Creating New Roles for the 21st Century

Theatre/Drama and Education: Creating New Roles for the 21st Century.
Proceedings of the 5th Athens International Theatre/Drama & Education Conference 2006.
Govas, N., Choleva, A. (ed.). (2006).
Athens: Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network.
ISBN 960-88760-3-6
 

Editorial

The 5th Athens International Theatre/Drama & Education Conference took place in Athens, Greece at 17-18-19 of March 2006. It was a rather extended conference, including an IDEA (International Drama/Theatre & Education Association) Regional Meeting, as well as a two-week vast variety of performances, workshops and cultural events in 6 Greek cities. Over 520 people attended the works of this international gathering, which brought together scholars, teachers, educators, artists, activists, students, practitioners and researchers from 22 different countries.

The core of the Conference was extended in 3 days, consisting of 5 keynote speeches, 30 paper presentations, 75 practical workshops, roundtables, panels, poster presentations, films projections and artistic performances.

Various approaches on theatre, drama and performance arts were made during the workshops and papers sessions, reflecting the multiplicity of this field worldwide: Drama in Education, Theatre in Education, Theatre for Development, Dramatic Play, Dramatherapy, Psychodrama, and many other different concepts and forms. There was also a variety of theatre styles included, such as Devised Theatre, Commedia dell' Arte, Shadow Theatre, Mime, Puppetry, as well as a range of different art forms: Dance, Music, Visual Arts, Video-art, Animation, Film, Story-telling.

The Conference theme

The Conference's title, "Theatre/Drama & Education: Creating New Roles for the 21st Century" reflects the reality that needs to be faced both by educators and artists of today. Questions and thoughts regarding the profile of a rapidly changing world, suggestions on strategies and approaches of a more humanized, creativity orientated and thought-provoking education for students of every age, provocations for a more sensitized and multicultural nurturing, were only a few of the contributions made over the three days.

Contributors (workshop leaders, paper presenters, keynote speakers) touched different areas of the performing arts & education field: intercultural education, the "self" and the "other", self expression & creativity, creative and cooperative learning through theatre & aesthetics or artistic expression, were only a few. Theatre and Drama were regarded both as an art form and as a learning tool, as well as a means for social transformation and for social intervention.

The Conference Organizers were happy to have received very positive feedback, which showed that in overall:

- delegates felt satisfied to have participated in an international conference, an international celebration of theatre/drama & education, which filled them with new experiences, inspiration and motivation for more creative work in their field.

- the conference motivated more and more people who work with children, youth but also adults, to integrate theatre/drama and performance arts in their practice.

- there was a shared wish for creating a solid ground for research and practice, to be submitted to policy makers

- there was a common belief that further research on theatre and drama, all around the world will result in further discussions and negotiations about it's role within schools in this country.

The Publication

It is the organizers' strong belief that the publication of the conference proceedings should act as a record of everything that occurred during these days. Nevertheless, this publication includes all papers and workshop descriptions submitted in time to the editing team. All texts are listed in alphabetical order, according to the authors' surname.

Acknowledgements

This Conference was organized by the Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network. For its realization the Organizing Committee was happy to have cooperated with a vast range of state and private institutions including the International Drama/Theatre & Education Association (IDEA), the Greek Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education (General Secretariat of Youth/Education Department, Attica Regional Education Directorate, Directorate of Secondary Education of Eastern Attica), the University of Athens (Theatre Studies Dpt, Preschool Education Dpt), the University of Patras (Preschool Education Dpt), the University of Thessaly (Primary Education Dpt), the University of Crete (Education Dpt), the University of Peloponnese (Theatre Arts Dpt), the UNIMA-Hellas Puppet Association, the Hellenic Center of International Theatre Institute, the Pan-Hellenic Theatre Studies Association, the Pan-Hellenic Association of Educational Drama,  as well as the several Theatres and Theatre Companies which collaborated with us.

Special reference should be made to the Advisory Committee of the Conference for their help and support, to "MORAITES Schools", which hosted the works of the Conference and of course to all the volunteers and translators, whose presence and contribution is always invaluable.

Acknowledgments also go to all contributors of the conference: speakers, workshop leaders, interpreters and of course the members of the Organizing Committee. Our thanks to everyone.

Nikos Govas & Nassia Choleva
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Contents

Conference 2006 Organisation

Editorial

PART A: Keynote Speeches

Dan Baron Cohen:  Transformance: Towards the Performance of Participatory Democracy and Self-determination 

Tim Prentki: Breaks for Play 

Charlene Rajendran: Performing Among Shadows and Screens: Reflections onTeaching Aesthetics and Theatre in Southeast Asia 

PART B: Papers Presentations

Nick Ashwell: Creativity, the Arts and Education in the 21^st Century

Noraini Bakri: The use of South East Asian Stories in the Teaching of Drama in Singapore 

Carol Carter & Lise Westaway: Educating Learner-Teachers for the 21^st Century:What Role should Drama in Education Play? 

