Webpage Supplement to Chapter 25:

ACTINGOUT: A Teen Interactive Theatre Group

Kim Burden, Mario Cossa (chapter authors)
(and Jodi Clark, currently the director of the program)

May 1, 2007

Further Developments in the Program since 2003:

Jodi Clark writes: In the years since its direction by the author of the book’s chapter, ActingOut has switched its focus from therapy to prevention. In a nutshell, this means that the skills of improvisation and interactive performance benefit the performers by giving them more self-confidence, more social skills and a healthy peer environment. The performances then benefit both the actors and their audiences by allowing for creative self-expression while also allowing peers to educate each other on important topics. In the interactive portions, the audience members can then ask questions or even take part in a piece of the show, also giving them a sense of empowerment.

Over the years, the need for this program had shifted from having one group which met under the parameters of confidentiality and therapy to one of more accessibility to a broader range of youth in the school environments. How this translates into practice is that I meet with school groups at their schools or in teen centers rather than here at the ActingOut office/activity space. In some cases, I have been working with actual classes, such as health, exploring issues in class using theater as a tool for such exploration. In other cases, I have been working with hand-picked groups populated with designated "at-risk" youth to help them build more social skills and build self-confidence. And in still other cases, the groups had originally been formed as improv clubs, but have switched their focus to building skills and then creating issue oriented performances to be presented to either school audiences or other outside audiences, particularly if the performance does not happen at the school.

The range of topics is endless moving from health and wellness related issues to issues specific to school or conflicts to broader community issues such as our upcoming series of performances all of the groups will be working on for World AIDS Day this December. We use exercises and structures from various directors/practitioners in the interactive theater realm from Augusto Boal to Playback Theater as well as Keith Johnstone. As I have only been with the program a short time, we have not had many performances as of yet. But I will be happy to share details of performances we develop as they come to fruition.

I as the director am a staff of one. I have one volunteer group coordinator who is a long-time alumnus of the old ActingOut program. He is currently coordinating the group of young adults from Keene State College and the broader Keene Community.

I currently have 3 high school groups. All of the groups meet for different lengths of time once a week. The longest meeting period is an hour and a half. The shortest is 40 minutes. The groups that meet for longer are working on basic improv skills as well as working to develop performances. I have yet to meet with the 40 minute group. I'm meeting with them TODAY in fact. The young adult group meets weekly for two hours. They are going to be developing improv skills as well as working on a performance, this time for the World AIDS Day observance in December.

Once a month, they will gather with the Youth Advisory Board to help mentor them in skills they feel proficient in and that the youth board members wish to have more advanced skills in. In my after-school club group, I have between 5-20 students, depending on the season. Many students participate in sports or the drama club production. In my teen center based group, I have between 4-12 students. And I supposedly have 8 students in my newest group.

My middle school groups are both very different. The one for the after-school program is geared toward improv games and skills, with a possible performance in the future. I meet with them for an hour and there are 6 students in the group. The in-school middle school group is also more skills focused, but we will be examining bullying at their school as well. And we meet for around 45 minutes. There are 11 students in this group.

I am hoping that we will have more groups going as the year goes on. But we will have to see. All of these groups will be on-going throughout the year. The last group I will mention, which is a very new aspect of ActingOut is a stage combat/improv group I will be running for students who are in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. This group will be for non-theater students to offer them something else to do that is much healthier for them, teaches them about trust, communication and safety. But will also be cool.

Stage combat is a skill I have been studying for the last 9 years, and have been teaching for the last 8. It is a very intriguing skill for non-theater students, particularly the ones who associate certain stigmas with being a "theater kid." The students will be meeting once a week for two hours. They will all be high school students. But I haven't even started meeting with this group yet, so I'll have to keep you posted on how it goes as well.

Some Related Programs

Similar troupes are located in Manchester, New Hampshire–i.e., the Manchester Youth Theatre, and also the ALPHA Teen theatre; the New Jersey troupe, REFLECTIONS (described in Chapter 5? in the book), and in (central Maryland, a troupe called Foolproof. The two in Manchester focus on decision-making skills, social issues, coping skills, HIV and related prevention topics and performance for peer groups, but differ from AO in that they tend to develop "set" theatre pieces rather than operating from primarily an improvisational format. Others, like FoolProof, utilize outlined improvisational scenes followed by an open questioning session where the audience is given the opportunity to question characters from the scenes (slightly different from AO in its use of improvisation and audience interaction.)
Over the years ACTINGOUT collaborated with REFLECTIONS.
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From pg 7, Longer Formats. These scripted pieces have been presented to various groups, and Although the essence of AO theatre is, and always will be, improvisational, there are two notable exceptions to our typical "anatomical improvisation" format for performances. They are "What the Dragon Stole", an original musical, and "Gray Matter: Inside the Adolescent Brain", a 20 minute “science lesson” about the effects of using drugs. These two pieces are worth mentioning in light of a) their origins in group improvisation, b) their roots in sociodrama and psychodrama, and c) their ability to fill a need in the community for scripted theatre that remains audience interactive.

