ISTA's Scene Magazine - Let's get cross curricular! - Scene December 2021

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Patron and Global Partner Schools Patron Professor Jonothan Neelands National Teaching Fellow, Chair of Drama and Theatre Education in the Institute of Education and Chair of Creative

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Education in the Warwick Business School (WBS) at the University of Warwick.

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Global partners

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Atlanta International School, USA Artist Residency Thailand, Prem Dulwich College, Singapore International School of Phnom Penh, Cambodia ISTA Performing Arts Academy, Hong Kong Near West, China St Julians School, Portugal

Scene Editor Helen Abbott

Contents

Artwork

3 Editorial

Melissa Carne

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Living in an interdisciplinary world

by Claudia Kennedy © International Schools Theatre

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Association (ISTA) 2021-2022

by Randy Moss

ISTA and its editors accept no liability for the views, opinions and advice contained in this journal. The editors reserve the right to edit any materials submitted for publication.

ISTA contact information International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA), Lakeside Offices, The Old Cattle Market, Coronation Park, Helston, Cornwall TR13 0SR United Kingdom office@ista.co.uk

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Teaching an old dog new tricks cross curricularly!

People before content: creating a culture of care

by Siobhan Buckman 16

ShakespEALe

by Nick Pillow 20

Why bother going cross-curricular?

by Awelani Moyo 23

Creative arts collaborative projects

by Cindy Kennaugh 27

Panda lesson

by Debbie Kidd 30

Poetry in motion

by Hannah Northcott 34

The story’s the thing...

by Louise Clark 37

Matters of the arts and connection

by Kelli Horner 42

Biographies

Editorial Welcome to my first edition as the new editor of Scene! At this very minute, as I write this foreword, I am feeling daunted, excited, nervous and everything in between - it is a huge responsibility after all. Scene has been going since 2001 and is such a valued and respected publication. Over the last 10 years as an ISTA artist I have seen with my own eyes the glossy rainbow of issues stored on drama office shelves around the world, a treasure trove of creative delights. I have also heard people refer to the legendary Artist Toolbox edition that was published several years ago and is still used by many today. I am fortunate though, that as I take my first steps into this new role, I have Emmy Abrahamson’s legacy to support me - it is thanks to Emmy that we have the focus of this quarter’s issue and many of its wonderful contributors.

Let’s get cross curricular - what does this mean exactly, why use it as an educational tool and how can it be applied?

In this issue Claudia Kennedy begins by addressing some FAQs in her article Living in an interdisciplinary world. Nick Pillow and Awelani Moyo give some great practical advice, Randy Moss reflects on an impressive MYP Interdisciplinary Unit and Cindy Kennaugh writes about how the whole Creative Arts Team at the British School Yangon created an innovative way to work online using traditional Myanmar fables and puppets. We also have Siobhan Buckman’s ‘go-to resources and activities’ that she uses to support a people centred approach amidst the chaos of the outside world and a step by step process guide that integrates Drama, Music and Art ending in a performance from Hannah Northcott. Kelli Horner looks back to her time in 10th grade when she was ‘riding the sophomore buzz’ and was introduced to Chemistry in the Community while Louise Clark and Debbie Kidd focus on primary interdisciplinary units starting with a children’s book and a picture of a panda in a zoo.

I am not, nor have ever been, a teacher so I am sure I have a lot to learn about the ways education and school systems work, but, it has always struck me that life doesn’t run like a school timetable - subjects bleed into one another, the lines are blurred. The vast majority of skills I have or lessons I

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have learnt end up being applied to my life in so many areas and in so many different ways. I am not suggesting that schools should do away with distinct subjects, they need their space and clarity, but that looking for opportunities for connections to be made, for students to apply their learning beyond the subject and for them to take those skills and use them to make sense of the wider world is surely a good thing. As Kelli Horner says in her article Matters of the arts and connection, the arts, and theatre specifically, can help students understand ‘the connection between [the subject] and the world.’

Thank you, as always, to all the contributors for this issue, it is so very appreciated by ISTA and the community. I really hope you enjoy reading all their wonderful stories, reflections and insights.

If you have any questions, requests or comments please feel free to email me on helen@ista.co.uk. I would love to hear from you and any ideas for future issues will be gratefully received - Scene is created for you so just let me know what you want to see!

With thanks,

Helen Abbott Events and Artist Manager

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Living in an interdisciplinary world

By Claudia Kennedy Undeniably, creating a rich and meaningful

So it makes sense to teach interdisciplinary

interdisciplinary experience for students takes

approaches to problem-solving and encourage

effort. Teachers are required to step outside their

students to make connections by looking at

own area of expertise (and perhaps also their

situations from multiple perspectives; they will

comfort zone) to plan and sometimes teach

need it in their future lives. A doctor treating

collaboratively. For some, the prospect is exciting,

complex symptoms. An architect designing a

invigorating and innovative. For others, it feels

building. An entrepreneur running a business.

intimidating and seems overwhelmingly like a

A project manager in a charitable organization.

great deal of extra work on top of an already full

A theatre practitioner creating a production (we

schedule. Here are some FAQ’s that are often asked

all know about that one...) These professionals all

about interdisciplinary teaching and learning…. and

need in-depth understanding of their particular

some answers that may be useful.

field. However, they also need an understanding of the ‘ripple effect’– the impact of their actions –

Why interdisciplinary?

and what they must take into consideration when reaching decisions.

Quite simply, we live in an interdisciplinary world.

Very rarely can the issues we encounter in our

In the context of an arts classroom, integrating

lives be divided into the kind of subjects studied

understanding in an artwork can allow students

at school. It would be unusual to say to ourselves,

to experience facets of a topic that they may not

when faced with a problem, ‘this is a math(s)

otherwise have considered. Veronica Boix-Mansilla

problem’ or ‘this is a geography problem’.

gives an example:

We tend to draw on knowledge, understanding and skills from more than one field when coming up with a solution.

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‘Making a memorial—creating an aesthetic visual commentary (art) about a past event (history)—enables students to synthesize the significance of the event in an evocative metaphor, one that a non-artistic approach might have missed. Multiple disciplinary combinations can invite deeper and richer understandings.’

Boix-Mansilla

The problems future generations will need to

understanding of the connections between the

solve become increasingly complex: climate

disciplines as well as their understanding of the

change, population and demographics, poverty,

potential benefits of an interdisciplinary approach.

health, the structure of working life, to name but a few of the current issues that repeatedly crop

Wiggins & McTighe give a (fictional) example

up in the news. Resolving these issues requires

in their book ‘Understanding by Design’. They

an interdisciplinary frame of mind.

describe a third-grade class who, each autumn, complete a unit of study revolving wholly around

What are the principles of interdisciplinary

apples. The children engage in a range of

teaching and learning?

activities in all their different subjects – languages, mathematics, science, arts…. culminating in an

In essence, anytime we make a connection

Apple Fest for the whole school community.

between our subject matter (in this case,

The activities are practical, hands-on and look

theatre) and another, we are thinking along

like they would be great fun. Despite the active

interdisciplinary lines. That said, there are some

and engaging nature of the unit, the author

principles it is worth keeping in mind when

questions what deep understanding remains

planning an interdisciplinary project.

when the unit is finished: what are the ‘big ideas’ and important skills?

Firstly, although this may sound obvious, there needs to be a clear purpose for combining

This is an example of a multidisciplinary project:

subjects. Why would the issue or topic benefit

a common theme, where each subject area

from an interdisciplinary approach? If it doesn’t

contributes activities (and, one would hope, some

… don’t do it! It is important for students to

learning) about the theme. There is very little, if

gain some new, enhanced, more in-depth

anything, connecting these activities in a way that

understanding as a result of combining the

deepens students’ understanding or links them

subjects. The areas of study must integrate with

together, other than thematically.

each other in a way that provides these added insights and synthesised understanding. It could

Julie Stern talks about a unit of study on the topic of

be, for example, that students need knowledge

water: a popular theme for projects across multiple

from one subject to create a more complex

subject areas. This project might go the same way

product (or artwork…) in another.

as Wiggins & McTighe’s apple project, were it not for a suggestion Stern makes. She explains that using

There is a difference between ‘multidisciplinary’

overarching concepts provides a way of connecting

and ‘interdisciplinary’. A multidisciplinary project

and deepening student understanding. Stern gives

is one where there is a common theme, whereas

the example of using the concepts power and

an interdisciplinary one develops students’

conflict: ‘When resources become scarce, conflict

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often arises… [What is] the role of power in the

powerful piece of theatre are the outcome,

distribution of resources?’

that’s wonderful!

With this conceptual perspective, the focus of

Does an interdisciplinary project have to be

the interdisciplinary unit becomes crystal-clear

taught concurrently (i.e. at the same time) in

and the learning is driven by the inquiry into how

both/all subjects?

power, conflict and the need for water intersect.

The project is interdisciplinary because students

Teaching all the subjects involved in an

need the learning in each of the subject areas

interdisciplinary project at the same time is ideal.

involved to make deep connections and build their

However, the reality of school scheduling means

understanding, of the concepts, of the world,

that this is not always possible. Sometimes the

their role in shaping the future (and what a

order of topics to be taught in a school curriculum

wonderful piece of political theatre-for-change

is mandated and fixed. In many schools, the arts

this would make!)

are taught in a rotation, where students are in only one arts class at a time. Teachers in the different

A final point is that all interdisciplinary projects

subjects may not have the same students at the

must also be grounded in the subject disciplines

same time.

that are contributing to the project. It is important for each subject to be valued for what it brings to

It is good practice to have an approach that

the learning and understanding of the issue at the

allows all arts disciplines to participate. To give an

heart of the project. Ideally, the subjects should

example: a project about climate change combines

contribute in equal measure; each should make

Science, which students typically have throughout

a specific and significant contribution to the

the academic year, with Arts, which may be on a rotation with students in different arts classes

‘Interdisciplinary for theatre artists and teachers? It’s what we do.’

