DRAMA thoughts #3: Voice

Offerings Activity

In workshop we learnt about an activity designed to explore elements of voice - pitch, tone, volume and gesture to bring words to life. We did this through 'offerings'. In this activity the concept is that in pairs, students give one another gifts, using a few different variations. In all however, the emphasis is on acceptance of the gift and mirroring the emotions of the gift-giver:

1.  Using gibberish: students use the pitch, tone, volume and gesture to take turns presenting a gift with a partner without explicitly stating what it is. It may be a heavy gift, or a light gift, or a gift that flies away when given. The gift-receiver mirrors and expresses their emotion at receiving this gift. It may be disgust, excitement, anger, disappointment, pure joy. The beauty of this activity is that it hones in on the voice and as it is gibberish, it frees students up from trying to think of a precise gift.
2. Using words: students again take turns presenting gifts, this time using words to express what they have brought.
3. Using mime: students present gifts using mime to express what the gift is and the accompanying emotion.

I really enjoyed the gibberish and mime activities, as I felt more free to imagine and express myself. In contrast, during the word focused activity, I felt put on the spot to come up with a good item and I think it would be best to start with gibberish and mime, to warm up to the words activity.


Some food for thought:

What is drama?

• Expression (comes from who you are)
• Using your voice or body to tell a story
• Taking on a role (adopting another person's persona)
• The plotting of psychological ideas to outline plot/experience
• Dorothy Heathcote: "Drama is about humans in a mess"

Role

• We need to know who we are in the drama, where we're from, what we're doing
• Located in the dramatic context
• Scaffolding is important, for example in Early Stage 1, setting up the types of physicality

How do students learn in drama?

• Making: taking on roles, working well with others to develop drama
• Performing: for a variety of audiences
• Appreciating: responding to their drama and the drama of others

Forms: improvisation, movement, mask, video drama, mime, storytelling, playbuilding, reader's theatre, puppetry

Elements of drama: tension, contrast, focus, mood, time, rhythm, symbol. These elements can be demonstrated and discussed using this Diane Arbus photograph: