Theatre arts and Visual arts teacher, MYP Arts team leader, MYP Theatre Examiner and Personal Project supervisor at Fountainhead School
Art on the Move 🎭 #1 The Power of Repetition in Theatre Who sits still in a theatre class? And why should anyone? Theatre is an art that moves. It moves your body, emotions, thoughts, and the space around you. To keep my theatre classes dynamic, I begin each session with a game. These games focus on various aspects of communication—both verbal and non-verbal—emotions, speech, language, and memory. A few of my favorites are the "passing on emotion", “Building up the tower of names of fruits/actors/ vehicles, and “Spider web of names” to focus on the memory. I often hear school drama teachers complain about students not memorizing their lines. But why force memorization when you can focus on understanding the story and teach them to improvise? Understanding the story's requirements can be just as effective. However, memorizing lines is still important to be prepared for the unexpected, such as when a main actor falls ill. To help students get the hang of memorizing lines, I use a simple yet effective game that employs the repetition technique. Benefits of the Repetition Technique The repetition technique helps student actors connect with each other. By spontaneously repeating lines, they get their head and heart into the moment. This technique not only encodes information into memory but also helps actors structure the emotions they need to deliver. This is one of the reasons why we have rehearsals. Repetition aids in future recall. Personally, I love recalling and singing the Gujarati poems I learned in my early years. In theatre classes, repetition ensures that students do not need to delve deeply into emotional memory every time to deliver their best performance. Once they are familiar with an expression, they can rely on memorization rather than constantly tapping into emotional memory. Though some may prefer emotional memory techniques, I find that repetition and memorization are more practical and reliable for young actors. Incorporating repetition techniques in theatre classes not only enhances memorization but also fosters a deeper connection between actors. So, let’s keep the art of theatre moving! Fountainhead School #MYParts #Theatreineducation #IBO #Theatre #MYP
A Certified Corporate Master Trainer with over 10 years’ experience. Applied Theatre Practitioner | Theatre-Based Corporate Trainer.
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