Seeing Eye to Eye!

One of the best things about being a member of a group in the Community Theatre/Drama environment is the happy discovery for each person, of a place where there is true freedom of opportunity. For, although the Drama Director/Worker introduces all the exercises in the workshop, each person thinks out the "how to do" for him or her self. Making his own attempt, discovering his or her own way.

Nevertheless, in the early stages, the members can experience a certain fear of freedom. This can be an uncertainty of what to do, so it is a good idea to include, regularly, at the begining of your workshop, exercises to help overcome such fear. They could, ideally, follow the warm up, begining with an exercise in concentration for the whole group, as follows.

Ask the whole group to stand in a line, side by side, as you wish to pass something along the line. Take an imaginary object from your pocket, or under your sweater, wherever, and with your genuine belief, pass it to the first person in the line. The object you can "see" and "hold", can be a baby bird, a hot potato, a piece of gum etc. Whatever you decide it will be, encourage reaction to the reality of it as the group react and pass it along.

Taking the baby bird as the example for the moment, the last person may let it fly away. Whatever your object is, instruct the last person if you have to. By the time the imaginary object has been passed along the line, everyone will be using their own imagination and concentration. You may have to follow with another "object", but you will see good results. Conclude the exercise by thanking the participants and asking them to take the person on their left or right as a partner and to sit on the floor in pairs, opposite one another.

A common fear that you'll come across is in eye contact. Explain to your drama group that one of the hardest things for new actors to learn is eye to eye contact. They may learn their lines to perfection, but let them know that an audience won't believe a word they say if the correct eye contact isn't there. Explain too, how, on the other hand, they themselves will expect a response to the lines they deliver, and if their fellow actor does not react convincingly, or hold eye contact when required, again the performance is spoiled. Hence the next exercise.

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