A NEW VOLUNTEER ON THE SCENE! ’ 

October was a busy month of preparation for our new volunteer from New York, Raven Cassell’s visit. The students wanted to present their plays they had been working on to her on her very first day with them, so the first two weeks before she arrived were spent writing scripts and getting their stories finalised into scenes. This process not only hones their writing skills, but also affords them the opportunity to negotiate and come to an agreement as a group about the specifics and flow of their stories. The role of the facilitator is key here as it is important that, while giving technical guidance, they ensure that the students maintain ownership and management of the production of the plays. The last two weeks of October were spent rehearsing and creating costumes, props and simple sets. The stage was set!Reflections on this last week:Raven’s first session with the Dramatic Need students was on Monday 29 October. There was much excitement as they presented their work to a very appreciative audience. Raven then took them through a process of developing their own community values which are to be agreed upon and upheld for the six weeks that they will be working together. The students showed a good understanding of the values instilled through the Dramatic Need process. It was a valuable exercise in rethinking and reinforcing the way we strive to work together in the sessions. The students really enjoyed meeting and working with Raven and are looking forward to the next few weeks with her. She has already added huge value to the sessions.Next week’s plans:This next session will continue to build on the community and dialogic principles from session 1. Raven will start the session with meditation and check-in. She will lead the students through an interactive lesson on theatre vocabulary and techniques. The students will then have to opportunity to collaboratively redefine these concepts for themselves. Students will then be asked to find objects. These objects will be used for an improvisation exercise. 

Images from left to right: Agreeing on ‘shared values’ in Raven’s first workshop with Dramatic Need students; Raven outside the staff house at the Dramatic Need Community Arts Centre, Free State South Africa; Discussing and brainstorming on ‘what makes a community?’