A Virtual C onference for a Digital Age W elcome the 2020 Drama Victoria Digital C onference. The conference theme this year is Kaleidoscope: shifting perspectives in drama education. The term derives from the G reek ‘kalos’ meaning beautiful, and ‘eidos’ meaning form – beautiful form. The theme reflects the essence of Drama education and captures the changing face of Drama teaching in 2020 and beyond. A kaleidoscope gives us a different view every time we turn the dial. This year as Drama teachers we have witnessed the turning of the dial, and the many shifting perspectives and experienced the challenges and opportunities that remote teaching has offered us and our students. Kaleidoscope: shifting perspectives in Drama education invited contributions from practitioners, educators, industry and research to respond to one of the following themes: · Reflecting on Drama education · C hanging views and perspectives · The essential components or ‘parts’ of Drama education It is with great pleasure we present our program, a rich series of workshops, interactive presentations, and research papers for delegates to engage with in the online space. You won’t need to get out of your pyjamas, and you won’t need to wear a mask! O n Friday 11 September from 5.30pm, bring your favourite Q uarantini or herbal tea, order in and relax. O ur conference begins with a welcome to conference, acknowledgement of country, a special keynote panel, entertainment, and the announcement of the Drama Victoria Awards for 2020. Saturday 12 September presents a full day of professional learning and workshops beginning at 8.45am. Four concurrent streams are available to select from in each session, and there are built in networking sessions and breaks - all from the comfort of your own home. W e know you will want to attend all the sessions, but you will have to choose. The good news is that this year all delegates receive a conference pass. The pass gives you access to the Drama Victoria C onference Vimeo C hannel where all recordings of the live presentations will be available for a two-week period from 13 September. And, to accommodate all the presenters’ needs several sessions will be pre-recorded and made available on the same Vimeo C hannel. This is a digital conference so it’s all…digital! The C onference delivery platform is Zoom. After selecting your preferred sessions, links will be uploaded to the C onference App so you can participate. In 2020 Drama Victoria re-introduces the C onference App which will house our program, quizzes, resource uploads and updates. Don’t worry, all the conference information will also be available on the Drama Victoria website for those who need it. W hat would a conference be without prizes? Drama Victoria conference regulars will be aware of the physical passports we have used in the past to indicate you have engaged with our conference advertisers. This year we won’t disappoint but you will need to hang around until C onference C lose at 5.00pm on 12 September. There may even be a playoff for top prize – remember 2019? The C onference team is proud to bring you this year’s conference and excited to bring our community together in this way. W e look forward to welcoming you to Kaleidoscope in September. Meg Upton and J ane C arter C o-C onference Directors Drama Victoria
CONFERENCE O VERVIEW
D AY1 FRIDAY 11 SEPTEMBER
5.30pm
W elcome to C onference: C onference C o-Directors Meg Upton and J ane C arter W elcome from Drama Victoria President, Andrew Byrne W elcome to C ountry
5.45pm
Keynote Panel Discussion
6.30pm
Entertainment – comic and uncompromising – W atch this space!
6.50pm
Drama Victoria Awards Announcing the superstars of Drama and Theatre education in 2020
7.00pm
N etworking with BYO drinks and a quiz – the stakes are high
7.30pm
C lose with huge expectations for Saturday
KEYNO TE: W e can’t go to the theatre! How can the theatre come to us? A panel discussion from some of our favourite theatre companies talking about how they have adapted to our new reality in terms of theatre experiences. W e welcome representatives from Melbourne Theatre C ompany (Associate Director, Petra Kalive), Malthouse Theatre (Associate Producer, Annie Bourke), Arena Theatre (Artistic Director, C hristian Leavesley), Arts C entre Melbourne (Head of Education, Katy W arner), Polyglot (Artistic Director, Sue G iles) and La Mama (Learning Program Producer, Maureen Hartley). W e have asked our panel to consider: How has your organisation engaged with the education sector during lockdown? W hat has the online space offered? W hat new ideas are emerging? W hat will be important to a theatre company’s re-engagement with students when we are all back in foyers and creative spaces? W hat will stay the same? W hat will change? Importantly – there will be a Q &A and our delegates can ask questions. W hat do you want to ask in relation to how the theatre can come to us?
CONFERENCE O VERVIEW
DAY 2 SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER
8.45am
C onference W elcome
9.15am-10am
Session O ne (45min)
10am-10.10am
Break
10.10am-11.10am
Session Two (60min)
11.10am-11.25pm
Morning Tea (N etworking)
11.25am-12.10pm
Session Three (45min)
12.10pm-12.20pm
Break
12.20pm-1.20pm
Session Four (60mins)
1.20pm-1.50pm
Lunch Break (N etworking)
1.50pm–2.50pm
Session Five (60min)
2.50pm-3.00pm
Break
3.00pm-3.45pm
Session Six (45min)
3.45pm-4.00pm
Afternoon Tea (N etworking)
4.00pm-5.00pm
Session Seven (60min)
5.00pm-6.00pm
N etworking & Q uarantinis
SESSIO N SELECTIO N GUIDE
DAY2
SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER Use this guide to assist you with your registration choices! Make your selections and register here:
https://www.dramavictoria.vic.edu.au/events/annualconference/2020-conference/
W orkshops places are limited. O nce a session is full you will not be able to select it at registration. N O TE: RE G ISTRATIO N S C LO SE MIDD AY TUESD AY 8 SE PTEMBER C hanges will not be able to be made on the days of the C onference.
SESSION ONE SAT 12 SE PTE M B E R, 9.15AM –10A M
1A
Employing Practical Activities to Teach Drama/Theatre Analysis
In drama, students are required to critique theatrical productions, including those staged by professional theatre companies. They are also required to respond to their own work or that of other students by describing, reflecting, questioning, analysing and evaluating (VC AA, 2020). This online workshop explores practical ways to teach students to analyse dramatic performances in middle school drama. It builds on the understanding that in drama students use their bodies, voices, space, silence and other devices to understand how dramatic story telling is influenced through a range of forms and traditions. Drama educators Richard Sallis and J ane Bird from the Artistic and C reative Education group at the University of Melbourne’s G raduate School of E ducation, and authors of the ‘Acting Smart’ VC E texts, will take participants through a series of short activities which demonstrate ways of incorporating practical drama activities into the teaching of analysis tasks in drama. In drama, teacher modelling of language and knowledge through oral instructions, written prompts and responses, provides links between practical understanding and oral and written use of knowledge. To further illustrate this, the workshop will include a case study of how these techniques have been used by drama teacher C ally Robinson in the Year 9 Drama curriculum at Box Hill High School.
Area(s) of Focus: Middle Years, VC E Drama & Theatre Studies Featured Presenter(s): Richard Sallis & J ane Bird O rganisation: MG SE, University of Melbourne About the Presenter(s) Richard Sallis is a senior lecturer in drama/theatre education and the C hair of the Theatre Board at The University of Melbourne. He is a co-author of the 'Acting Smart' VC E texts. Richard is a former President of Drama Australia and the current Director of Publications, for IDE A (the international drama/theatre educators’ association). He is also a playwright, actor and director. His latest play G reatest Love of All (Bird, McC onville, Sallis) was performed in Melbourne in late 2018. J ane Bird is a lecturer in drama education in the MG SE at The University of Melbourne. She specialises in the artistic, embodied and collaborative qualities of teaching and learning in and through drama and theatre. J ane researches a range of applications for drama pedagogy across disciplines and contexts. She copublishes the 'Acting Smart' VC E Drama and Theatre Studies texts.
SESSION ONE
1B
Teaching First Nations Content and Concepts in the Drama Classroom: Reflections on a Continuing Journey
Drama educators are increasingly interested in teaching First N ations content and concepts. Drama offers tremendous potential for engaging holistically with complex, challenging ideas and knowledges. Simultaneously, many drama educators are aware of potential pitfalls like tokenism, white-washing, and cultural appropriation. Teaching First N ations content and concepts in the Drama classroom: Advice for teachers in Victorian schools, instigated by Kamarra Bell-W ykes (Yagera/Butchulla), encourages teachers to engage with these complexities, and partake in an ongoing journey of transforming perspectives.
Area(s) of Focus: Middle Years, VC E Drama & Theatre Studies, Tertiary Featured Presenter(s): Rachel Forgasz, Danielle Hradsky, Andrew Byrne, J ane C arter, Kristy G riffin O rganisation: Refer below About the Presenter(s) Rachel (Monash University) and Danielle (also Monash) authored Teaching First N ations concepts and content in the Drama classroom. Andrew (Prahran High School) and J ane (Mount W averley Secondary C ollege) were also instrumental to developing and promoting this document. Kristy (Firbank G rammar) is using this document to inform her current practice.
This session presents the stories of five drama educators who find ourselves on this journey. Some were contributors and/or authors to the advice document, some were inspired by that work, and some have stories that began long before the document was even dreamt of. N one of us know everything or have all the answers. By sharing and reflecting on our stories, we hope to discover key moments that transformed our perspectives and gave us confidence to engage with these complexities in our classrooms. The final 15 minutes of our presentation will be given over to participants, to discuss these key moments and brainstorm ways to begin and/or continue their own journeys. W e are all experienced educators, who have taught and presented extensively online.
1C
Bukjeh
"Bukjeh" began as a series of performances led primarily by refugees in 2017. Since then, it has grown into a website sharing stories of home, a community of artists, a series of workshops of schools, and a public performance event that brings stories from and of the community together.
J oin Aseel and one of the Bukjeh artists, E gyptian-Australian poet, Rania Ahmed, in conversation with J ustyn Koh as they discuss the story and principles behind Bukjeh. They will be discussing the importance of engaging your school community with refugees, sharing their personal stories, and present a detailed case study of their experience delivering Bukjeh with a group of Year 9 students at Hallam Senior C ollege and involving their work for a physical installation of Bukjeh at Bunjil Place Performing Arts C entre, in J une 2019. As a special treat, we will also share in the compelling performance of Aseel as a singer and Rania's poetry.
Area(s) of Focus: M iddle Years, VC E Drama & Theatre Studies Featured Presenter(s): Aseel Tayah, Rania Ahmed & J ustyn Koh O rganisation: Bukjeh About the Presenter(s) Aseel Tayah is an artist, curator and activist who moved to Australia form Palestine in 2013. In the Summer of 2017, Aseel created “Bukjeh� as a series of performances led primarily by refugees that took place inside a specially redesigned disaster relief tent in the courtyard of the Immigration Museum. Aseel's work invites communities into the refugee experience, through deeply personal and transformational mulit-disciplinary arts engagements. A Bukjeh artist from its inception, Rania Ahmed is an awardwinning Melbourne poet combining her personal stories with a commitment to social change. Rania leads workshops for schools in creative writing and poetry. J ustyn Koh is a lens-based artist and primary school teacher, managing Bukjeh's education and curriculum engagement.
SESSION ONE
1D
Area(s) of Focus: Primary/E arly Years, Middle Years
The Shape of Creativity
In this workshop we will discuss what creativity looks like within your school and examine how it is nurtured or neglected. To inspire our discussion and to enhance our own creative thought, several writing activities will be embedded within the session. It is hoped that participants will leave motivated with the confidence to extend how creativity looks within their school.
Featured Presenter: Kelly C lifford & C hi Vu O rganisation: The G eelong Arts C entre About the Presenter(s) Kelly C lifford is an award-winning theatre maker, teaching artist and producer who has been worked in the youth arts sector for the past 25 years. She has taught in the UK and USA as well as working in several schools in Melbourne and G eelong. She has worked professionally on Phantom of the O pera and with Arts organisations such as Malthouse Theatre and Back to Back Theatre. She has presented at numerous conferences and is a Sessional Lecturer in Arts Education at Deakin University. In 2018, Kelly attended a 2-week residency at Lincoln C entre E ducation in N ew York. C urrently, she is the Senior Producer of Families, Youth and C reative Learning at the G eelong Arts C entre where she facilitates arts-based learning programs for children from Kindergarten to Year 12. C hi Vu is a creative writer, theatre-maker and casual academic (Deakin University). She collaborates with diverse artists to create bilingual and transcultural performances that uses elements from genres such as the postcolonial gothic, magic-realism and comedy. An Asian-Australian theatre pioneer, C hi has been creating bilingual performances for over 20 years, with many works in partnership with FC AC . She has extensive experience as a drama facilitator and script editor in Melbourne and G eelong. Her most recent collaboration was on G eelong Sweats with the gym goers and trainers from W ater W orld (C orio) with fellow artists Yuhui N g-Rodriguez and Kerensa Diball, in partnership with G eelong Arts C entre (G AC ), the C ity of G reater G eelong and C reative Victoria. www.chi-vu.com
SESSION TWO SAT 12 SE PTE MB E R, 10.10AM – 11.10AM
2A
Australian Stories: Verbatim and Documentary Theatre
Australian Plays hosts the world’s largest online showcase of the best Australian playwriting, featuring the combined catalogues of Australia's leading theatrical publishers – Australian Script C entre, C urrency Press, and Playlab. Australian Plays publishes, presents and honours contemporary stories written for the theatre. Recent experiences and world events mean we all have stories to tell. The workshop will consider questions: W hy verbatim or documentary theatre, what are the conventions, how are such plays constructed, how do they honour lived experience? Part O ne of the workshop will have participants working with scripts from within the Australian Plays collection that have used Verbatim and Documentary style theatre styles to capture lived experiences, including plays such as: Today W e're Alive by Lynden W ilkinson, Beyond the neck by Tom Holloway, Moths by Michelle Lee, Parramatta G irls by Alan Valentine and Acts of C ourage by Roslyn O ades. Part Two of the workshop will directly engage participants in a range of writing activities for generating verbatim scripts, 'performing' these new and original works, and offer activities to take back to the classroom to explore with their students.
2B
The Dramaturgy of COVID 19 Drama
Teaching Drama during the C O VID 19 crisis has brought new challenges and perspectives. This workshop examines activities and hybrid activities which have worked and those that have not. It explores activities that have become part of the ongoing dramaturgy of C O VID 19.
