THEATRE WORKSHOP IN (Osnabruck) GERMANY Organised by Die Volkshochschule ----S.Gerken-Neumann       

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                                    When I got the information about this theatre project I wanted to get involved, too. I am interested in theatre and how people and in particular students can profit from it Also, I wanted to learn new theatre methods. When I read about this project and about the different concepts of the theatre pedagogues who got involved in it. I was not really convinced about what I read about the “Theatre of Relevance”. I didn’t have any idea what would happen in this workshop. When we decided that Manjul had to come to our school because of the luggage problems with younger children it was okay for me. Only once I questioned myself how a theatre pedagogue who works with street – children could draw up a play with overprotected students without any experience in violence.

 

     At the beginning of this school year I asked students from the secondary school to join this workshop. Most of these students had been in my theatre group before. They’ve all said they ‘ll. Come. Three weeks before the workshop had to start the students told me their problems with school, when they miss lessons. I was a little bit worried the workshop wouldn’t go. We decided to begin at 9.40 so that they could attend classes in the morning and in the afternoon.

 

     When I saw Manjul, first I recognized that he was a young man with enough power to bring this group together.

 

 

Report on the workshop with Manjul

           

            First day

            At the beginning all students sat in a circle and Manjul told them about his method that all members of the workshop had to participate in finding a concept for the day. The students seemed to feel a little afraid because of this method that they had to be responsible for the success and because of their problems with the language. The students decided first to play a game with saying their names and changing their places. After some minutes Katharina suggested to play the game emotionally to get to know the other better, There was confusion about his suggestion an Manjul asked why the students had joined this workshop. Some of them

-           want to play theatre

-           want to know Indian way to perform theatre

-           More understanding?

For the students it seemed hard to concrete their decision.

After that we split up into two groups. The students discussed and wrote down what they wanted to do in the workshop. They seemed to become more relaxed while talking in these two groups. They decided to chose characters and to make a play by their own.

Britta                           crazy person

Katharina                    happy person

Britta                           sad person

Lilly                             bad person

Katharina                    busy person

Moritz                         shy person

Verena                                     influenced by others

Linda                           child in 2cd class

Anne                           anxious, frightened person

Heiko                          cruel person

Greta                           angry person

 

To help the students thinking about how to play their chosen characters they sat in a circle clapping their hands together on their knees and on the bottom.

 

After a break everyone played his role for a few minutes and talked about his feelings as a person and as this character.  It seemed to be hard for the students to play their character in front of the others for the first time and then to reflect on it in English. They had a lot of fun while looking at the others playing their roles.

At last they played games with their voices, a game to stay in the role with saying the sentence. “ I don’t know how to act”, Why?” and a relaxing game. At the end Manjul talked about finding a context to the society for each character. Who is this crazy person? Which background does he have. What is the reason of being crazy and so on. He asked the students to prepare the role, to analyze the characters and to think about how to understand, the context, the relevance.

My impression of this first day

During the first day if the workshop, I thought Manjul confronted the students with his asking to be clear about the roles., about what they wanted to do. Most of them could handle that, but Linda and Lilly seemed to be under stress.

The students had been very critical of their own play. It was something new for then that they were free in their decision to do what they want to do.

 

 

Day – 1

At first, we talked about the question “ what we will do in the next five days? “ We found that we must know each other better, so we helped us with a little game. But we saw that this isn’t the best way to know each other really good.

After that we had been divided in two groups and talked about games and exercises we can do. All together we explained our ideas. The last idea, everybody has to found a character he would act, was next thing we worked at Everybody played a role for something like  two minutes. At the end we trained our voices, breathing and the feeling for the rhythm. Then we talked about the day and said “ Good Bye”.

 

 

Second Day:

 

First the students talked about the day before and how their parents and friends had reacted when they told them things about the workshop. Then all of them imagined that they were in a big forest. They went into a tunnel., drank water, heard terrible sounds, felt very alone, saw beautiful flowers, felt happy and danced in the forest. Britta and katharina had to discover their own forest alone. They climbed over desks or under the chair. Then they played a few concentration games and trained their voices. After the break they played their charters again, but on a higher level. They talked about some roles very exactly and some other persons had to play the same role to get more information about the different ways acting the roles.

Manjul talked about the body language and to be aware what the body was transmitting. The actor had to be sure how he was standing, which gesture the chose and so had the person be aware what kind of message hid body is giving. Manjul talked about how gestures of people influenced the relationship. I felt it was a powerful atmosphere in the group. The students laughed a lot.

 

Third day

At first the students talked about what they felt the day before and what they said to their friends and families. The students said things like it was interesting the day before and I felt good. Manjul tried to come in contact with them telling them that he was looking at them to explore what they mean when they said it was good. He talked about behaviour patterns of human beings, that every move of the body has got a message and a scene. After that they started their performances. Two people started in their character with the sentences. I don’t know how to act” Why “ and then created their own dialogs. The student learned to play with the other character and on the same time to concentrate on their own role and on the dialog. In between Manjul said meaningful things to the students like “ Theatre is basically to communicate” and before actors you are humans.” Theatre is all in us.” Trust your potential.”

Lilly didn’t want to play a role, so Manjul asked her to talk with him in front of the others. They talked about school and where she lives, what she likes to do in the free time and if she loves herself.

They played games for breathing and for their voices. At last they made their relaxing game and talked about what they felt increase in: concentration, confidence, expression, understanding, speaking, voice, body, trust, relationship, acting and so on. As homework they had to ask themselves: “ Who am I?” What did learn?” What happened with my body?” How much was I involved?”

 

 

My impressions of the third day

In the morning the students seemed to be self-conscious. In school they are not used to think about their body language and how important it is to be sure about their behaviour, about what they want to do. In school these things doesn’t matter. Lessons goon. School prevents students from taking responsibility. In the morning the students seemed to be tired. It would be easier for them sitting in their classroom. When Manjul focused on behaviour pattern they were very interesting.

It was a high level of concentration in the room when the students played their character and when Lily and Manjul talked together.

A big problem is that in schoolteacher always have no judge students and they judged each other. Manjul supported them to trust their potential.

When I talked to Lilly in the evening she was not happy about this talking with Manjul because she thought she had shown to much of her personality, There was a good atmosphere in this group but the students wanted to have limits because you only can show how things hurt you when you trust the other group members not to make use of it. At this point of the workshop students began to think about their experience in the workshop and to discuss it more intensive.

Fourth Day

This day was totaling different from the others. The students began to ask Manjul about his life. Then they decided to prepare their performance by themselves. They called their play. : Life is not a supermarket”. They had the idea all this different characters meet in a supermarket. Manjul proposed starting the play with a scene in families at the eating table. The students agreed with. They were totally changed and full of power. Manjul and I left the room. After lunch hour we could see the play. Manjul only pointed out to keep the whole space and made a few propositions. He told them to prepare the play he would have gone to the supermarket to look how people behave. He asked them to think about why they are playing and what the message of this playing is. For example: don’t make live so bad, so crazy, so busy.”

 

My impression of the fourth day.

There was a big different in the behaviors of the students from the first day to this day. The students felt responsible of what will happen with their performance. There were a lot of situations during the last days where they got in touch with themselves, with their feelings. They began to discuss what they wanted and what they didn’t want. They became clearer.

 

Fifth Day

First the students wanted to play a concentration game. They decide to play this counting game where you have to say. “ Dip” instead of five, ten, fifteen” and so on. Ten Manjul introduced them to a game. Partners stayed in front of each other and made sounds like a barking dog. The students learned to bring new things and different emotions to the game and to create a short story. This exercise was training the voice and relaxing the face.

After that the students tried to improve their play and they played it twice. Then they performed in front of the teachers and made a short break.       

Manjul spoke about understanding of feelings. He told them that feelings are always good and encouraged them to check their feelings and to experience the life.

He asked them to write down why they had been able to do this fantastic performance.

Then he asked them:

-           What happened to you when you first heard about the workshop?.

-           What happened when I met you first?

-           What did you learn as a person as an actress/actor?”

-           How was the theatre director as a person as a theatre director?”

-           What was new?”

-           What I am going to do in future? How I will use it?’

-           They had to write it down too.

-           At the end of this workshop all students stand in a circle and Manjul said to all of them personal things and good bye.

 

 

During the week I realize how Manjul confronted the students by asking how they felt and why they behaved like this, what their body was transmitting and so on. In the beginning some of the students had great problems with speaking English. First I was worried about someone would have leave the workshop. It was a good experience to give it up to the students, to Manjul, to each of us. I tried to find out what is Manjul’s special way of leading this workshop. I found it very interesting to hear so many meaningful sentences about life. About acting, about relevance of our behaviour, about feelings, about the body language. The whole time Manjul worked with high concentration. Nothing of what the students said got lost. The students got aware that Manjul accept & trust them to be very good in performing and convinced of the potential they have.

 

       In this workshop Manjul introduced the participants a few exercises. There hadn’t been warming ups in the morning. Manjul always finished with breathing exercises and with relaxation. Reflection about the actor as a person, as a character was always the focus of attention. The main question was the relevance of things in theatre, in life. By playing theatre you learn a lot of very important things about life.

 

     I learned what concentration means. I learned how important it is to give students the opportunity to be responsible for their lives. To get into contact with students you have to be more meaningful. I will try to find my way in school and use things I learned in this workshop. Thank you very much for this powerful experience.

 

 

   Reactions from students: 

 

1.         Kathaviva Lunnemann

Robert – Bosch – Ring – 8

49584 Flivstenau

Kathy – Lue@hotmail com

 

It was nice to work with Manjul, because I felt that he really understand. What you are saying (Only the part with body language wasn’t like this) but it was new, I think for everyday of us that you really touch the students from inside.  But our schoolteachers do not work like this. Your way of working is different .It gave more the feeling, that you are a friend. I’ve learned to be a little bit braver to show emotions. It was a very good , refreshing!

 

 Thank you,

For the nice time,

Kathaviva Lunnemann

 

2.

 

It was a new feeling that we should change our rule so fast. I learned & lot of concentration and behaviour pattern.

 

---------Maritz M.

 

 

3.

 One of  reason to join this workshop was that the director is from India. The workshop became really good when we created own play. It was interesting to see what we’re able to do without any teacher. It made me self – confident. As a person I learnt that it’s not hard to play in front of people because we wrote the play and I am proud of it. Manjul was gentile the whole time. It was very good that he let us work and decide as a group and that he was a part of the group. He also told us things about life, which was good. For example, the different reactions of people in a situation which have to be remembered. Every thing was new .

 

-----------Britta Vehrdich.

 

 

4. Britta Neumann

 

When I heard that there is a theatre workshop in our school, I was very happy and excited because theatre is my favorite hobby. I thought that we will learn a lot of technical to performance. I didn’t imagine the person who touched us. Day I was very funny because of my angelic. I didn’t understand anything. But now it is going to be better. The games we made were new for good and me. But I don’t like to speak about the feelings I have when I do 5th. So it was very boring to talk about the feelings and so on. Every time I because more certain and learned a lot as an actor, but not really as a person. When the performance was, I was excited, but I think, it has to do with my role. When you have to play a crazy person, you really became a crazy person a few minutes before the performance and a little time after it. It was very funny. And I was very nice to play with the other pupils five days a week.  I am here since the summer – holidays and don’t really know the pupils, after that workshop I do!

 

I learned a lot about performing as an actor. How to clear the many what’s of the person, or how to show the feelings you have. As person I learned how to signolize what you want and how to speak for many peoples.

 

The method of the theatre – director was good – in some ways. He can explain very good what to do but I don’t like it when he becomes like a phsycho – doctor. For example when he asked lilly if she loves net. That is a very, very personality questions you don’t have to asked for the whole group I think you can feel, who persons and self confident and who not. And the self confident people not want to speak about their feelings in front of the whole group. But the rest was okay, funny and interesting.

 

I was new to me, that theatre is not only to learn a text and to say it. Theatre is more. It’s in your life, its everywhere. And that is very good, because you can hide behind your phantasie – character and nobody could see your true face. That is very good for protecting yourself. I am going to try to play theatre everywhere I can live so become more interesting, when you see it in different ways, for example as a always–be - happy – person or sometimes as a crazy – person. You can do what you want and you can realize your dreams of being another human.

 

 5. HEIKO WEYMANN

            BORNHAGENWEG

            49635 BADBERGEN VEHS

            E-MAIL : HAI-K-O@gmx.de

            Tel : 00495433 8833

 

I would play because the atmosphere was good. My friends were playing with so it was easy, too. We helped each other when try it and so I have known before how to play. It was a good feeling to play and that the others play so good me save in playing my role. It helps me to understand my role.

 

I thought, that I have to go because I like to play a role. I’ve done it three times before. I thought that it could be interesting for me to honor what an India think and do.

 

 

I ‘ve learnt what a fun it could be to make something to get warm. I think that you are a friendly person and I’ll miss you.

 

As an actor I’ve learned how many different kinds of playing a role there are. Before I thought there were only one now there so many kinds of playing a role.

 

           

 

6.         Lilly Setech

I learnt that do not be ashamed of yourself.

 

7.Anne Book  

           

1.         When I read about the theatre workshop I straight wanted to participate. I was happy about getting a chance to play some theatre.  I did not thought the person how wanted to lead this workshop.

2.         After the first day I asked me what that person is, because I thought you have not any concept for the week. Also I thought you are taking to much a sent little things.  But at the second day I noticed that you are a very good director and that you have a name and that you wanted us to be good and to trust ourselves. We will automatically be good.  After the second and third day I also thought that you are very punctual.  After forth day I felt really good and I thought after another acting on Friday I cant act in front of others people. So I was not nervous After all this days I always felt very calm, ansgeglichen and free. I think I will feel this today, too directly at the performance I felt good and I thought we can do it, there won’t be any problem.

3.         At this workshop as a person I learnt to be more a calm, more myself and I found something now in me. I feel better how and I hope that I can also outside this group live after my feelings. As an actress (but I think also as a person) I learnt to feel different feeling and to go in them. I also realized the difficulty to act very well.

4.         I think the method of you were very good. At the beginning we had a little problem with your method but in the end it helped us more than a normal teacher (e.g. in school) I think your method helped us to go deeper in us and feels our emotions.  Some times you as a person and you as a director was mixed. You also gave something of your own feelings into this group that we were able to feel you, yours emotions and your thoughts.

5.         New for me was the beginning of the workshop that we by our self have to decide what to do. Also new for me was the asking. You always asked why we did what. So we had to think more about our doing.

6.         For the future I hope that I can change more my character e.g. when I am angry with someone that then I am not angry to a person how does not have any fault on my anger. When I want to be concentrated in future I will take the breeding thing, because it made me concentrated.

 

How I made the performance:

I did it because of the good training the four days before.

Because we trained it more often, Because you \we red us to get the feeling.

Because I learnt to think about what I am doing.

I learnt to get more concentrated.

I found something in me I didn’t notice before.

 

8.Greta Praisken

 

I was sure that, when I heard about he workshop that I will go these. I came the first time to the theatre workshop I was thinking about how it would be like and if it would be good. I was hoping, that it would be good and that it would be much fun. But because I always like to act or do acting games I was sure that I would have liked it I thought about the theatre teacher too how he would be like. I think it was crazy, but i had the feeling that this person must be nice. I don’t know why. The first time I was in the workshop (it was the second day because the first day, I was ill) I was satisfied, because I was right with my feeling. I liked the concentration games a lot. They were good experience and often it was much fun. At first, when I choose the character “angry” I thought that it would be easy to play. But it was not as easy so I thought. But the next days I felt that it was going to be easier and a lot. I felt really “ angry” to perform this was really good feeling and I think , I was good it was also much fun and it we wouldn’t have performed it , it would not have been satisfied, but then I would have had the feeling that I did it for myself. As a person I learnt that it is important to look at the people and at my own feelings. I learnt how important it is, to feel and to show other people these feelings. As an actress I have learnt to get into a role with everything. Of me, so that I am the person I play. I learnt that I have to give, for example, the angry person a story, So it is really easier to play. Manjul was a really good theatre teacher He made me feel that I was able to play good and was always honest, what is very important for, me. He did not say; Oh, it was so good” when it really was not good. He helped own self really to be good. The workshop and how he made it was good, because it was never boring and he made me, that I did not matter it I did not like somebody of the group very much. I saw them all as the same and could play with everybody. This was a good feeling. This was new. It was also new that we talked so much about our feelings and that we really could talk about it. Manjul let us doing what we wanted to do I never had the feeling that I had to do something.

In my future I want to play theatre but perhaps not as a job. It is so much fun that I never want to stop it.

.

I think that I was able to do this performance because I had the feeling that I really wanted it. I did no really think a long time about, how to act of what to say. I did it. I did it in the way, I felt, that it would be good. The others person is that I really like it, to act, I knew that I did not have to do this that ‘s perhaps why I did not stress myself. I was relaxed and enjoyed it.

 

 

             

 

           

At first we sit in a circle and think about what we can do in this week. Then we played a game for learning the different name from the people who are in the workshop. The next thing we did was to choose two groups. Every group should think about what we can do in this week. May be to play different games or to build up performance. After this we played a rhythm game. At first we should put our hands on our legs, then clap with our hands, shape with the fingers, hands on less and than we put our hands on the ground. Then we talked about it. It was interesting because you feel kind of mechanical and you get faster. of course, you work with the group. After this we should choose a character like happy, sad, crazy etc. and think about how we want to perform it. So we walked crowd in the room. Every body performed his or her character very interesting and it was lots of fun. We played a game for our breath. We run in a circle and count till. Then we said very loud and jumped. At the end we lay down and make different kinds of noise to relax.  Then we talked about these four hours. It was great fun. I wouldn’t say that I learned something new, because I had theatre lessons in school but it was very interesting and I liked to do it.

 

9.Maritz Hosted

 

First we sat in a circle.

Method :- We are one group and we made decisions as a group

-           game ( from Britta) for introduction.

-           we talked about goals of the workshop

-           Then we splitted the group in two groups who thought respectfully about how we could reach the goals.

-           one group : - everybody chose a character

-           2nd group:- games

-           game with hand clapping

-           during game – think about character

-           everybody played his  character

-           it was interesting to see the others play their rolls, although

-           I didn’t like my character

-           at last we did some practice for the breath.

First Day:

 

At the beginning we all sat in a circle and you told us about your method that we have to participate in finding a concept for the day.

We decided first to play a game and get to know us. Britta suggested to play, Hein rechto , Platr int frei.” What we all said our names.

After that we split up the in to two groups which have to think about the next thing we ganna do.

One of group suggested playing a character. To help us thinking about one character we would play we played a game where we have to do something without hand ( to clap) together that there was a rhythm,  Then we talked about our feelings by this practice.

I felt not so well at this practice because this hand claps got a kind of a machine thing. I felt like robots then we had to find a character and played it in front of the others.

I found it very interesting to look at the others how they played their role and how you criticized us. For me, I found it hard to play my role so that the others and also me got the feeling of being anxious

At last we made some breathing training in form of running around and say some thing and stand still and cried and counted. This exercise was very funny and I liked it , especially, the crying thing. At the very end we relaxed and made again a circle and talked about the day.

I hope this form of report is ok. That it can help you.

