Theatre in education research
Following on
from preliminary research, I have found lots of information about where theatre
in education originated and why it was created.
Brian Way
set up the Theatre Centre in London in 1953 and then went on to develop ‘Theatre
in Education’ which was launched in Coventry at Belgrade Theatre in 1965. Way
worked alongside many people including Gordon Vallins who had previously worked
in both drama and educational jobs. The work of Brian and his team was seen as
such a great style of theatre that the idea soon spread around the nation as
more Theatre in Education companies were set up.
The idea
came around just after the end of the Second World War as education was seen as
very dry and nothing relatively new was being proposed. This style of theatre
was able to engage children like they had never been able before so was
beginning to be used in schools right from when it was created. Before and
during the Second World War, education was very dry and lacked a sense of
excitement. Lessons were taking with a one-way approach meaning that the
teacher would stand at the front of the classroom and talk straight to the
children. There was very little interaction between the teacher and the
children. When theatre in education was proposed, it opened up a whole new
learning method which enabled the children to interact with the performance as
it went along. It allows the children to connect with the characters and it
becomes a more immersive way of learning as the educational message is embedded
within the entertainment. The pieces were generally performed to quite small
groups of children and still are to this day but can be performed to larger
groups of people.
When the
Theatre in Education projects were first announced and started performing in
schools, they were centrally funded. However, in the modern day, practitioners
delivering T.I.E have to now apply for funding due to funding cuts.
For a
Theatre in education piece to be successful, it has to have key elements and
characteristics. The list below shows some of the key characteristics that the
piece must have in order to be successful:
· A theme/educational message must be
running throughout the play
· There are moments for audience
participation
· A small cast which normally means that
some members will have to multi-role or play an instrument
· The costumes must be representational
of the characters especially if the piece is being performed to young children
so it is easier for them to understand what is going on
Originally
theatre in education was created for children and it would be performed in
schools to educate the children and bring a new type of education. However, as
time has passed theatre in education companies started to produce material
which was then being performed to people within prisons, hospitals and care
homes.
Many
different themes are explored within the Theatre in Education sector. Theatre
in Education started by performing to young children within schools, however
now the style can be performed to people of all ages. This now means that the
themes of these pieces has been broadly opened so that now the themes will suit
the ages of which they are being performed to. Here is a list of themes that
can be explored within theatre in education:
· Parts of the national curriculum – subjects/topics
that are being taught to children in the classroom
· Traditional plays which have been
slightly adapted or manipulated to suit a certain style
· Employment, higher education.
Parenting – topics for adult theatre in education pieces
· History and looking back into the
past for an elderly audience within a care home
When
planning a Theatre in Education piece there are many different things that need
to be considered. Firstly, the target audience needs to be considered. This is
probably one of the most important things to consider when devising a piece.
This is because if the piece is not targeted at the correct age group, the
audience will become bored and will not enjoy the performance. Secondly, the
size of the audience needs to be considered too. The venue of which the
performance will take place needs to be considered. This is so the crew are
familiar with the space, how big it is and what facilities are available. This
will enable them to make the most out of the space to therefore make the
performance as good as possible. Thirdly, any health and safety issues need to
be assessed. This could include writing a risk assessment of all of the hazards
and preventions that come with them. Lastly, the main theme of the performance
must be decided. This will normally mean that a message must be established
which will run throughout the piece. The performance can then start to build
around this theme.
Here are
some links to the websites that I used when carrying out research:
BBC GCSE
Bitesize:
Beyond the
door:
Since Theatre in education
originated in the 1950’s, more and more theatre in education companies have
been established and have grown. One big Theatre in education company is Big
Brum. Big Brum is located in Birmingham but works all over the west midlands. They
were established in the 1980’s and work with over 5000 children in 80 different
schools every year. The company perform several different shows during s period
of time and each of these different shows is tailored to the needs of the
school. For example, the company currently have a tour ‘Rumpelstiltskin’ which
is normally performed to children within year groups 2 – 4 but it can be made
to be suitable for children in younger or older years. Here is a link to their
website to find out more information:
Another example of a Theatre in education company is
Hobgoblin theatre company. This theatre company were established in 2007 making
them a fairly modern theatre in education company. When the theatre company was
first set up, only 2 shows were on offer but now they perform over 20 shows
right across the UK. They focus on performing to children in reception, key
stage 1 and key stage 2. Some of the topics that they explore during their
performances are history, maths, English, science, traditional tales, art and
British values. Everything from costume making to script writing is done by
members of the theatre company which allows them to keep everything fresh and
up to date. They believe that audience participation is a key element to their
performances and that it enables the children to become more involved in the
story. Here is a link to their website to find out more information:
Some valuable research here. Hopefully, this will help you to make informed choices about material and delivery later on in the process.
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