Strategies for Playbuilding: Helping Groups Translate Issues Into Theatre
SummaryText
Author Will Weigler brings more than twenty years of experience with urban and rural theatre companies to the development of this award-winning text, winner of the 2002 Distinguished Book Award of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education. The introduction's opening sentence summarises the book's intent: To offer "...the reader a practical, step-by-step approach to helping a group of young people collaboratively investigate the issues that concern them and turn their perceptions into a script, song lyrics, or choreography".
The book is divided into five chapters that explain the playbuilding process from the first meeting with participants through to the actual performance. Chapter headings include Developing an Ensemble and Building Skills; Identifying and Investigating the Topic; Building Dialogue, Lyrics and Choreography; Weaving Individual Performance Pieces into a Show; and Rehearsing and Performing.
Every chapter suggests what to do and then explains why this approach is helpful or a necessary step. Checklists and worksheets are included within the chapters and appendices; for example, a skills inventory, process checklist, and participant contract, among others.
The step-by-step approach emphasises collaborative learning at every stage. “The methodology is not designed just for kids. Adults looking for ways to examine and animate the dialogues about issues facing their community will find in these exercises an exciting alternative to more conventional discussion formats”. The book's techniques aim to provide non-threatening ways to discuss and analyse sensitive themes such as prejudice, sexual orientation, ageism, etc.
Although the text was not specifically written for an international audience, multicultural examples are provided. Chapter three includes nine diverse “pieces” that the author has helped to facilitate from the process stage to the final production. Expensive props or special effects are not relied upon to reach the audience. Most of the “tools” suggested can be obtained or adapted for a low-budget context. An extensive list of possible tools is detailed in Appendix A.
According to the author, this book is appropriate for community theatre, schools, and religious groups, and can be adapted for the international health and development context.
Click here to order the publication online from the publisher.
Click here to order from Amazon.com.
The book is divided into five chapters that explain the playbuilding process from the first meeting with participants through to the actual performance. Chapter headings include Developing an Ensemble and Building Skills; Identifying and Investigating the Topic; Building Dialogue, Lyrics and Choreography; Weaving Individual Performance Pieces into a Show; and Rehearsing and Performing.
Every chapter suggests what to do and then explains why this approach is helpful or a necessary step. Checklists and worksheets are included within the chapters and appendices; for example, a skills inventory, process checklist, and participant contract, among others.
The step-by-step approach emphasises collaborative learning at every stage. “The methodology is not designed just for kids. Adults looking for ways to examine and animate the dialogues about issues facing their community will find in these exercises an exciting alternative to more conventional discussion formats”. The book's techniques aim to provide non-threatening ways to discuss and analyse sensitive themes such as prejudice, sexual orientation, ageism, etc.
Although the text was not specifically written for an international audience, multicultural examples are provided. Chapter three includes nine diverse “pieces” that the author has helped to facilitate from the process stage to the final production. Expensive props or special effects are not relied upon to reach the audience. Most of the “tools” suggested can be obtained or adapted for a low-budget context. An extensive list of possible tools is detailed in Appendix A.
According to the author, this book is appropriate for community theatre, schools, and religious groups, and can be adapted for the international health and development context.
Click here to order the publication online from the publisher.
Click here to order from Amazon.com.
Publishers
Number of Pages
144