CREATIVE DRAMA/IMPROVISATION

Even though creative drama is generally used in elementary education, it plays a vital role in more advanced theatre studies.  Creative drama taps into the innate ability of all people to create personas and tell stories.  This is the basis of improvisation.  The improvisation referred to in these projects is not the comedic style of “Whose Line is it Anyway?” but the ability to create characters and dialogue in the moment.  Starting from this point, there is a natural progression to more technical acting and theatre studies.  “Creative drama is an improvisational, non-exhibitional, process-centered form of theatre in which the participants are guided by a leader to imagine, enact and reflect upon human experience” (Davis and Behm 10).  Working off of this definition of creative drama allows students to situate themselves and theatre work in a broader sense than that typical of traditional script and performance studies.

Skills and Understandings

Students will be able to

• Create tableaux and sculptures on a topic
• Create environments with classroom materials
• Develop a character through improvisation
• Work collaboratively to create dramatic work
• Create performance pieces using Choral Speak
• Create a soundscape for scenes or developed pieces

• Interpret stories using dramatic methods
• Interpret themes using dramatic methods
• Draw parallels between dramatic work and real life

• Reflect on their work and the work of their peers