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SECOND CYCLE
I conducted the drama lessons with groups that came together in different
ways and in very diverse settings. I did a one-session and a two-session
version of the Wild Child lesson, and researched it with four groups. I tested
the student revolt lesson with one group, and the 1956 drama lesson with
two groups, once in two sessions and once in one session. All details were
presented in chapter four.
I will now analyse the data collected in the second cycle. I first look at how
the different frameworks enhanced or hindered the use of the theatre elements
I included in the lessons. Then I analyse if these elements are compatible with
living through improvisations and finally discuss the questions raised and
the understanding generated in these lessons.
What is the Appropriate Framework for
the Inclusion of Theatre Components in LTD?
A classroom drama is based on a collaborative process to which both
the facilitator and the participants contribute in various ways. Providing
the framework that allows making contributions, taking ownership of the
drama for participants, but also enhancing useful learning is the facilitator’s
task. The narrative employed can be one element of this framework, but
other elements like space, or even a specific point of view or perspective on
the situations examined can also provide the framework for the session. These
elements need to be combined coherently in practice, but in my analysis I will
look at them separately to examine how they help or hinder the inclusion and
use of the Bondian theatre components in LTD. This separation is justified by
the process of planning in which these frameworks are included in the way
and to the extent the drama teacher deems appropriate depending on her
priorities and aims. I will first look at what sort of framework can space and
objects provide, then I will study and compare the narratives employed in my
research, and finally look at the frames set up in the drama lesson in this part
of the data analysis.
Space and Objects
As discussed before, the use of space and objects are central in Bondian drama.
I wanted to explore the potential they carry as a framework for the whole
drama process in this cycle and planned one version of the 1956 lesson so that
the camp, which was transformed from a family summer camp into a refugee
camp by the participants, offered the holding framework for the drama based
exploration of the Centre: what does it mean to ‘own your life’. Besides re¬
working the camp participants also re-designed signs to make the layers of
the history of the space visible and usable in the drama. For example, signs
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