The kind of theatre that we practice with our young performers in Kildare Youth Theatre, and with our young groups as part of Crooked House’s Outreach programme, is sometimes known as ‘process drama’. In it we explore participants' attitudes, experiences and senses of self through the rehearsal and devising process. Instead of simply getting lines to learn for a part in a play, a young person must create the whole part themselves (with our help and guidance). They draw on their experiences, personality traits, knowledge of themselves and of society, and their attitude and observations in order to create the part. This is done through discussion and through various rehearsal techniques. It takes time but is invariably worth it as the young person has complete creative control and owns the ‘part’ as a valid, imaginative expression of their own.
Nothing about this process is unfamiliar to the acting profession - this is generally what we do for a living. However, the process may be unfamiliar to non-actors and this is why I am attempting to detail it a little here.
We have found that this type of drama practice combats depression particularly well. It also assists hugely in alleviating feelings of isolation and estrangement, and it builds high self esteem. In our practice over the past 15 years we have discovered that it also effectively acts as a measure for suicide prevention. It does this by developing key skills and aptitudes in the participants that contribute to positive mental well-being. Some of these skills and abilities are regarded as key deficiencies in young people with suicidal tendencies. The particular ones developed by theatre are:
- The ability to channel impulsive behaviour. Many suicide attempts result from, among other factors, a strong impulsive action taken by the young person often under the influence of drink or drugs. These impulsive actions regularly come about because feelings have been bottled up or repressed for years. In our drama practice we encourage the expression and channelling of impulsive reactions and behaviour. We show how to harness and use spontaneity and instant expression. Young people are encouraged to use their feelings and impulses to create improvised and devised performances in safe and encouraging surroundings. They become accustomed to channelling sudden feelings, strong reactions, responses to external stimuli, etc in a way that is healthy and non-aggressive.
- Taking control over ones’ life. Our research has shown that young people today generally don’t feel that they have a lot of control over their daily routines and lives (they are collected and dropped off by parents, school is very structured, their evenings are set and established etc). In theatre they have to make their own characters, performances, and expressions – all from scratch. They must be in control of the process themselves. For many this is difficult – they will constantly ask “What do you want me to do?” or they will regularly seek permission to do some action or reaction on stage. Eventually they learn to be independent and to gain control and ownership over the process of making something. This sense of control spills over into their lives and assists them in taking charge of other processes like career choice, life choices and emotional responses.
- Collaboration and teamwork. Young people learn almost immediately how to give and take, collaborate, compromise and grow, and work together. Often it is in the drama workshop environment that they first encounter this life-skill, as much of their unregulated time is spent alone with video games, in their bedroom, or silently receptive to TV and cinema. The collaboration in youth theatre builds very strong friendships and opportunities for engagement with others.
- Creating, not consuming. The key skill in process drama is teaching the young people how to be active creators (of meaning, of identity, and of viewpoint) as opposed to being passive consumers of opinion, of culture and of commodities. Instead of listening and watching the opinions of others (in the media, in the schoolbooks, in the video games) they have to create meaning from a blank canvas – there are no models to follow, no guidelines other than you must get up and create a situation, a character, an opinion, a point-of-view. The dramas we create are all expressions of their concerns, their attitudes, and their points-of-view. This facility helps them have a critical engagement with the world around them; to name their concerns, joys and interests; and to formulate their own opinions.
- Active Citizenship. This drama encourages the young people to look twice at everything. They need to be sharp and observant when creating realistic scenarios and realistic character types. This stimulates an interest in their surroundings, which is then channelled into making a drama about their concerns and issues. Many young people then go on to become involved in organisations and work that help create a more just and equal society. Their political engagement is stronger and they take a very active interest in political issues.
- Accessing the Imagination. Nothing beats theatre when it comes to opening up people’s imagination. It is the principal quality of drama. Young people are natural creators – but they need a safe and stimulating environment in which to be imaginative. We help them use their imaginations to solve problems, to imagine different sides to a complex argument, to imagine alternatives to set ideologies. An imaginative young person is someone who will not become trapped in a problem or find something too heavy a burden to bear.
- Using information. The drama we practice with young people helps them to access and use information – as opposed to simply ignore it, or be overwhelmed by it. Many young people ask for permission to do something rather than find out for themselves if it would be a good or bad thing to do. Process drama requires them to gather all kinds of information in every moment, and to act on the information they gathered. The information is usually about the other person acting with them, the environment they are in, the context of their situation and scenario, the likely outcomes of saying or doing something. This is an essential skill in problem solving, and in dealing with unwelcome situations in life.
There are many other qualities in process drama that assist in suicide prevention (eg leadership skills, having fun and being stimulated etc).
In many of our other projects with young people the idea of suicide prevention is to the fore of the project – that is, we address issues like depression and help people identify resources that can help them. An example is a project we are currently working on called Life Force with Blue Drum in Dublin. But with Kildare Youth Theatre we do not explicitly state that this is a suicide prevention project. Instead we trust that the processes described above will work in such a way that a young person in KYT will benefit from it and be able to see their lives differently, and in a more positive light.
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