be or not to be?’ Deals with the very nomenclature of the school production by examining the following two questions: What are the experiences and benefits for the students involved in the authentic model of school production? What is the teacher’s experience while working on an authentic school production? A hybrid of two qualitative methodologies has held a lens up to both the student and teacher experience within the making of a school production Firstly an off-centred ethno-drama was employed, where students wrote their own ethno-drama script for performance; this appears within the thesis as an annotated script Secondly auto-ethnography was used to examine my experience as a teacher and researcher, dealing with the demands of running a school production A reflective journal provides insights into the latter methodology Student perspectives and backstage experiences were also recorded and are presented in the results chapter The results of the research were threefold: • • • Students involved in this authentic model of school production experienced a sense of achievement not previously felt in their education The teacher’s experience and the complexities required by this position, while fulfilling are also taxing This model of school production offers the marginalised student a voice and real sense of belonging and connectedness The authentic model of school production as outlined in this research offers participating students a genuine learning experience that empowers and celebrates their contribution The significance and impact of their involvement and commitment transcends traditional school curriculum, reaching beyond to a wider community iii iv Student Declaration Doctor of Philosophy Student Declaration Doctor of Philosophy Declaration “I, Gillian Schroeter, declare that the PhD thesis entitled The School Production – To be or not to be? Is no more than100,000 words in length including quotes and exclusive of tables, figures, appendices, bibliography, references and footnotes This thesis contains no material that has been submitted previously, in whole or in part, for the award of any other academic degree or diploma Except where otherwise indicated, this thesis is my own work” Signature Date v THE SCHOOL PRODUCTION TO BE OR NOT TO BE? VOLUME THESIS CONTENTS Chapter Chapter Introduction Significance In Context Theoretical Framework Research Methods 14 Research Questions 15 Data Collection 15 Analysis 16 Thesis Structure 16 Performative Education 18 The Arts 19 Classroom Drama 20 Drama in Curriculum 22 Drama and Production for Social Change 23 Theatre in Education, Applied Theatre and Drama in Education 25 Embodied Learning 27 Drama for Learning 32 Making Drama Fit Assessment 33 Contemporary Performance Practice 34 The Teacher and Creativity 35 Real World experience 37 Connectedness through the Extracurricular 37 Learning through the School Production 38 vi Chapter Principles of Learning and Teaching in Dominant Culture 39 Abate 39 Flags (located after the appendices in digital format) 39 Methodology 40 Research Design 40 Process 46 Sample 47 Data Collection 48 Node – Auditions 51 Node – Writing 53 Node – Rehearsals 59 Node – Behind the Scenes 63 Node – Pre-production 70 Node – Production 72 Node – Post Production 74 The Research 75 Volume TEACHER/RESEARCHER JOURNAL & NOTES Chapter Journal Journal Systemised Introduction Journal Journal Resonance 73 Fore note VOLUME THESIS CONTENTS Chapter Student Perspectives 76 Writing Statements 76 Response to Writing 79 vii Analysis of Writing Statements 81 Student Reflections 83 Conclusion 100 VOLUME SCRIPT & SCRIPT OVERLAYS Chapter The Script A Midsommer Nite’s Dreame The Script Inclusion Script Overlays The Script with Notes VOLUME THESIS CONTENTS Chapter Backstage 101 Backstage Comments 101 Backstage Analysis 103 Shoe Throwing 104 Connection to Authentic Learning 107 The Flower 109 The Incident of the Missing Purple Glitter Pen Chapter in the Dressing Room 110 The Kiss 112 The Guys 113 Finding Ferns 114 Finale 116 Conclusion 117 Theoretical Implications 125 Policy Implications 126 Student Voice 117 viii Recommendations for Future Research 127 Implications for Future Research into the School Production 128 Exeunt 130 ix LIST OF TABLES, CHARTS & DIAGRAMS Table Reasons for School Productions V1 Table Detailed Students Involved in AMSND 2012 V1 47 Table College Production Coordinator V2 16 Table Production Comparison V2 107 Chart One Expectations on teachers to run school productions V1 Chart Two Conditions for running school productions V1 Chart Three Dot Data V2 38 Diagram One The Dot V2 36 Diagram Two Motivation V1 81 V1 94 Diagram Three Nodes and Connections x Page 19 & 20 explored Comments 43 & 44 The students were really excited by this idea that Dante and Sissia could see each other They imagined how it might play out on stage and got caught up in how each line should be delivered They laughed and at one stage a girl was practically rolling on the floor with laughter as the person who was playing Sissia in the workshop performed the lines Comment 45 Far Away the tree starts to