WBL- PRU.

Introduction.

I went into a community centre each friday to meet People referal unit students.

Myself, Shelley Mccormack, Hannah Nutbeem and Chrissy worked with a practitioner on this called Dan Pryce.

There were around sixteen students around the age of fourteen and three of their teachers and we worked with them for ten weeks.

Aim.

Our aim for working with the students was to try and get them interested in drama without forcing them. We also wanted to use the drama to address issues that the students may face.

Games.

We started each lesson with a game to get to know them, warm them up and get them more willing to join in with the rest of the lesson. At the start of the ten weeks we used games like 'Anyone who' so we could get to know them better, and they could get to know us. We also used this because if they felt like they didn't want to join in they weren't forced to, but we did encourage them. Towards the end of the ten weeks we used games like 'tin can pulse' as they were now more comfortable with the environment and with us that they didn't mind closing their eyes and holding hands. They frequently asked us if we could play this game.

Drama.

At the start of the ten weeks, we weren't expecting students who had never done drama before to be willing to do it straight away. So at first we showed them a short piece of issue based drama to see how they reacted. We asked them to give us feedback about the piece to get them involved. The following week, we showed them the piece again and this time got them to give us their input on what they think worked and what didn't. They were all keen to say what we should of done differently, so we asked them to show us what they meant. This way, acting was optional to them and they were more likely to show us, when they were confident enough to tell us their idea in the first place.

By the next week they were comfortable enough to work in small groups with us changing the scenes of the piece we showed them. They were all keen to put their ides in the piece of what they wanted to happen and each student became a character. Some were happy to be main charcaters and some took smaller parts.

Towards the end of the Ten weeks, they felt comfortable enough for us to film the scenes they had made and were acting in.

The issues.

Issues we addressed through drama-

· Pressure from girl/boy friend.

· Pressure from peers.

· Alcohol.

· Drugs.

· Underage drinking, driving, drugs and sex.

· Trouble with the police.

· Fighting.

What i learnt.

Games and exercises are the perfect way to get students to feel more comfortable.

Pru students sometimes use jokes and insulting other students when they feel uncomfortable.

The students seemed to rebel against being told to do something, but responded positivley to encouragment.

The fact that we weren't much older than the students made it easier for them to feel comfortable.

To keep their attention, it's best to be constantly changing what they are doing, giving them new exercises to do and constantly keep them thinking.

Working in the PRU suited me cmpletely. I really enjoyed it and looked forward to each Friday. I worked well with the students and they respected and got on well with me.

This work placement made me realise that I am very interested in community theatre and would like to pursue it further.

I believe we met our aim because many of the students approached me towards the end of the programme and asked if they could do more drama. We addressed alot of issues with them and they understood the messages we were putting across. All the students were keen to get involved with the drama and they all individually had their own input.