Workshop 1 in a series about Physical Theatre, for GCSE Drama students.

1. • A fundamental pedagogy of working practically in
Drama is the constant reflective and creative
dialogue.
• Verbal feedback and actions are world class
basics followed by a practical response through
dedicated improvement and reflection time.
•
• Asking questions invigorates thinking and
encourages students to communicate and
express ideas so that students are able to see the
out workings of their decision making, they are
able to think, to question and make connections:
•
• "Reflection and action upon the world in order
to transform it" Paulo Freire.

2. Home learning task
• Your task is to create a
poster in your Drama
books which includes the
main points about
PHYSICAL THEATRE,
including images and
information about key
practitioners.
• You will find the
information using this and
other presentations via
the department blog
• http://soadrama.blogspot
.co.uk
• You can find additional
resources such as images
of physical theatre work
online.
• The work is due by____

3. Devising
Stimulus 1 – CROSS THE SPACE
• In two large teams.
• Your aim is to get two members of your group
across the space without them touching the
floor at any point.
• When in contact with them, the other
members of the group cannot move their feet.
• SAFETY – no standing on peoples backs. Be
conscious of risk.
• COMPETITION – This is a race!

4. Devising
Explore and Experiment
• Using the same teams
• Imagine the ‘crosser’ is feeling a particular emotion,
such as love, or fear, happiness or anger.
• Adapt your movements speed and position so that the
sequence becomes more dramatic with this emotion as
the intention that you wish to communicate to the
audience.
• Adapt further by giving the crosser a prop, such as a
letter they have discovered, which is the source of their
emotion.
• Now it is no longer a race.

5. Devising
Review and Respond
• What changes were required, observed
or experienced, when the emotion was
introduced?
• Did the team supporting the crosser
remain neutral in their emotions or did
they act in the same way?
• If so what effect did that have on the
audience?
• Was there any sound? If so how did that
add to the experience for the audience?
• If not, what sounds could have been
made?
• A fundamental pedagogy of
working practically in Drama is
the constant reflective and
creative dialogue. Verbal
feedback and actions are world
class basics followed by a
practical response through
dedicated improvement and
reflection time. Asking questions
invigorates thinking and
encourages students to
communicate and express ideas
so that students are able to see
the out workings of their decision
making, they are able to think, to
question and make connections:
•
• "Reflection and action upon the
world in order to transform it"
Paulo Freire.

6. Devising
Style – Physical Theatre
Physical Theatre uses movement
to convey meaning.
1. Physical Theatre is a style which
uses choreographed movement
and dance to tell a story on
stage. These movements can be
combined with traditional
dialogue, or used on their own.
2. To allow the audience to
concentrate on the movement,
physical theatre productions
often use minimal props and
scenery. In some cases, the
actors’ bodes are even used as
objects on stage.
3. In this way, physical theatre builds
on the ideas of Brecht and Artaud
– there’s nothing realistic about
this sort of movement.
4. This style allows physical theatre
companies to communicate
emotions to the audience that
would be difficult to get across
using only words.

7. Frantic Assembly
• Frantic Assembly is a theatre company that uses a
technique called contact improvisation – a way of
improvising that requires the performers to use
physical contact with others as the starting point
for their own movements. The Curious Incident of
the Dog in the Night-Time is about an autistic boy
who struggles to express himself. Frantic Assembly
used physical theatre to give the audience an
insight into his thoughts. For example, unnatural
movements and chaotic scenes featuring lots of
performers highlighted the boy’s struggle to
understand the world around him.
Devising
Style – Physical Theatre Practitioners

8. Steven Berkoff
Devising
Style – Physical Theatre Practitioners
• British theatre practitioner Steven Berkoff
(born 1937) is known for his experimental
style. His plays often use physical theatre
techniques like mime, exaggerated
movements and improvisation – he
believes that actors’ bodies should convey
the story rather than relying on sets.
• LINK – we will explore Berkoff in more
detail in forthcoming Drama lessons

9. Devising
Stimulus 2 – Explore and Experiment – Happy families?
• Groups of 4-6
performers, mixed.
• I’d like you to create a
scene around a kitchen
or dining table, where a
disagreement and then
an argument is going to
take place between two
of the main characters
in the scene.
• Cartoon image of an
argument around a
table

10. Devising
Develop and Dramatise
• Now I’d like you to explore how the other
members of the family can react during the
argument – e.g. Moving bodies to and fro,
moving to lifting the table and chairs in a
wave like motion as the argument builds.
• Find a way of resolving the argument – an
apology and an embrace which can be
echoed by the whole group
• DEMONSTRATE WITH A GROUP
• Then we can add music to highlight the
rhythms and emotions of the scene
• SHARE YOUR WORK WITH THE GROUP
• Cartoon
image of an
argument
around a
table

11. Devising
Professional practice – Gecko Theatre
• Watch the following clip
of Gecko Theatre’s
• ‘A life in a day’ and study
the various techniques
that they use in the piece.
• hyperlink
• How have they used key
techniques such as
movement, unison,
canon?
• How is it engaging you as
an audience?
• What do you notice about
their use of language in
the piece?
• How is music used, and to
what effect?

12. Devising – Review and Respond
Let’s take a moment to consider some of the key words of Physical Theatre
and ask questions or make statements about our work.
Unison
At the same time
Together
Slow motion Exaggerated
Exaggerate
Control
Controlled
Movement
Moving
Emphasise
Emphasis
Emphasised
Emotion
Emotions
Emotional
Contrast
Contrasting
Contrasted with..
Symbolise
Symbolised
Symbolising
Pace/Tempo
Faster/Slower
Climax
Ant-climax
Rhythm
Rhythmic