"What the Dragon Stole" evolved from "Drago-Drama," mythical psychodrama process Mario developed involving a hero's quest, with various characters such as the Sirens of Self-Doubt, the Duchess of Depression, and the Mage of Malice. "Dragon" as a show was developed through improvisation, written up into a script, turned into a musical, and performed several times. Although scripted, "Dragon" remains true to the spirit of improvisation weaving the elements of script, scenes, and plot with audience involvement in the form of sound effects, joining in songs, and giving input in several places.

Another piece that evolved from improvisation into a set piece is "Gray Matter." This piece presents adolescent brain development and the related effect of recreational substances with humor and scientific accuracy. The AO theatre performance group worked improvisationally to develop the piece, in which the actors sometimes play parts of the brain, and at other times play adolescents to whom various processes and responses are happening. Working back and forth between improvisation and scripting, the piece was developed and has been performed by several casts over the past few years. Like Dragon, this piece remains true to its improvisational roots. There are points at which the audience is asked for input, and there is discussion following the piece. Both these pieces demonstrate the process of developing pieces that remain audience interactive from originally improvised structures. There are times when AO is called upon to perform pieces that have a little more structure than the usual improvisational forms we are known for. This is particularly appropriate for very large audiences, certain school settings, or groups whose audience members would have a difficult time participating in the usual AO fare.

From: "Mario" <lefunt8@bigpond.com>, January 10, 2005
Drago-Drama This is the more complex of the workshops as it may require a team and the one-day Learn/experience workshop has different goals from the two-day Personal Experience workshop.
One Day: Learn/experience Drago Drama
  This option is offered as a full day workshop with six to seven hours of workshop time book-ended around a lunch break. Time is adjustable. Space needs include a room with movable chairs and large enough to accommodate the people involved. Tables off to the side and a blackboard or whiteboard are needed. For this workshop bottle caps or small circles of foiled paper can serve as shields, small sticks for wands, and colored scarves for cloaks. Additional scarves serve as costumes for denizens – black is most functional over all, with some bright colors or tie die for ogres.
Lunch breaks are scheduled and group members may either be on their own for lunch, or “pot luck” arrangements can be made.

  Staff: In its simplest form this can be operated by one Wizard alone (generally Mario, at least for now) with the Local Organizer. One Trained Denizen or Denizen in Training (see below) is a good idea. (The LO may take on this role as well). Others can be helpful. It is a good training
experience for someone who would like to be a Trained Denizen for a Personal Experience workshop.
Participants: The focus is on training participants who want to learn about Drago Drama for possible use of it, intact or in parts, with various client groups. Human service as well as educational professionals would be likely participants. Many might have a connection to working with youth ALTHOUGH DRAGO- DRAMA IS NOT JUST FOR KIDS! No psychodrama experience is required.

 Format: The workshop moves back and forth between brief didactic warm-ups, experiencing of various parts of the drama, and discussion of the experience. Participants have the option to move in and out of the three participant roles: seeker, denizen, or witness. The seeker is the protagonist or protagonist cluster that is on the quest. Denizens include all the characters that are encountered in the dragon’s domain. The witness observes actively but from outside the action.
 
Learning Outcomes – Participants will be able to:

Two Day: Intensive Personal Growth Logistics: This option can be offered as one, long, day-long workshop (e.g. 9am to 9pm with breaks for lunch and dinner), but is probably best
done in two days with about 6 hours on day one and 5 hours on day two of workshop time book-ended around a lunch break each day. The reverse hour arrangement is also possible. Space needs include a room with movable chairs and large enough to accommodate the people involved. Tables off to the side and a blackboard or whiteboard are needed. Art supplies are used for this project including: small pieces of card stock (approx. 8” X 10”); larger pieces of newsprint, butcher paper, or brown paper; markers, crayons and colored pencils; scissors; hole punch; pre-cut images and words; glue stick; ribbon and yarn. For this workshop participants make their own shields (cardstock with ribbon or yarn). Small sticks decorated with ribbon serve as wands. Colored scarves are cloaks. It is helpful to have additional scarves to be used as costumes for participants.  Denizens should have scarves selected in advance for sea, sirens, etc.

Lunch breaks are scheduled and group members may either be on their own for lunch, or “pot luck” arrangements can be made. Team members will meet apart from participants for a portion of the lunch break.
 
Staff: In addition to the wizard/facilitator and Local Organizer, three or four denizens (trained, in training, or a combination) are used to play the various characters that are encountered. (LO can take on one of these roles). Denizen/wizard team must be available the day before for team warm up, and each pre-and post-workshop day for warm up and process. Individuals need experience in psychodrama to serve in this auxiliary capacity.

