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More than one year ago
this project started in November 2009
and now, one year later of that moment
we are starting...
more than anything teachers...
that learn new methodology and tools
We have music, word, body, thinking… and team work
well... I want them to come with...
energy, motivated, with strength and joy...
with... but also measuring a bit their...
I mean, controlling their willing...
their optimism…
I want them to be able to measure...
what we can do
and make something meaningful out of all this…
Understand each other
and be able to save our differences
and our egos and fears
Now is the moment of contents,
of confusion…
the moment of contributing with ideas
and also discard them
combine them in different options
and start to define some kind of result…
Jugar y Actuar started with 26 people decided to think about education using theatre to do so.
Three trainees from InteRed Foundation coordinated The Project
Because I will keep working on the scenes…
The group was working every Wednesday during six months
The result of their work was a theatre play fully created by them
I think that my daughter, at her 11 years old,
is very mature for her age
Well… allow me to disagree…
because the child, at her 11
still doesn’t tie her own shoes,
she is not able to put on her own sweater
and you also help her to blow her nose!
Daughter!
Rotonda de los patos presents:
Play'n Theatre. Creative odyssey in Education
Ok, very well…
we are going to play Normandy Landing
Normandy Landing
We are going to make like a life videogame...
like PlayStation.
Each one has one number
We are going to distribute ourselves in the theatre
shooting to the stage...
ta, ta, ta,ta, ta
shooting to each other
And at some point I’m going to say a number
the one, the two, the seven, the four…
and then, the person with that number
will come down to the stage
and will say: cease fire!
Come on!
To the top!
Let’s jump!
Cease fire!
From one to five!
we are seven!
I understood everybody down
and I said, ok, let’s go!
Hands to the head!
Legs up!
You are going to copy a hundred times:
“I shall not kill!”
Public Library Toledo City Council
First day I arrived with fear
with doubts
I was very nervous in my stomach
because I knew my colleague but the two of us were new
and we didn’t know much
And I arrived there with people I didn’t know
and I didn’t know what we were going to do…
The idea was to create
and, oh boy! to create now a whole theatre play
that would be kind of impossible…
The mouth
The eyes
we close tightly
Because that seems to me more aerobic...
than anything else
much running, much…
and well… I did started to understand
the group dynamics they wanted to create
Slowly...
slowly... relaxing the head
loosing the head
Silence…
Well, first day when I opened the door
and I saw you all there, in a circle
all participating…
like a big family playing and having fun
The truth is the first day...
I didn’t even introduce myself
To the face
To the face
To the head
I don’t know how to do that...
Of course, that is why we are here
Stop
We look to the front
Let’s take a bow
Good
It has been a pleasure
The first phase
that has as a clear aim of
creating confidence among participants
to start working on the contents
and start being able to contradict each other
in theatre terms
that part... it is very much fulfilled
This phase, I’ve seen it very good
I’ve seen it very good
a lot of exploration
a lot of playing
It has been very successful
and on the way
while we did this
I’ve seen also
how all participants
have been getting different theatre tools
And that is something
we also wanted to happen
as learning outcomes
ok. Very good
What is difficult for me
as I said before
is the confident thing
to me...
that stuff of so much initial squeeze
it is like:
Ups! They are touching me…
Down, down!
You can keep going, if you want...
I thought that
I was not to empathize
as much as I later did
Nowadays
there is
a lot of age discrimination
and well...
it is true that
that I thought
when I saw the group
I though
there is no place for me in here
I’ll try today
but it is sure I’ll have to leave
and well...
And I was very surprised
because it was not like that
the age factor was not noticed at all
Well, just somethings...
physically
that day I was very exhausted
Eyes
There is no eyes…
No teeth
No body
Nothing
scripts out!
Why?
Because she is a real pain!
She is always nagging me!
Ok
What is wrong with you!?
Clean up, please!
I don’t want to! Please, study!
You are so spoiled!
I’m so fed up!
Girl!
Hey!
What would you like to do with your daughter?
Killing her
And, before that?
Before killing her…
beating her?
Help!
What do you feel for your husband?
Hate
What is his name?
Pedro
Do you hate him since a long time?
No
And did something change?
With my hate?
yes
No, because he does nothing
Don’t you see he only works
Since when your relation is being like this?
Since the girl started to be a rebel
And does the girl’s teacher know about this?
No
It is also very interesting
that also has happened
that you have given yourselves the permission
to be and think what you wouldn’t be and think
in your daily lives
And that is very important in theatre
I mean,
the atrocities the parents have said
about the school psychologist… or whatever...
Did you ever tell your teacher about your parents?
No, because I pass, I pass!!!
I pass from her and from him
Have you ever seen her teacher?
No, I didn't
We see each others, but we can not find anyone
We can knock,
listen…
He would be the first in the group
that makes a regular movement
and a regular sound
for example...
I see his proposal
and I add another regular movement and sound
It is an exercise, somehow, of...
improvisation
Your colleagues are doing one thing...
and then you have to come out
to continue with that process
and have some coherent result
in accordance with what your colleagues are doing
It addresses a lot the subject of creativity
and also the subject of how to understand things
how not being like machines
In that sense it also talks about productivity
that they are promoting all the time
like: you have to be productive. Be productive!
the most important is to be productive!
more than understand or have fun...
In our society we have...
heart and mind separated
and we do not understand
the body is a whole global thing
that includes the mind
I mean, my mind is also my toe
We lack in touching
we lack in understanding each other
and feel that our body is one more tool we have…
The exercises we know at school
sometimes are so much stale
that are boring
but in here the exercises we do
they are new, fresh
and maybe the first thing we have to do
when we enter into a classroom is
to create the group
to form a group...
and all these practical techniques
because we learn by practicing all the activities
they are ready to apply directly at school
The change from one position to other
bigger
I’ll talk about the homework, if you want
and later we do the exercise. Ok
Ok, I talk about the homework
and please inform your missing colleagues about them, ok?
We are going to bring one object
Next week each one is going to bring one object
that is associated to a story,
which you can tell,
and happened to you at school
I don’t know if now, engineer schools
still have the same reputation as they did back then
when they were like the entrance hall to hell
I only want to say the reputation is true.
The first exam...
we were 603 students matriculated in that course
and only 5 passed...
It was said,
and also it was written in the first floor toilet door,
like: “not even God passes the exams in here…
... Jesus Crist: 4’5!”
Do you know what this reminds me?
It reminds me of bread
Working with objects is something actors do a lot
because it brings together the concept world with
the physical and material worlds
And here we have used it as part of the creative process,
as starting point of the different stories
that later will be part of the play
“A cube, miss”
like other have said before him…
...one after other...
that this was a cube
And he says...
“miss, don’t you see?...
It is a plastic jar with water and little boats inside!”
When I say to the youngsters: “let’s create a poster”
they don’t have the necessary creative resources...
they don’t use their imagination that much
then I used some things from our creation
One day, in class, I ask them to make a circle...
and started to do things that we have done
each one has to think about one story, let’s tell them
then bring and objet from the house
So, this same year, I’ve been using these techniques
and youngsters they did like it a lot
It is 4 pm, and now physics class!
and also with Mr. Morcillo!
“Let’s see, Florez,
which page are we in?”
“184 , Mr Eusebio”
“Please, read”
“The law of…
bla, bla, bla, bla, bla…”
And I'm… looking through the window
and there is spring
and birds fly... and I’m 14
and my hormones!!!
For example…
Jonathan, definition of sphere
The sphere is like a ball...
like a ball...
that has a shaft that gives revolutions
Ah! That’s it spinning...
revolution around!
Ok, this is it
Wednesday 30th May
we are going to the library
This is going to be
our first session in a proper theatre venue
Now is the moment in where we start our rehearsal
Yes, we have finished the first phase
and now we start this second
that is going to take us, like a meteor, to…
To the staging phase
Yes, to the staging…
and the venue is going to help us a lot with that
yes
it is a great space, huge...
that some of the participants already have seen
and said that it makes them feel like very impressed…
it is the moment of the contact with the theatre scene
and the moment for them to dare to
being there in front of the spotlight...
it is indeed a Greek theatre that we have
yes, yes, it is true
a basic Greek Theatre structure, that is going to help us
to bring out the characters, the chorus…
Control C, Control V. Copy, Paste, non stop!
The scenes that we are laying out
are related with two or three characters
that are the main characters in the scene
and then a chorus
which is the rest of the group
that helps the scene to be told
And it helps the scene to be told in several ways...
let’s say we have one or two leaders or coryphaeus
chorus always goes together with coryphaeus
so, we have this coryphaeus
not just one, but two or three
who are the ones telling the scene
and also the chorus that dresses the scene,
sings the scene and accompany the scene…
And it is that simple as copy this
that you have in here, and put it in here
You don’t have to think more about it
You don’t need to consider why we do this
Your work is to copy this and put it in here
or the doctor of whatever
That’s it. I don't see it.
This so much reasoning is no good to me
and you work with that…
But if you explain today, tomorrow I’ll also know it
Thank you!
Let’s see if you can learn a bit from Puri
She never has any problem
Control C, Control V. Copy, paste, non stop!
What is it that you cut and paste?
That! I don’t see it!
Control C, Control V. Copy, paste, non stop!
We have to be chorus all the time
because all the time we have to be ready to give a hand
and support the colleague...
the relative or friend in need
The whole 45-50 minutes of the play
we are on the scene
We all are part of the show, all the time
Five and action!
Next station: Serrano!
How was your weekend?
Very good!
I thought it was going to be
like sitting down for 4 or 5 hours on a chair
take a white piece of paper
and say: let’s begin to create
I mean...
I never thought we were going to be running around
sweating like in forced labour
and I arriving home all full of stiffness
So few times you arrived into a successful end with this kind of initiatives
the path is important...
but seeing a final result is also very satisfactory
and what I see in here is, that from the very first day
we all are very committed
From the first moment they have played at silence
even if the people asked…
because people were kind of impatient...
asking like:“ok, good, but where are we going with all of this?”
What are we going to do now?
And they say: this
we are going to do this, what we are doing in this very moment
And now, at the end
is when I understand a lot of things from the beginning
and from the middle of the process that we have made so far
When you ask somebody...
any person not related with theatre at all
let’s do theatre...
what she imagines is that you are going to have a text, a role
and you are going to be the daughter of whoever
or the doctor of whatever...
and you will work with that…
and here it hasn’t been like that at all
Here has been like:
let’s do theatre from what we are
and from what we wish to tell
And then...
there has been confusion...
there has been people that…
well it is a great “doubt management”, as we use to say
and there is people that naturally manage doubts better than other
it is also true that we have been provided the group with tools
that anxiety coming from not knowing exactly what I am doing…
I have this sensation of having no clue of...
how are we going to join all this…
but well, I trust fully that something will come out…
but... I mean...
that is… I have the sensation of…
I don’t know! I know we are going to make a school…
but I’m there thinking like… how are they going to do it?
How they will do to join all this scenes together
but… good…
We work from what you’ve created
From what you’ve done
The thing is very much 50-50
Yes, but maybe I would have liked in that moment
a bit more of space to express my opinions
Let’s ask the group what they…
Yes, yes
But this is what there is
This is the material we have
And this is what there is… and I keep going and I’ll see
And eventually, afterwards, everything will be organized
Because I have the sensation of haze, of chaos...
At the beginning everything is so clear…
and maybe this happens in any kind of process…
and then you arrive at certain point that you say...
this... and that... and then bum!
More or less in the middle of the process
we felt like we needed something more
like knowing each other deeper
and we had the idea
of spending a weekend all together in a countryside hostel
Let’s see!
Ok
Come on
Let’s start with the first one!
Wait a minute, Luis is missing…
It was blocked...
And all this without knowing...
In fact, I think that we are not very evolved so far…
Slowly…
we are going to create a ball
What I liked the most has been the ball
What I didn’t really like is the well-known ball
The ball is great, the ball is like…
the ball is everything!
Feet to the ground!
there has to be balance… mmm
Great! Very good!
How do you feel? Somebody say something!
At the beginning it was much of…
we touch each other so much
too much touching and not knowing the people that much
A lot of…hey there! and everyone on top of everyone!
But well, once you started to gain confident with people
now is like… you do it at ease
I mean, hugging chill and good
In fact, when they say ball I imagine a pineapple
I believe that emotion we felt in the group
that emotion… actually came from the ball…
because from the ball came that…
I don’t know how I managed
that when I entered in that heated room...
in the middle of winter...
and being as small as I am...
and all the time I was just in the middle
There was sometimes that I hadn’t enough air and I felt like dying
I admit that the ball is of a great use to me…
I miss a lot to squeeze each other
well understood...
I mean, we all greet each other...
but in your daily life you don’t squeeze anybody
Look, is not that I don’t find it amusing but…
I fell overwhelmed
I fell overwhelmed… then, that sensation of being…
Well, I don’t know if you have noticed...
surely not,
but in the ball I’m always in the outside…
I stay, half and half
not right in the middle, but neither outside
For a ball, the one I’m inside…
because there are some bad days...
The first day I said, that this was good to me for disconnecting…
to me, obviously, with the daily stress I carry…
from ticking off…
some times I go home after have being very strict
and other times thinking:
I should have been softer...
Then, yes, sometimes I feel like a hug
I loved the ball!
Let your voice come out truly!
(they say their names)
There are certain days that you need “ball”
but you don’t go around saying, begging for…
I want ball, I want ball. Give me a squeeze
Then you arrive there and suddenly…
you stay there like dumb and they squash you…
and you come out feeling like brand new
Pepito…
your friends have already said it, Pepito!
There are some boats, Miss…
look a storm! Look, Miss!