(Music, Art, Drama). Students could express the understanding from Science classes, the views they have developed, and their desire for change or action in an artistic form in whichever art class they attend at the time of the project.

If this is not possible, then running an

project so that the knowledge and understanding

interdisciplinary project where subjects are involved

is truly integrated. If the project is not possible

at different times in the academic year is arguably

without one of the subjects involved, you know

better than no interdisciplinary project at all.

it’s well integrated.

Teachers may need to allow additional time for the students to make the connections and integrate

How many subjects should be involved in

the subjects through reflection activities. It is also

an interdisciplinary project?

important to decide on the order in which the subjects involved in the interdisciplinary study will

The answer is… as many subjects as are

be taught, so that it provides a logical progression

manageable and useful. The days where all

for the students.

subjects were given a topic and had to connect to it, whether or not the topic was suitable for their

How do we get started?

curriculum, are thankfully in the past (well, mostly).

An interdisciplinary project should never be forced:

Many (if not most!) interdisciplinary projects start

if it is not a natural fit for a particular subject, that

with a conversation: teachers discover they are

subject shouldn’t be there. Most often, a successful

planning to engage students in an investigation

interdisciplinary project combines two or three

into a particular topic, and they find that there are

subjects with a strong connection. If the underlying

links to a unit of study in another subject. They

ideas and concepts are explored in depth, with the

decide to join forces and create an interdisciplinary

result that transformative understanding and a

learning experience for the students where the

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information from one subject can infuse and

interdisciplinary project, students are asked to

strengthen learning in another.

transmit their experiences and what they have understood through the project to the audience,

The strongest interdisciplinary projects include a

with a specific intention. To inform? Shock? Inspire?

transferable conceptual understanding. According

Encourage action? Persuade? Change minds?

to Julie Stern, a concept is an ‘organizing idea’.

Concepts are ‘timeless, universal, broad and

Other important considerations in the design of the

abstract’ (Erickson). Examples of a concept share

assessment: it must allow students to demonstrate

common attributes, so this makes them ideal as a framework for interdisciplinary learning because a

•

Their disciplinary knowledge and skills

concept can be approached from many different

•

Their understanding of the interrelatedness of

perspectives and subjects.

the disciplines •

For example, the concept of ‘boundaries’ could be explored through many different topics or

role of each in solving a particular problem •

issues: political boundaries and borders, personal boundaries, boundaries between one genre

How the disciplines can be combined and the The transfer of this understanding to creating an artwork / piece of theatre

•

Perspectives on the effectiveness of the

/ tradition and another, boundaries between

product / outcome and thoughts about

communities…. Each time students encounter a

learning.

different example of a concept, their understanding of the concept grows. They build a mental

Conclusion

framework they can continually add to as they discover different examples in different contexts of

I would argue that theatre teachers are particularly

their education (and their lives).

well-placed to teach interdisciplinary units. We work with interdisciplinarity All. The. Time. We are very

After teachers have discussed a collaborative

used to working from a stimulus or starting point

approach and a topic for the interdisciplinary

to develop a full piece of theatre, devising from

project, it is then useful to agree on an overarching

an idea, an image, music, even just a few words or

conceptual focus that connects – integrates – the

lines of text. In all our productions, we collaborate

subjects and makes the project coherent for the

with numerous arts disciplines and weave them

students. Once this is clear, teachers can structure

together into a whole. Interdisciplinary for theatre

activities that will lead students to develop the

artists and teachers? It’s what we do.

necessary discipline-specific and interdisciplinary knowledge, understanding and skills.

Works cited

How do we assess an interdisciplinary project?

Principles of concept-based learning, an article and a video, Global Goals Education.

An aspect to consider when planning an

https://globalgoals.education/mod/page/view.

interdisciplinary project is what the outcome or

php?id=79 (accessed 27 October 2021)

product of the project will be, and how it is to be assessed. In a project that involves theatre, or

Boix-Mansilla, Veronica: Interdisciplinary

another arts discipline, the outcome will tend to

understanding - what counts as quality work?

involve creating an artwork / piece of theatre.

Interdisciplinary Studies Project, Harvard University. Accessible at: http://wacenter.

Theatre makers in particular are well-placed in

evergreen.edu/sites/wacenter.evergreen.edu/files/

their knowledge of how to choose an appropriate

interdisciplinaryunderstandingwhatcounts.pdf

audience for theatre pieces – or other art works -

(accessed 27 November 2021)

arising from interdisciplinary projects. Important decisions when creating a piece of theatre

Erickson, Lynn H. & Lanning, Lois: Transitioning to

revolve around the directorial intention and the

Concept-based Curriculum and Instruction.

impact the piece will have on an audience. In an

Corwin, 2013

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Stern, Julie https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=k4DeP9v9JPY (accessed 29 October 2021) Wiggins, Grant & McTighe, Jay: Understanding by Design. ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), 2005 (page 1-2)

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Teaching an old dog new tricks cross curricularly!

By Randy Moss

‘The process of creating any production involves tapping into multiple curricular areas.’

I don’t know of another area

thrust upon me. A few years

phenomenon, solve a problem,

of education that, by its very

ago, NIST International School,

create a product, or raise a

nature, more embodies the idea

Bangkok, strongly encouraged

new question in ways that

of ‘Let’s get cross curricular’

every MYP subject to work with

would have been unlikely

than theatre! The process of

another subject area and create

through a single discipline.’

creating any production involves

an IDU (Interdisciplinary Unit).

www.IBO.org

tapping into multiple curricular

I have to be honest and admit

areas. In the theatre classroom,

I wasn’t sure what an IDU was

We decided that the Arts and

regardless of the core curriculum,

and in early conversations, often

I&S (Individuals and Society)

we find ourselves immersed in

would call it a DUI. And yes, in the

would be the perfect combining

other educational areas; be it

early planning stages, I felt one

of disciplines and we began

history, math, physical education,

might be as bad as the other! The

planning an IDU for our Year 10

philosophy, psychiatry and on

school was in fact following the

students (Grade 9). Year 10 is the

and on. I remember the first time

MYP mandate of,

4th of the 5 years of MYP and

I saw the TOK’s explanation of ‘8

at this point students have had

ways of knowing’. As I read about

‘In each year of the programme,

strong foundations in I&S and,

knowing through Language,

MYP schools are responsible for

at NIST, had studied Visual Arts,

Sense Perception, Emotion,

engaging students in at least

Music and Drama for three years

Reason, Imagination, Intuition,

one collaboratively planned

and had one year of dedicated

Memory, and Faith, I smiled

interdisciplinary unit that involves

focus on one of the Art Areas.

and thought to myself, ‘I have

at least two subject groups.’

been giving kids an opportunity

www.IBO.org

to know through those areas

We agreed to the following, purpose, mode of integration,

for years!’ However, it has only

It was ensuring our students had

statements of inquiry and

been in the last few years that

opportunities to,

summative tasks:

and celebrate what a true cross

‘... demonstrate interdisciplinary

Purpose:

curricular unit entails!

understanding when they bring

I really began to understand

together concepts, methods,

To help students discover that

To be honest, like many of

or forms of communication

they can apply their skills learned

my most valuable learning

from two or more disciplines or

in the Arts (drama, music, visual

experiences, I did not pursue the

established areas of expertise

art) to encourage individual and

learning but had the learning

so that they can explain a

society change.

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To create a richer learning

piece the intended audience, the

a specific one for deeper study

experience related to social

effect of your piece of art, and

in their I&S course. In the Arts,

change:

how you applied your art skills to

music students had studied

create your piece of art.

composing, visual arts students

•

•

The skills from the Arts can

had focused on street art, and

help the students create a

You will create a planning

theatre students had developed

more authentic assessment

document that allows you to

projects based on both Brecht’s

piece for IAS.

develop your learning and ideas

and Boal’s work. During the

along the way. There will be

month dedicated to the IDU,

The research from IAS can

reflections that relate to both

both Art and I&S class times were

support students to develop

your process and performance/

used for the creative process and

a deeper understanding of

product. (Unit Planner, NIST)

all the respective teachers made

the context of the Art that they study.

Mode of integration:

themselves available for support Prior to beginning the IDU

whenever possible during both

students had researched and

Art and I&S class periods.

analysed the SDGs and chose

Aesthetic or Literary Synthesis: ‘students create an aesthetic or literary interpretation of a non-artistic or non-literary topic or issue, translating disciplinary understanding into a symbolic work that anticipates how viewers make sense of complex issues.’

The statement of inquiry: The arts are a means of personal and cultural expression, and can be a powerful catalyst for creating [political, social and environmental] change.

Summative tasks: Choose a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) that you care about. Select a specific target within the goal that you want to create change for.

Choose a medium of the arts (i.e., music, visual art, drama) through which you want to create change.

You will perform/display this for an audience.