talk about her dreams of freeing her roots This foreshadows what happens later for Far Away in the script Again there was projection into what would happen later in the script through the characters the students invented If they were not creating new characters and sub-storylines they would not be able to visualise the future for their character This reminded me why the students’ freedom to write their own script was important They were creating roles and characters and using these characters to explore themes and make connections 355 Page 22 explored Comment 49 The personification of the black star was amazing (See DVD 33.31) The students believed that they could personify the black star through song and the character Titania was considered to be a black star They described her as a the gravitational matter for everything in a Midsummer Night’s Dream and her sister Sissia as being a part of the black star collapsing The idea was that Titania prevents the space time collapse thus meaning she had a control over this, so she allowed this collapse of her sister to enter the mortal realm When we think of a Midsummer Night’s Dream, stars come to mind the discussion was bright and fresh “So if Titania is like Avril’s Black Star, then you can understand the whole mortal realm thing.” (Clare) “Exactly, I love that idea If she has a power over space and time why couldn’t she make an immortal, mortal?” (Rose) “It’s like her forest, she represents mother-nature.” (Karlie) “She is mother nature In the music when they fight, we’ll totes affect the whole feel like the lights and stuff.”(Kevin) These are moments of profound philosophical insights that inspired the students’ development of the character Sissia They’ve not only rewritten Shakespeare’s AMSND they have developed it through their own interpretation Rather than imitation the students found the confidence through freedom to think and create (Weor 2008) Comment 50 Oberon’s magic was used here to freeze the scene and manipulate the physical movement of Titania It was fascinating to watch as students discussed where Oberon should place Titania Their thinking was in line with what came next which gave me an insight into their reading They were reading ahead to manage to make sense of the script One student in particular would allude to what was about to happen and why they needed to think things through 356 Page 23 explored Comment 52 The Kardashian joke received such a laugh, backstage students commented, “We should have put more TV stuff in, they get that!” (Sarah) This resonates with the initial desire for the mainstream, familiar musical Popular culture and social media are accessible to the audience The audience laughed at these jokes It differs to performing a Broadway Musical in that they were not performing the Kardashian’s show, they were making a reference 357 Page 25 explored Comment 56 Students made reference to another of Shakespeare’s plays in understanding the concept of once bitten twice shy, however I’m not sure that they really understood the nature of Romeo, they were focused on the idea that he thought he’d never love another and, “Then it all goes out the window though with Juliet.” (Danika) 358 Page 27 explored Comment 60 The analogy of the struggle between Ophelia and Hippolyta to a teacher and a student here is remarkable The discussion was that, “A teacher has the power in the end,” (Casey) which I found intriguing I asked why students thought that teachers had the power “Dah you’re the adult!” (Josh) I was immediately reduced to the powerful teacher, which did not sit well with me because I try to allow the students freedom to feel that they are empowered I wondered if this is simply a state that we’ve all come to accept 359 Page 30 explored Comment 63 Emily stated, “This would be the perfect contrast to Far Away I mean they both reside in the same forest so it makes sense, it’s just like reality in many ways.”(Emily) This gave a perfect example of how to use contrast in writing and the discussion further explored this concept Some of the younger students were really listening and learning about how to write effectively The conversation wound up in a discussion around opposites and the need for one opposite to understand the other They were exploring the concept of a dichotomy between an imagined world and the real world and at the same time were living this dichotomy in so far as they were in a school exploring real world problems which can be related to the study of real world maths in the classroom and how this motivates students (Chazan 2000) 360 Page 34 explored Comment 66 There was a discussion around peer group pressure here One student summed it up perfectly “It’s like testing the waters, you have to be careful at first but once you have your toes and ankle in, you might as well just plunge in.” (Flynn) 361 Page 36 Explored Comment 68 “Let’s face it, all humans are voyeurs!” (Pete) Everyone went quiet, “You know, like to watch other people.” (Pete) The idea that people like to watch each other and that people enjoy it when another person ‘gets into trouble’ was quite a hot topic for debate One student stated, “When you grow up a little more you probably won’t enjoy someone getting into trouble, because you start to realise that what they’re going through is not good and you feel their pain.” (Brady) It seemed to me that Brady was talking about empathy 362 Page 44 explored Comment 74 When reading the script it is impossible to understand how these characters were played It is really important to watch the video in the appendices to understand the disparity between the written word and the performance Quite naturally the students understood this to be the funniest part of the entire script Bottom’s death was performed in such a way that no one in the audience was immune to laughter I had given the students a workshop in Commedia dell Arte to experience comedy making, timing and how to manage the rhythm and relationship with the audience (Syssoyeva, Proudfit, and Connect 2013) When I watch this performance the character Bottom playing Pyramus in the death of the lovers, I not see a teenage student actor; I see a skilled performer who understands the medium in which he is working The other mechanics’ characters too are actors When students understand how to perform and what enhances their performance they can develop their acting This small troupe of actors was directed and supported by me The students wanted to learn, they would ask meaningful questions about how to play their part, which I would often answer with a question for them to further develop their performance They worked as a team, supporting each other and developing the characters through reciprocity Students who perform with such depth understand more than their lines, they understand how their part affects the other character’s part and the importance that this plays, no matter how small the role These students worked with timing, rhythm, spatial awareness, vocal intonation, accent and comedic physicalisation Their performance remains one of my favourite versions of this scene that I have experienced and if I were to cast actors on a world stage in this scene I would cast these young performers because I know they can be directed and they understand what it means to fulfil a role and character Underlying this is my education in the performing arts, without my embodied knowledge I could not begin to imagine that I could facilitate these students to achieve what they did 363 Page 46 explored Comment 77 Very deep discussions around souls and connection and how, “We can’t know for sure.” (Jaimie) The students discussed what a soul was and what the meaning of life was and they all had ideas and ideals and they shared these through a very long discussion At times it became a debate where students put forth their ideas on religion and afterlife I was impressed with the maturity in which this discussion took shape I wondered if these students would have had this opportunity to have this type of discussion if they were not writing this script, working as a collective imagination It was fascinating to observe the conscious exploration of a collaborative collective decide where the groups’ beliefs amalgamated The final words in the conversation were, “There’s no right or wrong just all different experiences and ideas and it’s what makes us unique and who we are.” 364 Page 52 explored Comment 81 We see here that the students decide to rectify the pathetic females 365 Page 53 explored Comment 82 Again the need to watch this dance piece, Marionette (See DVD 01:26:28) 366 Page 55 explored Comment 84 The discussions around this were endearing Students spoke of how sad they were when they realised the tooth fairy wasn’t real anymore One girl stated, “I cried and cried and didn’t believe my ears I loved the tooth fairy so much; she made losing my teeth bearable.”(Vanesse) Another student asked her how she found out “My mum told me She said, oh come on Vanesse you must know, your younger brother knows.” (Vanesse) 367 Page 61 explored Comment 87 Faraway’s dance is a piece where the composition played by the composer on piano must be heard and the dance performed by the choreographer seen to understand what these two students achieved (See DVD 10:42) 368 Page 68 explored Comment 96 Flynn stated, “This dream stuff is the same as being able to believe in stuff, like God If you can imagine it, isn’t it real? It is like Bottom is somewhere between realms too.” (Flynn) This is really noteworthy as it aligns with the theory that this speech was inspired by the bible (Barber and McGrath) Flynn stated, “Bottom is the weaver of dreams because he is a weaver and his dream is the thread between the dream world and reality.” (Flynn) This idea was laughed at as being ‘too deep’ by his peers; however I found his thinking quite profound Here was a student who could understand on a very sophisticated level what a character represented and the meaning of this within the play He had developed this understanding through character development where he objectively considered his character and what his character represented Workshops where students would at times swap roles to have a greater understanding of their character along with other character development workshops allowed students to explore their characters and make important connections (Davison 1997) This is another scene that needs to be watched to truly understand the development of the students as comedic actors When viewed the level of understanding reached cannot be ignored 369 [...]