Area(s) of Focus: M iddle Years, VC E Drama & Theatre Studies, Production of Plays, Directing & Stagecraft Featured Presenter: J ohn Kachoyan & Dr Meg Upton O rganisation: Australian Plays About the Presenter(s) J ohn Kachoyan is a freelance director, writer and script developer who works internationally in theatre, opera and screen. J ohn is currently on Film Victoria's Key Talent Register, the Australian W riter's G uild's Pathways programme and just completed an Advanced Diploma in Script E diting & Development at AFTRS. He was C o-C reative Director and C EO of multi-G reen Room Award winning MKA: Theatre of N ew W riting and previously Director in Residence for Bell Shakespeare. J ohn was a member of the Australia C ouncil's 2015 E merging Leaders Development Programme and the inaugural Melbourne Lincoln C entre Director's Lab. J ohn is currently the Literary Manager of Australian Plays and teaches dramaturgy at the Victorian C ollege of the Arts, Melbourne Dr Meg Upton is a freelance arts education consultant and has worked with a range of Australian theatre companies including Malthouse, MTC , Bell Shakespeare, Arena, Polyglot, Victorian O pera, Theatre W orks, St Martins Youth Arts C entre, and Ilbijerri Theatre C ompany, and has written and created over 100 educational resources for Australian theatre productions, and has facilitated professional and student learning workshops for nearly 20 years. She lectures in drama education, pedagogy and curriculum in the Masters of Teaching at Deakin University. Her PHD examined pedagogies for teaching performance analysis. Meg co-authored E ducation and the Arts: C reativity in the promised new order for C urrency Press and she is an education consultant with Australian Plays.
Area(s) of Focus: M iddle Years, VC E Theatre Studies Featured Presenter: Dr Mark Eckersley O rganisation: Santa Maria C ollege About the Presenter(s) Dr Mark E ckersley is a drama educator and practitioner with over 30 years’ experience teaching drama and theatre. He has taught drama in 5 countries and worked with Tadashi Suzuki, Augusto Boal, E rnie Dingo, Simon Phillips and Philippe G aultier.
SESSION TWO
2C
Victorian Curriculum & Capabilities in Drama!
Delegates will be walked through how the Victorian C urriculum and C apabilities have been implemented in the 7-10 Drama curriculum at Keysborough C ollege. Participants will then be provided with the opportunity to add to their own curriculum documents and share ideas on how this important part of the curriculum has been implemented in their schools. If you’re in a position where you are having to fight for the arts in your school, you can use the curriculum capabilities as your vehicle. This workshop will equip you with assessment and reporting tools that are observation-data driven and still engaging for students.
2D
Easy Stagecraft Online
Teaching Stagecraft online? How are we meant to translate the world of technical theatre into e-learning? In this workshop, you will get not only a look 'under the hood' of the E asy Stagecraft learning platform, but also be guided on how you can integrate stagecraft workshops into both a classroom and e-learning space. W ith simple around the home devices, or things you can get from your school - you don't need a theatre to be able to discuss, explore, identify and utilise the elements of stagecraft in your productions and lessons. This workshop is packed full of features, with a lighting and sound component, a discussion on script analysis and exploration in these production areas, as well as some workshop ideas and a bunch of free resources you can take back to the classroom with you! W ith a fun, engaging and dedicated stagecraft host at your disposal, we will even have time for some Q &A so you can ask what you may have been longing to ask about your productions. Stagecraft is an essential part of the drama process, and never has it been so easy to get your hands, and more importantly your students’ hands, on some amazing resources.
MORNING TEA (N etworking)
Area(s) of Focus: M iddle Years Featured Presenter: Ashleigh Phillips & Kathleen Spaull O rganisation: Keysborough C ollege About the Presenter(s) Ashleigh Phillips and Kathleen Spaull work at Keysborough C ollege. They are both passionate Performing Arts educators and consider Drama an important part of a young person’s education. Ashleigh is the Performing Arts Leader and has been teaching for 7 years. Kathleen completed her Masters in Teaching through the Melbourne G raduate School of Education program and is in her fifth year as a teacher. They have worked very closely together over the last 5 years to create a dynamic and challenging curriculum across all year levels which encourages students to try new things and prepares them for a range of performance opportunities, especially VC E Drama.
Area(s) of Focus: Middle Years, VC E Drama & Theatre Studies, Production of Plays, Directing & Stagecraft Featured Presenter: Daniel G osling O rganisation: Easy Stagecraft About the Presenter(s) Daniel G osling has been working in live production for over 15 years and has compiled that experience into an online education platform and resource.
SESSION THREE SAT 12 SE PTE MB E R, 11.25AM – 12.10PM
3A
Shifting Perspectives in 'Medea'
This workshop is an illustration how students can delve quickly and deeply into the very modern G reek Tragedy ‘Medea’ and engage richly with a variety of characters’ perspectives, using C ontemporary Performance and Theatre of the O ppressed conventions.
W orkshop participants will be talked through the process of leading their Year 10-12 students in a multi-lesson extended improvisation, with opportunities to improvise independently in role at various moments, in order to experience a student perspective. This immersive experience, in which students continually shift role to gain insight into character perspective and motivation, is used as a text introduction but also provides powerful contextual material and practice for students to improvise in role for assessment. The workshop will be supported by written and onscreen material.
3B
Two Types of Expertise. Features of Arena’s School Engagement Processes that Enable Artistic Development for both Young People, and Professional Artists Simultaneously.
“Arena’s artists are the experts in making art – young people are the experts in what it is to be a young person in the world today. The meeting of these two perspectives creates overlapping definitions of success.” Arena’s perspective on the place of young people in our work has been changing over the years. O ur approach requires the combination of the voices and creativity of young people, and the insight and skills of professional artists. Both the young people and the professional artists have agency in the creative process, and ownership of the work. The strength in the work is in embracing the complexity that both parties need to feel creative ‘success,’ but often not in the same way.
During our 45-minute illustration of practice in a school setting, we will unpack how our processes deliver contrasting things for artists and young people, using two examples. Example 1 is a residency with a community outcome in a primary school in Tongala, a dairy town experiencing a downturn near the Victoria-N ew South W ales border. E xample 2 is a workshop day with students of W arrandyte Primary School, leading to a professional public outcome as part of the W arrandyte Festival.
Area(s) of Focus: M iddle Years, VC E Drama Featured Presenter: Tavia Seymour O rganisation: G race Lutheran C ollege - C aboolture C ampus About the Presenter(s) Tavia Seymour has been teaching Drama for over 20 years and is C oordinator of the Arts at G race Lutheran C ollege - C aboolture campus. A long-time panelist, now C onfirmer, she has served on various committees including the Q ueensland Shakespeare E nsemble, the Sunshine C oast Schools' Drama Festival and Drama Q ueensland. W hile a favourite moment was seeing her students win the Q ueensland Youth Theatresports C hampionship, she has a passion for writing and loves to create new ways of approaching curriculum to engage her students.
Area(s) of Focus: Primary/E arly Years, Middle Years Featured Presenter: C hristian Leavesley O rganisation: Arena Theatre C ompany About the Presenter(s) C hristian Leavesley is the Artistic Director of Arena Theatre C ompany. He studied at the Victorian C ollege of the Arts, Monash University and the University of Missouri-C olumbia. He has a lifelong interest in exploring surprising theatrical form and unusual playing spaces, including the digital space, which has become a powerful tool for Arena’s work in schools.
SESSION THREE
3C
A New Platform to Take the Stage
W hen students and teachers were forced to stay home, theatre and studio closed – drama education found a new platform to thrive. W hen it was once possible only for us to rehearse plays with students - especially young children, face to face in studio classrooms – now we could run lines and rehearse over a virtual platform, Zoom. More so, perform online and broadcast the live-streamed performance to any intended audience, all at the comfort and safety of their own home! This illustration will include the essential steps for successful virtual drama classes - from setting up of devices; training of vocal and physical techniques in acting; usage of space and finally performing in front of cameras instead of audience present in the same room. These were achieved not without hard work and open minds. In the process, students and teachers benefited immensely and built new confidence in performing! Theatre drama students got a glimpse in acting on camera; teachers gained new perspective in directing online performances. Drama students now equipped with effective vocal skills; good posture for video conferencing; relaxation techniques to stay focused – all enhancing their other virtual learning (life) experiences at this time!
Area(s) of Focus: Primary/E arly Years, Middle Years Featured Presenter: Siew Yong Koay O rganisation: N ewman Drama & Enterprise, Malaysia About the Presenter(s) Siew Yong founded N ewman Drama after years of successful work with drama students from different countries and cultures. C urrently based in Kuala Lumpur, she trains students and teachers locally and from Penang and Pahang, Malaysia. 8 years on being a drama and speaking coach, she is enjoying transiting from physical drama studios to virtual coaching and performing!
Past broadcast: https://www.facebook.com/N ewmanDrama/videos/338370397155511 YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC uQ q0RgN KTbBpyB9Rl7wnag W ebpage: newmandrama.com.my
3D
Online Performance of All’s Well That Ends Well - in 20mins
Directed by N icholas W axman with E llie Martin, this performance will be presented by 14 actors from E LTHAM C ollege's 2020 9-12 Play 'Shakespeare O n Love' - an evening of three condensed Shakespeares. These skilled and dedicated actors have committed to two months of online rehearsals, this is a taste of what that was like. C ulminating in a Q &A with cast and creative team get some insight into how the rehearsal and performance process occurred in an online space.
Area(s) of Focus: Primary/E arly Years, M iddle Years, VC E Drama & Theatre Studies, Production of Plays, Directing & Stagecraft Featured Presenter: N icholas W axman O rganisation: ELTHAM C ollege About the Presenter(s) Directed by N icholas W axman with E llie Martin, this work is presented by students from E LTHAM C ollege.
SESSION FOUR SAT 12 SE PTE MB E R, 12.20PM – 1.20PM
4A
A Commitment to Our World: Drama and Environmental Learning
O n the eve of 2021, all beings of the living world – humans, plants, creatures, elements – are gathered by the C ouncil to make a commitment to the E arth. The C ouncil directs each group of beings to create an urgent address to humanity. The future of the planet is at stake. Paulo Freire believed ‘to learn to understand the world, young people need to “know” the world…and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world’ (Pedagogy of the O ppressed, 1968/1970). This workshop asks participants to dive deeply into environmental issues from the perspective of the living world - imagine if all other things and elements could speak back to humanity! This is a highly practical workshop. Participants will work individually and in ensembles to brainstorm, write, create, physicalise and present their address to the humanity, using role play, elements of drama, sound, movement, music and dialogue. E mbedded in the workshop’s intention and its process is the belief that drama and environmental education, as synchronous pedagogies, are catalysts for developing agency in young people as citizens, to take action as they 'come to know the world'. It is a workshop designed to be taken back to the 'classroom'. The workshop draws on and acknowledges the work of J oanna Macy*. C onference Theme: A C ommitment to the W orld addresses the conference theme of 'changing views and perspectives', using drama to consider others' experiences, build empathy and move towards social action. The workshop is a component of a larger education resource sequence to use in a physical or online classroom to engage students in environmental education through drama. *http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/deep-eco/coab.htm Resource: A lesson plan/sequence will be available to participants via the Drama Victoria resource app including curriculum links and activities for students and teachers to explore and adapt for solo and ensemble work in drama.
Area(s) of Focus: Primary/E arly Years, M iddle Years, VC E Drama & Theatre Studies Featured Presenter: Dr Meg Upton, Dr Peta W hite, Dr G en Blades & Bronwyn Sutton O rganisation: D eakin University About the Presenter(s) Dr Meg Upton (B.E d, M.Ed, PhD) is a drama educator and arts education consultant. She teaches in drama education. She lectures and tutors in drama education at Deakin University. Meg has had the roles of E ducation Manager with Malthouse Theatre and MTC and has created and facilitated numerous workshops for students and professional learning for teachers for nearly 20 years. Meg has a passion for environmental education and is the co-writer of Acting G reen: G uidelines for sustainable drama practice and drama teaching for Drama Australia and cocreated Drama in a Shoebox: teaching sustainability through drama. Dr Peta W hite (PhD) is a science and environmental education senior lecturer at Deakin University. Peta has worked in classrooms, as a curriculum consultant and manager, and as a teacher educator in several jurisdictions across C anada and Australia. Peta gained her PhD in Saskatchewan, C anada where she focussed on learning to live sustainably which became a platform from which to educate future teachers. Her passion for initial teacher educator, environmental education/academic activist work, and action-orientated methodologies drives her current teaching/research scholarship. G en Blades (PhD) has been involved in outdoor and environmental education in schools and the tertiary sector. Her areas of interest, both research and teaching, include environmental values and ethics, environmental eco-pedagogies and sustainability education. These areas are grounded in ecology and eco-spirituality, both of which G en is deeply passionate about in terms of enabling ethical and relational pedagogy and curriculum. Her PhD study focused on walking as a sensory, embodied practice in nature and is currently working as an independent researcher and educator. Bronwyn Sutton (B.A., M.Ed) is a creative at heart who blends experience. curiousity and research to creat purpose-driven programs which connect with communities on a deep level to inspire action on sustainabiity and climate change. She does this as director of a small creative agency and as seasonal tutor in environmental psychology at the Univeristy of Melbourne. Bronwyn is also a PhD student at Deakin University epxloring ransformative learning, leadership and public pedoagogies of sustainabiity using arts-based research methods.
SESSION FOUR
4B
Activating Shakespeare in a Digital Age
In making the shift to digital learning, the Australian Shakespeare C ompany’s Education Department was compelled to both reflect on our current practices, and to seek out and develop invigorating new ways to support both students and teachers to connect, comprehend, appreciate, express and be inspired through Shakespeare in an online environment and beyond. In this 60 minute, interactive performance workshop our Head of E ducation, J o Bloom, gives teachers a chance to play with our tried and true rehearsal room techniques, re-inspired and bolstered with richer content from our online teaching experience, as we begin to get back in the room. Delving into a variety of Shakespeare’s plays and characters, from Macbeth to A Midsummer N ight’s Dream, the session explores myriad approaches to character creation. How does a shifting context change the way we approach a character like Shylock? Is physical exploration the key to unlocking Richard III? W hat clues from the text help us get closer to the psyche of Lady Macbeth? Performance elements and activities combine to provide teachers with new tools for the kit to help students achieve creative confidence with Shakespeare and activate, not only his characters but indeed any character, in a digital age.
4C
Invested Performances, Sensitive Students: Negotiating VCE Requirements and ‘Duty of Care’
In this workshop I invite teachers to explore with me how the solo performance exam, as described in VC E documentation that requires varying degrees of psychological and emotional investment, could be more practically and responsibly managed with an appropriate awareness of the sensitivity (or insensitivity) of students. In a pioneering pilot study (University of Sydney and E quity) of professional actors in Australia (2013), it was found that one in three of those surveyed (799 respondents) had little or no training in how to both warmup for and debrief effectively from emotionally engaging roles. Actors who encountered these challenges were not less talented, but were rather more profoundly sensitive or had some personal history that resonated with the characters. And when students are also sensitive (or even insensitive) to dramatic themes, they need practical support so that they are neither personally or academically disadvantaged. I have designed a series of pre-performance and post-performance activities that I use for coaching professional actors so they feel more in control of their own wellbeing and therefore more confident to stretch themselves creatively to deliver engaging performances. I will guide workshop participants through these various practices so they can use them to support their students.