For the final performance/ product, create a Statement of Purpose that explains in a written

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Yes, this all sounds very educational and highly

As a teacher and educator the opportunity to work

structured. It is and to be perfectly truthful, the unit

with the I&S teachers gave me a much keener

took a very long time to develop and refine and it

understanding of both their subjects and the skills

took me equally as long to embrace the idea. The

they brought to a classroom. Our conversations

commitment and process were very much worth

about global issues and teaching strategies were

the effort because what you can not see in the

eye opening and just as valuable were their ideas,

information above was what a game-changer this

observations and feedback on our students’ creative

opportunity was for many of the students, teachers

and artistic decisions and processes. I am left with

and eventually the audiences involved.

a much greater respect for the teachers and their subject. I honestly believe the IDU made the school,

Everyone involved walked away with a much

the community, our students and we as teachers

keener understanding of global and local issues

and individuals stronger and a more appropriately

impacting the world we live in. The project has led

focused community. Personally, this project left me

to several changes in our school focused on the use

inspired as a global citizen and a teacher.

of sustainable resources. Equally important, we saw an upward trend of students focusing on global

It seems you can teach an old dog new tricks.

issues and SDGs in their MYP Personal Projects in Year 11 and eventually in their projects and activities

Since being involved in the development of the IDU

in CAS at the DP level. In Art classes we noticed

at NIST, I have recently moved to another school. My

work and devising being done with more empathy

current school does not offer the MYP, so there is no

and a greater focus on cultural diversity, norms

mandate for formal IDUs. However, after only a few

and identity. In the I&S classes teachers noticed,

weeks I have sought out the Middle School Social

students’ discussions and analysis of global issues

Studies teacher and fellow Art teachers to discuss

became more proactive and more focused on

how we might develop a similar project here.

individual responsibilities. Over the next couple of years, parents shared tales of interesting and in

Needless to say, I have become a fan of ‘Let’s get

depth conversations centered around the creative

cross curricular!’

journeys and issues explored in the project.

‘The project has led to several changes in our school focused on the use of sustainable resources.’

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People before content: creating a culture of care (What teaching in chaos taught me)

By Siobhan Buckman For the last two years I have worked in Lebanon.

This was partly to do with COVID, but mostly to

22 months that seemed to last a lifetime. A week’s

do with the fact that I was in Beirut where life was

worth revealed itself within each day and the

unpredictable. No day was ever the same and so

learning curve was the steepest that I have known.

no child ever came to school feeling the same as

It was within that context that I realised how much

they had the day before. Their whole world was

the particularities of a place and time can inform

upside down, beginning in October ‘19 with the

practice. Although the importance of curriculum

Political Revolution which continued intermittently

content is undoubtable, it is critical to hold central

for 3 months. Roads were blocked, protests filled

the understanding of where we teach and who

the streets and the varying degrees of civil unrest

we teach. It was like all the years of international education experience came to a head, there was a lightbulb moment.

In my experience in the ‘normal’ world I have always found Theatre teachers to be busy people - onto the next project, chasing their tails, constantly playing catch up. For me time has always been an issue, never enough hours in the day, nor enough weeks in the rehearsal timeline. Always a push for content and outcomes and assessments. But over the last

‘it is critical to hold central the understanding of where we teach and who we teach’

months, life seemed to slow down, at least in that way. The familiar and brilliant chaos of theatre-

became a daily consideration. School scrambled

making and productions and rehearsals was gone

together an online system, teachers went all out to

and in its place a new kind of something developed.

carry on with their content and families tried their

Online time stretched out and sometimes seemed

best to shift to home learning. Little did we know,

to almost stand still. I found that this altered sense

but it was the dress rehearsal for the main event. As

of things allowed me to approach my content more

the political tensions began to settle slightly, COVID

holistically, to develop a different lens through which

appeared from the wings and then the whole

to teach. And I needed to. Driven and confronted by

world turned upside down. In Lebanon, it was

a very specific context I had to shift my priorities and

another layer to add to the chaos. The country was

let go of some of my standard approaches. I found

beset by COVID whilst the economy collapsed, and

myself leaning heavily towards ways in which to

then on August 4th 2020 the world’s biggest non

teach people before content, Maslow’s Hierarchy of

nuclear explosion racked the city. Many community

Needs before Bloom’s Taxonomy .

members were in Beirut when it happened. We had students who lost family members and their homes.

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Most significantly most of them lost their sense of

The Blob Tree and/or Blob Bridge

safety and security.

A great, often humorous, low risk opener. Prompt In previous practice I had always started each new

questions might include: Which figure best

class by building pictures of the students - how

represents you today? Explain. Which figure best

many siblings, their home language, countries

represents the ensemble mood/vibe today? Explain.

lived in, strengths and weaknesses, hopes and

Which figure would you like to be by the end of

fears. Exercises like these were the backbone of my

class? Explain.

first few lessons, a positive way to build ensemble and the classroom community. But in a context where no two days were the same, locally, nationally or globally, it didn’t seem to be enough to take information that I gathered at the beginning of the year and tie into neat packages for each student. The profiles needed to be more fluid and regularly addressed. So I made a move towards a more explicit culture of care, not the collection of facts that help me to ‘understand’ something about that kid, but a more frequent, flexible and pastoral approach. How the kids are changed from day to day. Because of that I began to much more intentionally move beyond my stockpile of warm ups to more diagnostic SEL tools.

I use the beginning of every class as The Buffer Zone - a place to transition from one class to the next, from one space, teacher, style to another, but most importantly as the time in which students reflect, label and share how they are feeling. Some days it can be a simple, quick check in and on other days it can be a more extended starting point for accessing subject specific concepts and ideas. I find that this helps all of us - my teaching is better, I am more able to ‘read’ the room and respond and adapt

Blob Tree, Pip Wilson, www.pipwilson.com

accordingly and the students are more productive and positive-they feel empowered, safe, connected and supported by me and by each other.

I have shared below some of my go-to resources and activities.

‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs before Bloom’s Taxonomy.’

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Blob Bridge, Pip Wilson and Ian Long

Find your Space Students are invited to place themselves somewhere in the room that redirects how they feel at the start of class. It can be anywhere. Students can explain if they want and/or others can observe/ comment/question. This can become an extended activity leading into work on proxemics/ semiotics and directorial choices linked into script work or rehearsal approaches. This use of space in this opener can also be interchanged with textures/ colours/ etc, especially when exploring set design or production elements.

How’s your 5? Community Mental Health,

Boals Game of Power

www.mercy.net This is an adaptation of Boal’s original exercise which How’s Your 5?

explores notions of power through the arrangement of everyday objects. For the exercise I use chairs, and

This one helps us all move beyond stock responses.

students are asked to place their chair as part of a class sculpture of chairs. This exercise can be used

The Mood Meter

as a quick check in for how they feel, or as a lead in to a bigger discussion/learning about Boal/group

Pretty self explanatory. Can be a quick check and

dynamics and hierarchy/the positive functioning of

include ensemble building questions like - who

an ensemble etc

needs the most help today? Who is feeling positive and productive and can lead the session? Etc

Speed dating

Can also lead into extended work on physicality and body language- exploring nuances and subtle

An adaptation from this original idea. Get everyone

difference in emotional states through shape/level

talking and connecting as soon as they enter class.

of tension etc

90 seconds with 3-4 different people to explain the best moment/hard moment from the day/last 24hrs/week. This exercise works effectively - talking about the positive builds positive energy and identifying the challenging builds connection and support.

I Am Poem This is a great one for any leads into script writing/ devising and again can be easily adapted from the general to the specific. https://inspiredstudents.org/activity/i-am-poem/

Mood Meter, Yale University, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence

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ShakespEALe

By Nick Pillow In this article, Nick Pillow explains

in Mumbai. He is the Creative

Me: It is a truth universally

why - and how - learning

Director of Laughing Pillow, which,

acknowledged that most drama

Shakespeare is not as impossible

during the pandemic, translates

teachers have read as many

for EAL (English as an Additional

as ‘basically unemployed’.

articles about why Shakespeare

Language) students as you might

isn’t actually boring as they have

at first think, and how ensemble,

‘Do it on your feet, See it live,

read articles that begin ‘it is a

active learning - even outside the

Start it earlier’

truth universally acknowledged’.

Drama classroom - can turn such

(RSC Education Manifesto, 2008)

I’m sure most of us remember

a student from a passive observer into an active participant.

learning Shakespeare; sitting Oh no, not Shakespeare again!

behind desks reading a text that

(Year 8 Student)

made no sense, and wondering

Nick Pillow is a freelance stand-up

why the teacher had put a big

comedian, comedy writer, theatre

You: OK, so, what’s this all

red cross against the suggestion

education consultant and High

about then?

that Juliet was asking ‘Wherefore

School Theatre teacher based

art thou Romeo?’ because it

Student’s work, Claremont High School Academy, London

16

was dark and she couldn’t see

didn’t understand anything either,

other which still haunts

where he was. It wasn’t until I

so suddenly, for the first time, the

their homeland.’2 And who

acted in an amateur dramatic

playing field was levelled, spurring

better than Shakespeare to

performance of Twelfth Night, at

them on. As the unit progressed,

provide work which has the

the age of twenty-six, that I finally

I found the students achieving as

power to touch each pupil

had my personal breakthrough

much - if not more than -

individually and help them

in understanding and indeed

their peers.

find commonality with each other? Working together

enjoying Shakespeare. Later on I had the privilege of interning

So, what’s the background?

doesn’t just help learning - it

with the RSC’s education

Are these ideas academically

creates learning.

department whose manifesto

robust?

•

above encouraged me to

Words are often considered

wonder whether it was the

Because my Senior Leadership

to be the supreme form

doing rather than the reading of

Team is scared of drama - it’s ‘not

of mental activity, but is

Shakespeare which engendered

a proper subject’. Can you answer

this really the case? Many

understanding.

in bullet points, because I don’t

beginner bilinguals don’t have

have time for paragraphs. I’m too

the words - does this mean

I think I already knew that.

busy retrospectively completing

they can’t learn anything?

