Devising Theatre

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Drama (8)

Examining Middle School life through a dramatic lens

Each of our 8th graders spends three weeks putting together an original theatre piece. After identifying issues present in middle school life, the students use writing (both personal and fictitious narratives), interviews with other students, related outside sources, our middle school spaces and architecture, and movement pieces to explore those issues in depth. After gleaning and shaping the materials, the students collaborate to devise and perform a piece inspired and informed by the identified issues. These theatre pieces ask questions, offer a variety of voices and provide a venue for further conversations. Some issues we've examined include:

Romance:

How do you know if someone likes you? What is a middle school relationship? How long should a relationship last? What if you’re not straight? How long do middle school relationships last? What if you like someone and they don’t like you back? How can I get him/her to notice me? Does this ever get any easier?

Independence/Dependence:

"Am I dependable? I am dependable. I think I’m dependable. I hope people think I am dependable. I am able to depend on my friends and family. I hope they believe they can depend on me."

"I think we can be independent AND be interdependent at the same time. We rely on ourselves but we also rely on our friends and family."

Jealousy:

"Envy, and jealousy are closely related concepts, which is why so many people confuse them. Envy is something you feel towards someone who has something you want. Jealousy is something you feel about someone or something you already have and don't want to share. Incorrect: 'I was so jealous of him. He stole my best friend'. Correct: 'I envied him. He stole my best friend'."

Pressure:

"What if I’m doing something wrong? What if he doesn’t like me? What if she thinks I’m stupid? Or Ugly? Why do I have to be so tall? What if this is awkward? This IS awkward! What did you get on the test? How can I get all this work done? How can I meet all their expectations? What is everyone doing on Saturday? Where are you going to High School? Am I normal?"

Balance:

“When I was about seven years old, I read a book that I absolutely loved. It was a book about a boy who desperately wanted to be a tightrope walker in the circus. I was so inspired, I took the stilts I had gotten for Christmas and laid them sideways between my desk and my bed. Then I climbed onto one and tried to balance. I couldn’t and hit my ankle pretty hard when I landed. But I quickly got back on the stilts. I practiced on the stilts for what seemed like hours, but I never got past the ability to walk across the couple feet of stilt suspended above my bedroom floor. I quickly lost interest. I didn’t really want it enough to pursue it. I now rarely lose my balance and fall; I walk safely on the ground.”