Drama Australia Conference Themes

THE DRAMA AUSTRALIA CONFERENCE 2001

CONTINUING THE ODYSSEY
Journey as a metaphor for drama education

Workshop presentations

Adelphi Theatre Company - The Last Hurrah
Brett Adam - Directing School Productions
Naoko Araki - Teaching a second language through process drama
Tony Birch - All of us': The past, the present and collective understanding.
Michael Anderson - The Effective Drama Educator
Jane Bird and Richard Sallis - Masculinity and the drama classroom - an ethnographic performance text
Kriszta Bodonyi - Alternatives to realism: Journey into the Invisible
John Butler - What is the future for theatre for young people in Australia?
Helen Cahill - Defining Moments: dealing with bullying and harassment through the drama class
Helen Cahill - Substances, Stereotypes ans Social Critiques
Helen Cahill - Problematising, permission or possibility: a challenge for the drama practitioner
Peter Carne and Richard Sallis - Examining the Drama
Justin Cash - Justin's drama and theatre links
Justin Cash - Brecht for Beginners
Howard Cassidy - Burn an Image in their head - can theatre stop bullying
Joan Cassidy, Howard Cassidy and Christine Sinclair - From true tales to tall---The school musical, the community and the artists make love not war
Christine Comans - Journey in the Future for Secondary Drama Education
Martina Crerar and Ruth Foley - Process drama and performance
Michael Crowhurst - Responding to the Concerns of lesbian, gay bisexual (and transgender) young people in the drama classroom.
Sue Davis - Creating a showcase for drama education
Phillip Deally - The Well - practising image
Kate Donelan -
Le Quy Duong - The Future starts when one learns from the past
Josephine Fantasia and Catherine Fantasia - WORDPLAY: Grammar, Language Organisation and Drama Education
Patrizia Ferrara - Journeys of Immigration
Kathryn Flaherty - A New Theatre of Collisons: Cerebal Palsy meets Drama
Kim Flintoff - Of Bodies in Place
Kim Flintoff - Stepping into the Virtual
Kristian Gardiner and Braham Ciddor - Lightmoves Basic Stage Lighting Workshop
Sandra Gattenhof - It Doesn't Have to Happen
Tamara Giblin - Solo Work for Senior Students
Stephanie Greet - Developing the serious actor
Dr Brad Haseman - Being 'Leaderly': The Conduct of Process Drama
Sabina Head - Tales from the Future" Studying & enacting futures in the drama classroom
Janet Jackson - Seeing through different eyes - 1
Janet Jackson - Seeing through different eyes - 2
John Joannides - Cultural Indentity
Val Johnson - Across Cultures: a narrative & some reflection
Andrew Kimber - Australian - Fleece
David Lander - Career at the Odyssey
Carole Lander - (IDEA Grant Recipient) The Victorian Senior School Drama Course
Tony Le Nguyen -
Sue Lindsay - The Alpha Thespians Tour of Japan - 2001
Michael Lindsay-Simpson - The Evermore Senior Cd-ROM
Sarah Lovesy - Performance Essay-bodily kinesthetic intellegence
Peter Marron - Masks: A Treasure Chest
Debby Maziarz - Westside Circus
Tiina Moore and Geraldine Peters- Drama as the Centre of Learning:A model for an intergrated learning
Ronaldo Morelos - Cults of performance
Angela O'Brien - Drama for Students at Risk
Sarah O'Donnell - BOOTS - Storytelling Workshop
Joanne O'Mara - Unravelling the Mystery: A PhD Journey
JohnO'Toole - Pilgrims Progress
Robin Pascoe - Between the Learning and the Teaching: what must teachers know and do so that their students learn
Belinda Peterson and Katrina Beard - A Digital Odyssey: Web quests and virtual drama
Julie Porteus, Tim Moss and Lisa Bennett - The Winds of Change
Jo Raphael - Disability, Dramability, and empowerment - a case study
Jo Raphael - Less is More: Zen and the art of performance making
Richard Sallis - Heroes, Myths and Dramatic elements
Helen Sandercoe - The Child who knows no fear
Helen Sandercoe - Happenings for empowerment
Helen Sandercoe - The Neutral Mask: The Masl of Revelation
Lana Salter - Oh No! Not Year 9 Again
Tracey Saunders - Experiences of Adolescent boys in two classrooms
Heather Smigiel - Using drama to develop visual literacy skills
Madonna Stinson - Out of the Labryth: The Arts Cirriculum in Queensland
Peter Stretton - Theatre Project: Campur Campuran
Jeffery Tan - Collaborative Playwriting
Philip Taylor - Applied Theatre: The Next Wave
Prue Wales and Richard Sallis - Dramatising the Journey
Prue Wales - What's it doing for you?
Edgar John Wegner - Where is the art in drama? Aethetic learning in the secondary drama classroom
Peter Wiles - Creating Stories Through Images
Maggie Young - Journey to Arnhemland-successprojects using Drama with Indigenous students in remote Aboriginal Communities

Adelphi Theatre Company - The Last Hurrah

Following the life of a vaudeville performer, the audience is taken on a theatrical journey through Australian history to explore the enormous social and political changes since the mid 19th century. The Last Hurrah! portrays a kaleidoscope of events such as the Eureka Trials of 1854, the Shearers Strike, the fight for Federation, World War 1, the Depression, World War 2, the impact of radio and television, Vietnam, and the constitutional crisis.

www.sovereignhill.com.au/education/adelphi.shtml

Brett Adam - Directing School Productions

Directing Young People A practical workshop for teachers involved in directing young people in school productions. The emphasis will be on discovering the essential movement within the text rather than the more abstract & intellectual conceptual themes, in an effort to make the actor's job as simple and enjoyable as possible. This work has great benefit to those working with young people of all levels of interest and ability. Participants will be shown how character, relationships, objectives etc can all be approached from a strongly physical angle.