But what’s with the whole

my IB Theatre TCAF forms.

(Spoiler: No, it doesn’t

EAL thing?

mean that).

Your wish is my command: •

I was an EAL specialist English

Students are usually taught

‘Doing it on your feet’ is

Shakespeare the poet rather

at the time, whose language

well known to work. In the

than Shakespeare the

diversity was similar to what

eighties, Rex Gibson (he

dramatist, but are expected

we see in many international

edited the ‘Cambridge

to analyse both. Doing

school classrooms today.

School Shakespeare = he

the drama-y bits will help

When we tackled Shakespeare,

knows his stuff) worked on

them get better grades in

using the active, ensemble

replaced ‘desk-bound’ work

English. Fact.

approach developed by the

with ‘exciting, enjoyable

RSC, I wondered why my EAL

approaches that are social,

students were groaning less

imaginative and enjoyable’.

teacher in a London state school

•

OK great. That’s all very well, 1

but what did you actually do?

than their monolingual peers.

‘Education is an effect of

I can’t sadly go into all the

subject, every day was for them

community’ said Vygotsky,

activities within my article word

an exercise in translation, and so

echoed by basically everyone

limit but here are three (you may

‘translating’ Shakespeare was no

ever (except possibly your

or may not know) that worked

different. They were used to not

SLT), but especially Dorothy

really well. All come from the

understanding something first

Heathcote in the 1980s and

Royal Shakespeare Company’s

time, so those code-switching

our very own Jonothan

Education Resources and are just

muscles were already warmed up

Neelands #istaicon in the

the tip of the iceberg.

and ready for action. They may

2000s. He wrote drama is

not have realised that the words

part of a struggle ‘towards

are ‘in the wrong order’, so to

a common culture which

Teacher narrates chosen

speak, so they weren’t put off by

might transcend the historical

section as a story (The entire

this. They also realised the others

mistrust and fear of the

plot, or a key scene) mostly in

I realised that of course, every

•

•

Whoosh: Class in a circle.

‘Train your colleagues. Support them.

Bring them strategies and biscuits.’

17

modern day English (‘Once

light through yonder window

upon a time, there was a

breaks? Student 3: It is the

happy family: King Hamlet,

East; Student 4: And Juliet is

S: It is the East… etc etc, right

his loving wife Gertrude,

the sun.’ Tip: While it looked

down to:

their young son, also called

like you started with a random

Hamlet, and the King’s

student, in your head you

brother Claudius. They lived

made sure your weaker EAL

in a big castle).

student ends up as #4. Then

S: O that I were a glove upon

in pairs they find a gesture to

that hand.

On any key word, tap a child on

match each of their respective

the shoulder who goes into the

bits of sentence, which are

middle of the circle and takes the

then performed in order

position indicated). Key phrases

running through the whole

can be given in Shakespeare’s

speech (Edit it - you don’t

original (‘Hamlet didn’t know

even need the whole thing for

what to do, and asked, “To be, or

a degree, certainly not GCSE).

not to be, that is the question.”’).

The child in question repeats

T: In which direction?

T: What do you want?

T: So you can touch her hand?

S: That I might touch that cheek!

•

Why it works: It just really works. Try it! But plan it carefully in advance.

•

Why it works: In this speech,

the phrase verbatim. At the end

for example, the EAL student,

Amazing. But how is this

of every paragraph/section, the

even if speaking no English,

cross-curricular?

teacher calls ‘whoosh’ and all the

will see loads of open arms

actors join the circle and a new

and high reaching etc - from

Well firstly, English and Drama.

group starts.

this they may well understand

Not the same in most schools.

•

Romeo’s connection of Juliet

But whoosh is an amazing whole

Why it works: Your EAL

to celestial bodies quicker

school technique (listen up, SLT).

student may not want to be

than you can say ‘the balcony

For example, History: Once upon

Hamlet, but to be a tree in the

is a metaphor’. Then you

a time there was a very greedy

orchard watching Claudius

just need to scaffold the

king called Henry VIII, who lived in

murder old Hamlet is surely

terminology underneath the

a big palace in London, and one

a more powerful experience

understanding, rather than

day, when he had finished writing

than sitting at the back

the other way round.

an angry letter to the Pope in

of the class watching the clever children read from a

Rome, he met a beautiful woman •

Interpolated questions: To

called Catherine of Aragorn, who

book. Or Gertrude’s speedy

consolidate learning, they now

wasn’t from Lord of the Rings.

re-marriage is much more

again do a class reading, again

Science: Once upon a time there

powerful when you haven’t

to each punctuation mark,

were twin brothers who both

whooshed away the body of

but this time the teacher

went by the name of Hydrogen

Old Hamlet yet. Ask them:

interpolates a question

who were very lonely and needed

How is Hamlet going to feel

or statement between

a friend. One day they both met

right now?

each section of the text.

a super cheerful atom called

For example:

Oxygen. They liked him so much

Breaking down a speech: •

Teach to the punctuation

they decided to link arms and go Teacher: Shhhh… someone’s

off to see the world together. -NB I

coming.

just made that up so the science is

marks, not line by line.

Class read, eg ‘But soft,

dodgy but you get the idea).

Students: (Together): But soft.

Anything else to consider?

what light through yonder T: What are you looking at?

Make it quick please.

punctuation mark: Student

S: What light through yonder

Teaching like a drama teacher -

1: But Soft; Student 2: What

window breaks?

especially moving children around

window breaks’, twice, then individually read up to each

18

the classroom without the safety of desks and a seating plan - is quite daunting for the uninitiated and can result in behavioural chaos, and that’s just in a staff meeting. Train your colleagues.

Support them. Bring them strategies and biscuits.

Overall, then, while it may seem like trying to climb Mount Everest in flipflops, teaching Shakespeare to EAL students is much more possible than you would think.

The power of the ensemble, combined with the power of drama, combined with the power of Shakespeare’s words and stories, leads to a profound sense of learning and growth for the entire class. This learning can easily be replicated across the school, strengthening bonds between different departments and improving access for all students. And that is a truth worth universal acknowledgement.

Works Citied 1

Gibson, R. (1998) Teaching

Shakespeare. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, cited in Tracy Irish ‘Would you risk it for Shakespeare? A case study of using active approaches in the English classroom’, published in English in Education, Vol 45, Issue 1, February 2011 Neelands, J. (2009) ‘Acting

2

Together: ensemble as a democratic process in art and life’, Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 14:2,173 – 189.

19

Why bother going cross-curricular?

By Awelani Moyo As someone who has always been preoccupied by

level of enthusiasm for funding arts projects as in

the ‘so what?’ factor in my own work, the idea of

other disciplines.

cross-curricular projects is something that I find both thrilling and daunting. For the past few years

The idea of cross-curricular projects doesn’t

my focus has been particularly on African traditional

only belong to the arts of course, but it presents

and indigenous performance forms, and the

particularly useful opportunities for us to

question always arises when I am preparing to give a

demonstrate to other disciplines the value of

workshop or rehearsing a storytelling performance.

what we do as creative educators in the face of repeated and growing calls for ‘usefulness’ and

My particular area of focus is one where the idea

‘preparedness’ in education. Many times I think that

of cross-curricular is at the centre of teaching

a lot of teachers are already doing cross-curricular

and learning. Traditional forms of storytelling

work every day, but it sometimes takes a concerted

performance have of course always merged the two

effort to have their various activities recognised or

imperatives of education and/as entertainment. So

celebrated at a larger scale in schools. I also think

in a sense the ‘so what’ question is already answered

that students themselves already experience their

in the activity itself. But of course, if you are working

learning worlds in a cross-curricular way, and in

within an institution it is not always easy to convince

fact it is us as the educators who need to expand

colleagues, management or funding bodies of this.

our thinking and move out of our sometimes restrictive tendencies to separate subjects into neat

This takes me back to the old debate about

independent boxes.

practice versus theory. I remember in my university days the challenge of how to quantify the value

If you are a lone creative arts teacher in a far corner

of drama studies was burning. My professors,

of the school, cross-curricular projects are a great

themselves established professional artists, were

chance to engage colleagues and to generate

embroiled in a long battle to have the academic

wider interest and support for your subject. They

institutions recognise what they were doing as

also offer a way of tackling difficult subject matters

more than just ‘rolling around on the floor,’ but as

in the classroom without the need to over-simplify

practical research in itself. In many ways, this is a

complex topics, but through using the layering

challenge that many of us creative educators still

of themes, research questions and investigative

face today. It is no secret that creative people have

methods. If I ask the same question in different

long been fighting for recognition of our work

ways, might I perhaps receive a different answer?

as a valid and important contribution to society,

It’s also not only about what the arts can teach

whether it’s through education or social change.

other disciplines, but what we as creative educators

While working as a marketing assistant I recall

can learn from others! I’ve had some of the most

the numerous times I was asked to put together

fascinating and enriching conversations with non-

articles detailing the value of the performing arts

theatre subject teachers who happen to have come

as a pathway to enriching students with various

along to an ISTA festival as a trip chaperone. It has

‘transferable skills’, as if this were the only real

not only been interesting to look at what I do from

value of creative exploration. Even now, with the

the perspective of those who come from different

buzzword ‘interdisciplinary’ being all the rage in

disciplines, it reminds me of the value of what I am

tertiary institutions, it is still hard to find the same

doing, and it challenges me to go further and push

20

myself in difficult directions, rather than sticking

lasting impact in ways that sometimes an isolated

to the same formula or staying safe in what I know.

performance or workshop may not be able to do.

