Creative Writing and Drama
Area
Reading, writing and literature
Duration
1 session
Dimension of the advised group of students
One group of 20-30 people divided in small groups of 3-5
Specific objectives
- To explore thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences
- To comprehend literature and other texts in different formats
- To respond personally, critically, and creatively
- To manage ideas and information
- To enhance the clarity and artistry of communication
- To respect, support and collaborate with others
Needed Materials
- Devising a plot worksheet
- Sets of cards
- Photocopies of tasks
If the training is organized online one communication platform will be necessary.
Software
- One online communication platform, such us: Zoom, Google Meet, Webex, etc.
- In person, no software is needed.
Description
This activity provides an introduction to plays and plots. It explores the differences
between plays and films, introduces different emotions, looks briefly at the basic elements
of some Shakespeare plays and gives participants an opportunity to devise a simple plot.
Today, an increasing number of communities are realizing how important theatre is to
youth development. The number of theatres catering to youth is increasing, and the
professional quality of many companies has shown patrons that theatres for young
audiences are worthy of respect.
From the very beginnings of the performing arts, the importance of self-expression to
artists was emphasized. The theatre, dance and other performing arts can teach people
how to express themselves effectively and can also be a tool through which people with
disabilities can communicate. Many performing arts students suffer from shyness when
they start attending classes and gradually become more confident as they find ways to
communicate. In addition to teaching self-expression, the performing arts help society as
a whole in self-knowledge and understanding. Theatre and the performing arts teach society about itself, hoping to point out the attitudes and mindsets of current society. It
can be a tool used to educate people about their current conditions.
Procedure on how to put in practice
Duration: 90 minutes
No of participants: small groups of three to five
Methods used: group discussion, collaborative writing
Competences developed: critical thinking, reflection, reading comprehension, writing
skills
Step-by-step description:
1. Discuss in groups whether participants go to the theatre, why / why not, and the
theatre genres they know about.
2. Participants work in groups to discuss whether they prefer going to see a play or a
film and why, writing down their reasons.
3. Participants discuss the differences between plays and films from an actor's point
of view.
4. Then, they discuss different emotions used by playwrights and ask concept
questions about the words. With brief summaries of Shakespeare plays,
participants match these emotions with the descriptions.
5. Finally, participants work in groups with a set of character, emotion, and prop
cards. After choosing two of each, they are asked to think of a simple plot for a
play that uses all those cards.
6. When the groups have finished, ask a spokesperson from each group to tell the
whole group which cards their group picked and how they turned them into a
story.
Debriefing question: Which of the plays presented would you go see? Why?
