Embracing Chaos: Play, Theatre-Making, and Drama Integration

For over 35 years, Quest Theatre has been working to create a galaxy where theatre is valued as is an essential part of child development.  Having served the school system with award winning touring productions and our very popular Artists in School program, Quest knows how to deliver quality arts education.  Now more than ever students need joyful activities to get them out of their desks and into the engaged, collaborative, imaginative and often physical benefits that drama can inspire.  

Approach your teaching practice like an artist.  During the Greater Edmonton and Mighty Peace Teachers’ Conventions in 2022, Artistic Director Nikki Loach will walk teachers through some of her favorite activities that inspire imaginative play, illustrate how these lead to theatre-making and share upcoming plans for a drama integration pilot project in the elementary classroom.  Wherever you are on the spectrum of embracing the chaos, this presentation is sure to encourage you to jump in where you feel comfortable and experience how drama improves your teaching environment. 

If you are not able to attend the presentation, never fear, we have some tips and tricks for you here.  

1.     What is the best advice you can give to teachers who want to embrace chaos and play in their classroom? 

First, be brave! Teachers perform, ask good questions, and know how to encourage strengths and to nurture weaknesses every day. They can already possess everything they need to take a detour through a drama activity.   

Some teachers may feel nervous about opening their classroom up to chaos, where would you encourage them to start? 

Keep the chaos contained by starting with a game.  I love the Object Game.  Take a ruler, ask students in turn to use the ruler as if it was another object without using words. They can’t make the same object twice. Students might use the ruler as a pencil, a harmonica, a dart, a hockey stick, a comb, a rocket etc. Accept everything. Praise everything. You have just embraced the chaos! Congratulations!

2.     What’s an activity that is always a hit with kids?

The Object Game. But another winner that takes a little more creative improv from teachers is The Magic Box.  Take a container of any kind, reach in and pull out an imaginary (mimed) object. Ask, and wait, for someone to identify the imaginary object. It matters not that you have something in mind, and they see something different. Then play with the student by asking a string of questions to help the student flesh out the details of their imaginary object.  Keep it centered on the one student until the conversation finds an end, then reach in for another ‘object’ and engage another student.

·      Yes! It IS a baseball!  Is it signed?

·      Yes

·      What is the signature?

·      Babe Ruth

·      Whoa, that’s a pretty famous person, what’s that worth?

·      A million dollars!

·      A million dollars! Could you use a million dollars?

·      Yes. 

·      Well... I could use a million dollars… what would you buy for a million dollars?

·      A hockey team.

·      Not a baseball team?

·      AND a baseball team.

·      Ok. That’s better than whatever I would do with a million dollars.  I would just sell it on the internet. Here you go. Your parents will be so happy!  

3.     How can bringing in our Artists in School Program help teachers?  

 Theatre-making with our Artists in School Program demonstrates the power of developmental drama to students. Our program starts with an inspiration, a found story, a Shakespeare scene or a virtue, and facilitates theatre creation by drawing on student imagination and collaborative ideas. Once we set the stage with a drama game, warm-up or brainstorm activity, students’ engagement skyrockets.  Play and work blur as they take charge of their own learning.  Teachers can experience the process from start to finish and get inspired to incorporate drama into their practice.

4.     Why is theatre education or developmental drama important for young people’s development? 

Using developmental drama as a teaching/learning medium has important long-term impact on the depth of student understanding and retention. Further, drama can develop social skills,  foster collaboration, build confidence, cultivate emotional intelligence, inspire an appreciation of culture, encourage community and team work, improve communication skills, promote empathy, stimulate imagination, enhance creativity, strengthen language and physical skill development, improve self-control, synthesize knowledge and understanding, spark inquiry, illuminate different perspectives, broaden social discourse, and teach respect, to name a few!