Marie Kruger: The puppeteer and his art in theatre as social interventionand the development of human potential 

Wasim Y. M. al-Kurdi: The liberation of the body... illusion and fantasy.The checkpoint, the classroom desk, the computer screen, the olive tree and the Lexuses 

Georgia Loucopoulou & Menis Theodoridis & Nikos Repoulios & Kostas Voros: Audiovisual –Media Education 

Tamar Meskin & Tanya van der Walt: Re-imagining Macbeth - a T.i.E. ‘Adventure’:Negotiating Shakespeare and Learning in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Anna Misopolinou : Theatrical Avant-Garde Techniques: Applications onthe Elementary and Secondary School 

Alexandra Mouriki & Antonis Vaos: Aesthetic and Art Education: The ‘Transformational’ Power of Art 

Nick Owen: The infectious outsider: Towards Pedagogy for Artist Educators

Evangelia Papageorgiou: Dramatic Play in Education: Expression, Communication and Social Conscience 

Antigoni Paroussi & Vasilis Tselfes: Crossing the Borders between Science and Shadow Theatre:The Case of Light 

Triona Stokes: Exploring ‘Irishness’: Examining the Relationship between Celtic Mythology, Drama and Cultural Identity …

Jeffrey Tan: Artist in school: Focusing on creating a curriculum for character development through drama 

Asterios Tsiaras: Developing Primary School Students’ Self-Awareness through Dramatic Play

PART C: Workshops

Iman Aoun: Forum Theatre - an Easy Technique for Difficult Conflicts 

Marigold Ashwell:  Working with Young People as Partners in Learning

Giorgos Biniaris & Irini Stamouli: Foreign Land in the North Aegean: An artistic proposaldemonstrating social sensitivity 

Nassia Choleva: We can do it on our own! 

Clio Fanouraki: Performing the city 

Mario Gallo: Picasso Theatre: the Intercultural Language in the Pedagogy of the Commedia dell’ Arte 

Antigone Gyra: The element of time on stage and in life 

Patrick Horsley: The Non-Verbal Voice (NVV) and the Spirit of Play

Panagiotis G. Kampylis: Creative interconnection among Musical, Art and Theatrical Education through sound-images, sound-stories, hand-made musical instruments and Information and Communication Technologies

Marilena Kavada: Traveling…in the melodious paths of the world’s fairy tales! 

Hui Lin Koh g & Heng Leun Kok:  Search for COPS & RAINBOWS 

Eva Konstandaraki: Personal histories, memories, experiences as creatorsof useful knowledge

Athanassios Koutsogiannis: The magic of shadow theatre is that one can teach historythrough the art and techniques of theatre 

Stylianos Krasanakis: The leaves (genders) of the sexuality tree 

Maro Liatsou: The one who says yes and the one who says no: From Brecht’s plays to political consciousness

Maria Lourou & Maria Revelaki: I believe in you! a Theatre-in-Education Project 

Ioanna Mamakouka: The fairytale: reading, narration, dramatization 

Hristina Mouratidou & Sead Djulic: Dynamics of the static body 

Fillio Nicoloudi: Bias, stereotypes and the other 

Stefanos Ntalasis & Maria Manthela: Comics and acting: Low Flights 

Simos Papadopoulos: The Wonderful Trip into the World of the Selfish Giant:An inquiry of the language within a drama environment 

Korina Preveduraki: Creative power in School against Violence 

Nikos Repoulios: Introduction to the Basics of Animation and its Application in the Educational Process 

Dimitris Sarris: Body - sounding body: Rhythm-kinetic education and musicality, focused on percussion 

Persephone Sextou & David Antzel & Sofia Lampridou : Cocoa Smell: a Theatre in Education Programme for primary schools 

John Somers: Drama and Ritual

John Somers: Combining the Arts: how Music, Visual Art, Dance and Dramacan work together as equals 

Paul Stang: Drama as a means of teaching Math? History? Science? 

Jeffrey Tan & Jennifer Wong: Make It Happen: an Introducing Performance Workshop 

Menis Theodoridis: Audiovisual Education …

Dimitris Vintzileos: Dealing with Self Perception and Self Image 

Koldobika G. Vío: A Playful Approach to the World of Theatre: The Improvisation Match 

Hala al-Yamani: Exploring the World of the Other through Drama 

Anna Zevelaki: Corporeal Mime : Etienne Decroux’s Technique 

Lia Zografou: Dramatherapy and the Teacher: Expanding the Educator’s Role

Christina Zoniou: Forum Theatre in Formal and Non-Formal Education

Dimitris Zorbalas: When Art’s ‘Mischievousness’ meets School ‘Discipline’. Creatively meeting of educational goals. 

Appendix: Contributors short profiles