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OCR
FOREWORD acknowledges the influence of Brecht’s distancing on her later work. More clearly Neelands writes in numerous places of the influence of Brecht on his conventions approach.’ Put baldly and basically the difference could be seen to be immersive, lived at ‘life rate’ (Stanislavskian) and understanding, reason, reflection predominating (Brechtian). As Heathcote and Fiala express it “One of her [Heathcote’s] main purposes is to influence people to develop reflective power”’® and earlier on the same page they quote Brecht approvingly: “The essential point of the Epic Theatre is perhaps that it appeals less to the feelings than to the spectator’s reason”. And immediately following this quote from Brecht they write: “This is the key to the system that Dorothy Heathcote uses in teaching.” Adam Bethlenfalvy usefully opens up these areas and relates them to his research. What is entirely new here is the theatre theory that the author brings to structuring his drama teaching: the rich new theatre/drama theory and practice that the British contemporary playwright Edward Bond brings to the table. (The author incorporates and works with the earlier excellent work done by Amoiropoulos referred to above). How can Bond’s approach to drama be used to enrich LTD drama? Adam Bethlenfalvy worked directly with Edward Bond as an actor in the theatre in education company Big Brum. Bond was acting as a consultant to the company who were producing one of his plays The Under Room. This gave the author a unique insight into Bond’s approach to theatre. What he achieves in his description of Bond’s work is one of the clearest and most useful introductions to the area that I know of. He focuses on Bond’s development of Theatre Events and takes this as his focus. As he describes it: “The question providing a framework for my research aiming to use Bond’s theory in LTD is: how can DEs be created in LTD lessons?”" Central to Bond’s theory is his notion of Radical Innocence and the very early development (minutes, hours, weeks) that every neonate human being endures. The new-born child immediately is involved in a life and death struggle to be at home in the world. The child’s first predominant feelings are of the need to survive: to be fed; to be warm; to be comfortable; not to feel pain. Ihen there begins a psychological, social self. The social environment places demands on the child. The child is forced to relate its radical innocence to society’s demands (primarily through the family). Bond argues that Peter O’Connor: Creating Democratic Citizenship Through Drama Education: the writings of Jonothan Neelands, Stoke on Trent, Trentham Books, 2010, xviii. Dorothy Heathcote and Oliver Fiala: Preparing Teachers to Use Drama: The Caucasian Chalk Circle, in Myra Barrs (ed.): Drama as Context. Dorothy Heathcote, Aberdeen, NATE Papers in Education/Aberdeen University Press, 1980, 52. Bethlenfalvy: Living through extremes, 70. + 12 +