Area(s) of Focus: M iddle Years, VC E Drama & Theatre Studies Featured Presenter: J o Bloom O rganisation: Australian Shakespeare C ompany About the Presenter(s) J o Bloom is Head of Education for Australian Shakespeare C ompany. She also works as director, actor, producer, educator, presenter and playwright. J o brings her passion for Shakespeare and 20 years’ experience working nationally and internationally. Having performed in dozens of plays and NE TFLIX series, and run scores of workshops, she strives to bring out the best in others in rehearsal and the classroom.
Area(s) of Focus: VC E Drama, Acting/Performance Training Featured Presenter: Dr Mark Seton O rganisation: Sense C onnexion About the Presenter(s) Dr Mark Seton is an Honorary Research Associate, Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Sydney. He is the recipient of the 2009 G ilbert Spottiswood C hurchill Fellowship for the study of health and wellbeing of actors in the UK. He is a co-founder of the Australian Society for Performing Arts Healthcare (ASPAH) and an accredited teacher of InterPlay® .
SESSION FOUR
4D
Masks and Education within an Australian Context
In drama classes throughout the W estern world, masks are regularly engaged within a variety of contexts. However, there is negligible information available as to how masks are actually used in the classroom, and to what degree they are effective in different teaching and learning contexts. This research sought to understand how masks could potentially have further impact and to understand more about the students’ engagement with and understanding of their learning.
The findings suggest that training is key for teaching staff, and that students have high engagement, with increased self-awareness of roles and of their own sense of personal identity through the use of masks. In addition, there were indications that the usage of masks in the classroom offered opportunities for genuine inclusion of students with specific learning difficulties.
Area(s) of Focus: M iddle Years Featured Presenter: Dr David Roy O rganisation: University of N ewcastle About the Presenter(s) Dr David Roy is a lecturer in Education and C reative Arts at the University of N ewcastle. His research interests are in drama and arts learning, and inclusion in Education. He was nominated for the 2006 Saltire/TE S Scottish Education Publication of the Year and won the 2013 Best N ew Australian Publication for VC E Drama and/or VC E Theatre Studies. His most recent text is 'Teaching the Arts: E arly C hildhood and Primary’ (2019) published by C ambridge University Press.
LUNCH BREAK (Networking)
SESSION FIVE SAT 12 SE PTE MB E R, 1.50PM – 2.50PM
5A
Boy Wolf Sheep: Process Drama in Action
As most people have had to face what do you do when you’re bored in this lockdown, this workshop begins with what happens when you are bored. This workshop will be an interactive exploration of the social aspects of boredom and the effects of disobedience. The question also arises, ‘Does the punishment fit the crime?’ Drama provides a safe place to explore these moral and ethical issues. Process drama provides the strategies for investing in the story and making meaning and feeling at a deeper level. The participant is taken to another place and time to be able to reflect on the situation presented.
Area(s) of Focus: Primary/E arly Years, Middle Years Featured Presenter: Helen Sandercoe O rganisation: D eakin University About the Presenter(s) Helen Sandercoe has been a Drama/Theatre teacher for much of her life. C entral to her practice is how to develop the expressive skills and create an aesthetic experience. Recently, she has been teaching the essentials of Drama and Dance for Primary and Secondary Pre-service teachers. There is nothing more exciting than when a whole class is involved in the creative process.
This drama is based the Aesop’s Fable of ‘The Boy W ho C ried W olf”. This workshop was trialed through Zoom with Third Year Pre-Service university students earlier this year. I will also share my surprising discoveries and challenges in teaching drama through Zoom. Teaching drama through Zoom has made me reconsider everything about my teaching practice and it has clarified for me what is essential. This workshop fits all three themes. My experience in presenting drama workshops extends for more than thirty years for Drama Victoria, Drama Australia and IDE A.
5B
Get your Bouffon-on! An O nline Workshop in the Liberating Art of Grotesque Satire
An ancient performance tradition used across cultures for centuries, Bouffon is a style of ‘grotesque satire’ in which outcasts mock their oppressors. The parody is clever, designed to charm the audience and then ruthlessly target what is imbalanced in the culture at large. E xploring Bouffon is a fun and liberating way for students to increase their spontaneity and push themselves to discover new performance possibilities, while encouraging them to think about ways theatre can politically engage with the world. As a training tool, it encourages students to release their childlike pleasure, break free of inhibitions, engage with each other and achieve a deeper connection to their work. This virtual workshop takes participants through the techniques of Bouffon and how they can be used to foster a greater sense of courage, freedom and unity in their students, igniting them to use their voice, and humour, as a potent tool in our changing world. "E mily does an amazing job of transferring her playful, informative workshops onto screen. She manages to overcome the limitations of Zoom, creating a closeness with her class, while preserving a nonjudgemental atmosphere that provides a unique opportunity for play and experimentation”. - E dward Rickards, workshop participant Monash University
Area(s) of Focus: M iddle Years, VC E Drama & Theatre Studies, Acting/Performance Training Featured Presenter: E mily G oddard O rganisation: E mily G oddard About the Presenter(s) E mily G oddard is an Australian actor and theatre maker. She graduated from E cole Philippe G aulier, Paris in 2010, supported by the Ian Potter C ultural Trust and E mpire Theatres Bursary. Recent theatre credits include Australian Realness (Malthouse), N oises O ff (MTC /Q T), Angels in America (Dirty Pretty Theatre) and Lamb (Red Stitch). She is the creator and performer of the Drama Victoria award winning Bouffon anti-bonnet drama ‘This is E den’ and has been nominated for three G reen Room Awards for O utstanding Female Actor, most recently for ‘This is Eden’. She has taught Le J eu and Bouffon for USQ , Melbourne and Melbourne Universities, Brave Studios, Drama Victoria, E mpire Theatres, Hothouse, across Victorian secondary schools and to professional actors. www.thisiseden.com.au
SESSION FIVE
5C
Exploring the World of the Play: Devising an Ensemble
This workshop helps students and teachers explore the world of the play that they are creating. This includes human attitudes, language, beliefs, settings, roles and characters. Teachers will play the role of students in this workshop. Teachers will be exposed to stimulus material. Teachers will utilise online collaborative platforms to explore the play-making techniques of brainstorming and scripting. Teachers will explore the conventions of Heightened Use of Language and Layered Monologue to present scripted dialogue.
5D
Stronger Together Negotiating Effective Arts Education Partnerships
The landscape of performing arts education is shifting, with an increased focus on collaborative partnerships between schools and arts industry for the purpose of creating richer performing arts education. This presentation explores how partnerships between School Professionals and Industry Professionals function in order to consider the enablers and constraints to working effectively together. Highly recommended for teachers who utilise industry talent and resources.
Area(s) of Focus: Middle Years, VC E Drama Featured Presenter: J ane C arter O rganisation: Mount W averley Secondary C ollege About the Presenter(s) J ane C arter is Head of Arts/ Director of Production at Mount W averley Secondary C ollege. She has been a secondary Drama and E nglish Teacher for 17 years and is also a VC AA assessor and a member of the Drama Victoria C ommittee. J ane is also an actor and performer in amateur theatre. J ane has a very strong interest in Australian History with a particular focus on Indigenous culture.
Area(s) of Focus: Production of Plays, Directing or Stagecraft Featured Presenter: Matthew Aris O rganisation: The Performing Arts Link Pty Ltd About the Presenter(s) Matthew Aris is a teacher, director, and researcher with extensive experience producing shows in a variety of education and industry contexts. As Director and co-founder at The Performing Arts Link, a new business aimed at bringing education and industry groups together in working relationships, Matthew is helping to enhance the quality (both process and product) of school performance events.
