• our 2008 and 2009 Director of Programs (Education Officer) will be on maternity leave for 2010
• our newly appointed 2010 Director of Programs has now left the association for employment elsewhere
• a new Director of Programs has been appointed to replace our original Director of Programs
• there are several new members on the 2010 Committee of Management, elected at our recent AGM on 13 March
• there are several new Executive members, elected at our recent committee meeting on 18 March
• the newly elected President is actually the original 2010 Director of Programs

Hope this isn’t too confusing!

All Drama Victoria members (individuals, institutions, schools etc) on Drama Victoria’s email list should have received a recent email detailing who everyone is in the various positions listed above.

After three years as President of Drama Victoria, and the past eight years on the Drama Victoria Executive, I have decided to step down into a non-Executive role on the Drama Victoria Committee for 2010.

Learning Must Be Fun: Let’s face it, school isn’t exactly a bundle of laughs for many teenagers, so on the top of my priority list for effective Drama teaching is make sure as many of your lessons and activities as possible are fun for your students. While you’re at it, remind yourself that if you don’t make learning fun, you’ve lost half the class … instantly. I even take a risk and tell my students at the start of a course that one of my responsibilities is to ensure their learning in Drama will be fun for them and that they are encouraged to tell me whenever the fun has stopped!

Keep Your Students Engaged: I never stop asking my students what they’re into, no matter what year level. While my enquiries are genuine, it also enables me to stay young and by knowing what’s cool at the moment, I can always use this to my advantage to adapt a future exercise, drama game or activity, so my students remain engaged in Drama. These enquiries allow me to tailor ensemble performance topics to their interests etc. Being critical of your own teaching has its advantages, too. Mix it up a little and never get stale with your delivery, so your students keep engaged.

Know Your Students Well: I always make an effort to get to know my students, ask what bands their into, genres of music, films etc. Particularly if they are senior students. Always keep professional boundaries very clear. Never try to win students over by pretending to be their friend. You’re their teacher. But good teachers care for their students beyond the textbook and the classroom.

Set Clear Guidelines and Expectations: I set my expectations in the very first lesson of a Drama course, to avoid any confusion later on. I’ve blogged on The Drama Teacher before, that I will not accept laziness and lying (to the teacher) in my classroom. I make no apologies for it. I set my student expectations high at the beginning and spend most of my Drama courses encouraging (daring?) my students to see what they are capable of in Drama.

Ensure Everyone Respects Each other. Every Drama course I teach, at any level, begins with an agreement that my students firstly respect themselves, secondly respect other students in the class and thirdly respect me as their teacher. In return I tell them I will respect them all by default each time they enter my classroom. I ask students to respect why other students have elected to do this Drama course and to respect those that are less confident than themselves. This results in a warm atmosphere where less confident or able students are more prepared to take risks in performance work before their peers. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of respect in the Drama classroom.

Know Your Content. You can’t be a whiz in Drama teaching overnight. It takes time. Although I have blogged here before that in my opinion knowledge is not necessarily king in the Drama classroom, knowing your content certainly can’t go astray. Once you have gained much knowledge, two more things become important: firstly, remember we never stop learning and secondly, never be afraid to learn from a student. It empowers them and they respect you more as a teacher in return. Never pretend to know all the answers in front of your students.

90% Perspiration and 10% Inspiration. I’m sure many of you may have heard of this old adage. It’s true in Drama teaching, too. The most creative students you’ve ever seen in a Drama classroom will be useless if they are not prepared to put in the hard yards. I remind my students all the time, they have to be prepared to perspire if they want to achieve their own personal goals in Drama.

Keep Ownership with Your Students. When a school play or musical is a huge success, when an in-class Drama performance was fantastic, when your students performed beyond their wildest dreams … always keep the ownership with them, not you. While it may be true that you directed the musical, guided them in their class performance, or helped them every second step of the way, I always try to remind my students that the wonderful product they created belongs to them. This is when they smile and become very proud, but more importantly, realise what they are truly capable of in Drama. Encouragement and positive feedback will always return far bigger dividends than you ever expected in a discipline such as Drama.

Whether it is an A+ or a C, there’s nothing more satisfying than a Drama student being rewarded with a grade beyond what they believed they were capable of. Using these tips, above, has worked wonders for me over the years. I hope they work for you, too.

The last time Drama Victoria hosted our national Drama conference was in 2001, so it will once again be several years before Melburnians can be a part of such a great professional learning opportunity.

Added bonuses of a national Drama teachers’ conference include:

• more academic papers
• top quality keynote speakers
• workshop presenters from interstate
• enhanced evening events (theatre shows etc)
• additional university lecturer presentations and papers from various states of Australia
• the chance to mingle with colleagues teaching a different Drama/Theatre curriculum to your own
• great trade displays offering everything from stage lighting to masks and make-up

We have presenters coming from all corners of the country and New Zealand, as well. It is not too late to register for a full or part registration of this three-day event.

The conference keynote speakers all have a theatre/performance background and are employing it in their current work. They will be speaking on a variety of topics including indigenous Australian drama, sustainable theatre on and off the stage, and the role of drama in Australian youth and their views on the future. There will also be one keynote address that will be part performance-based.

• Michael Kantor: former Artistic Director of Malthouse Theatre
• Stefo Nantsous: founder Zeal Theatre
• Dr Helen Cahill: Deputy Director of the Youth Research Centre, University of Melbourne
• Dr Maryrose Casey: Lecturer, Monash University

Academic program overview and registration details.

Justin Cash

President, Drama Victoria.

October 25-31, 2009

Leitring bei Leibnitz, Austria

PARTICIPANTS:

Actors of physical, dramatic, dance and musical theatres, dancers, choreographers, circus performers, directors.

The programme includes intensive physical training, lectures, discussions and a conference. The Lab is open to performers from different creative genres and techniques inspired by Physical Theatre as a bold, vibrant and multidimensional approach to contemporary theatre performance. Practical physical training is the core of the Lab programme. Participants will explore physicality as the key to form, style, atmosphere and emotional palette in contemporary performance. Practical sessions develop in the form of various exercises which progress from simple to compound. Gradually the group is proceeding to group improvisations and structures. Every day is setting advanced creative tasks, developing the preceding steps.

Each day begins with morning warm-up which combines breathing, movement and imagination. It helps participants to wake up and to prepare for the intensive practical process during the day.

Practical training. Part I. Training by method of improvisation.

Practical training. Part II. Structural Improvisation. From exercises to performance.

Practical training. Part III. Principles of Biomechanics. Meyerhold’s etudes.

Lectures & Discussions: Performer’s Physicality in the methods of Meyerhold, M.Chekhov and Stanislavsky.

The Lab will take place in the beautiful town located within 30 min from Graz Thalerhof Airport, 2.5h from Vienna by car, 40 min from Graz by car, and 20 minutes from the Slovenian border. The public transportation to the venue is easy. The programme will take place in the historic castle of the 16th century.

Accommodation and meals are organized for the group.

Programme & Registration:

http://www.iugte.com/projects/PhysicalTheatre.php

As with all years, there was a variation in the quality, even though all students reportedly scored perfect exam marks with their piece last October. This is to be expected somewhat, when one considers other possible criteria for selection in the program:

• mix of characters
• mix of male/female performers
• mix of city and regional students
• mix of Government, Independent and Catholic schools represented

Not to mention these performers were spread over three sessions of 11 in the program and that they “resurrected” their exam performance several times in order to perform it six months later.

For me, what stood some performers out from the pack was a combination of research, scripting, skill, energy and stage presence. Potentially good solos were weakened by a lack of performer energy or obvious nerves, while potentially less exciting examination structures were boosted by quality research, fabulous scripts and wonderful stage presence.

Each year I highlight in my program performers in each Top Class Drama session of 11 that stand out from the pack. I’m not naming names here, suffice to say that my number of exceptional performers in each session was as follows:

• Friday, 11am: 4
• Friday 2pm: 3
• Saturday 2pm: 6

The new venue at the Melbourne Recital Centre was fabulous and very attractive to our younger audience, though I’m sure a lot of people will be lobbying for microphoned performers in 2010. Filming the performances for DVD sale to teachers was also an exciting venture that has only occurred once before at Top Class Drama.

Thought I’d finish this post with a few more observations. Our students only require a simple prop to use and possibly transform in their performance in order to make it enthralling and pleasing to the assessors. Here’s a list of some of the props used this year:

• cloth bone
• drumsticks
• suitcase
• milk crates
• boxes
• rostrum
• briefcase
• ladder
• screen
• fence
• see-saw
• telephone
• pen
• hoops
• hose
• chest

Interestingly, my year 11 class decided the more successful props were of the “home made” variety, constructed by the student (or helpers), as opposed to existing everyday objects. Why? They believed the home made props were deliberately better suited to the content of the solo before transformation.

My final observation is that costume items have finally made their complete introduction into the Top Class program. One of the best performances used no traditional objects (props), but rather transformed a hat. Other examples included scarves and material being transformed. The big question is though, are these objects? Technically, they weren’t even costume-props, but items of costume. Makes it a little tricky for “object” transformation” when your definition of “object” is “prop” and it is costume that is being transformed…

Today (November 27th) is celebrated worldwide across the drama and theatre in education community as the very first IDEA Day. Below is a message from the President of IDEA, about today. It offers a fascinating insight into drama education on a global scale.

As the President of IDEA, I’m delighted to declare November 27th International Drama/Theatre and Education Day. We now have a specific date to celebrate our rich and distinctive contribution to the global project of cultivating a human education, human rights and peace for all, in particular for young people, children, and excluded communities that are threatened by violence.

Of course, this is not an easy time to celebrate. All generations and continents today are painfully aware of how global warming, widening social inequality, violence, poverty and AIDS intimately touch our lives and threaten our futures. Every drama teacher, pupil, theatre artist and community seems to be placing dehumanization, increasing pressure, youth despair and unsustainable competition centre stage in his/her everyday performances. And like 9/11, today’s financial crisis threatens to turn our homes, schools and work-places into another global workshop of hopelessness or theatre of denial.

But there are also real grounds for hope. In every corner of the world, communities, schools, colleges and cultural centres are generating new performances of solidarity and cooperation, drawing on decades of experiment, research and collaboration. Industrial waste is being recycled into musical instruments and epic sculptures of vision. Rows of desks are being placed against walls to transform classrooms of fearful competition and alienation into performances of community and innovation. And theatre artists and university drama departments are working with teachers, police, prisoners and communities of special needs to nurture confidence, human rights and networks of cooperation. In all of the 90 countries that make up the present IDEA community, our capacity to offer a new paradigm of education based on artistic languages is coinciding with an emerging consensus that we need to change the world’s performance before it is too late.

However, though there may be a consensus among us that our artistic languages need to be fully integrated into education to nurture our multiple intelligences and capacity to care and create to prepare all people for a permanently-changing, technologically-driven, ‘knowledge-based’ world, we cannot be naïve. In many parts of the ‘developed world’, the arts in education are being replaced by laptops and ‘basic skills’. And in every region of the world, most parents and teachers still think of the arts and creative industries as elitist luxuries or irrelevant to their lives.

So when we toast IDEA Day this 27th November, lets call on a few neighbours, teachers, journalists, industrialists, politicians or friends working outside our community of drama/theatre and education, to celebrate with us!

Let’s tell, or better still, let’s perform how our stories of drama and theatre educate and nurture, and listen to the questions of those who are not yet partners in this global project. Let’s make this November 27th a day of learning to share our knowledges and enlarge the stage of transformation.

Dan Baron Cohen, President of IDEA

Chair of the World Alliance for Arts Education

IDEA Website

If you’re a drama teacher then you have a strong passion for the stage and teaching your students an appreciation for the arts. Some students may not take our classes as seriously as they do a math or a science class but once they get into the semester they’re sure to enjoy drama class more than any other subject area. The key for us as teachers of drama is to make sure that our students get excited about our subject matter and for us to erase the stigma that drama is a “joke” class. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you get geared up for another school year:

1. Start each class with a warm-up. In order to get your students focused for the day’s class it’s a good idea to start with a warm-up. If you have a more rambunctious class then start with something that requires them to follow instructions. Pick something that correlates with the day’s subject matter as well. This will help get the kids focused on the task at hand.
2. Set clear rules. Some students have trouble taking serious subjects seriously. What we mean here is that many students will act irresponsible if a touchy subject is being analyzed. If you’re introducing a play that has mature themes then it’s always a good idea to discuss with your class how we handle such subjects before introducing the play.
3. Treat the subject matter with seriousness. Students will sometimes think that drama class is “play time.” This happens even with older students. It’s imperative that kids don’t simply blow off your class. Remind them that school rules and policies are in effect in your classroom and that they’re being graded. When students are reminded of this last fact they are usually quick to get back on task.
4. Maintain a scene’s integrity. If you’re teaching a lesson where the students are improvising it’s important that you foster their creativity while maintaining the integrity of the class. Improvisation is a great way to get the creative juices flowing but you need to instill the mindset in your students that this isn’t a game but a serious activity.
5. Stick to your lesson plan. When you create your lesson plan for the day it’s important that you clearly identify the academic objectives you intend to reach that day. Make sure that you’re not eliminating the fun from drama. While you need to keep students on task be sure to keep in mind that you’re not teaching chemistry and it’s perfectly okay to have a great time in drama class!