 A denizen in training becomes a trained denizen once they have successfully served on a team and demonstrated the ability to hold roles and follow directions. Those with prior experience in Drago-Drama can be granted trained denizen status from the start.  The only practical difference between trained and in-training is that trained denizens share a percentage of the profit of the workshop (negotiable), and in-training denizens pay ½ tuition for the workshop.

Participants: Participants can be any group of interested people, from about 12 or 13 on up. An already established group of any sort may decide to do Drago-Drama together. Workshops can be offered to the general public and the group formed from those who show up. No
psychodrama experience is needed.
 
Format: Participants come to participate, so the assumption is that all participants will end up being seekers and the team will play all the denizen roles. Generally each team member is assigned one to several participants (or the participants may get to select their “doubles”) to
focus on and with who to enter into role-reversal during the various scenes. There is a group building time, a warm-up and character building time, and then the drama begins. Participants ritually step into and out of character at beginning and end of each segment of the drama (for breaks, lunch, at the end of day one, etc.) There is no formal processing until the end of day one and the end of the workshop. The focus is on the experience.

 Experiential Process and Learning Outcomes – Participants will

 
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REBELS with a CAUSE: Working with Adolescents through Action Techniques

Logistics: This workshop can be offered as a full day workshop with 6-7 hours of workshop time book-ended around a lunch break, a two day workshop with 6-7 hours the first day and 5-6 the second, or a full weekend, including a Friday night introduction. Time is adjustable. Space needs include a room with movable chairs and large enough to accommodate the people involved. Tables off to the side and a blackboard or whiteboard are needed. Colored scarves and blank index cards are needed for all workshops. Art materials are needed if art projects are incorporated into two-day or full-weekend workshops (optional but not essential.)
 
Lunch breaks are scheduled and group members may either be on their own for lunch, or “pot luck” arrangements can be made. Staff:  This workshop is staffed by Mario with support from the Local Organizer.
 
Participants: This workshop can be tailored to accommodate the needs of various participant groups, whether educators, guidance counselors, youth group facilitators, and/or therapists. The more homogeneous the participants, the more specifically focused the workshop. Psychodrama experience is not required, although a workshop can be designed specifically for psychodramatists.  

Format: The workshop, of whatever length, will consist of didactic presentation, experiential activity, and discussion/processing. The focus will, of course, be heavily on experiential activity. Depending on the participants, time can be given for practice directing action strategies.

Learning Outcomes – Participants will be able to:

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Resourcing Your INNER ADOLESCENT

Logistics: This workshop can be offered as a half day workshop, full day workshop with 6-7 hours of workshop time book-ended around a lunch break, a two day workshop with 6-7 hours the first day and 5-6 the second, or a full weekend, including a Friday night introduction. Time
is adjustable. Space needs include a room with movable chairs and large enough to accommodate the people involved. Tables off to the side and a blackboard or whiteboard are needed. Colored scarves, blank index cards, and paper are needed for all workshops. Art activities can be incorporated and would, then, require art supplies.
 Lunch breaks are scheduled and group members may either be on their own for lunch, or “pot luck” arrangements can be made. Staff: This workshop is staffed by Mario with support from the Local Organizer.

 Participants: This workshop is designed for any professional who works largely with adolescent clients in any capacity. Format: This workshop explores the unresolved issues of adolescence
that are carried by adult youth workers and the impact they have on the work we do. It uses didactic presentation, experiential activity, and discussion to support participants in learning to recognize and work consciously with these issues. The group will co-create a safe and supportive environment within which members can feel personally cared for and restored.

Learning Outcomes – Participants will be able to:

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The “DOWN UNDER” View of Role Analysis

Logistics: This workshop can be offered as a full day workshop with 6-7 hours of workshop time book-ended around a lunch break, a two day workshop with 6-7 hours the first day and 5-6 the second, or a full weekend, including a Friday night introduction. Time is adjustable. Space needs include a room with movable chairs and large enough to accommodate the people involved. Tables off to the side and a blackboard or whiteboard are needed. Colored scarves, blank index
cards, paper, and several handouts are needed for all workshops.  
Lunch breaks are scheduled and group members may either be on their own for lunch, or “pot luck” arrangements can be made.
   Staff: This workshop is staffed by Mario with support from the Local Organizer.
Participants:  This workshop is for psychodramatists in countries other than Australia and New Zealand who would like to learn about Role Analysis as conducted “down under.” Counselors and therapists from any part of the world could also find the content of this workshop helpful, as well as being introduced to some basic psychodrama techniques.
   Format: The workshop, of whatever length, will consist of didactic presentation, activity, and discussion/processing. The focus will, of course, be heavily on experiential activity. Participants will practice conducting a role analysis from provided case studies and, if appropriate to their experience, may practice directing psychodramatic vignettes.

