Well, here’s the update… I can finally start doing the practical phase of the work.  ECU have granted ethics clearance. 

I hope you will all be able to make the times and dates I propose – demand for space is at a premium.

The planned Process Drama sessions are:

Tuesday May 30, 2006  7:00-9:00pm
Thursday June 1, 2006   6:00-8:00pm
Tuesday June 6, 2006    7:00-9:00pm
Thursday June 8, 2006   6:00-8:00pm (STANDBY ONLY IN CASE OF PROBLEMS)

They will all take place in Theatre 16 – Room 16.117 at ECU Mount Lawley.

What to expect:

In this Phase 1 you will be asked to participate in a series of Process Drama activities. 

PROCESS DRAMA is simply an educational application of drama as pedagogy.  It seeks to engage participants in structured role-playing activities using a variety of realist and symbolic conventions.  For example, participants may be presented with preliminary stimulus material, an image, a story, a piece of music, etc…  this is called a “pre-text”.  Discussion and simple drama activities are used to generate a fictional narrative and or characters.  Participants then role-play and use verbal and non-verbal forms of expression to further engage with the scenario developed.

You should wear comfortable clothes as you may be asked to move on the floor or engage in some mild physical activties. 

On the first night we will meet and

  1. I will explain the scope of my study;
  2. I will collect informed consent;
  3. I will conduct some introductory drama activites to break the ice and help us feel comfortable working in a group;
  4. I will conduct a short Process Drama to familiarise you with the form.

The next two meetings will be working through two fully developed Process Drama looking at social conventions in online and offline interactions.  The pretext materials will be based on accounts from online social worlds where new forms of “transgression” have emerged.  These dramas will form the basis of my development of the online versions and are very important to the study.

At any time in a drama you can choose to sit aside.  The subject matter should be challenging but is unlikely to be threatening.  If you feel any uneasiness you can sit aside and watch the group work, or absent yourself from the room – likewise you can normally rejoin the drama where appropriate.

The sessions will be videotaped and some photographs may be taken. These materials will form a part of the archive of my study and may be used in the final documentation, other phases of the research, and in other presentations of the work at conferences, etc. 

I look forward to meeting you all and encourage you to pass on this information to anyone interested – we may be able to accommodate a few extra people, especially if some of the core group are unable to follow through.  Just drop me aline if you’d like to come along.

Thank you for your interest and patience to date – I hope this will be engaging, stimulating and fun.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *