The Fictional Family: in Drama, Education and Groupwork

Abstract

In recent years, texts for and about drama teaching in recent years have tended to focus on the theoretical examination of old methods. There’s not been much in the way of the new or unusual in terms of actual practice. Much of the work described in “The Fictional Family: in Drama, Education and Groupwork”, Muriel Gold’s account of her teaching with a theatre class at McGill, is familiar. There’s a strong developmental drama base, the idea that teaching drama leads students towards a healthier perception of themselves, pioneered by Brian Way thirty or so years ago. Teachers, myself included, who tend to agree that Way’s approach is the most humane and effective method of introducing students to the often unexpected demands of the drama class will find echoes of themselves here. There are improvisational exercises based on Spolin’s Who, What, Why, Where tactics.