Brett Adam is the Artistic Director of St Martin's Youth Centre Melbourne. Before taking up this position he worked as a freelance director, graduating from the VCA Directors Course in 1992. Since then he has worked, in various capacities, with such companies as MTC, Playbox, the Bell Shakespeare Co. and La Mama. He has taught at the VCA, Swinburne University, the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, the National Theatre (Drama and Music Theatre Schools), the Playbox and St Martin's.

Michael Anderson - 'The Effective Drama Educator'

This paper examines drama teacher effectiveness. The paper explores Dorothy Heathcote, Andy Hargreaves and other researchers on what constitutes effective teaching and specifically effective drama teaching. The research forms the background for the explorations of four drama teacher's perceptions of effectiveness through their recollections of effective teachers. The responses are drawn from a broader study about the professional development of drama teachers. These stories form the context for the examination of a case study of a professional development program.

The presentation will make some reflections based on the stories of these drama teachers and the literature reviewed and the case study of the devising celebration program to make some reflections on teacher effectiveness and drama education. Michael Anderson is the Creative Arts Consultant for Drama in the Curriculum Support Directorate, Department of Education and Training NSW, Australia. He has been involved in the coordination of several resources to assist teachers including Juggling HSC Drama, Warming Up, Australian Drama Resources, Navigating drama (video) and Exploring the Worlds of K-6 drama, Four Arts (Drama Strand), Arts in Action CD-ROM. He has also coordinated the drama component of the Computer based technologies in the Creative Arts KLA. Recently he coordinated the production of a teaching support resource for the StageStruck CD ROM. Michael has also coordinated teacher professional development courses including Devising Celebration and drama education websites including Devising Celebration, HSC Online Drama, and Curriculum Support Drama to assist in the development of drama teachers. Michael has taught in the secondary and TAFE systems in NSW and has completed an MA (Hons) degree. He is currently undertaking a study of "drama teacher journeys", exploring the stories of beginning and experienced teachers for his Ph.D.

Naoko Araki - Teaching a second language through process drama

Naoko Araki is a native Japanese who came to Australia in 1994 to receive the tertiary education in Primary Education at The University of Melbourne. After completing Education Degree, she continued studying Master of Education specialised in Language Other Than English (LOTE) and Drama. She has taught in several primary schools in Melbourne as a Japanese language and homeroom teacher. She just handed in her Master thesis and is currently teaching Japanese language at Xavier College on the part time bases.

Brief description : This workshop will let the participants experience the method of introducing process drama to learning and teaching a second language, in this case Japanese. Anyone with no experience in learning Japanese can enjoy this imaginative and enjoyable way of learning the second language.

Tony Birch - All of us': The past, the present and collective understanding.

Tony Birch teaches history at The University of Melbourne. He also has a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and has published widely in the areas of history and race relations in Australia. He also publishes in the areas of prose-fiction and poetry.

Jane Bird and Richard Sallis - Heroes, Myths and Dramatic elements

Richard Sallis and Jane Bird Richard and Jane are co-authors of the 'Acting Smart' texts for Year 12 Drama and Theatre Studies students in Victoria. They have taught drama in secondary schools for a number of years and have lectured in pre-service courses for drama teachers in Victoria. Both have a close association with Drama Victoria. Jane is a former Extension Education Officer and Richard currently holds this position.

This workshop combines heroes, myths and folk tales from a variety of cultures with an exploration of dramatic elements. A variety of narratives and source materials will be drawn from Eastern and Western cultures across a range of time periods. Participants will draw on this to explore a range of dramatic elements including sound, space, climax, conflict, contrast, symbol, timing and tension.

Kriszta Bodonyi - Alternatives to realism: Journey into the Invisible

PhD, in Theatre and Drama (CUNY, USA) BA in Psychology (ECU, Western Australia) After an extensive professional career in experimental theatre in Europe, Bodonyi has moved to Australia in 1989. Since, she has worked with theatre and dance companies and has taught her "alternatives to realism" courses at universities and various performing arts training institutions Australia-wide. She founded HUSH in 1993 and Shadow Industries Theatre Company in 1997 attracting government funding for a number of theatre projects. In 1999/2000 she taught and directed as Assistant Professor at the City University of New York, toured in Korea with her students, and run her own courses for actors and dancers in Manhattan. Upon returning to Australia she completed her studies in Psychology. Currently she has been working as a sessional staff member at WAAPA (WA). More about her work at www.imago.com.au/shadow

The workshop will focus on GESTURES and its application in non-realistic performance. Gestures communicate between reality and the invisible. The question is always "how?". How to avoid illustrative and narrative elements, how to reach beyond the story we want to tell, and actually, what is beyond the story?

John Butler - What is the future for theatre for young people in Australia?

John Butler is currently course coordinator of the diploma of arts - small companies and community theatre at Swinburne University. He has worked as an actor/theatre worker for the Murray River Performing Group, the Mill Community Theatre, The National Theatres Company's T.I.E. (Perth) and recentlly for the Keene/Taylor Productions. He is a reviewer for Lowdown Magazine and member of the Abbotsford Convent Coalition

TYP evolved over a 35 year period in Australia with Children's Theatre in the 1960s and the expansion of Drama and Theatre In Education companies in the 1970s - 80s. The 1990s saw changes to funding, schools and a rationalisational of programs. What are the new directions in TYP?

