Drama therapy – what is drama therapy?
If I have not participated in the earlier Creative Arts Therapy Workshop series, I would expect more from Alex. I would expect him to teach me how to act in a drama, which I think I can see on the faces from some of the participants, my apologies Alex.
A group of kindergartens’ teacher were having their own agenda half way through and they have indeed expected Alex to teach ways to act in a drama. A group of arts teachers were waiting for Alex to give them clue on how to act in a drama and so for. A group of students are nodding away half way through on the theory side. That is my observation and might not be others view point.
I have bought in 4 HELP students into this workshop and after that I was asked by one, why is there no notes or handouts, we actually paid RM150. I told them this is the way Alex have his workshop, it is supposed to be an Action Learning Set, where a group of people brought together to analyze and to develop an action plan. It is a form of learning by doing. (Anyway, since they are not continuing further into this module, Alex would you like to share some notes with them for their further learning? It will be great help for them in future.)
Myself I am enjoying throughout especially during the acting in the magical room. The actions just came out from inside of me, and I just play on. It was fun to play the part of rabbit in The Rabbit and The Lion.
What is Drama therapy? (From Introduction to Drama therapy – Sue Jennings foreword by Clare Higgins)
Drama therapy is the application of theatre art in clinical, remedial and community settings with people who are troubled or unwell. It is necessary in a way as a transformative medium for people who are clinically ill, damaged or vulnerable.
The methods include movement, voice, dance, theatre games, role play, improvisation, text work, puppets and masks. The client groups can use verbal and non-verbal expression and resolution within a dramatic or story structure.
My unanswered questions:
1. Can I use drama therapy in children with no verbal, mutism and autism?
2. Is drama therapy same as group therapy? How?
3. How many session to see result?
Lastly, just wanted to share with you this video from YouTube, and it is very interesting. I thought that drama is supposed to be dull, dialog and etc, but less expected that it can be in the form of latest popular form - GLEE or High school musical. Hehehe.
Applying Sculting Work
14 years ago
hi, Melinda, thank you for sharing. actually i expect more alex too, like teach us on how to act ad role play. but after the workshop i am still blur blur....
ReplyDeletenvm, we will find out later :)
It’s OK, you don’t have to apologies, Melinda. Apologies are only necessary if you personally felt you may have hurt the other person feelings unintentionally. I am sure to let you know when I do feel hurt….:) To feel hurt means somehow I have disappoint myself because I could not fulfill others expectations of me. Just to let you know I can live with it....can the others? The feedback is useful though, many thanks for that don’t stop giving them to me. I have taken your observations on board and have given a lot of thought of how maybe to wake people up from a 'slumber' without colluding with their existing pattern and expectations and at the same time alienate myself by bringing them too far from their comfort zone. Do Malaysians expect to become a Dramatherapist in 6 hours for RM $150 seriously? I admit the workshop is originally designed for the full blended learning module, not a one off workshop where "Everything you want to know Dramatherapy but were afraid to ask" type of workshop. I note the active, acion oriented component of the workshop is always valued which is why I am seriously considering running more personal development type of workshop where adults can have legitimate reason to play rather than under the pretense of learning to become a 'dramatherapist' eh! its a thought.
ReplyDeleteMy own personal thoughts and feelings are….I am not teaching participants to be Oscar winning actors or actresses, well….. at least not in six hours :) and not at the workshop on Saturday, I thought the title and aims were explicit enough on the flyer. On the contrary, I find on the whole people are already good ‘actors’ and ‘actresses’ …… they just don’t know it and that seems to be the case for the majority of clients that I see. For some their lives are a whole pretense, the great pretender ……. pretending to one that they are not. The whole purpose would you believe it, is therapy through drama is to discover the authentic, genuine, true ‘you’ and become aware of the roles you are playing ……. the ‘perfect therapist’, ‘the know all trainer’, ‘the infallible parent’, ‘the good son/daughter’ etc. etc.
part 2 :)
ReplyDeleteIt must be very disappointing for the students, imagine what £150 could have bought them in terms of books……3 maybe….given the prices of books in Malaysia (this is said with tongue in cheek) What hope is there to for cultivating creative, critical, reflective minds for the future leaders and innovators of Malaysia? Its not the notes, its what sense do you make of it and how are they to be applied. As I have said again and again, it’s not the facts you can regurgitate, it’ s the questions that are generated by the inquisitive mind that informs the level of wisdom that is painfully gained from the experience you care to take the risk to exposed yourself to. We are in the so call information age, knowledge society….just Google and you have information overload, so do we need more trivia? I would be delighted to share any volume of notes, articles…….if only…they can formulate what they looking for…information for information sake are as good as a keeping donkeys because you may decide to journey across the North Pole.
I personally found the definition in the foreword by Clare rather limited and the terminology reflects values not aligned to my own. For one, its is not limited to people as described here as being ‘damaged’ as for me, well being is not the mere absence of dis-ease but being having the capacity to fully realize ones own human potential.
In your question 1 have you been to a dramatic performance that does depend on words? Silence movies, mime, ballet , clowning etc. etc. etc. Dramatherapy interventions can be utilized with groups as well as individuals. How could question 3 be rephrased? What makes this question a weak question?
Drama can be dull as train spotting to some. The questions is what is the ingredient in Creative Arts that can revitalized the human spirit, the ‘nature’, ‘intuitive’ part of us that had to be sacrificed in the altar of rationality and logic of modernism rather than in being in ecological balance with it. Thanks again for your feedback and maybe the students can come back again when they graduate, in the meantime, do play, find a drama club where they can join. Email if they want resources for any CAT work they may be working on.