SESSION SIX SAT 12 SE PTE MB E R, 3.00PM – 3.45PM
6A
Area(s) of Focus: Primary/E arly Years, Middle Years,
Divine Online Set Design Practical and Fun for All!
In this fun and interactive workshop, participants will explore the work of sensational set designer Katrin Brack and create their own designs based on her philosophy. W e will use found objects, household items and simple C AD design software to explore the wonderful world of set design. These activities are great for working in the online space but are also perfect for when we get back to school.
6B
VC E Theatre Studies, Production of Plays, Directing or Stagecraft Featured Presenter: N icholas W axman O rganisation: ELTHAM C ollege About the Presenter(s) N icholas W axman is a drama teacher, host of The Aside Podcast, and Drama Vic C ommittee of Management member. He has recently returned from the USA where he ran workshops at various Performing Arts High Schools.
Area(s) of Focus: Middle Years, Production of Plays,
'In and Out of Worlds' MTC— VSV Year 8 Drama Project
Participants / delegates will hear teachers, a teaching artist, and a student reflect on 'In and O ut of W orlds', an online and in-person— blended—Year 8 Drama program originally created and delivered as a Virtual C reative Professionals in Schools pilot project in 2017.
Directing or Stagecraft Featured Presenter(s): C atherine Mayer, Kelly J ackson, J eremy Rice, E mma Valente & Laura Trebley O rganisation: Virtual School Victoria About the Presenter(s)
In a prescient meta-experience, the presentation will emulate the format of a 45-minute online class that is the basis of 'In and O ut of W orlds': screen sharing, chat boxes, breakout rooms.
C atherine Mayer has been a teacher of E nglish and Drama since 2003 and has been teaching at VSV since 2015 where she has taught and written online courses for VC E English, middle years Drama and, as part of the VC E E xpansion Project, Theatre Studies and Drama. C atherine led VSV 'In and O ut of W orlds' teaching teams in 2017 and 2018.
VSV students are typically isolated from school-based education by geographical, medical, social and other factors. These same factors may isolate them from social and creative interaction with friends, family and their community. VSV teachers collaborate with professional theatre-makers to make drama accessible to VSV students through online learning.
Kelly J ackson is an educator of 20 years’ experience teaching and leadership in the Arts. She has engaged with students and developed programs in traditional and virtual settings. Kelly is a 2019 recipient of a C reative Fellowship from the Victorian State Library and has collaborated with MTC Education on a number projects in the last two years.
At the heart of 'In and O ut of W orlds' is inclusion and diversity. This informs teaching strategies and creative practices and most importantly, how students are supported in sharing their worlds and looking into the worlds of others. W e are continually ‘turning the dial’; manipulating both the form of the online classroom and of the creative work produced by students and led by professional theatremakers. https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/news/Pages/stories/2020/st ories-virtualschoolvictorialearningfromhomecasestudy.aspx
J eremy Rice is Head of Education & Families at Melbourne Theatre C ompany and former artistic director of Barking G ecko (Perth), C orrugated Iron (Darwin) and Shopfront (Sydney) youth performing arts companies.
https://www.vsv.vic.edu.au/subject/year-8-drama/
Laura Trebley studies at PRO J E C Tion Dance and is currently undertaking her first year of VC E at Virtual School Victoria. Laura was an 'In and O ut of W orlds' participant in 2017 and 2018.
https://www.mtc.com.au/discover-more/mtc-now-2020/noboundaries-on-theatre-education/ https://www.mtc.com.au/discover-more/about-us/media/mediareleases/mtc-joins-forces-with-virtual-school-victoria-to-deliverground-breaking-vce-courses/
E mma Valente is a multidisciplinary theatre maker, co-founder of The Rabble—a group of visionary women who have produced consistenly bold, provocative and visually stunning theatrical experiences—and the inaugural teaching artist and director of 'In and O ut of W orlds' in 2017.
SESSION SIX
6C
Deepening Understanding of Theatre Styles and Conventions
VC E Theatre Studies students can struggle with defining theatre styles and conventions especially in relation to the VC E Monologue E xamination. This workshop explores ways to deepen students' understanding of theatre styles by shifting the focus to the impact that the playwright wishes to have upon the audience. W e will look at examples of a range of plays and examine how theatre styles are intricately linked to a playwright’s (and director’s) intentions.
6D
Puppets, and their Potential in the Classroom
Area(s) of Focus: VC E Theatre Studies and the application of Theatre Styles Featured Presenter: Vanessa O ’N eill O rganisation: Virtual School Victoria About the Presenter(s) Vanessa is a playwright, performer and arts educator who trained at Drama C entre London, E cole Philippe G aulier, University of Melbourne and Lincoln C enter E ducation in N ew York. Vanessa toured a show of Shakespeare's W omen to schools throughout Australia and is an International Fellow of Shakespeare’s G lobe. Her one woman show ‘In Search of O wen Roe’ was on the VC E Drama Playlist and toured with Regional Arts Victoria. Vanessa was the Youth and Education Manager at Malthouse Theatre and is currently teaching VC E Theatre Studies at Virtual School Victoria. She has been an assessor of the VC E Theatre Studies Monologue E xamination for the last seven years. Vanessa is a Resident Playwright at Theatreworks and a Board Member of W estern E dge Youth Arts.
Area(s) of Focus: Primary/E arly Years, Research Featured Presenter: Leanne G uihot O rganisation: University of N ewcastle
Puppet Play-Building Program
About the Presenter(s)
The purpose of my study was to examine the question, ‘W hat is the impact of puppetry on communication skills, social skills and selfesteem of children, including children with additional challenges?’ I chose a mixed method approach with an embedded design as this approach framed the study and provided comprehensive results.
Leanne G uihot is passionate about many things - her family, the arts, teaching, puppetry and of course, drama. Presently, she is in the process of writing up her PhD thesis. Her project examined puppetry, embedded into a collaborative play-building program, which was analysed to ascertain the impact of puppetry on communication, social skills and self-esteem in children aged 810 years. She has used puppets in her work as a performer, as a secondary teacher and as a sessional drama tutor for over 20 years, including 10 years working with Freewheels Theatre-InE ducation, and 10 years working at the University of N ewcastle. She also created her own company, Purple Moon Theatre and wrote 2 plays that she performed in the early childhood setting throughout the Hunter Valley, N SW . She designed and made her own puppets and masks, which she used when performing in schools (with N SW DET approval). Leanne has used puppets extensively in performance and in her teaching and is inspired by their capacity to engage and mesmerise both children and adults alike. She is excited to be given the opportunity to share her experiences of puppets and their many uses in the classroom.