They threaten with failing at the exams
The worst thing that could happen if you don’t organize yourself
is that you’ll fail…
and everything goes around passing the exams
We don’t go yet…I’m going to give you the marks
Four
Very good: eight
Well boys, re-take exams in September
See you tomorrow
Why didn’t you study?
Don’t you see I?
Yes…But… if I went back to…
Last weekend, I was again in the museum
What for?
To see the pictures, dude!
Ah? Did you see the picture?
Yeah! All of them…
mate, what anguish the Guernica…What a trip!
You can see the misery and...
all wrong from war…
it is... it is just amazing!
What are you saying?
Look, here it says… style
I forgot!!!!
Cubist-analytic, style!
And that is what I wrote…
We have to evaluate
decide some results,
put some marks
at certain ages...
mainly the youngest ones
we push them too much…
or... the system...
is like...
the system is designed to ABC...
and after, an exam about ABC…
Students believe that
the only thing we want from them
is to pass an exam…
and that is absolutely different ...
of what our educational goals say
I mean, this is like “broken phone”
It starts very good...
but the last one...
doesn’t receive the proper message
So many exams that somehow we smothered the kids
specially the youngest ones
older well… but the small ones
they shouldn’t be smothered
not in first, second, third grade…
and they are used to it
I mean, they ask for exams…
like: Miss, when are we going to have exam?
In June, two weeks before ending
they said: how is it that we hadn’t any exams?
We have to have one…
It’s like they demand the exams…
Teachers have to distribute the energy
and that’s it
energy must not centred on him or herself
Because is the easiest way…
you arrive in class and give your lesson
explain whatever you have to
order some home or class works
to have them quiet
and that’s it
And the kid is not creative
and not responsible at all…
the beautiful thing as we said...
is to divide the tasks…
And the most difficult thing of all
is to show our feelings
Because in a working environment
even if you feel things
you hide them and you have to give a face…
First thing I do when I arrive, here, into class
I put on my robe, I put on my glasses
I tie up my hair and that is my mask
Hey girls, what are you doing?
What are you doing with the Rainman?
She wants water
Wow, girl! Do you go with this one?
Yes, I do!
Well... most of the times she has a shower by herself
Most of the times… How many it that?
The girl has said to me you always help her with the shower…
Well… you see…
People waiting the bus
Next scene characters go up
Three in the bus
Just cut and paste
Machine explodes
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Two teachers and two students
Class end bell
Zoo visit
Not like the sphere…
is just the opposite example
Hey, my daughter has said that…
Yes but at the same time my daughter is leaving with…
Before that... the main scene, the two actresses...
Now walking on our tiptoes
A well-balanced teacher or trainer...
that takes care about his/her own need
that take into account his or her own wishes and needs
that understands him or herself
that understands which are his or her own difficulties
that has gone, personally, through a learning process
about who he or she is
is also able of leading a learning process for the kids
going in the same direction
If you didn’t travel certain paths...
it’s impossible you help another person to travel them
There is the reason why that from Play’nTheatre
we do teach teachers and trainers
And, most of the time, we do it from self-knowledge
This is just the beginning…
more than an ending...
this is just a begining...
I would like to...
further explore this methodology
and implement it in the classroom
And, well...
see the results that it has with teenagers
And to investigate
because this is an investigation process
so I want to investigate if this have the power...
to foster some changes into youngsters
and see if this fulfil or help to achieve some of the ideal goals
that we do not reach in the classrooms
following the actual teaching methodology
We all have more or less...
the same kind of feelings…
all is kind of standardize…
There are not such things as fury…
of someone burning like a fire…
and saying: this is it!
Like a passionate teacher that arrives...
and is as inspiring as fire… wow…
and all the students would be like straw...
and burn with that force…
Then…
when we see madness we do like…
plafff! And we’ll go out
Wow! We are so nervous!!!
It’s our time, Oliver, it’s our time
We are so nervous!!!
You look so pretty!
Breath in...
we open slightly our mouths
relax your jaw
we move the jaw a bit…
Come on! Come on! Come on! Let’s go!
Where did you go?
Check now your body tensions
which are different from when we started
How do we feel the body and the eyes...
is like another… sensation
Directed by
Rotonda de Los Patos' technical crew
Artistic team
Primary School Teacher
Speech Teacher
Physical Education Teacher
Doctor
Doctor
Occupational Therapist
Occupational Therapist
Education for Health Teacher
IT Programmer
Math Teacher
Technology Teacher
Primary School Teacher
Puppeteer
Primary School Teacher
Engineer
Physics and Chemistry Teacher
Project trainer
Project trainer
Project trainer