Helen Cahill - Defining Moments: dealing with bullying and harassment through the drama class

Helen Cahill works at the Youth Research Centre, University of Melbourne. Drawing from her background in drama and health teaching, she works as a health education consultant, researcher and curriculum writer and specialises in the use of drama techniques in health promotion. Her work has included the development of a range of drug education resources including Rethinking Drinking and Get Wise and mental health promotion and suicide prevention programs, including MindMatters.
The workshop is based on a drama unit recently published within MindMatters a national education resource supporting a whole school approach to enhancing resilience. Participants will sample a range of games, acting exercises, forum theatre and anti-naturalistic techniques designed to explore with students concepts of status and power and the effect of inclusion and exclusion on individuals and groups. Copies of the lesson plans will be available.

Helen Cahill - Substances, Stereotypes ans Social Critiques - the use of drama techniques and forum theatre
in a harm minimisation approach to drug education

Helen Cahill works at the Youth Research Centre, University of Melbourne. Drawing from her background in drama and health teaching, she works as a health education consultant, researcher and curriculum writer and specialises in the use of drama techniques in health promotion. Her work has included the development of a range of drug education resources including Rethinking Drinking and Get Wise and mental health promotion and suicide prevention programs, including MindMatters.
This workshop will present the processes used in drama workshops and forum theatre events conducted with young people as the basis developing drug education curriculum for Australian schools. Anti-naturalistic role techniques were used to explore the complex and contradictory needs, hopes, fears and desires involved in choices about drug use and to debunk myths and stereotypes prevalent in media portrayals of youth. Activities will be relevant to classroom drama teachers, theatre in education practitioners and those working in health promotion programs with young people.

Helen Cahill - Problematising, permission or possibility: a challenge for the drama practitioner

Helen Cahill works at the Youth Research Centre, University of Melbourne. Drawing from her background in drama and health teaching, she works as a health education consultant, researcher and curriculum writer and specialises in the use of drama techniques in health promotion. Her work has included the development of a range of drug education resources including Rethinking Drinking and Get Wise and mental health promotion and suicide prevention programs, including MindMatters.
A study of the resilience literature identifies a number of implications relevant to the drama educator. These include the capacity of the medium to exacerbate rather than to deconstruct stereotypes and to normalise or glamorise unhealthy behaviour. The paper examines how selection of appropriate drama conventions can provide access to the disenabling social and cultural myths influencing choice and behaviour and generate empowering experiences of connectedness, optimism and agency.

Peter Carne and Richard Sallis - Examining the Drama

Peter has been teaching Drama for 20 years in both the northern and eastern suburbs. He has been a part of the design of the V.C.E. Drama and Theatre Studies courses since their inception in 1990 as well as being an examiner and assessor over that time. Peter was the State Reviewer for Drama for 6 years and has presented workshops for Drama Victoria, The Melbourne Theatre Company, Playbox Theatre Company and the Victorian Arts Council. He is currently teaching at Vermont Secondary College. He has recently help develop the new course of study for V.C.E Drama and its written examination Peter also runs his own theatrical pyrotechnics business "PyroArt" (www.pyroart.com.au).

Richard Sallis currently Director of Projects of Drama Australia and Extension Education Officer of Drama Victoria. For ten years he was Head of Drama at two independent boys' schools in Melbourne in the 1990s. He is a teacher of the pre-service drama teachers at the University of Melbourne. He is also co-author of the 'Acting Smart' VCE Drama and Theatre Studies student texts. He has been involved in the writing of the new VCE Theatre Studies courses.

This November for the first time in Victoria Year 12 Drama and Theatre Studies students will sit an end-of-year written examination. Peter Carne and Richard Sallis will lead delegates through the Sample examination papers for these subjects that were produced late last year by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) and look at indicators in relation to this year's exams. They will also provide participants with suggested activities and questions to assist their students to revise for the end-of-year written examinations this year.

Justin Cash - Justin's Drama and Theatre Links

Justin Cash is currently Head of Drama at St. Kevin's College in Melbourne and is a Web Editor for theatre sites at the Open Directory Project. He is also a Committee of Management member at Drama Victoria and is creator of the web site directory Justin's Drama and Theatre Links.

Did you know the Internet is your largest Drama teaching resource? Take a guided tour through the presenter's web site Justin's Drama and Theatre Links, a directory of over 3,000 links to drama and theatre sites on the Internet. Visit useful web sites with set and lighting design images, costume illustrations, theatre history resources, essays about theatre practitioners and styles, drama lesson plans, curriculum standards, university courses, musicals, stagecraft resources and the complete texts to nearly 200 online plays. You'll be astounded as to how many drama resources are sitting there on the Web waiting to be found. Guided by the presenter, this workshop will involve all participants using the Internet, locating hundreds of resources for yourself and your students - all from the convenience of one web site.

Justin Cash - Brecht for Beginners

This presentation will assist teachers of upper secondary Drama and Theatre in the teaching of Bertolt Brecht in the classroom. Areas to be covered include Brecht's background and his significance on 20th Century theatre, his Epic Theatre style, alienation-effect, historification techniques, Brecht's playwriting structure (form), dramatic versus Epic theatre (theory) and naturalistic versus non-naturalistic theatre (practice). Notes will be supplied, script extracts from Brecht's plays will be analysed and lesson plan ideas for implementation in the classroom will be discussed.

Howard Cassidy - Burn an Image in their head - can theatre stop bullying

Howard is a Lecturer in Drama in the Faculty of Education and Creative Arts at Central Queensland University where he teaches school-based Drama Curriculum. Theatre-for-Young People, Theatre-in-Education and Bachelor of Performing Arts subjects. As Director of the CQU Theatre-In-Education Company, he specialises in devising, touring and researching Theatre-In-Education programs focussed on contemporary issues. Howard was a founding member of Drama Australia and has presented at numerous Drama Australia conferences. He presented a paper on his participatory Theatre-in-Education programs for isolated schools at IDEA '98 in Kenya.
Dr Vivienne Watts. Vivienne is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Creative Arts at Central Queensland University. She teaches in the areas of behaviour management, classroom communication and student welfare. Her principal research interests are related to child protection, children's personal safety, school bullying and other forms of school violence and she is the author of several books on these subjects.