As this project aims to validate puppetry as a powerful, flexible and engaging pedagogical tool that enhances students’ holistic wellbeing, it was important that the program used in the project was well planned, clear and well-scaffolded and included quality creative arts practices (Q C APS). The program included explicit instructions surrounding puppetry and puppet-making, play-building, story writing and script writing. The 10 x week puppet program utilised quality creative arts practices (Q C APS) including play-building and storytelling, enabling and enhancing the experience work with puppets. The constructivist student-centred teaching style is a proven pedagogical approach that compliments the exploration of the arts in the classroom. This approach embraces student collaboration, student centered programming, the construction and investigation of content with and by the students, and the incorporation of Q C APS. The constructivist approach also works well with a praxis style of learning that brings world issues safely into the classroom, is also conducive to the constructivist pedagogical style, and worked perfectly for students to encourage analytical and critical thinking surrounding the central theme of the project, ‘difference’
AFTERNOON TEA (N etworking)
SESSION SEVEN SAT 12 SE PTE MB E R, 4.00PM – 5.00PM
7A
The Power of Perspective – Harnessing Creativity in Children to Build Resilience and Empathy
O ur purpose as a theatre company with expertise in child development is to help children develop resilience and empathy, using creativity as the tool. During lockdown, our capacity to interact with children face-to-face was interrupted, so we adapted our practice to connect virtually. This presentation will explore the choices we made and how we continue to adapt in maintaining a relationship with children we can’t physically connect with. This presentation will outline: 1. How a shift in perspective inspired the creation of downloadable arts resource for teachers based on a years’ worth of research funded by VicHealth into emotional literacy in children. 2. How we strive to maintain connection with children in a digital age, ensuring they are receiving the emotional development benefits that drama provides in a climate that doesn’t allow us to work in the same space. 3. How we plan to transition as a company by diversifying our work across stage, screen and online platforms, both in the theatre and education industries. W orkshop Activities will include: 1. A session with psychodramatist and performer Sharni Page to give primary teachers a series of activities and tools for engaging children in role play to explore different perspectives 2. Downloadable Package: A collection of activities, songs and videos for drama teachers to use that connect children to their emotions an enable them to find new ways to express them, including activities relating specifically to the C oronovirus impact.
Area(s) of Focus: Primary/E arly Years Featured Presenter: Bridget a'Beckett & Sharni Page O rganisation: Musical Sprouts About the Presenter(s) Sharni and Bridget are co-founders of Musical Sprouts, a theatrein-education company that produces work for young children. Sharni is also qualified psychodramatist with experiential methods of practice which informs the wellbeing programs. She delivers globally to teachers and children with a focus on friendship, empathy and resilience. Bridget has 20 years’ experience developing arts projects for communities and schools.
SESSION SEVEN
7B
Area(s) of Focus: Middle Years, VC E Drama & Theatre Studies, Acting/Performance Training Featured Presenter: Struan Leslie O rganisation: Digital Theatre, UK
Movement, Meaning and Text
Movement is an essential aspect of theatrical practice. In today's changing world, it is even more important that this is not overlooked. Movement, Meaning and Text explores the inter- connectivity between physical language and text. Through practical exercises, Struan will illuminate how body language operates as text in performance and how it can have a literal meaning as long as we familiarise ourselves with a physical vocabulary. The session will share processes that can be applied across a range of performance disciplines as well as used directly in the teaching of Drama. G iven the online nature of this workshop, teachers will learn flexible exercises that can be used both remotely and in-person.
About the Presenter(s) Struan Leslie has been creating movement-based theatre and performance for over 30 years in over 300 productions, as well as teaching and training actors, teachers and students across the globe. He was the founding Head of Movement at the Royal Shakespeare C ompany where he created movement and choreography for over 100 productions.
The workshop is presented in association with Digital Theatre+, an online education platform for Drama and dramatic texts in E nglish Literature. Visit www.digitaltheatreplus.com for more details, including trailers of the many other workshops, productions, interviews and teaching resources included on the platform.
7C
Movement for Actors: Embodying Character and Text
This practical online session will focus on the inter-relationship between the physical and the psychological. Exercises in embodied presence will give the mind permission to relax - providing joyful access to deeper levels of impulsiveness, authenticity and creativity. W e will open the door to proprioceptive awareness and discover the dynamic radiance of our being. W e will draw on the multiple intelligences of thinking, feeling and willing, and explore qualities of movement that provide new expressive pathways - bringing texture and specificity to our work. W e will discover the unique embodiment of our character – their relationship to space, weight, time and energy - informed by given circumstances. Practical methods will be explored physically, with our attention and intention providing powerful connections to character, and a deep appreciation of the poetry of text.
Participants are requested to prepare a short, one-paragraph monologue for the workshop and to create a safe, open area to move in - with at least 2 meters clear space in all directions. This workshop will draw on Anne’s 37-year career of teaching across the domains of Drama and Dance - including the complementary pedagogies of Michael C hekhov and Rudolf Laban.
Area(s) of Focus: VC E Drama, VC E Theatre Studies, Acting Performance Training Featured Presenter: Anne O 'Keeffe O rganisation: Sirensong D ance and Theatre About the Presenter(s) Anne O ’Keeffe is a highly experienced teacher of Movement for Actors. She has taught Movement in VC A Music Theatre (8 years), N ational Theatre Drama School (14 years) and Federation University. Anne currently teaches Movement in the VC A Acting School, 16th Street Actors Studio and Brave Studios. She was Drama and Movement C oach on TV program N eighbours for 10 years.
SESSION SEVEN
7D
The "Fully Booked" Game Show
IRL Hub is Interactive Remote Learning – In Real Life. W e deliver punchy, highly engaging and curriculum-aligned workshop incursions over Zoom to secondary schools’ students around Australia. Artist/Presenters with backgrounds in and creative content sourced from law, biology, grammar, history and of course drama and theatre studies, revive and re-engage distance and remote learners through our unique platform. In this special workshop demonstration, our Artist Presenter Louisa Fitzhardinge hosts an episode of the live English curriculum game show “Fully Booked” (get it?). Brazen word nerd Louisa takes you, our contestants, through a series of rounds that will sort the gerunds from the geniuses, to crown the Ultimate Philolo-Legend! Along the way of course, middle secondary English (and some E AL) students undertake a series of exercises designed to engage them with language, meaning, expression and communication, all disguised as a fast moving, interactive game show.
Area(s) of Focus: Middle Years, Educational Arts Featured Presenter: Louisa Fitzhardinge O rganisation: IRL Hub About the Presenter(s) IRL Hub is Interactive Remote Learning – In Real Life. W e deliver punchy, highly engaging and curriculum-aligned workshop incursions over Zoom to secondary schools’ students around Australia. Artist/Presenters with backgrounds in and creative content sourced from law, biology, grammar, history and of course drama and theatre studies, revive and re-engage distance and remote learners through our unique platform.
C heck out irlhub.com.au for highlight clips of IRL in action. But we’d love to have you along for this fun session to show you what Zoom workshops done right can look like.
CONFERENCE WRAP UP (Q uarantinis & N etworking)
PLUS… PRE-RECORDED SESSIONS Available for viewing on the C onference Vimeo C hannel for two weeks post C onference (N o registration required)
8A
Creating a Performing Arts Program at a New School
A discussion for educators who have the responsibility to create a Performing Arts program at a new school. This presentation will include ideas about curriculum development, productions and extracurricular activities.
8B
Capturing the Kaleidoscope: Creatively Understanding a Supercomplex World
W e live in a supercomplex, kaleidoscopic world, with constantly shifting perspectives, identities, and understandings. Acknowledging this complexity, some education researchers are turning to creative methodologies like role-play, poetry, and humansculptures. Drama educators and researchers are potential leaders in this challenge to traditional W estern academia. W e are already comfortable with uncertainty, fragility, and the unknown; already used to existing on the margins of W estern education. Recent months have proven our adaptability. This session presents the methodology of a research project, designed to capture the thoughts, emotions, and physical feelings of transforming perspectives. My research asks: what happens when teachers participate in professional learning that engages with complex, uncomfortable topics like whiteness, race, and colonisation? To explore this question, I will use creative practices both to engage my participants in critical self-reflection and open discussion, and to build understanding of what occurs in their minds, hearts, and bodies during the learning process. In presenting my methodology, I hope to encourage other drama educators to reflect on and research our kaleidoscope world. I have designed and presented several successful online professional learning sessions for Drama educators, including “In this together: Reconciliation in Drama education”.
