drama on the harbour

education resource

Photo: Olivia Martin McGuire

Playbuilding

Ideas, story, tension and mood are the pathways to dramatic meaning. Your

on the harbour excursion has taken you on a journey of finding

inspiration in new settings and using that inspiration to create theatrical experiences.

This resource is to be used as an extension of the workshop you attended at atyp.

Using the photos, images, sounds and ideas you collected on the excursion you will

be creating your own montages and scenes for presentation to the class. This

process is one of many ways of generating ideas for playbuilding. You may even

like to film what you create in class and send it to education@atyp.com.au

(With your permission, selected clips will be uploaded to the atyp website).

Photo: Olivia Martin McGuire

The following questions can be used in groups or for individual script development.

Where to begin: Elements of Drama Sort the images and sounds you collected/saw on your walk between atyp and SOH into the

different elements below. You will then combine your responses with other members of your

class to create a scene.

Questions are based on the Year 7 – 10 NSW BOS Syllabus (p.p. 38 – 40). Photos in this section of the

resource were taken by Year 10 work experience student, Marlo Kelly from SCEGGS Darlinghurst.

Role & Character

Select images of people that you saw

on your excursion. Choose one

character that most appeals to you.

Answer the following questions about

that character using your imagination:

1. How old is s/he?

2. What nationality is s/he?

3. What is his/her marital status?

4. What nationality is s/he?

5. Why is s/he in Sydney?

6. What did s/he do last weekend?

7. What did s/he get for his/her 10th

birthday? Was it what s/he

wanted?

8. What’s one thing that s/he has

never told anyone?

9. What does this person want right

now (i.e. when you took the photo

of them)?

You may like to ask more questions

about this character. Your answers

may not end up in the “scene” but

they will give you a start on a

backstory.

Use the above questions for other

characters that will be in your “scene”.

Situation “Situation” refers to the circumstances

the characters are in. This is often

created by the intentions of the

characters.

What situation is your character/s in?

(Think about why they are down at the

Harbour, what has happened to them

just before the scene?)

Place Collect all of the “settings” (visual and

audio) that you captured on your

walk.

Select one or two of those settings for

your “scene”. Don’t go for the obvious

match to your character.

Time At what “time” did you take your

photos? Will you set your scene at this

time?

In what “era” does your scene take

place? (You will have walked past

some of the oldest buildings in Sydney

and may like to choose an era

represented by the architecture of the

harbour.)

Structure Where could your scene begin (in

terms of plot)?

What obstacle/complication occurs in

the narrative?

How is the scene resolved?

Language Once you’ve determined a narrative

you’ll need to decide on how needs,

feelings and ideas are expressed. A

good scriptwriter will indicate these

through stage directions, symbols and

a clear understanding of characters’

motivations.

Remember to “show” not “tell”. If a

character is feeling sad, don’t have

them say, “I feel sad”. Allow the actor

to show that emotion.

Movement Movement expresses action,

motivation and relationships (amongst

other things). As one of your

characters, move around the space of

your Drama room. Do you walk? Run?

Crawl? How do you move – feet first?

Hips forward? Try different ways of

moving to see if they fit with your

character.

Try interacting with other “characters”

using movement only. The other

characters you interact with don’t

need to be from your scene – they

should simply help inform how you

move in relationship to others.

“Diamonds” or “flocking” is a way of

moving in unison. Start with groups of 5

facing the same direction in the shape

of a diamond. The person at the front

of the shape moves and the others

mirror their movement. As the front

person turns to face a new direction,

the new front person takes over

leading the movement.

Chorus and movement in unison are

forms of staging that add interest to a

scene. Performers can use it to

represent heightened emotion of a

character or to represent abstract

concepts.

Sound Listen to the sounds you recorded on

your walk.

What do they make you think of?

What images do they conjure up?

Could you use these sounds to

enhance your performance?

Rhythm Many sounds around the harbour are

rhythmical. Listening back to your

recordings, identify the rhythms.

As a group, while playing your sound

recordings, establish a repeatable

movement that incorporates a rhythm.

What emotional state does this rhythm

and movement suggest?

Moment Tempo of a dramatic piece is

punctuated by “moments” that serve

to bring tension or focus. Did you

photograph any scenes that could be

identified as “moments”?

What is happening in that moment?

How would the moment draw an

audience in to the action?

Atmosphere Describe the atmosphere (mood and

feeling) you experienced when

walking around the harbour.

What contributed to that atmosphere?

Will you replicate that atmosphere in

your scene? How will you do this?

Symbols Symbols reinforce the meaning behind

your scene. What images/photos

could serve as symbols in your scene?

What do the symbols represent?

Focus Definition a) The performer’s focus –

sustained characterization; b) The

point to which the dramatic action is

directed

Throughout your scene, note where

the focus of the dramatic action is.

When rehearsing the scene, ask an

audience where their attention is.

Make adjustments as needed.

Tension Tension generates excitement in an

audience. Ask yourself the following

questions to see how much tension is in

your scene.

Do your characters have a task or

problem to overcome?

Do the relationships between your

characters change? (i.e. does

someone leave?)

Is there a shock or surprise that occurs,

where the characters and audience

don’t know what’s going to happen?

Is there a sense of mystery, where

aspects of the story aren’t completely

unfolded or explained?

Space Thinking of the shapes and structures

you observed (e.g. the city skyline) on

the harbour, come up with a design

that uses these as a starting point.

Use textures and patterns that you

noticed on your walk as part of your

design.

Audience Engagement What is the purpose of your scene?

How do you want your audience to

respond?

What relationship between actor and

audience do you seek to create?

Putting it together

In groups of five, choose:

o 3-5 characters

o Situation

o Place

o Time

o Structure

Create a series of still pictures (3-5 pictures) that show the narrative structure of your scene.

How could you link the scenes?

Add language so that the scenes become a play.

Add a sequence of unified movement at some point in your play.

Have a clear point of focus in each moment?

Rehearse and perform your play for the class.

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