Somersfield Students Enjoy Physical Theatre Workshop

Saltus & Somersfield students in drama workshop with visiting drama specialist following schools Shakespeare festival.

February 10, 2011 — Telling a story without uttering a single word was the object lesson of the series of drama workshops held last week at the Berkeley Institute, Warwick Academy, and Somersfield Academy. Sponsored by the Bermuda Shakespeare Schools Festival, the workshops, led by Pivotal Theatre facilitator Ollie Frith, embraced all six senior schools that participated in the October 2010 Festival. The sessions took place on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with an additional middle school workshop held on Friday at Dellwood Middle School.

The UK group, known for leading acclaimed drama workshops for students and cutting-edge training for drama teachers since 2001, was recommended by Berkeley Institute drama teacher Josie Kattan. On Tuesday, students from Somersfield, under the guidance of English teacher Melissa Brough, and Saltus students, led by Drama teacher Rebecca Dorrington, worked together in small groups to explore the physicality of theatre. “It was really interesting for my GCSE students, an eye-opener for them to look at the physical side of theatre, to show emotion physically rather than rely only on the lines,” Mrs. Dorrington noted. The students engaged in an exaggeration exercise where they followed the actions of the person in front but exaggerated them, leading to highly exaggerated movements by the fifth person.

This exercise, a kind of physical “Chinese Whispers,” appealed to Year 11 Saltus student Ashley Greenidge. “I liked being the last person because you got to exaggerate to the fullest, and what the last person was doing was not exactly what the first person was doing.” She also appreciated learning “not to think about improv,” avoiding over-analysis that could lead to stumbling over words and confusion.

Among the activities were exercises and games designed to manipulate their bodies, making them aware of their movements for use in performance. Somersfield Middle Year 5 student Emily Fischer, who has “participated in every play I’ve been able to get my hands on,” found the experience “kinda fun.” She especially enjoyed improv, which provided an opportunity to branch out and step out of her comfort zone. Other activities included learning lifts and falls, with Liam Nash, also from Somersfield, noting, “It’s a really interesting experience to be lifted up by eight sets of hands.”

The day concluded with mimed skits devised by the students, incorporating skills such as mirroring, falls, lifts, and exaggerated emotion. The skits were performed in front of their Somersfield peers, with the acting space determined by the actors themselves. The collaborative nature of the workshops over the three days facilitated interaction and cooperation between the various high schools. The workshop programme, which focused on physical theatre and devising plots with an emphasis on tragedy and comedy, will undoubtedly benefit participants as they prepare for the next Festival in the fall.

Originally published in The Royal Gazette