Area(s) of Focus: Middle Years Featured Presenter: Brooke Middleton O rganisation: Springside W est Secondary C ollege
About the Presenter(s) Brooke Middleton has been teaching Drama for 5 years and has recently become the KLA Leader for Performing Arts at a new school in Melbourne's W estern suburbs.
Area(s) of Focus: Tertiary, Research and Paper Presentations Featured Presenter: Danielle Hradsky O rganisation: Monash University About the Presenter(s) Danielle is a PhD candidate at Monash University, exploring professional learning which engages teachers with the complexities of teaching First N ations content and concepts. Previously, she taught Drama, Dance, E nglish, and G erman for six years, mainly at a regional school. E ven earlier adventures included being an outdoor education leader, riding a very slow bike around Europe, and performing G erman plays.
8C
Area(s) of Focus: Primary/E arly Years, Middle Years
C O VID Moments
Imagine now how our stories impact. This session will take you on a Zoom adventure through C O VID-19 album. These moments will capture the images of students online as we navigated our way through performance, rehearsal and communication exercises. W hat worked, what didn't, how we directed and connected students in dramatic practices on screen. W e will look through the lens at how drama became a lifeline zooming in on being connected for life. W e will focus in on, how quickly we, as theatre practitioners demonstrated to the world our resilience, creativity and the ability to improvise as we moved our students towards a groundbreaking journey of fantasy, selfdiscovery and imaginative expression. How we conducted play rehearsals and went from stage to the “show must go - O N LIN E !
8D
A Vision of Drama and Creative Education in Asia Pacific
This reading of a Verbatim Theatre script presents an exploration of creative education in the Asia Pacific. Drawing on interview transcripts from various sites in Australia and Asia, the performance intends to creatively evoke, invoke and provoke reflections on what creative education is – and could be – in Australia and our region. In doing so, it invites the audience to critically consider ways in which we might innovate and lead creative educational reform in ways that take into account our relationship with our geographical neighbours.
Featured Presenter: Delyse W eisz O rganisation: Dramawise About the Presenter(s) Delyse has an extensive background in process drama, drama therapy and play production. Her proven capability of developing confident, communicative, self-disciplined, and creative thinkers through the art of the spoken word in public speaking and performance is crucial in today’s technological and ‘me’ centric world. Delyse’s passion for the theatre world began at age five. Her mentor and drama teacher realised her natural creative and directing skills with children, in particular her capability of nurturing timid children to discover their confidence in selfexpression saw her entrust Delyse with taking classes from the age of 16. Delyse’s tertiary education includes a B.A from the prestigious University of W itwatersrand while simultaneously studying ATC L. LTC L. (Trinity C ollege London).
Area(s) of Focus: Tertiary, Research and Paper Presentations Featured Presenter: Dr Anne Harris & Kelly McC onville O rganisation: RMIT About the Presenter(s) Anne Harris(PhD) is a Vice C hancellor’s Principal Research Fellow at RMIT University, an Australian Research C ouncil Future Fellow, and an Honorary Research Fellow at N ottingham University (UK). Harris is the director of C reative Agency, a transdisciplinary research lab at RMIT University. Harris researches gender, creativity, and performance ethnography, and has worked professionally as a playwright, dramaturg, teaching artist. Kelly McC onville (M.Ed) is an educator, researcher and PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, and an Associate Researcher at RMIT. A published author in the fields of researchbased theatre and education, her research interests lie in how performance can be used in a variety of ways to interrogate and communicate aspects of cultural and professional identity.
8E
Beyond the Horizon
Reflecting on the lessons of the C oronavirus Pandemic for the IDE A community. W hat do we hold onto as fundamental for drama education?
Area(s) of Focus: Tertiary, Research and Paper Presentations Featured Presenter: Robin Pascoe O rganisation: ID EA/Murdoch University About the Presenter(s) Robin Pascoe is currently President of IDE A and recently retired from Murdoch University.
8F
Regional Arts Victoria's Arts & Education program - Spotlight on The C reative C urriculum - A Professional Development Program for Educators
This presentation will provide a brief introduction to the Arts & E ducation program and outline how the program is responding to changes in the school environment and the shift towards online learning in schools. This presentation explains a new focus of the program, aiming to support educators to engage with the arts and bring arts into their school communities by offering Professional Development opportunities not usually available in to regional and remote areas. The presentation will highlight one of the 2021 touring programs The C reative C urriculum by Arts C entre Melbourne. The C reative C urriculum is an interactive professional development program for teachers from any year level and at any stage of experience. It was developed by Arts C entre Melbourne with Strategic Partnerships funding from the Department of Education and E arly C hildhood Development. The program is designed to enhance teacher’s confidence, capacity and enthusiasm for integrating performing arts practice into the classroom. Program co-designer and teaching artist C hris Thompson will speak about the program in detail. C hris has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field and his recent experience of teaching online will offer a broader perspective on teaching performing arts practice in schools. The C reative C urriculum program will tour in 2021.
Area(s) of Focus: Primary/E arly Years, Middle Years, VC E Drama & Theatre Studies Featured Presenter: Pippin Davies & C hris Thompson O rganisation: Regional Arts Victoria About the Presenter(s) Pippin Davies is the Arts & Education Manager at Regional Arts Victoria. W ith a background in circus and a Bachelor of C ontemporary Arts, Pippin is passionate about arts in education and providing opportunities for young people to experience the arts. Pippin has been with the incredible team at Regional Arts Victoria for three years, and was previously C lasses & Education C oordinator at C ircus O z. C hris Thompson is an award-winning writer, director, artistic director, and teacher. He’s been a Teaching Artist with Arts C entre Melbourne for more than 20 years and has been Artistic Director of many theatre companies and festivals with a focus on young people and the arts. C hris lectures at AC U, is presenter of Vision Australia Radio's weekly arts and cultural programme and was included in the inaugural Drama Victoria Legends group.
PRICING E arly bird pricing only available when booking on or before Monday 17/8/2020. C oncession rates apply to unwaged members and pre-service teachers only (proof required). Members of State / N Z Associations are eligible for the member rate (proof required). Please contact admin@dramavictoria.vic.edu.au
R E G IS T R A T IO N *
E ARLY BIRD C O N FEREN C E PASS
FULL C O N FEREN C E PASS
M E M B E RS H IP TYPE
C O ST
Member
$187
N on-Member
$319
C oncession
$110
Member
$220
N on-Member
$385
C oncession
$165
Presenter
$50
*Registration includes access to a Keynote session on Friday evening, all sessions on Saturday plus access to pre-recorded sessions. Some sessions can only accommodate a limited number of participants. N ot available on 11 or 12 September? Missed out on your favourite session as it was already full? C an’t decide between two or more sessions on at the same time? N o problems‌. All sessions will be available for viewing online for 14 days after the C onference. Please allow a few days for all videos to be uploaded.
MADE YO UR C HO IC ES? G et your C onference Pass N O W ! REG ISTER AT
https://www.dramavictoria.vic.edu.au/events/annual-conference/2020-conference/ REGISTRATIONS CLOSE MIDNIGHT TUESDAY 8 SEPTEMBER
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS