the audience/participants through engagingin specific fictional situations that
explore the Centre of the story. Ihe concept of Centre relates to the essential
confrontation at the heart of the drama that is re-visited again and again in
different situations.
The examination of the term situation followed. I suggested that in
the case of this crucial building element of drama the emphasis needs to
move away from developing ‘what happens’ towards exploring the ‘how’ when
engaging in the fictional situation. And for these explorations to become DEs
the fictional situations need to be developed with an emphasis on the social
elements being highlighted in them, and that they connect to social situation
in the real surrounding of the participants.
The chapter discussed the terms of sequencing and internal coherence
and offered the Bondian concept of Centre as a model that incorporates what
focus or pre-texts offer in a living through approach. I proposed that it is
useful to keep in mind during planning a drama lesson in what forms does
the Centre appear in the specific situations and how can space be opened up
for participants to work on these aspects within the fiction of the drama.
Finally, I examined two frameworks for meaning making. The ‘five layers
of meaning’ highlights different levels of significance behind one action,
while the Invisible Object aims at exploring the ‘human’ situation behind
the different interpretive narratives that block new understandings being
created in situations.
The devices and concepts from the two different field discussed in this
chapter are not exhaustive; the aim was not to offer a full methodology on
these pages but to present some ideas that can direct the thinking. I use them
in planning the drama lessons that are at the centre of my research and look
at how they can be used to enhance a creative framework for planning and
facilitating rather than becoming prescriptive rules that need to be enforced
in all situations.
In the next chapter I present the research methodology and the theory
behind it.