My first impressions of the group was a little strange, only because I have never before, in the 3 years I've been at the school, worked with anyone outside of theatre in a creative environment. Therefore taking in everyone, their talents, their personalities, seemed unfamiliar and a little overwhelming. It seemed like there was a part of my year and school that had been alien to me until I walked into that room. However I soon realised the vibrant, colourful people I was going to work with and this was encouraging, giving me inspiration for the weeks to come.
We started the session with some ball games to get to know each other and establish each others names. This exercise may seem a little basic when first introduced, but its effect is invaluable; one of the most personal things we own is something we give out every day- our name. When you know someones name you have built the first layer of your relationship and a trust and bond is already beginning to form. We carried on doing these ball games, adding in different elements so as we could keep learning each others names, but also breaking that initial barrier of being strangers in a room by the simple method of play.
I can already see how this kind of exercise would be useful when we visit our group at MIND on Friday. If our group can introduce themselves within a group, even if it is by sharing something as simple as their name, they will become involved and present within the space faster, allowing both us to understand them and them to understand us. It is a mutual, equal exchange that breaks the barrier between us and them, a key goal on our visit this Friday and our visits for the next 6 weeks.
As there were so many diverse talents in the room, in strands we devised an activity to share with the group to give them an insight into our skills and forte. Theatre decided to do an improvised live scene: one person starts the scene in a generic location and people come and add their stories and perspective, layering the piece until everyone is involved in the scene. We chose to set ours in a hospital waiting room. We had a lot of funny, bold characters that really shone, cementing the work together as an ensemble. We then heightened the scene, adding the suspense of someone in the room having a bomb. Watching our peers working within this dynamic not only gave them a taste of the theatre life, but allowed us to observe their broad skill set.
What I learnt from delivering our exercise was that someone needs to step forward and lead, not necessarily dictating the group, but guiding them through so as not to get muddled. Our exercise was quite hectic, an environment perhaps not best suited to our clients. Therefore we need to refine our ideas, making sure their structure and format benefit our client in the best way possible and that we are fully equipped to teach and deliver them.
We were also allowed to take part in the activities the musical theatre and music students devised. Musical theatre taught us a song and dance, which turned out to be a lot harder to teach to people of a lower ability than them. Again that is something to consider and learn from; our group may have a different level of ability and we must be ready to adapt in an understanding and positive way. Music got us to have a jam using the drums, our hands and voice. This was such a communal experience that brought the group together. Music can be therapeutic and when experienced in a group immensely rewarding so perhaps that is also something we can take with us to MIND.
To finish today's session we created a warm up in small groups. Our group created a concentration game in which you pick a topic ie, football teams and you go round a circle each saying something from that category. If you hesitate, repeat or can't think of an answer, you are out. Being able to devise and adapt exercises in the coming weeks is a skill that I hope to take away with me, as it is a skill I am sure I will have to apply to many different client groups.
Overall today's session has introduced me to a group of wonderful like-minded people who are eager to help and make a change. Having these skills and talents, as diverse as they are, are best used when used to benefit others. I predict that being able to do so will be immensely rewarding.
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