Can theatre empower witnesses to step in and not stand by when bullying occurs? We report on a quest to turn theatre spectators into 'spect-actors' (Boal). Our session focuses on research that evaluates the responses of 2,300 students to Burnt, a powerful play about school bullying. Video extracts and examples of the workshop activities will provide insights into the unique features of the program.

Joan Cassidy, Howard Cassidy and Christine Sinclair - From true tales to tall---The school musical, the community and the artists make love not war

Joan Cassidy. Joan is the HOD-The Arts at Yeppoon State High Shool and teaches Secondary Drama Curriculum at Central Queensland University.She studied with Dorothy Heathcote and is a founding member of Drama Australia.Among her many conference presentations are,Let's Talk of Many Things,about working with a puppeteer-in-residence(NADIE Darwin 1999) and Border Crossings, about drama as a bridge between primary and secondary schools(IDEA 1998,Kenya).In 2000she was invited to create a performance to launch Education Queensland's Health and Body Image Program Risky Business.
Howard Cassidy. Howard is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Creative Arts at Central Queensland University,where he teaches school-based Drama Curriculum,Theatre For Young People,Theatre-in-Education and Bachelor of Performing Arts subjects.As Director of The CQU Theatre-in-Education Company he specializes in devising,touring and researching TIE programs focused on contemporary issues.He presented a paper on his participatory TIE programs for isolated schools at IDEA'98 in Kenya.
Christine Sinclair. Chris is a Community Artist and Researcher.She is a PhD student at the University of Melbourne, conducting research on theatre and aesthetics in a community setting.Prior to this she worked for twelve years as a Lecturer in Drama and Community Theatre at Deakin University, Melbourne. This is her second community theatre collaboration with Howard Cassidy at Central Queensland University.

How to combine the school musical and meaningful production experience for Year 12? Solution:" YEPPOON THE MUSICAL"based on the lives and loves of Yeppoon people in 1943(70,000 Yanks!!) and 1968(Vietnam and Conscription).With workshop activities,live performance and video we'll reveal the secrets of the collaboration between Drama Teacher, Students and Professional Artists.

Christine Comans - Journey in the Future for Secondary Drama Education

This paper will share outcomes from the IDEA 2001 Special Interest Group on this topic and consider a range of issues associated with the tertiary training of secondary drama teachers in Australia. For example, in preparing tertiary students to become effective secondary drama teachers, what emphasis should be placed in their course of study on their development as young artists in relation to their overall education for the drama teaching profession? And what is the role of the school practicum in their education and how can it be managed to give pre-service teachers and their supervisory teachers the best possible experience? In terms of courses, what is the best structure for preparing drama teachers? Time will be dedicated during this session to a discussion and sharing of experience with secondary and tertiary drama educators.

Christine Comans lectures in Theatre Studies in the Creative Industries Faculty of QUT. Her teaching includes preparing drama students for both secondary drama teaching and the arts industry. A past President of Drama Australia and Executive Officer of IDEA '95, Christine is currently Chair of the Drama Sub-Committee of the Board of Senior Secondary School Studies and Director of Publications for Drama Australia.

Martina Crerar and Ruth Foley - Process drama and performance
Marty Crerar has likewise survived her first year of teaching, and is now walking around cool, calm and collected at The Friends' School in Hobart. She loves teaching Drama at high school level, but is also studying part-time, researching Beginning Teaching for her Ph.D.
Ruth Foley is now in her second year of teaching at the Launceston Christian School, and is responsible for Drama 7-12. She is passionate, determined and thrilled to be establishing a year 11/12 Drama class this year.

This is a practical and informative workshop. Using a story as a pre-text (Cecily O'Neill, 1995) the session offers participants the chance to experience a dramatic journey through the strategies of process drama. The focus year groups will be years 7-10, but all activities can be adapted for any year group. There will also be discussion about how teachers can assess performance skills through such drama structures.

Michael Crowhurst - Responding to the Concerns of lesbian, gay bisexual (and transgender) young people in the drama classroom.
This workshop will aim to develop strategies that respond to the key concerns raised by gay, lesbian and bisexual secondary school students identified in recent research conducted by the facilitator. This workshop that will include a 'formal' presentation and discussion of a number of classroom suggestions. The workshop participants will then work together to develop 3 strategies (including a lesson) that could be implemented in the classroom, or across the whole school community.

Sue Davis - Creating a showcase for drama education

Sue Davis is Head of Department, Performing Arts at Kenmore State High School and is currently Vice-President, Projects for QADIE. She is also a member of the Drama State Review Panel and sat on the Subject Advisory Committee for the QSCC 1-10 Arts Syllabus. She served on the IDEA '95 Steering Committee and has been a project officer for two NADIE policy documents.

XL-D (think XL-ence in Drama and Dance) is an initiative of QADIE whereby selected high schools have devised performance pieces which explore cross artform and multi-media work. Students have worked with teachers and professional artists to devise new works which explore their diverse perspectives on the world. Participants in this workshop will share in some of the processes used to devise pieces and view some video segments of performance outcomes.

Phillip Deally - The Well - practising image

Teacher of Drama/Theatre/Movement for 20 years, - mostly secondary education. Specialist in movement serving at Charles Sturt University for 2 years as Lecturer in movement. Taught part-time at the Academy of Perth Arts, in Western Australia. Written on Drama at Education with 2 manuscripts for tertiary study and practising teachers of Drama. Head of Performing Arts at Sevenoaks Senior College.
"The Well" is a motif that connects the body to mindful exploration through the power of image. If we free up the constraints of construction and allow the student to be in a group centered on communal understanding, a ritual of potential occurs. This potential is like a corridor to what is possible when the body/mind, the psycho-physical state relaxes. Space takes on the mantel of a supportive identity - the gestures and movement the student make become meaningful acts of positive, personal change. It invites the student to let go and adapt at the same time. Rhythm, timing etc. become simple discoveries of narrative accessed through image
The Well invites students to discover deeper personal connection to narrative through image, played out in improvisal movement.

Kate Donelan -

Kate Donelan is a Senior Lecturer and Head of Drama in the Department of Language Literacy and Arts Education at the University of Melbourne. She trains drama teachers for primary and secondary schools, teaches qualitative research methods for arts educators and supervises post-graduate drama research students. Kate holds leadership positions in drama organizations at state, national and international levels. She has been on the Executive of the International Drama/Theatre and Education Association [IDEA] since 1992 and has held the positions of Vice President, Congress Director and Director of Projects. She is a former President of NADIE and is currently the Director of International Liaison for both Drama Australia and for Drama Victoria. She represented Australia/Oceania on the International Congress Committee for the IDEA Congress in Bergen, Norway.

Le Quy Duong - The Future starts when one learns from the past

Duong Le Quy is the founding Artistic Director of the Vietnamese Arts Cultural Exchange Projects - VACEP Pty. Ltd. And has an established reputation as a professional theatre practioner in Vietnam. He arrived in Australia in 1994 and was granted Australian citizenship as a writer/director under the Special Skilled Class Category of Australian Immigration. He has won many awards and fellowships is Australia and Vietnam since graduating as a playwrite from Hanoi Institute of Theatre and Cinema in 1990 and as a director from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art - NIDA in 1998. In the past six years, Guong has made a vital contribution to the development of cultural links between Australia and Vietnam. Recent awards include a 1998 NSW Writer's Fellowship; a 1990 Writer's Grant - Literature - Australia Council for the Arts; a 1999 Asialink performing Arts Residency. Duong also is a winner of 1999 Playbox - Asialink Playwriting Competition and an Australiian 2001 Churchill Fellowship in theatre. Duong's play Meat Party was produced by Playbox - Melbourne International Festival 2000 and was a shortlist of NSW Premier Play Award.

Transforming the historical reality from the written drama into the inner journeys of human beings - actor bodies - the convergence of time and space - imagination and improvization, - quests and dreamings. Using theatrical meditation in making performance

Josephine Fantasia and Catherine Fantasia - WORDPLAY: Grammar, Language Organisation and Drama Education

Dr Josephine Fantasia, a drama educator for over twenty-five years who was one of the writers of the Arts Learning Area Statement in the Curriculum Framework of Western Australia. Dr Fantasia has taught at primary, secondary and tertiary level in drama and obtained her doctorate in Australian drama at Sydney University. She is currently president of DramaWest, the Association of Drama Educators WA and sits on the Drama Syllabus Committee. She has published Primary Arts: An Outcomes Approach In Arts Education. She is also the educational consultant for AWESOME Arts Ltd, organisers of Perth's international arts festival for young people. In 2001 Dr Fantasia has set up her own research and development organization for arts education. Catherine Fantasia is an emerging young playwright, actor and artistic director. After attending John Curtin College of the Arts, Catherine won a Certificate of Distinction in drama and was a finalist for creative writing in the Quest of Excellence for two consecutive years. She is presently studying Film and Television student at Curtin University and most recently she was the playwright and artistic director for Underground, a new media production in gener8@rts, an arts and technology project, in AWESOME, Perth's International Arts Festival for Young People.

'Drama and literacy' programmes traditionally focus on presenting narrative texts, improvising ideas, and playing with 'verbal dynamics'. The recent media-driven hysteria over 'falling' standards of literacy has prompted me to design a programme specifically based on learning grammar and linguistic structure in a drama education context. In WORDPLAY I return to 'charted waters' and also venture off in a new direction using multimedia to engage students 5 to 12 years old to learning 'the rigour' of formal language structures. At present, Catherine and I teach WORDPLAY in three community centres in Perth, including Kulcha, the Multi-cultural Arts Centre in Fremantle.
Can educators embrace how drama adds something new to the literacy debate? We believe so and look forward to sharing some of our insights with workshop participants.

Patrizia Ferrara - Journeys of Immigration

Patrizia's main interest is in multicultural drama education and theatre performance. She has completed an Associate Diploma of Arts (Theatre), Bachelor of Education (Secondary), Graduate Diploma in Education (Cross-Cultural and Drama Education) and is currently completing a Master of Education. Patrizia has taught in secondary schools and worked as a performer touring her own play "Dual Identity" across secondary schools in Victoria. She is a committee member of Drama Victoria and is currently Education Coordinator at the Immigration Museum.

This workshop will begin with an introduction, which will place drama in a multicultural context. Participants will then walk through a journey of discovery in understanding the exhibition elements that are common to all immigration experiences; Leaving - Where am I to go? Is Australia the right place?
Journey - All immigrants are linked by the common experience of a journey
Arrival - Immigrants arrive with their knowledge and skills….
Reunion - To reunite with family and friends..
Settling - Settling in a new country is not easy
Impacts - Together we have created a cosmopolitian society
Participants are encouraged to understand that there is an immigration story in the life or family history of every non-indigenious Australian. What's your story? Handouts and worksheets will be provided.