 

 

 

-           do things with us that you did in India before

-           Warm –ups ( games, walks… )

-           a game with different running stages

-           for example

 

1st stage: really slow

 

5th stage: the highest stage of running you can do

 

-           Don’t do these all the time. Sitting together and telling would be fine, too. May be at the end of the day because we would  like to know more about your work and life in India.

-           Not game (?) Britta’s idea!

 

 

Montiz Idea – To pick a  character and make a play out of it

( first by yourself and  then may be in a group of two people or more )

 

 

 

 

Britta Ne.

 

Today I learned that it is very important to concentrate while playing, even when I am doing a game it is not good to suddenly be myself and not the characters. I enjoyed the good vibrations in the group nobody was to be afraid of another one.

 

 

At first we sat together in a circle and talk about the last day and how our parents and friends react, when we told them things about the workshop. Oh, we had two visitors in our workshop. I don’t know their names but they were nice. After we had talk about the last day we started with warm ups. We can from on side to the other side. Than we scanned the name of our partner from, one side of the room to the other side for training our voices, to get louder. When we finished it we started to play our characters again, but on an higher level. About some roles we talk very exactly and some other r persons must all play the same role, because the real actor of this role should get more information about acting this role. When the performances was finished, we started to train our breathing. We can in a circle and count till 25, with a very load voice. Than we stand in a circle and make ooommm… with a deep breath. We lay down on the ground and relax with oooommm… Before we went home we talk about our feelings. Everything was interesting and. It was a great fun. I felt a steam in my body when we made oooonnnnn..

We played a game were we should think that we are in the forest.  We should concentrate our selves. That was the destination of this game.

 

 

 

Third day

Manjul said good morning to everybody we sat in a circle and talked about what happed with us at home the day before. Then we talked about the language of the body, that everyone is different and understands the way of holding the body different. Then we played some games/ At first we played the knodgame, then we start study in a circle and gave to the other person a signal with the right hand and we got the signal, so that the crying went and round,

In the third game we had to sit in to Reihna with their names and holded our hand that we made a kette. Then one gave from behind a signal so that it comes to the front and then the front woman has to run to a chair and get acting.

The group how got more often that thing won. After playing games we began with acting our characters. Always two actresses were on stage. There we learnt to get the intense of the one character and perform it to another form of powers of your character. Also you have to be very concentrated to act your character that the public can feel your feeling.

We all talk the characters of the others by running around. Than we did the count thing to control your breathing again and relaxed. At the and we spoke about the day again.

Greta P.                                                                                   15-11-2000

 

At first we made a circle and talked about our experience in our families when we told them about the workshop. Filter this we did some concentration games. Then we played our characters with another person: for e.g. angry- happy learned that it is really difficult to feel the character and to play it good, especially if there is another person. It also a good experience. In the end we made some meditation. I felt relaxed and it seemed as if I was more concentrated and fresher. Finally, we talked about our feelings and as experiences. It was a nice day.

 

15-11-2000

In the morning we talked about what we felt yesterday. We played the most game and a reaction game. Then we talked about behaviour matter, that every move of the body has got a message. After that we start our performances. Two people start in their character with the sentences I don’t know how to act” Why?” and made there own dialogs. That was very hard but I learned to play with the others on myself. We played games for breathing and for our voices. At last we made our relaxing game and talked about it .

For myself I learned today to trust the people in the workshop a little more. It is a good feeling to work with the group because the atmosphere is very nice.                           

 

Britta.

At first we talk again about our feelings from the last day. Than we played two games. At first the knot game and then the Train game. We discuss about behavior pattern and we learned a lot about it. Than we start with our performances. Two people played together and create their own dialogues. Improvisation it was difficult. Some people change their character. That was difficult, too. Than we trained again our breathing and to speak loud. We run in a circle and count. Oh, at the beginning from the lesson, not really at the beginning, we played a concentration game. Than we relax at the ground. And make oooonnn… and we should feel our body and our face. At least we talk about our experience and what we feel at a person.

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