This article is contributed by Heather Johnson, who regularly writes on How to become a teacher. She invites your questions and writing job opportunities at her personal email address: heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

When I first began teaching some years ago, knowing my content was crucial. I recall being the only Drama teacher in a Catholic coeducational secondary school, equally horrified and excited about the prospect of designing six years of Drama curriculum in my first few weeks of teaching.

I went straight to the Principal and requested more money in my annual budget so I could purchase a couple of dozen ‘essential’ teacher reference books on theatre. I was fortunate as my wish was granted, so I instantly I armed myself with books and read like crazy, grabbing bits and pieces from a wide array of source material for my new curriculum design.

And so I never thought I would question what I always believed in Drama teaching … that knowledge of content is king … until today.

In recent years I have learned that knowledge of your teaching discipline is not paramount, after all. Today I believe the most important element of my teaching is rapport with students and engagement in the classroom.

I’m not denying the importance of knowing your facts, but what I am saying is that as an educator, you can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you fail to engage your students properly when delivering it, all that knowledge goes out the classroom window … in one ear of your students and straight out the other.

It is very difficult to engage your students if you don’t have a good relationship with them, and I don’t just mean as a cohort, but individually. In order to achieve a healthy rapport with your students, you need respect … and respect will never be given to you on a platter by your students … as many of us know all too well, respect must be earned.

In order to earn our students’ respect, one must do away with the grand old notion that we’re somehow better than them. I know this may sound a little out of place perhaps, but it is all too true that many teachers feel they are better than their students simply because they are older and more qualified. The day a teacher starts treating his or her students as equals (no matter what age), is the same day that teachers earns each students’ respect.

I am blessed that I have reached that point in my Drama teaching career where my students respect me for who I am and no more do I need to put on a mask as I enter the classroom. What they see is what they get. A combination of factors (including working at a great school) have enabled me to reflect on my current situation as a special time in my career.

They listen.
They are engaged.
They learn.

We have fun.
We share stories.
We love drama.

I make mistakes.
They accept my faults.
I’m human.

I don’t know everything.
But that’s OK, because knowledge is not king anymore.
My relationship with my students is far more important.

Apologies for possibly the longest time between posts on this site. It has been the craziest past month or so. One very familiar to any high school Drama teacher.

At my school, I am in the strangest of positions. As Head of Drama, I have no involvement in the annual musical production, which is run entirely by a nearby Catholic boys school, recruiting the girls from my College for the big show. This meant six years ago, I inherited a biennial senior school play. But three years ago, I dumped the school play concept in favour of academic showcases of student drama in Years 10-12 (separate showcases for each year level, one per semester).

So….in the past six or seven school weeks my Drama department has staged a Year 12 Drama solo performance showcase, had a student teacher (she was awesome so its all OK!), run a festival of Year 10 student-written and directed 20-minute plays, helped the student teacher find a job for next year (success!), run a Year 11 Drama solo performance showcase last night and another Drama showcase of student work from the Year 10′s is happening early next week.

Behind the scenes there’s teaching, preparing Year 12′s for their performance and written exams, getting ready for Speech Night, attending a Year 12 Graduation ceremony, discussing performing arts university courses with students, posting off the Year 12′s more Drama exam preparation material because they’re so keen (don’t get me wrong, I can hardly complain here! After adequate in-class exam preparation and sitting two practice exams under exam conditions, they wanted to sit more of them!). Anyone who is starting their first year of Drama teaching next year, all I can say is it’s a wonderful ride, but get ready for it!

It’s at times like this (in my case, one day last week) that you sometimes wonder if it is all worth it? Do I need this much stress in my life? Do I get paid enough to do this amount of work? Why am I putting in so much of my time with extra-curricular activities for no time allowance or pay (even if i did get these, it wouldn’t come close to matching the hours given)?

The answer to these questions really is a bit mushy. I recall a few years ago my former Principal saying at a staff meeting that teaching is a vocation. Here, she was clearly implying the sooner we realise that in teaching, we often do extra work for the good of all, show commitment above and beyond the required minimum just because we want to, and strive with our colleagues to reach a common goal, then we will become better teachers in the process.

At the end of the day, we should never lose sight of the thrill we get as teachers, when our students achieve something as a direct result of our instruction … from the strongest in the class to the weakest. As Drama teachers, we always do much more than the minimum because we are dedicated to our craft and believe in the value of education. We believe that a subject such as Drama can have a profound effect on our students, both today and in later life as an adult, and in many different ways. We are teaching for the benefit of our students, after all.

In the past few weeks, in amongst the flurry of activity described above, several students have given me cards and gifts as appreciation for things I have done or for being their teacher over the years. Gifts aside, it was the students’ words on the cards that meant so much to me. It came from their heart and was written in their own personal voice. It placed things in perspective and reminded me why I am a teacher. Not for the money, not for the occasional gift, but for the difference I have made in the life of a young human being.

I know my students understand their words mean a lot to me, or they would never have written anything in the first place. But just how much their words of thanks have meant to me, I think they will never, ever really know…

Many people may not know Drama Australia represents over 1,100 members through its state and territory Drama teaching associations. Keep in mind, a ‘member’ can also be an affiliate member, and one membership can represent four Drama teachers in a school, not just one. When taking this into account, Drama Australia represents far more than 1,100 individuals in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions across government, independent and Catholic sectors.

Drama Australia concerns itself with issues in drama education on a national level and has strong connections with other peak bodies such as the International Drama/Theatre and Education Association (IDEA), the National Affiliation of Arts Educators (NAAE) and the Australian Drama Studies Association (ADSA). Drama Australia is governed by a committee of management with executive members looking after everything from academic Drama publications and research, to international and industry liaisons and new projects in the field.

Drama Australia regularly publishes documents that assist drama educators across the country, such as equity and diversity guidelines, working conditions recommendations and guidelines for teaching Drama to and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, to name just a few. Drama Australia also publishes periodic academic journals in drama education such as NJ and ADEM (Australian Drama Education Magazine).

Drama Australia is a voice of advocacy for drama education in this country and beyond our shores, and has close ties with each of the state and territory Drama teacher associations.

At Drama Australia’s Annual Meeting of Council over the weekend, we were saddened by the disbanding of NTADIE (Northern Territory Association for Drama in Education) and as a result, for the first time a state or territory Drama teaching association is not officially represented at the national level.

We were disturbed by a developing trend of shrinking drama education courses at the tertiary level, as witnessed recently by the closure of courses at several NSW institutions.

We were impressed (and jealous) by Drama Queensland‘s recent move into electronic academic member journals. Drama Queensland surveyed their members who approved the association’s transition into member-login retrieval of their regular academic publications on drama education in electronic pdf form, via their website. Gone are the days where Drama Queensland prints their journals the ‘old skool‘ way!

We relived the buzz and excitement of Drama NSW‘s fantastic hosting of the last year’s Drama Australia national conference in Sydney. With over 230 delegates attending from all corners of the country, this was a wonderful event jam-packed with a diversity of activities.

We previewed yet-to-be-distributed working and publicity material for SAADIE’s (South Australian Association for Drama in Education) hosting of the next Drama Australia conference in Adelaide on 9th-11th May, 2008. This conference will make strong links with ASSITEJ (International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People), whose world congress and festival for young people will be held in Adelaide at the same time. I can tell you, the Drama Australia conference hosted by SAADIE next year looks awesome (there is no other word for it) and from enjoying a sneak preview of some of its events, this conference is not to be missed if you teach Drama in Australia!

Just in case you may be wondering how much work goes into the planning of hosting the Drama Australia conference, even us representing Drama Victoria spoke a few words about our initial ideas for the national conference to be held in Melbourne in 2009. We will offer Drama Australia and the other state and territory Drama teaching associations more concrete details of our planning at the next Drama Australia AMC at the May conference in Adelaide next year.

At the AMC we discussed so many issues in drama education in Australia over the course of two days, it was mind-bending! At times I felt like this guy….