Forum Theatre on Mental Wellness

By Leon Chen, DADP 1B01

Tuesday, 10th November 2009 was a day to remember. I performed in a Forum Theatre on Mental Wellness at the SP Auditorium! And I certainly needed some mental well-being that day as a virgin performer ;p

Two teams were involved – 1 and 2, and I was in team 2. Team 1’s story revolves around a girl named Nora who is trying to deal with stress from her friends, family and her coach. Team 2’s story revolves around a boy named Ryan who is dealing with a breakup from the girl he loves.

First to perform was team 1. Backstage, I was with the rest of the cast from team 2 and we were all practising our lines and getting into character for our performance. The moment team 1 finished, team 2 had to step on stage. As I walked onto the stage, applause could be heard and at the corner of my eyes, I could see my fellow classmates supporting me! I gave it my all not because I didn’t want to make a fool of myself but because of the people there supporting us and I didn’t want to let them down.

I would like to thank my seniors for guiding me along the way! I would also like to thank all the cast who supported me and told me that I could do it when I wasn’t really sure of it myself! I’d also like to thank the backstage crew who helped this performance be this successful. Nothing could have been achieved without the help from them! And lastly, I would like to thank the lecturers for giving me this precious opportunity.

The bonds that were developed during the weeks can never be replaced. So, vive le Forum Theatre and friendship!

Applied Drama Workshop with Professor Peter O'Connor

By Shirley Tan, DADP Year 1/01

The Applied Drama Workshop by Professor Peter O’ Connor from Applied Theatre Consultants Ltd (http://www.appliedtheatre.co.nz/) who flew all the way from New Zealand, was held on Wednesday 16th September. It was a time of learning and hard work, but with its fair share of fun!

During the workshop the class was tasked with creating frozen images by using their bodies to depict various social issues in Singapore and discussed how these images could be worked on towards a solution. Next was an activity of variations of the story ‘Goldilocks and the 3 Bears’. Each group had to use 2 lines from each member to create a storyline. Creative juices were flowing and it was a time of laughter after hours of hard work. After the workshop, Professor Connor shared with us a New Zealand cultural dance called the Haka. He taught us how to dance the traditional war Haka as we learnt in awe the meaning of it. It was indeed an honour for us to be able to indulge in the rich heritage of the Haka, as well as to share with him the language that made us Uniquely Singapore.

At the end of the day, the class walked away with valuable learning points such as how-tos for workshop facilitations and the theories of Augusto Boal, the famous Applied Drama practitioner. Although the essence of the workshop was covered in the course, probably no one had ever seen it the way Professor O’ Connor brought it to us. It was an eye-opening and deeply enriching time for all.

We would like to express our thanks and gratitude to Professor Peter O’ Connor for his patience and insightful teachings, and Ms Jennifer Wong for coordinating this workshop with roaring success!

Performance "H"

By Charlene Poon, DADP Year 2/01, with an introduction by Thomas Lim, DADP Year 2/01

"H" is a devised piece based on real-life interviews and a visit to a hospice, intertwined with personal experiences of the students involved in it. Set in a hospice, it explores the complexity behind altruism, social expectations and the process of dying.

What started out as an assessment for our Devised Drama module became a thought-provoking performance which we have put up about three times for various audiences, most memorably a performance at Celebrate Drama! 2009 at The Arts House in July. We had no idea that Performance "H" would go as far as this when we first began!

We started off by experimenting with dramatic improvisations; taking a look at what each person could bring to a context or idea spontaneously. The casting came a little later after the script had been written and finalised by the director in the group. I was cast as a nurse who was really jaded from working in a hospice and probably did not really bother being honest with herself about whether she was working in such a place because she genuinely cares or because it was just a job.

It is interesting to note that all of us had a lot to take away from the process of devising regardless of whether we were the director, actors, production manager, lights manager etc., because we had to work together as a group to research and discover about things such as how life is like for patients in a hospice, what the different kinds of attitudes those working in hospices have towards palliative care and what are the feelings and thoughts of dying patients. The process of actually deciding what to focus on was a tedious one since all of us had different ideas and opinions about what works and what does not. Ultimately, we had to bear in mind the objectives we had set in the beginning and the kind of message we would like to give to those who watched the performance.

Overall, the experience helped us to grow as students in the course by forcing us to confront the initial thoughts and stereotypes we might have had surrounding the topic we were working with. This is very beneficial because we really have to be on our toes throughout the course, and be unafraid and open enough to embrace or incorporate different perspectives with our own as we learn more about the various mediums and conventions in drama that can be use to impact different communities and the psychology that can aid in it.