When I am asked about a particular decision or game that I have used in a workshop, I am often

So what makes for a successful cross curricular

pushed beyond the taken-for-granted efficacy of

experience? I don’t pretend to have a definitive

what I am doing, and towards striving for an even

guide, but from my experience I’ve learned that

better way of doing things and applying those skills

the following are essential:

and knowledge. There is a greater PD&L value which cross-curricular collaboration can provide, which can sometimes be more refreshing and challenging than we might expect.

Tips My first experience of a large-scale cross-curricular project came in the form of Black History week for a

•

Meeting well in advance and discussing

Primary school here in Spain. The challenge for me

clearly the objectives laid out for the work

as an artist was to find ways of engaging the variety

ahead.

of age-groups on the same topic, from pre-nursery to Year 6, in a way that was appropriate to each level

•

Setting clear goals for all the collaborators involved.

of learning but also accessible and memorable for the students. How could I make teaching about race and diversity accessible and at the same time

•

Involving both artists and teachers actively

impactful? In the end, I saw that children learn best

– it is not only the job of one or the other to

when they are happy and enjoying themselves, and

come up with ideas and proposals.

the more freedom and creativity packed into every learning experience, the more memorable and

•

to the specific desired outcomes.

impactful the learning could become.

After numerous meetings and consultations with

Adapting material to each age group and

•

Framing the work clearly in such a way

the class teachers and school leadership, we were

that students understand the connections

able to arrive at a programme of events that offered

which can be made between every aspect

opportunities to deepen students’ learning at all

of their learning (whether that is though

levels. Ultimately we create a whirlwind of different

assemblies/ talks, or student presentations)

activities which the students could participate in, kicked off with a whole school assembly and

•

Setting up connections to past and future

spanning everything from storytelling and rap to

topics in order to reinforce learning that

dance, singing and creative writing. It also involved

has already occurred, or that will be

some more subtle moments of quiet reflection and

occurring later on.

questioning, where students were able to really connect with the subject matter and the individual

•

Setting up opportunities for students to share learning across close year-groups

stories they were learning about, whether it was Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman or Ruby Bridges.

As an artist, I found this project a great opportunity

•

Creating multiple occasions and spaces for

to really push beyond the comfort zones of my own

reflection and sharing, where students can

ways of working, and enable me to explore new skills

not only express their ideas and share their

in areas I otherwise would not have ventured. As

experiences with staff but also with their

well as offering my own menu of African-themed

peers and parents.

activities, I was also called upon to create new experiences, perform new characters, and above all engage the students themselves in the process of

•

Leaving aside time for the new and the unexpected.

making meaning. I ultimately found cross-curricular work to be a fantastic opportunity to bring real

21

‘Cross-curricular projects should be fun, inclusive, socially activated and challenging.’

Cross-curricular projects should be fun, inclusive, socially activated and challenging. They offer a chance for interdisciplinary collaboration, thinking outside of the box, and experimentation. Cross-curricular work is also perhaps the most sustainable type of work in the long term, at a time when funding for the arts is constantly threatened.

The global pandemic has dealt an especially hard blow for the creative arts sector (who can forget the infamous ballet retraining advert that the UK DCMS published little over a year ago!). We will probably have to continue to advocate for ourselves in this regard and to push for more space and more visibility in society and in the global economy. It stands to reason that we, more than ever, need to collaborate with other disciplines and subjects if we want to ensure the future of the arts. But we should also continue to celebrate the pure, unadulterated joy of being creative for creativity’s sake. Not because it makes us better at other things, or makes it easier to memorise facts or simplify complex tasks, but because it inspires and in the words of Marie Kondo, ‘sparks joy’.

HM Government

22

Creative arts collaborative projects

By Cindy Kennaugh Virtual lessons have challenged even the most

independently or requested assistance.

creative educators worldwide during the pandemic.

The Year 7 collaborative project was a puppetry

To quote futurist philosopher Jason Silva, ‘these

unit, using four traditional Myanmar fables as

disruptive times are calling for massive reinvention’.

stimuli. We created a joint google classroom where

After seven months of remote learning, the British

all tasks were uploaded, step by step, walking the

School Yangon Creative Arts team, Yasmine Pile

students through the procedure for developing

(art), Anselm Carr-Jones (music) and I, Cindy

and performing a puppet show. Whenever possible,

Kennaugh (drama), ‘reinvented’ how we delivered

recordings of lessons were made available for

our curriculum by creating interdisciplinary,

students who were unable to attend due to power

collaborative projects for Year 7 and Year 9 (6th

cuts, travel or other unforeseen circumstances.

and 8th grade).

This holistic approach blurred the line between the disciplines, and we hoped that the students would

Our main objective was to engage the students

begin to use the connections between the arts and

in a long-term project, scaffolding the skills and

recognise the real-life applications of the skills that

content in the Art, Music and Drama curriculum.

they were exploring. Extensions were also developed

The creative process, rather than the discipline,

for those who wanted to go further or had specific

drove each lesson, so that students could continue

interests such as learning stop motion or creating

to work on an aspect of their project for more than

digital artwork.

one lesson at a time. Fortunately, the creative arts classes were often back-to-back, so the content or

Our team developed an overview of the creative

skills could be introduced during the first lesson

process, structuring the unit into small manageable

and pupils could get into a creative flow, working

tasks that made sure that key knowledge,

through the second lesson on the given task.

understanding and skills from each discipline

Additionally, teachers were able to give individual

were covered.

support to students who were unable to work

23

perspective, use of color and a

in Myanmar, demanded that

variety of materials. We covered

we make adjustments and

camera angles and shots,

find alternate ways to help the

storyboarding and filming, as

students remain engaged. Our

well as how to create effective

team met weekly to evaluate the

background music (leitmotifs,

student’s progress, determining

underscoring, chords, special

where modifications were

effects) and the use of Foley or

needed, and additional support

sound effects to enhance the

provided. Many students had

performance. Students received

limited materials to create the

The pupils were introduced

feedback on each task on

puppets and artwork. These

to puppetry traditions and

their project journey, including

constraints were worked into

techniques, textual analysis,

constructive peer critiques and

the curriculum and the art

scriptwriting and formatting,

self-reflection on their final

teacher developed lessons on

character development through

puppet performance.

creating puppets out of ordinary

use of voice and design. We

objects such as covid masks,

taught elements of visual

Power and internet cuts, in

plastic bottles, aluminum foil or

storytelling, research, drawing

addition to other challenges

silverware.

skills and techniques such as

created by the political unrest

(Images of digital lesson slide show/art notebook, created by Y. Pile)

24

Would I do it again? Absolutely.’

If students were more interested in digital art, they were encouraged to create their puppets and backdrops using software that was available to them online. I taught lessons on filming, editing and stop motion in addition to script writing, characterization and voicework. Our subscription to the music software Soundtrap, enabled quality recordings of the student’s own music compositions and voice overs.

The Year 9 collaborative project was inspired by a research unit in Art entitled ‘Equilibrium, Influential Women in Art’, celebrating Yayoi Kusama, Frida Kahlo, AF Klint and Dora Maar. We decided to have the students create a documentary film with an original score, on one of the selected artists. The following Pre-Production, Production and Post-Production structure/timeline was developed for this project.

Again, we made sure to cover key concepts, skills and knowledge for each subject area, including learning about the artists, their style and body of work, medium used and impact on the art world, as well as developing skills through imitation:

(Images of digital lesson slide show/art notebook, created by Y.Pile) Music included the study of leitmotifs and movie scores and how to compose melodies in order to create a specific mood to support images and tell a specific ‘story’ about their artist. We also focused on how to write compelling interview questions and how to film talent to create the desired effect and disclose the information to support their aims as filmmakers, fulfilling drama objectives and competencies.

Throughout work on this project, the students practised and reinforced additional skills in research, citations, filming and editing.

‘We covered camera angles and shots, storyboarding and filming…’

25

(Images of digital lesson slide show/documentary notebook, created by C.Kennaugh) The documentary film format gave the Year 9 students a number of opportunities and options to find and focus on areas that were of interest to them. Although we included required components such as interview and voice over, the students had the freedom to choose among the ‘given’ artists, and determine the aim, focus and tone of their documentary ‘story’. They could also select and use any number of elements such as montage, reenactment, A and B roll or any other techniques that would best support their objectives.

Likewise, musically each pupil created a mood board and selected the key, instruments, chord progressions, modulation and other musical elements that reinforced their artistic vision.

(Images of digital lesson slide show/composition notebook, created by A.Carr-Jones) Student feedback for both units was very positive, encouraging us to repeat similar collaborative projects in the future. Due to the Creative Arts team’s willingness to work together, step out of our traditional subject specific roles and capitalise on the technology, these interdisciplinary units met our initial teaching objectives successfully. Furthermore, these projects engaged the students and provided holistic, real world learning experiences and skills that they will use throughout their educational careers.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. Ironically, I benefitted as much from this project as my students. I learned how to create meaning through music compositions and learned effective drawing and teaching techniques like using digital sketchbooks/journals which I now incorporate into my own drama classes. As Jason Silva suggested (quoting the developmental psychologist Robert Keegan), when we ‘...treat our problems as opportunities for reinvention and transformation… (we) can acquire new skills, learn to be more patient...cultivate a capacity for resolve...learn to wrestle with difficulty. Through dealing with this problem...all of these new muscles can be exercised.’

Shifting our mindset and being open to change made the circumstances that once appeared to be obstacles, opportunities for growth.

26

Panda lesson

By Debbie Kidd Background

the floor as roughly a 1.5 x 1

The teacher begins to move

metre rectangle.

towards shifting the children’s point of view and establishing a

The children have been studying China as a topic. They have a little knowledge about where it

•

Paper and pens for writing

is, its size, the enormous amount of growth that has taken place

location:

and drawing ‘Let’s say the panda is in a zoo.