... willing to help – this can mean the difference between having a camp or not, or having one show or five shows The adults who are willing to donate their time shape so much of the student experience, right through to the costumes and set (Hornbrook 2002) 10 • Family support – is very important for students to feel that they can manage the demands of a school production, to be able to make it to every... usually the drama teacher in the school who is expected to produce and direct the school production The authentic school production requires the arts to intersect through collaboration across the arts curricular to design and make work that is multifaceted In this particular project students collaborated across the disciplines in the making process to perform original works The authentic school production. .. uncovered through their mentorship I’d like to thank Victoria University for the support they have afforded me to complete my PhD I have been incredibly lucky to work with such altruistic teachers; I thank them for their work on this project I have immense respect and admiration for the incredible students who have shown the world that they can do it I thank Associate Professor Gloria Stillman for her collegial... and to know that their family will come to see their performance • Socio economic demographic – How much families can afford effects how much financially can be spent on the show It also requires the teacher to consider when the rehearsals can be held due to transportation for students from school to home (Ainsworth 2013, Wenthe 2007, and Shumow 2009) I refer throughout the thesis to the school production. .. whether there will be a school production Staffing decisions are made based on needs A school offering a production affords students an opportunity to participate The model of school production can vary greatly, from a school that prescribes the show produced, to the school that supports originality I have experienced both these extremes In my first year of teaching I was prescribed The Rocky Horror... Does the Broadway school production have any place in Australian schools? And if it does who makes these decisions and why? • What is the agenda of the school production? The reasons for the Broadway model of the school production, offered in the above table, give some insight to the questions above It seems to me that if the agenda of the school production is to emulate popular or dominant culture, then... PERFORMATIVE EDUCATION What is the school production? The school production occurs in varied states, usually as an extracurricular activity and can offer educators a unique insight into the possibility of authentic and creative learning, through real world opportunities in the theatre I refer to two models of the school production, the Authentic and the Broadway model It is important to understand these... for the teacher to do the work required; they set the tone for how a school production is revered in a school (Reichman 2001) • Teacher’s vision – The production teacher’s ability to have an aesthetic vision and the qualifications to run a theatre show with children that will develop them in many ways (Lewis and Rainer 2005, 2012) • Time constraints – How much time is afforded to the teacher and the. .. liberation, tend themselves to become oppressors’ (Freire 2005, 45), can be applied to the school production teacher when examining the critical pedagogy of a school production The school production offers the potential for students to have an active voice, to explore this voice and to learn through it As a teacher with a background in Performance Studies, I was not willing to listen to the ‘dominant narrative’... significance for this research Students felt they were being denied the chance to be a part of a big well-known show, which to them equated to being denied the privilege to shine in a big show, the opportunity to get the lead role and be better and more important than their classmates The teacher’s resistance is considered further in the Journal and Conclusion chapters as a projection for future investigation ... refer throughout the thesis to the school production as the school production so as not to confuse this theatre show for any other The nature of the production is dependent upon the school s expectations... for the teacher to the work required; they set the tone for how a school production is revered in a school (Reichman 2001) • Teacher’s vision – The production teacher’s ability to have an aesthetic... relation to the title of this thesis, The School Production – To be or not to be? Mary-Rose McLaren identifies the learning as: ‘A way of learning in the whole body – learning that engages the emotions