CHIJ Toa Payoh Stress Management Workshop

By Kimberly Arriola , DADP Year 1/02

Upon arrival at CHIJ Toa Payoh Convent, I was nervous and excited at the same time – I was about to facilitate an actual workshop! Many “What Ifs” were running through my mind. “What if the students aren’t cooperative” or “What if I forget what to do?”

When our group of facilitators reached the classroom, we were greeted by two girls who sat quietly in a corner. I scanned the room. There wasn’t a teacher in sight. An image of chaos and horror flashed through my mind.

Oh my gosh, we were entirely on our own! My co-facilitators on the other end, seemed not to mind as they instructed the rest of the girls to return to class for the workshop to begin.

We started off with a round of introduction and an icebreaker game (SPLAT), which I facilitated. I was surprised that the girls were really co-operative and lively. It was a relief for me that I could give clear instructions and that the game went smoothly.

It was good thinking on my part (yes, self-praise is good!), to take Miss Chang’s advice and use an example when giving instructions as we had been taught during an Applied Drama class. I was glad that I did a good job but I felt that if I had spoken more clearly and slowly the girls could understand my instructions better. (Did you notice I can be humble too!)

Next we did a short performance that showed how two extreme students coped with exam stress differently. Carin played the nervous and worried student A , while yours truly was the cool and composed student B. The audience enjoyed the performance thoroughly.

After the performance, the participants were asked to form groups, according to the ways they cope with stress. They were then requested to put up their coping method as a 10-second performance. This gave the girls an opportunity to share the methods of how they cope with stress.

Everyone had a good laugh while watching the others perform. Deborah then explained to the participants the different forms of appraisals for coping with stress.

We ended the workshop with a mini “forum theatre”. We asked for examples on methods that student A and B could learn on how to cope with the stress that they experienced. The funniest suggestion was to do a chicken dance during an exam, unfortunately it was not feasible. We probably should have explained what was required more clearly. Well, in the end, we did do a chicken dance just for some entertainment value!

The experience of conducting a workshop was not as intimidating as I thought it would be and I had a lot of fun interacting with the students and teaching them about different methods of coping with stress.

Experience with MINDS

By Santhiya, DADP Year 2/02

During the three-week break in June, I had the chance to facilitate an applied drama workshop at the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS). Together with a lecturer and five of my course mates, we created a 10-hour programme, conducted over 5 days, to help a class of trainees learn social skills, like greeting each other with appropriate expressions, making requests and showing appreciation.

From planning to facilitation, I learnt to consolidate what I have learnt in both the applied drama and psychology modules. Firstly, I learnt about the intellectually disabled. Honestly, I have never encountered or worked with this special group of people. As much as I was looking forward to the experience, I was very worried because I really didn’t know how we were supposed to interact with them.

Secondly, I learnt how to plan applied drama activities for them. I guess the biggest challenge was to plan for participants with a mental age of 5 and yet to avoid assuming that their potential is limited. Initially I had a few problems approaching and getting them to participate in the activities. However as the sessions progressed, I witnessed increased enthusiastic participation from the participants. With constant encouragement and repetition, they were able to participate actively in most of the activities.

One needs a lot of patience and energy when working with the intellectually disabled because it’s hard for them to learn and they take longer to learn. The six of us were given chances to facilitate on our own. It was initially an intimidating experience. I had to ensure my instructions were as clear as possible and that I was going at an appropriate pace. Working with the participants has definitely given me more exposure and the satisfaction of helping them! Being intellectually disabled definitely doesn’t stop these participants from learning and having fun. And they all have their own unique personalities, just like all of us!

The most heart-warming moment happened when I saw the genuine happiness in them when they started dancing during the activities! I would certainly facilitate another applied drama workshop for MINDS again. And from what I have heard from my lecturer, MINDS has asked us to facilitate a similar workshop in a few months’ time. I am looking forward to that!

OK, so why this blog?

OK, so why would a polytechnic diploma need a blog? Wouldn't people just go to the Singapore Polytechnic website and get all the information there?

Short answer: Not really.

We decided to set up a blog because we wanted to showcase all the projects our wonderful students have done in the past and are doing now. We can do this more quickly and with less formality on a blog.

Also, applied drama is practically unknown in this part of the world. The DADP blog will hopefully help you to get a better idea of what applied drama is really all about.

Here's a link to help you get a better idea about what Applied Drama is, and what its practitioners do.