Entering the Drama

and some idea of the contrasts

What might she be looking at?

I know, could we create a whole

between cities and rural areas.

The children sit on the carpet and

class still image of what it is

Their teachers want to link their

on the interactive whiteboard

she sees as she looks out of her

work on China to some of their

there is an image of a panda. The

enclosure?’

school goals about conservation

panda is slumping:-

and sustainable, responsible

We allow the children a very short

living but want a little help with

We begin with some inductive

time to decide – no more than

using Drama as a vehicle for

questioning and a collective still

ten seconds, then freeze them.

exploring these issues. So I find

image:-

Then I stand at the front of the

myself in a classroom in Nanjing

group, looking at them. If they

with some bright eyed year 3

‘Look at the panda. What do

need it, we may sculpt the image

children and a few images on a

we notice? What is she leaning

or offer some suggestions. I then

memory stick…

on? Why is her head resting on

adopt the point of view of the

her arm in that way? Could you

panda and speak in role.

Resources • •

Images of panda Masking tape set up on

possibly adopt the position of the panda and sit like her? What

First person narration:

does that feel like? What kinds of

‘Click, click, click. It’s what I hear

words come to mind about how

all day long. The clicking of

the panda might be feeling?’

cameras. Some of them don’t

27

The teacher then chooses a child to sit in the cage and adopt the position of the slumping panda in the second image.

Again, the children read out their descriptions. The teacher taps the child/panda on the shoulder and asks ‘What do you wish for?’

The induction into the panda story is designed to create empathy for the panda and a sense of responsibility. At this stage, the children are using a single lens. We will shortly introduce the zoo keeper into the story and the temptation is to make him a villain, but this ignores a significant learning opportunity around complexity.

Perhaps the zoo keeper is not bad, but struggling. This desire to even look at me. They turn their

The water

backs and take selfies with me

create situations where children see a level of complexity within

in the background. Others stare.

Developing symbolic (spoken

characters and the possibility for

Sometimes they throw things.

or written) and iconic (graphic

redemption/hope/solutions is

They say “Ahhh” but soon decide

or drawn) responses with the

what Dorothy Heathcote called

I am boring. I miss the bamboo

children, ask them to first of all

‘the element of grace’. But first

forest. I miss my home.’

find words to describe the water.

we need to add more tension:

The teacher gives the children

Is it as fresh as it might be? Has it

some time to discuss before

been there for quite some time?

moving on to the second image.

Is it warm or cold? What does it smell like? They could then draw,

We are now introducing two

or if they prefer, write about a

signs – the bowls and the

place that the panda used to get

doorway. We are building up a

water from when she lived in the

sense of tension – a feeling that

wild. The teacher may decide to

all is not well for the panda. This

save these for developing into

hinges on two questions:

short monologues from the point of view of the panda.

(Image from Daily Mail article

1. What is in the bowl directly in front of the panda?

The cage

11/10/2016. Images taken by

2. What is through the small doorway in the wall?

written by Qin Xie on the

We then seat the children around the masking tape square. On

user ‘ai gun gun o’ and posted to Weibo.)

The children will offer answers,

post it notes, they write short

all of which are treated with value,

descriptions of what it is like

How did the rubbish get there?

but we’re looking for two specific

in there. They do this from the

Whose responsibility is it?

suggestions (that usually crop

first person point of view of the

up). Water and a cage/small

panda. They read them out and

What dangers might it pose

room where the panda is put

place them on the masking tape

for the panda

for the night.

around the edges of the space.

28

‘What do you wish for?’

What does the rubbish symbolize/represent?

the zoo keeper in charge of this zoo if they were to meet him. We make a decision to place them in

I ask the children to create two lines with pairs of

role as inspectors who have seen this enclosure on

children facing each other – A and B. One line (A)

a secret visit to the zoo and want to know what is

will create a still image of a person throwing rubbish

happening. I ask the children to consider how an

into the enclosure. The other line, (B) standing

inspector might sit and what their attitude towards

opposite has to formulate a response from other

the zoo keeper might be.

members of the public or employees of the zoo. We freeze the lines then explain that as the panda walks

The zoo keeper (teacher in role) is questioned by

down between them, they will speak the thoughts

the children but guides their responses:

of these people.

1. The zoo keeper comes across as reasonable and The teacher then walks slowly to allow each pair a

kind but frustrated and exasperated.

chance to speak.

2. He doesn’t have enough money to maintain the zoo.

For example:-

3. The visitors damage the zoo and cause harm to the animals, yet without them, he can’t keep the zoo

A: ‘This might make it move’

open.

B: ‘The panda might choke on your rubbish!’

4. He can’t return the panda to the wild – her habitat is now a block of high rise flats.

We can spend a little time discussing with the

5. He asks the children for help.

children some possible solutions to this situation.

What can be done? Who could help? The children

Once (if) that help is secured, the curriculum begins

then sit and write down questions they might ask

to write itself.

Possible tasks •

What tasks might be involved in re-educating the public? (Literacy and communication)

•

What tasks might be involved in redesigning the zoo? (Numeracy, scale, area, budgeting; design, models, drawings)

•

What tasks might be involved in thinking about protecting Panda habitats?

(Geography/conservation, habitats, biomes, climate zones)

•

What tasks might be involved in launching the new zoo (ICT/communication/presentations)

29

Poetry in motion

By Hannah Northcott

How can we simplify

The whole process took 3-4 weeks

Movement Efforts with guest

interdisciplinary collaborations in

but it will vary depending on the

artist, Briar Chatterjea.

the visual and performing arts? Is

frequency of your classes and your

there a way to minimize planning

own unique situation.

yet have maximum student and audience impact?

After all, who doesn’t like

pre-covid time when travel was Below is a five-step process that

possible. If looking for a guest

integrates Drama, Music and Art

artist, we’ve also invited ISTA

in a short performance.

artists like Matthew Godrey for a

easy? The question is, if that’s even possible.

(This was during the glorious

Zoom AiR and it worked very well.)

Step 1: (For Drama Teachers) Choose a physical theatre

After a couple of Laban

Good news. It is. Below is one

unit that can result in a short

movement workshops, I divided

of my favorite interdisciplinary

performance piece.

the class into groups of 3’s and

collaborations with the Music and

4’s. The students picked-out short

Art departments that students

For example, the MS Drama

haikus from a hat and applied two

also loved.

students at the International

to three movement qualities to

School of Beijing learned Laban’s

interpret the short poems. They

30

On the flip side, the music can also

Courageous art students stepped

be agreed upon before devising

up to the challenge.

the movement piece.

The Art students watched the Choosing a music class with the

dress-technical rehearsal to get

same schedule as the drama class

the feel of the piece. This was

would make the process easier

important because during the

because the two classes can

performance, they could hear the

rehearse together.

music but had their backs to the actors as they were immersed

At ISB for example, the string

in painting.

orchestra class taught by Tony Yu was already rehearsing pieces

Step 4: Share about the

verbalized the haiku, created

for the end of the year concert. I

performance to the school

movement, utilized transitions

asked Tony if his students would

community.

and included an entrance and

be interested in playing the music

an exit.

for ‘Poetry in Motion’ and they

Give teachers advance notice

gave an enthusiastically positive

that this was happening so

response.

they can plan to bring their

After the groups shared their moving haikus, we sequenced,

students to watch it. If you have

looped and threaded the multiple

a communications department,

pieces into one five-minute piece.

Chaeyoung shared:

‘After all, who doesn’t like easy?’

invite them to the event so they can either document or cover it and share about the work to the larger school community.

‘We learned the Laban efforts punch, press, slash, wring, dab,

We chose the Progress Orchestra

It’s always a good opportunity to

glide, flick, and float. It gave

class because it was on the

share about these special events

me a new perspective into

same block as Drama and

as an advocacy for the visual and

choreography. From the Laban

the students had a couple of

performing arts.

efforts, my peers and I used

rehearsals together.

Step 5: Show the performance

the Haiku provided to form a choreography. We used not only

We put floor lights downstage

and ask the students to reflect

the Laban effort, but also used

that projected moving shadows

on it.

the other dramatic tools that

on the white screen that

we learned from this semester

magnified the physicality of

like mirror, magic finger, and

the actors.

extraordinary shape. Finally, we produced poetry-in-action by

Step 3: The final collaborative

combining our work with the

layer is to invite the visual arts

other pieces.’

department if they would have risk-taking students who would

Step 2: Invite a music

be willing to make art during the

teacher (band or orchestra)

live performance.

if they would be interested to accompany the physical theater

I spoke to the MS Art teacher,

piece using one of the pieces

Steve Northcott, if he knew

that they have already been

students who might be interested

working on in their repertoire.

in taking on the challenge of

Find the one that would fit the

creating art pieces while the

physical theater piece.

performance was happening.

31

After the performance, I asked students to reflect on the experience. We celebrated how the various art forms danced together to create an interdisciplinary experience for both performers, musicians, artists and the audience.

‘My artistic process in creating the movement piece for ‘Poetry in Motion’ was first attending all the Laban classes with Ms. Brier. At first I was a bit skeptical about this, as it felt unnatural and awkward while doing my movements, but as we kept going on I realized all I needed to do was to let go of everything and just do it.

Every time the music in the background played, an image always popped into my mind, and I tried recreating that image with my body and the different movement qualities (ie. Punch, dab, slash, press, ring, float, glide etc).

When I first read the haiku, the words flowed together creating

32

a routine, like it came to me

experience was that it was very

music gave off a vibe, setting the

naturally. I suggested and pitched

unique, and none of us had ever

tone of all the pieces. It was all

my idea to the rest of my team,

done something like this before.

interesting having different forms

and we all thought it was a

Everything was well planned

of art together, and it was so nice

good idea…Once we had the

out and all the performing arts

to enjoy and experience this.

choreography and movements

sections - orchestra, art, and

down, we added the words.

drama - worked well together.

It worked nicely with our piece

In the end, I found our piece turned out well because we helped each

as each movement had an

The shadows we made from the

other out and persevered through

intention and purpose.

floor lights let the artists have a

all our problems.’

sense of feeling about the type My favorite thing about this

of movements we were doing,

interdisciplinary Art-Drama-Music

plus the orchestra playing the

33

The story’s the thing…

By Louise Clark

Psychologist and pillar of education theory, Jerome

information which ties it all together and they will

Bruner, estimated that facts are approximately 22

be memorable too.

times more likely to be remembered if they are part of a story.

And yet the world, and our education systems, seems to feel the need to separate and

And what is a story? According to the dictionary,

compartmentalise everything into a series of

it’s a narrative account of imaginary or real people

disconnected boxes. In one sense I can understand

and events. And a narrative? A spoken or written

this; looking at the whole, everything all at

account of connected events; a story.

once is overwhelming, so we break it down into manageable pieces, things that seem the same.

Stories are about people, the events that shape

Imagine it like this, the world is a jigsaw puzzle

them and the connections between them. Mix into

and all the colours and shapes of the thousands

these stories the facts, figures, explanations and

of pieces piled up together mean it’s almost

34

impossible to understand what the picture might

energy and its environmental impact, protest,

be. So we organise. We separate the pieces into the

people’s power to make social change, dictatorships,

edges, the sky, the brick bits we assume will make

propaganda, inventions, debate, moral dilemma and

buildings, the greens that will become gardens or

the literacy possibilities are off the chart!

fields and that purple bit that we aren’t quite sure what it is but they’re all purple so they must go

But it all begins with hooking children into the

together. But then we leave the piles there, on the

story and for that we start with a young prince who

table, never connecting them to the pieces around

is afraid of the dark. Using drama techniques we

them, never seeing the entire picture, never telling

meet the prince, explore how he is feeling, what he

the whole story.

imagines might be out there in the dark and why he feels like he can’t tell anyone he is frightened.

A story can draw together strands from across the

We build a relationship with the character so the

spectrum of subject areas, experiences and points

students are invested, connected and possibly a

of view into one coherent, engaging narrative which

little protective of the future king. And then we learn

makes all the pieces of the puzzle meaningful

what he does when he grows up and becomes

individually and as part of the whole. Which is why

king… you guessed it, he bans the dark!

I am a huge advocate for cross curricular teaching

One of the wonders of using drama and story in

through story.

the classroom is the ability to shift perspective and to offer students the opportunity to experience

But which story to choose? A tale which combines

the story from different points of view. It’s often

the realities and practicalities of everyday ‘real’ life

a case of working through the story step by step

AND incorporates a fictional, imaginative element

and deciding from whose point of view you’d

means that learning can be placed into real life

like students to approach each section - which

contexts and allows imaginations to be let loose.

perspective will provide the clearest motivation for engaging in the activity required in this moment of

The easiest way to illustrate how a story can be the

the story?

gateway to cross curricular learning at its best is to share an example with you all. One of my current

In the case of this story they can oscillate between

projects is a cross curricular scheme of work for KS2

being the King’s Thinkers in the palace and being

based around a fabulous picture book. Yes, a picture

the people of the country he rules over. From each

‘Because stories, whether our own or someone else’s, really are the thing.’ book. Yes, for KS2. Yes, the reading level is highly

of these positions there is opportunity and, most

likely to be below that of most of the children in your

importantly, purpose with which to engage in

class but by golly the content is up to and beyond

research and learning in order to feed back into the

their years! The trick is not to show them the book

narrative. The key is using drama to set the children

until the end… or ever, your choice! The book is The

up to work in role, with motivation to learn in order

King Who Banned the Dark written and illustrated

to affect the story. Here are just a few examples

by Emily Haworth-Booth, published by Pavillion.

of how this story offers opportunity to learn from within the story:

This book leapt off the shelf at me and I was so excited I did a little jig in the bookshop! It has SO much content bringing together aspects from across the entire curriculum into one narrative; circuits, solar power, how we use and measure

35

As Royal Thinkers students can: •

Research propaganda, how and when it

As The People students can: •

has been used and then design their own.

•

Work out how much power will be

Learn about fake news in the media - how do you know what is true?

•

needed to re-create the fake sun the King

The effects of light and dark on the body, brain and human well being.

demands. How can a country generate that much power? Can you do it in a way

•

that won’t impact the planet?

Research places on earth which experience long days/nights. How light and dark affect ecosystems and wildlife - what is the

•

Research laws and how they are enforced.

impact of 24 hour light on other creatures?

How will you make sure the King’s orders are obeyed?

•

Research electrical circuits. Design and make their own light devices and ‘anti-

•

Debate the moral and ethical questions

dark’ hats!

around the King’s orders.

•

Research protest and free speech. How can they use their voice to make change? What might their protest look like?

•

Debate the moral and ethical questions around the people’s actions.

As the teacher your role is ‘chief storyteller’. You can guide the tale along its course, allowing it to meander where necessary to encompass your class’ interests, to explore avenues and debate possibilities according to their curiosity. But, safe in the knowledge that you can steer the story ship back to where you need it to be and you can throw the next obstacle, challenge or perspective into the mix as and when you need to.

And of course, you and your students can at any point step out of the story to reflect, consider, debate and observe this story world from their own perspective, in relation to the world around them. They can connect this story with their own, because stories whether our own or someone else’s, really are the thing.

I think I am legally obliged to say that my work is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by either the author or the publisher… and that is why I can’t show you any images other than the front cover!

‘But which story to choose?’

36

Matters of the arts and connection

By Kelli Horner Picture it: Small Town, Georgia,

That year, my school introduced a

the sake of trying. There was a

USA 1993. It was my 10th grade

chemistry class called Chemistry

mystery here to be solved. Each

year and I was riding the

in the Community, or ChemCom.

experiment, each chemical

sophomore buzz - no longer

We were introduced to the class

equation, served a purpose- to

did I need to ask for directions

in 9th grade and asked to sign

find out what happened to the

around campus. No longer was I

up if we were interested. The

fish. Chemistry made sense to

a newbie. No, I was a sophomore

thing that made ChemCom

me that year. In fact, much to my

and that meant (slightly more)

different from the regular

surprise, I enjoyed Chemistry, the

power, prestige, respect. I was

chemistry class was that the

first and last time I really looked

ready to dominate and let my

text book was written as a story

forward to a science class.

freak flag wave as I carved a place for myself in the theatre

ChemCom was not taught as

and music departments. I signed

an interdisciplinary unit in my

up for drama class, two choir

high school, though it easily

classes and joined the drama

could have been. I’m not sure

club. I surrounded myself with

interdisciplinary units were

thespians and singers and found

actually a thing in 1993. But

myself accepted into their fold. I

they are a thing now and we,

was ready to get every leading roll

as theatre educators, are in a

and sing every solo on offer. I was

unique position to help facilitate

ready to shine.

those connections between theatre, music and all those other

But I also had to do my non-

subjects (wink). Our discipline

theatre/music classes as well

is all about connections and

(le sigh). And one of those

using our powers for good will

classes was going to have to be

only serve to reach students like

chemistry. To this right-brained,

my 10th grade self, students

bright-eyed lover of all things

who don’t get math, science,

musical theatre, this seemed like

- there had been a fish kill in a

Language and Literature, I&S,

torture. Science and math had

fictional northern city and we,

design, or even music and drama.

never made much sense to me.

the scientists, would spend the

Let me rephrase - they made

year trying to figure out what

Theatre and Science (and a little

sense, as in, I could do the work

happened, all while using the

Lang & Lit)

and solve the equations, but I

same chemical equations and

didn’t really get why I was doing

processes as the non-

ChemCom was innovative in the

it. Why would I need algebra or

ChemCom classes.

early 90’s and is still so incredibly

biology or chemistry in my real

relevant today that I often find

life? What purpose did

I was so in. This was no series

myself telling students and

they serve?

of (in my mind) unrelated

colleagues about my high school

experiments to simply try for

chemistry class more than could

37

38

be considered healthy. In today’s

more harm than good? Are there

towards a solution. They can

connected classrooms, we could

alternatives that the scientists

also prepare their speeches and

use the model of ChemCom

have not considered? Students

debate topics.

to create an interdisciplinary

would need to prepare their role

unit between Science, Theatre

as the scientists as well as various

This unit can be modified for

and Language and Literature.

members of the community to

almost any age group. Instead of

Students could be asked to

consider the alternatives and

providing unlimited choice, the

consider a societal issue, i.e.

perspectives of anyone affected

teacher could assign the problem

pollution, hormones in food,

by the problem. There is also

the community is facing or give

climate change, etc. They would

space for a debate to take place,

a limited amount of choices so

then use specific experiments to

where students prepare their

students don’t spend all of their

solve a problem.

speeches and the community is

time trying to create the problem.

able to determine a winner.

In theatre, performers could

This lends itself to a certain

experiment with various ways

level of student voice and

In the Language & Literature

to share their ideas in a formal

choice as well, giving students

class, students can write the

setting, as well as practicing

the opportunity to choose

scenarios they’ve created as a

improvisation.

from a variety of interests and

proposal or using propaganda

incorporating the exploration of

techniques to convince others

elements, compounds and the

why they should or should not

structure of substances.

use specific experiments or

Interdisciplinary units between

chemicals in their exploration

Theatre and Language

In theatre, students could write a script for a town hall meeting where community members discuss concerns for the various ways the scientists want to address solving the problem. Will some of the experiments cause

Theatre and Lang & Lit

and Literature almost write

‘There was a mystery here to be solved.’

themselves. But there is room to explore more than just, read this story, act it out, Readers’ Theatre or the play study. A few years ago, I was teaching the same group of 6th grade students Language

39

and Literature and Performing

uncover what they could about

have a Playstation 5 to entertain

Arts and I saw a golden

the ancient Greeks. We then

them, the ancient Greeks came

opportunity to combine the two

created our own masks and

alive as breathing, living beings

classes so they became almost

engaged in choral performance

with interests, passions and

interchangeable.

with a focus on ensemble

stories to tell.

work. We discussed the uses We were studying Greek

of the voice and the body as

The summative for both subjects

Mythology in Language and

performance tools and how to

was to write their favorite myth

Literature (you see where this

reach even the furthest audience

as a script and then perform it for

is going). In Language and

member. And then we began to

the class. This gave the students

Literature, we used the myths

play. Using a drama circle activity,

a chance to explore how to use

of ancient Greece to examine

I assigned each student a role

dialogue to tell a story, without

reading strategies and to begin

and let them raid the costume

using a narrator. This was a big

to write analytical paragraphs.

closet. They then had to play their

challenge but the students

In performing arts, we began by

parts, considering status and

tackled it with an enthusiasm I

exploring the history of Greek

experimenting with ways to show

had not seen before. They were

theatre. We were specifically

their peers which god, goddess,

engaged with the stories and

looking at how we can connect

or mortal they were playing.

interested in their characters

our past to our present and what

The effect of these activities on

and how to best portray them. I

commonalities Greek theatre

the Language and Literature

was more than impressed with

and present day theatre share.

class was evident. Students were

the results of the scripts and

We also began considering

enjoying the Greeks. They were

performances.

the storyteller- how do we tell

connecting to an ancient era,

an effective story? How do we

an ancient people that seem so

Last year, that group of students

engage our audience?

far removed from anything they

were in 10th grade. One of the

I sent the students on an

consider real life. Instead of being

boys, a very tall Serbian boy

independent webquest to

boring, dead people who didn’t

who loves all things sports and

40

not much more, told me that

an interdisciplinary unit called

And that is exactly what we

the Greek myth unit was his

Geometric Art. Within the dance

want interdisciplinary units to

favorite part of middle school

studio, they are learning the

do - to enable students to get

and it’s what inspired him to take

skills and techniques of hip hop

the connection between the

theatre in high school. He said

dance, as well as the components

disciplines. We want students to

he still remembered his lines

needed to choreograph an

learn in the way that helps them

from the script and many of the

original dance. Their theme is

reach the greatest success. My

myths we read. It was the way

geometry. They are exploring

experience in ChemCom did

we connected the stories from

the shapes within dance and

not make me want to become

Language and Literature to the

how to draw inspiration for a

a scientist, but it did change

performances that stood out

performance from math and

my thinking. I understood the

for him.

architecture.

connection between chemistry and my world. I understood why

Theatre and the Performing Arts

In technical theatre, for their

chemistry mattered.

summative assessment, students It’s been a long time since I’ve

will incorporate lighting and set

Our discipline gives students

been part of a big performing

design to tell their geometric

the opportunity to expand their

arts department. In my last

story. They are exploring how

knowledge and engage with

school, there were only two of us

the technical elements of the

subject matter in a way they

for most of my time there. Before

stage enhance the performance.

can connect to. And connection,

that, I was a department of one.

They are also going to create a

on every level, is a basic human

Currently though, I am working

geometric display, using Google

need. I can’t think of a better

with three other amazing

Slides, which will compliment

discipline than ours to foster this

individuals whose passion for the

their performance, drawing

connection across the curriculum.

performing arts is palpable. We

inspiration from shapes.

talk arts all day. Interdisciplinary units are part of our schedule-

We had student-parent-teacher

all the students see all four of us

conferences last week and I was

during their school year - music,

thrilled by how many parents

drama, dance, and technical

knew what we were doing in

theatre.

performing arts and how the students were able to verbalize

I currently share the 7th grade

what they were learning and

with the dance teacher. I am

why. Even the students who

teaching technical theatre. The

just ‘want to act’ are engaged in

students are exploring not only

the creative process of thinking

the technical aspects of theatre -

beyond the words, beyond the

lighting, sound, design, costumes

physical performance. They are

and makeup, but also all the

beginning to demonstrate their

important people needed to

understanding of the connection

bring a production together. The

between the disciplines.

‘We want students to learn in the way that helps them reach the greatest success.’

dance teacher and I are teaching

41

Biographies

Claudia Kennedy

Randy Moss

As well as being an ISTA artist, I am an IB MYP

I have had the honour of teaching theatre for 43

consultant and workshop facilitator who runs

years, the last 27 in international schools on five

courses online, in schools and at conferences.

different continents. I have been an ISTA artist since

I am also a certified concept-based teaching

1997. Promoting ‘Yes’ and eliminating ‘I can’t’ drives

and learning teacher trainer with many years of

me as an artist and a teacher. My career has taught

experience in supporting teachers who want to

me that when a creative problem is addressed with

develop and strengthen their curriculum and their

‘Yes’ the results are often magic. As a teacher and

classroom practice.

theatre artist, I have tried personally and attempted to inspire those I work with to take ‘I can’t’ out of our artistic vocabulary.

Siobhan Buckman

Nick Pillow

I was born in Devon, England but grew up in West

I’m Nick Pillow, a comedian, actor, theatre education

Africa and Greece. I have continued my travels as an

consultant and teacher, originally from the UK

adult, first working as a drama teacher in London

but now based in Mumbai. Prior to freelancing, I

and then moving on to Tanzania, Uzbekistan and

was a full time teacher (Theatre, Drama and Lit &

now Lebanon. This has led to a firm and passionate

Performance) for 12 years in London and Mumbai,

belief in the value of international education. I am

and have also worked for the Royal Shakespeare

inspired by devised theatre and over the last 10 years

Company in London, and as a stand-up comedian

I have worked extensively in the area of staging

and comedy actor here in Mumbai and across

original student performances. I have taught DP

the globe. I’ve also taught IB Literature and

Theatre for the last 15 years and am also a workshop

Performance for many years, and love exploring the

presenter and an examiner for the IB.

relationship between page and stage.

42

Awelani Moyo

Cindy Kennaugh

I grew up in Zimbabwe and South Africa, studied

Cindy Kennaugh is an actor, director, technician and

in the UK, lived in Southeast Asia for 5 years and

teacher who has lived, taught and performed on

am now based in Spain. I have a background as

five continents. With more than 25 years in theatre

performer, writer, and director, and also enjoyed

education, she presently lives in Asia, working at

creating original performances based on my

the British School Yangon where she teaches on-

personal experiences. I completed my PhD in

line from Thailand. In addition to teaching drama,

Theatre Studies in the UK, and since then I have

she has also taught Film and Creative Media and

also taught Art and worked with ISTA as a freelance

French language, founded the Caracas Amateur

artist. In the past few years I have been particularly

Theatre in Venezuela, toured Germany with Eugene

interested in exploring my Shona Zimbabwean/

Ionesco and worked with Peter Brook at the Bouffes

Venda South African heritage, through research

du Nord at the Centre Internationale de Création

and experimentation with various styles of

Théâtrale. Cindy has been an ISTA member and

traditional performance.

workshop director since 1989 and was technical director in Williamstown, MA for the BETA summer programme in 1988.

Debbie Kidd

Hannah Northcott

For 21 years I taught drama to children as young

As a global theater artist, certified master yoga

as four right through to high school and even at

instructor and fitness enthusiast, I currently teach

university. Now I work with teachers and students

middle school drama, dance and yoga at the

in schools around the world, exploring how drama

International School of Beijing. I launched the first

can bring learning to life. Knowing how important

Drama Yoga Festival, host yoga retreats, facilitate

the arts is to human development drove me to do

adult personal development workshops and am

my doctorate in education and to write four books

mother to two young daughters. I combine my

about education placing the arts, creativity and

knowledge of the human mind and body with my

humanity at the heart of learning. I believe that

life experiences to connect others with their inner

the arts have many benefits for wellbeing and for

child, unlock their potential and become more

learning, but most of all, I believe that the arts have

powerful and happier beings in the planet.

the power to change the world and so most of my work centres around empowerment.

43

Louise Clark

Kelli Horner

I have a BA in Theatre and Performance and a MA

I was born in the United States where I received my

in Drama and Theatre Education. I’m a proud

Masters in Music Education from Auburn University.

Yorkshire lass born and bred but my varied and

I have been a theatre and music teacher for the

exciting freelance life as an actor, director, writer

past 20 years and have been lucky enough to call

and teacher allows me to travel the world.

Serbia, Bahrain, China, Kuwait, and the Dominican

I am artistic director of Libellule Theatre which

Republic home. I currently live in Switzerland where

specialises in touring productions for three to

I teach MYP Performing Arts and, adding another

five-year olds and have directed many styles of

hat to my head, Language and Literature. I can’t

performance from one woman, whole community

think of a better way to spend my days than with

and site specific. I am also a drama education

students and colleagues who share my passion for

consultant for schools and local authorities,

the performing arts.

inspiring and guiding teachers in the use of drama as part of everyday classroom practice.

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