Learning Outcomes – Participants will be able to:

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Working with XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX in Action (insert most any topic area)
Logistics: This workshop can be offered as a half day workshop, full day workshop with 6-7 hours of workshop time book-ended around a lunch break, a two day workshop with 6-7 hours the first day and 5-6 the second, or a full weekend, including a Friday night introduction. Time
is adjustable. Space needs include a room with movable chairs and large enough to accommodate the people involved. Tables off to the side and a blackboard or whiteboard are needed. Colored scarves, blank index cards, and paper are needed for all workshops. Art activities can be incorporated and would, then, require art supplies.
  Lunch breaks are scheduled and group members may either be on their own for lunch, or “pot luck” arrangements can be made.
Staff: This workshop is staffed by Mario with support from the Local Organizer.
 Participants: This workshop is for any group of individuals who are interested in exploring just about any topic through action techniques (primarily movement and sociodrama), or for any group of individuals who have been exploring a particular topic through more traditional means
and would like to take their exploration to a deeper level.
  Format: The workshop, of whatever length, will consist of didactic presentation, experiential activity, and discussion/processing. The focus will, of course, be heavily on experiential activity. The specific structure of the workshop will reflect the topic and may
include opportunities for practicing new skills or ways of facilitating exploration.
 
Learning Outcomes: Learning outcomes are dependent on the content area of the workshop.
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BEFRIENDING YOUR AMYGDALA: Exploring the Neurobiology of Trauma and Developing Self-Care Strategies  
Logistics: This workshop is offered as a full day workshop with 6-7 hours of workshop time book-ended around a lunch break. Time is adjustable. Space needs include a room with movable chairs and large enough to accommodate the people involved. Tables off to the side and a blackboard or whiteboard are needed. Colored scarves, blank index cards, paper, and several handouts are also needed. Lunch breaks are scheduled and group members may either be on their own for lunch, or “pot luck” arrangements can be made.
   Staff: This workshop is staffed by Mario. If there are people locally available who are interested in and/or knowledgeable about neurobiology, as well as theatrical presentation, they can be incorporated into a workshop team with adequate preparation time.  
Participants:  This workshop is appropriate for professionals working with the effects of trauma (counselors, social workers, case managers), psychodramatists interested in learning more about this methodology, professionals who have been personally effected by trauma, and those in
various roles who work with refugee individuals and families. Psychodrama training is not a prerequisite. Those dealing with the effects of secondary traumatization would be especially served by the workshop.
  Format: The workshop will consist of didactic presentation, experiential activity, and discussion/processing as it explores, in action, the neurobiology of trauma and its effects on the brain. Using this understanding as a foundation, participants will then explore the ways in which trauma and abuse affects not only clients, but also the professionals who serve them. As the processes of “secondary traumatization” is explored, participants will develop personal and
group strategies to provide adequate self-care to prevent burn-out and fatigue.

Learning Outcomes - Participants will be able to:

 
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ACTION INTEGRATION: Working with Trauma and Displacement Issues
   Logistics: This workshop can be offered as a full day workshop with 6-7 hours of workshop time book-ended around a lunch break, a two day workshop with 6-7 hours the first day and 5-6 the second, or a full weekend, including a Friday night introduction. Time is adjustable.
Space needs include a room with movable chairs and large enough to accommodate the people involved. Tables off to the side and a blackboard or whiteboard are needed. Colored scarves, blank index cards, paper, and several handouts are needed for all workshops.  Art
activities can be incorporated and would, then, require art supplies.  
Lunch breaks are scheduled and group members may either be on their own for lunch, or “pot luck” arrangements can be made.
Staff: This workshop is staffed by Mario with support from the Local Organizer. If there are people locally available who are trained in Therapeutic Spiral, they could be incorporated into a workshop team with adequate preparation time. Otherwise, elements of the team approach to
working with trauma will be incorporated into the training and participants will have an opportunity to practice various team roles.  
Participants:  This workshop is appropriate for professionals working with the effects of trauma (counselors, social workers, case managers); psychodramatists interested in learning more about this methodology; professionals who have been personally effected by trauma; and those in
various roles who work with refugee individuals and families. Psychodrama training is not a prerequisite, but the focus is on working with trauma and not in providing psychodrama training.  Experienced psychodramatists would likely gain more from the experience than those without basic training in the modality.
   Format: The workshop, of whatever length, will consist of didactic presentation, experiential activity, and discussion/processing. This workshop will explore classical psychodrama, role theory, the Therapeutic Spiral Model™ (Hudgins, 2002, 2000), and other action strategies for working with issues of trauma recovery and cultural integration. An action demonstration of the neurobiology of trauma will also be included. Experienced psychodramatists will have opportunities to practice directing in the model during the two-day or weekend workshops.

Learning Outcomes - Participants will be able to: