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BEING IN THE SITUATION — THREE RE-INTERPRETATIONS OF LTD
Bolton’s intention is to create an engagement in the fictional world, and
an awareness of using the dramatic form to enhance participants seeing
themselves as makers of the fictional world. The tasks in the beginning of
the Crucible lesson create a link between the two worlds. Besides offering
points of entrance into the historic-fictional world, they also show that there
is connection between the two. The connection is not made explicit later, but
Bolton believes that the two worlds still interact. Davis argues that Bolton
“aims to have the possibility of reflection built into the experience without
relinquishing the strength and immediacy of that experience”! and sees
this as a key component of Bolton’s LTD. I discuss this important difference
between Heathcote’s and Bolton’s approach to reflection at the end of this
section. John O’Toole points out that metaxis can also be a source of tension
within the drama."
In these examples of Boltons reinterpretation of the LTD, we can see his
focus on experiencing being in ordinary and extraordinary situations and an
awareness of being creators of the fiction to enable metaxis, the experiencing
of being in two worlds at the same time.
Besides the conscious structuring to build an awareness of the connection
of reality and fiction these examples also show that an awareness of form is
not an obstacle to being in the fiction, the conscious use of sign enhances
the notion of ‘making’ drama in living through improvisations, something
that I test further in my research. I continue with the analysis of some
examples of O’Neill’s process drama.
Cecily O’Neill
O’Neill’s work is most often associated with the term process drama, which
has become widely used, often as a synonym for drama in education. Both
Bolton!’ and Davis!” discuss her work as a re-interpretation of Heathcote’s
living through approach, which O’Neill also agrees with.’ Davis describes
her process drama as an approach that “focused more on theatre form and
related less to the deep ‘being in the situation’ that Bolton has a ‘life-long
interest in, although O’Neill was still concerned to find moments of this at
the centre of the process”.!*
O’Neill herself describes her astonishment at the immediacy of Heathcote’s
work, “you were suddenly there in the world.” She says that a second
85 Davis: Imagining the Real, 34.
O’Toole: Process of Drama, 30.
Bolton: Acting in Classroom Drama.
Davis: Edward Bond and Drama in Education.
139 O’Neill: Interview, 1.
140 Davis: Edward Bond and Drama in Education, 174.
41 O’Neill: Interview, 2.
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