Conservatory 2B

Childsplay's Academy Conservatory class is back in session for the spring semester and I am very excited to be working with an incredible group of students.

This semester I will be focusing on styles of theatre from realism and naturalism to more anti-realism theatre including expressionism and Theatre of the Absurd suited to this group of student's age and level of experience. My goal is to not only introduce the students to various styles of theatre, but to create an entirely new piece of drama that incorporates elements from the styles learned in class.

Last semester students in Conservatory 2A had the privilege of working with Yolanda on self-exploration and improvisation as they devised a piece based on very personal experiences and views. This semester I want to continue that process and also add the element of theatrical style to the work.

After evaluating the student's level of work so far, I am excited at how ready they are to take on this challenge. This course will require a great amount of work from the students and a willingness to step out of the box as they expand their creativity and take their performance skills to a new level.

Expressionism

In our adventure to explore anti-realism in theatre this semester, my Conservatory 2B students are discovering expressionist theatre in which we attempt to express what we see as the inner reality of a drama. Expressionism was used as a protest against the parameters of naturalistic/realistic theatre and allowed for more experimental drama. I personally love expressionalist theatre since it allows for the freest possible form of style and opens a world of possibilities for our class ensemble exploration and theatre exercises.

One of the elements we'll be exploring is speech. Expressionism allows us to shift between prose and verse and from realistic dialogue to monosyllable or telegraphic speech. The broken dialogue gives the impression that only the essentials of human speech remain, revealing more of the subconscious. So we get to focus more on what a piece is really about and encourages us to dig deep into the material.

Expressionism shifts the focus from objective realism to subjective monologue. This style of theatre creates a more abstract form. In class, this presents us with an exciting challenge to step out of the conventional theatre course to a more advance exploration of the student's creativity.