Kathryn Flaherty - A New Theatre of Collisons: Cerebal Palsy meets Drama

The last 20 years have seen obvious advancement in policies and legislation for the disability community of Australia. These changes constitute a distinct movement away from 'medical' and 'charitable care' models towards facilitating equal access to all services, opportunities and resources for those with disabilities as for those without. This paper investigates in a specific context the ways in which this revolution implies a challenge to 'dramatherapy' and impels, in contrast, the necessity of new theatre work. Focussing on a drama group whose members have the specific disability Cerebral Palsy I discuss their unique repertoires of communicative behaviour and my objective to encourage and develop the creative application of all forms of expression. By describing aspects of the work we do, I emphasise four major facets of drama and what I have found to be their vivifying relation to all kinds of life experience. Firstly imagination: the facility of exploring and 'seeing into' the unique interior experiences of ourselves and other individuals. Secondly, invention: the facility of making and participating in situations different to those to which we are accustomed, as a way of finding out more about ourselves and thinking about how we change things around us. Thirdly skills: the ways in which dramawork fosters skills of concentration, precision, independent choice making and cooperation. And finally performance: ways in which performance as a public form of communication permits others to recognise and confront what is important to us as individuals and as a group. The last part of the presentation constitutes a video put together by the drama group at the Spastic Centre to communicate their own attitudes to dramawork.

Kim Flintoff - Of Bodies in Place

Drama Teacher at John Forrest Senior High School, WA, Kim Flintoff is the creator and maintainer of the DramaWest website and the DramaWest E-Mail Discussion List. He is formerly the Technology Officer of DramaWest. He teaches High School Drama in Western Australia and has an extensive background in professional theatre production. Currently he operates a range of email discussions relating to Drama and education, Dramanite is the most recent and explores Drama and New Media. While currently working on a Master's thesis entitled "Of Bodies in Place: In Place of Bodies", which examines the role of technology and virtual domains in educational drama, Kim is also interested in NLP, Brain Based and Accelerated Learning applications in drama. He is the co-founder and former chair of Class Act Theatre (Theatre-in-Education). He has just established and is current chairman of SHY (Seen and Heard Youth) Inc, a new youth arts initiative. Kim has recently attended, presented and lead a Special Interest Group at IDEA2001 World Congress.

As more teachers and schools begin to incorporate information technology, and especially the internet, into classroom practice many are overlooking the interactive communications potential - especially the immersive forms - preferring instead to deal with it simply as an information retrieval tool. I assert that this seriously underestimates both the potential and consequence of engaging with cyberspace. Cyberspace, with its apparent offerings of vicarious and disembodied experience, poses challenges to the field of Drama studies. Classroom drama traditionally presupposes the physical and the verbal, focussing heavily on role; in virtual reality these presuppositions are cast in a new light and demand that new questions be asked.

Kim Flintoff - Stepping into the Virtual

Drama Teacher - John Forrest Senior High School, WA Kim Flintoff is the creator and maintainer of the DramaWest website and the DramaWest E-Mail Discussion List. He is formerly the Technology Officer of DramaWest. He teaches High School Drama in Western Australia and has an extensive background in professional theatre production. Currently he operates a range of email discussions relating to Drama and education, Dramanite is the most recent and explores Drama and New Media. While currently working on a Master's thesis entitled "Of Bodies in Place: In Place of Bodies", which examines the role of technology and virtual domains in educational drama, Kim is also interested in NLP, Brain Based and Accelerated Learning applications in drama. He is the co-founder and former chair of Class Act Theatre (Theatre-in-Education). He has just established and is current chairman of SHY (Seen and Heard Youth) Inc, a new youth arts initiative. Kim has recently attended, presented and lead a Special Interest Group at IDEA2001 World Congress.

Many Drama teachers seem unaware of the possibilities of utilising new technology within classroom Drama - sure you can use it as an alternative to video projection - but how can computers be used throughout the process of Drama? This workshops intends to provide opportunities to explore some easy starting points for teachers with even the most basic of computer skills. It is also intended to present an emerging framework for thinking about the further possibilities and reasons for engaging with "learning technologies" in classroom Drama. The workshop will provide hands on opportunities and a chance to explore and comment on other teachers attempts at "stepping into the virtual".

Kristian Gardiner and Braham Ciddor - Lightmoves Basic Stage Lighting Workshop

Kristian Gardiner is the Education Sales specialist at Lightmoves, a role which has a strong emphasis on providing training for both drama students and teachers. Kristian's previous experience includes working in a regional arts centre, where he worked on everything from primary school concerts to Melbourne Theatre Company touring shows, to cattle sales and all stops in between.
Braham Ciddor is the Managing Director of Lightmoves Pty Ltd, a lighting sales company with long-established school links. Braham's life-long enthusiasm for lighting has given him extensive experience in all facets of the industry, from lighting school productions, to running the Lighting department of the Victorian Arts Centre, Touring as Head Electrician for Torvill and Dean, to major installation projects such as Expo 88, the Arts Centre Spire lighting, Crown Casino and Colonial Stadium. Braham will be conducting the Basic Stage Lighting workshop along with Kristian Gardiner.

A small 'hands-on' workshop, designed to take participants on a journey through the 'uncharted waters' of lighting a small production with a limited budget. Aimed at equipping drama educators with the skills to apply basic stage lighting techniques to dramatic performances. Standard lighting techniques will be demonstrated, and easy to achieve effects will be explained in detail. Participants will be involved in analysing a script for potential lighting cues and ideas, and finding various methods of implementing these ideas on the stage. This workshop will provide a great opportunity to interact with and ask advice of Braham Ciddor, former Head Lighting Technician at the Victorian Arts Centre and Managing Director of Lightmoves Pty Ltd. An extended question time will be included to maximise the benefit for participants.

Sandra Gattenhof - It Doesn't Have To Happen

Sandra is currently working as a sessional drama lecturer at Queensland University of Technology (Academy of the Arts) and a primary drama specialist at Villanova College (Primary) which caters for boys from Years 5 to 7. Previously she has held the position of Education Liaison Officer (Primary) for Queensland Arts Council's School Touring Program and has worked as a primary classroom teacher, a Dramatist-in-Residence in Queensland State and Catholic primary schools and Key Learning Area Regional Co-ordinator (The Arts) for Education Queensland. She is a writer of the drama component of the new Years 1-10 Arts Syllabus and Drama modules and is a member of the Queensland School Curriculum Council Arts Syllabus Advisory Committee. Sandra is a leader of professional development for early childhood and primary teachers in drama education and has lectured at Queensland University of Technology (Academy of the Arts), Griffith University and Australian Catholic University in the teacher pre-service programs. Sandra has worked in the arts industry as an actor, singer and writer/director in theatre, theatre for young people and television. She maintains industry links as a member of education advisory committees for Queensland Theatre Company, Queensland Orchestra, Zen Zen Zo and Street Dance. Sandra is the current editor of Australian Dram Education Magazine (ADEM) for Drama Australia, the peak Australian body for the promotion of drama in education. In July 2000, Sandra completed her Master of Arts (Research) in the field of arts and education. She is currently undertaking studies for her PhD in young people's performativity and performance.

"It Doesn't Have To Happen" is a unit of work developed for and with year 7 students to explore the issue of bullying and harassment. Based on a true story, the unit uses the conventions of story drama and process drama to unpack and explore the issue and is embedded in the outcome statements and core content of the new Years 1-10 Drama Strand of the Queensland Arts Syllabus. Participants will be lead through the practical teaching activities, assessment and the script used in the unit. The workshop's content will be of interest to teachers of upper primary and lower secondary classes.

Tamara Giblin - Solo Work for Senior Students

Tammy Giblin is one of the senior Drama teachers at The Friends School, Hobart, Tasmania. Tammy teaches Drama to Years 7-12 and English at High School level. She has been an examiner of the practical exams for TCE Drama Stage 5 and Theatre Performance Stage 5 since 1997. She has been teaching for 9 years and is currently the Head of Drama.

Specifically at working with the average Yr 11 and 12 student who simply wishes to do their best on exam day.
'... the speech you present must contain contrasts, depth and a good emotional range... and allow you the scope to present and develop what you have to offer' D. Carey, 1998
Do you type cast or not ?
Is Shakespeare suitable for everyone?
Where can you find more material to use?
Should students do historic or contemporary pieces?
How much editing is too much?
The workshop will explore practical ways for students to begin new text and work through to a polished presentation. We will discuss and explore ways into new pieces of text, how to sustain preparing the performance and seeking meaning for performance.

Stephanie Greet - Developing the serious actor

Stephanie Greet has coordinated Drama at Sacred Heart College, Geelong for the past 6 years. Prior to this she worked for four years in the very active Performing Arts Department at St. Clare's College, Canberra. With training from Flinders University, South Australia and the South Australian Casting Agency, Stephanie is familiar with drama courses across three states. Her experience includes teaching theatre studies, drama, media and ESL, directing her own theatre-in-education company "Impact Performing Arts" as well as regularly performing in the Melbourne music scene in her band "Domino Theory". This Workshop will have you active from the very first moment. Aimed at exploring a variety of approaches to developing the "serious" young actor; this workshop will parallel Stanislavski techniques with Artard's "Theatre of Cruelty". Useful activities for all secondary age students will be practically workshopped. Teachers and practitioners from the very new to the experienced should find "Developing the serious actor" dynamic and intense.

Dr Brad Haseman - Being 'Leaderly': The Conduct of Process Drama

Formerly a drama teacher and consultant in Queensland secondary schools and Head of Drama at QUT, Brad has worked as a teacher and researcher for over thirty years during which time he has pursued his fascination with the aesthetics and forms of contemporary performance and education. Brad is well known as an author, his book Dramawise with John O'Toole has been translated into Danish and Italian. In 1995 he was co-convenor of the second International Drama and Education Congress in Brisbane (IDEA '95) and last year was an invited master teacher to the Third International Drama in Education Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio, USA . During 2001 Brad has worked as a dramaturg with IHOS opera and undertaken teaching residencies in Volda, Norway and Kiribati in the Central Pacific. Brad is currently the Director of Research and Postgraduate Education with responsibility for the MA (Research) and PhD programs in QUT's Creative Industries Research and Applications Centre (CIRAC).

This workshop will examine the complexities of planning and leading process drama. In recent years a 'canon' of process dramas has emerged. Australian teachers have been quick to take up the work of others and for many teachers The Seal Wife (after Cecily O'Neill, 1993) and The Kelly Drama (after Jonothan Neelands, 1995) have become favourites.This 'canon' introduces a species of repeatable process dramas which seems at odds with the notion of 'openness' (Eco) which is the promise of Process Drama. In response to this move towards fixed structure, the notion of 'leaderly authorship' will be demonstrated in this workshop. Brad and the workshop participants will 'write' a contemporary performance piece which examines the theme "Seeking Asylum in Australia".

Sabina Head - Futures Studies in Drama - Creating workable visions of the future.

Sabina Head has worked in theatre in a number of capacities, and has been teaching classroom Drama for 10 years, as well as SOSE (Studies of Society and Environment). She discovered Futures Studies at a SOSE conference and has since studied it at a tertiary level, as well as presenting workshops and a paper being published in a book on Youth Futures (Greenwood, Westport, 2002). She sees enormous potential for the exploration of Futures Studies through the Arts, particularly Drama, as dramatists frequently look ahead at different societies and ways of living. She hopes to further her studies in this area.
Workshopping fundamental Futures Studies tools and techniques, participants/students learn to create alternative visions based on a partly empirical knowledge base. Explorations culminate in scripts based on their building detailed plausible scenarios of probable and possible future societies (perhaps in new aesthetic forms) that frequently bear little resemblance to popular media representations.

Janet Jackson - Seeing through different eyes - 1

Janett has worked as classroom teacher, specialist drama teacher, deputy, literacy centre co-ordinator at a remote Aboriginal Community and project officer with the Aboriginal Education Team, within the South Australian Education Department for the last thirty years. Her theatre involvements range from amateur to professional theatre. As a national and international presenter, her previous workshops have focused on Kabuki theatre, Asia and the Arts, drama and the curriculum and countering racism. Her publications include a South Australian D.E.T.E. curriculum package (2000), a chapter in the NADIE Research Monograph Series No.5 (1998), and a chapter in the book, Drama, Culture and Empowerment (1996). She is currently studying at the University of South Australia to attain her PhD.

This paper explores two components related to performance work and Reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people. One component discusses the creation of original performance work with Year 6 & 7 students and the other component explores ways in which students' perceptions about their transformation can be ascertained through the use of 'dramatic oralysis'.

Janet Jackson - Seeing through different eyes - 2

Janett has worked as classroom teacher, specialist drama teacher, deputy, literacy centre co-ordinator at a remote Aboriginal Community and project officer with the Aboriginal Education Team, within the South Australian Education Department for the last thirty years. Her theatre involvements range from amateur to professional theatre. As a national and international presenter, her previous workshops have focused on Kabuki theatre, Asia and the Arts, drama and the curriculum and countering racism. Her publications include a South Australian D.E.T.E. curriculum package (2000), a chapter in the NADIE Research Monograph Series No.5 (1998), and a chapter in the book, Drama, Culture and Empowerment (1996). She is currently studying at the University of South Australia to attain her PhD.

How do you conduct phenomenological research with students on original performance work they have created with their class teacher in previous years? How do you establish the effectiveness of the specific created work?
This paper will discuss with participants Drama Oralysis as a research tool for gaining insights, into drama and transformative education. This will be done by focussing on the performance, Seeing through Different Eyes, which was created with emerging adolescent students which was performed at the first Reconciliation Convention held in Adelaide in 1998. By request, the performance was recreated for Children's Week in 2000.
The drama experience was 'a way of reconciling the past and designing the future'. This and the research approach make up our 'Quests and Dreamings'.
The work highlights the potential for different methods of research within the drama paradigm.

John Joannides - Cultural Indentity

John Joannides - Cultural Identity John Joannides is a Drama Teacher of year 7-VCE and performing Arts Coordinator at Bayside College: a multi-campus college in the western suburbs of Melbourne. He has taught drama for 25 years and has worked extensively in youth theatre. Having collaboratively written with students over a dozen original plays for secondary schools, his driving force is promoting performing arts for teenagers. Cultural Identity is a unit of work for middle school or year 10 Drama that runs for six double classes. This workshop is a demonstration on how to run this unit. Participants will plan, rehearse and create a short performance piece. The Workshop includes stimulus material, question strategies, getting started and planning and rehearsal processes. The unit defines the question --""hat is cultural identity?" and "How is a cutlural identity maintained?" This unit can be simplified or made more detailed to suit different levels.

Val Johnson - Across Cultures: a narrative & some reflection

Val Johnson has had a lifetime's engagement with drama education in a variety of roles and a wide range of contexts. Her favourite place remains the classroom and she is currently working in Jakarta, teaching the Western Australian Drama Studies syllabus to Indonesian students who wish to qualify for a place in an Australian university. She is also completing a Master of Education thesis on the way in which drama teachers understand their work. She is a Life Member of DramaWest and was, until heading north, the Association's Director of Communications.
Teaching an Australian drama course to Indonesian students in Jakarta has provided an opportunity for reflection on the interaction between a formal drama curriculum and the context in which it is presented. This paper raises some issues for drama education which have been foregrounded by the experience and invites further discussion.

Andrew Kimber - Australian - Fleece

The presentation involves workshopping the process of building a performance with secondary students.
Jason and the "Golden Fleece" were major parts of a musical written 2 years ago. In July 1999 I had a small (6 students) group of VCE 2's attached to a year9/10 Drama class. They/we decided to "build" a musical from scratch. A very popular musical - "Grease" was analysed to provide a model. Then a completely original musical (apart from one song) based on certain features of "grease" was constructed. The musical had to be, 1. Very Australian, 2. Relevant to Aussie adolescents, and 3. Be more 'dramatic' (re: number of major characters, characters with speaking/singing parts - in comparison to "Grease")
So "Fleece" was conceived. This musical (as with "Riverlution" in 2001) combined several major issues including reconciliation of European and Koori ideas/dreaming, future technology, environmental sustainability, city/country 'divide' etc.

Andrew Kimber has taught mainly geography and history in Victoria, and England over 30 years. He began to write musicals with students at Tallangatta Secondary College in the late 1980's on historical - geography themes. In the last few years Andrew has partially metamorphasised into a Drama teacher but still with a bias towards historical and environmental drama. In 1999 and 2000 two original musicals - "Fleece"(1999) and "Riverlution"(2000) were conceived, written and performed by his students.

David Lander - Career at the Odyssey

David has worked extensively in professional theatre - mainly as a director - and in Secondary and Teritary Drama education. He facilitated and co-wrote "It's a Dad Thing", a comedy about fathering, soon to tour national and internationally. He now works mainly as a writer.
"Career as Odyssey" - starting, mid career and mature drama teachers will, through playback and other improvisation, connect with the meaning and value of their professional odyssey.

Carol Lander - (IDEA Grant Recipient) The Victorian Senior School Drama Course

Author Bio Carole Lander trained in England with Brian Way, migrated to Canada to pioneer Creative Drama by teaching and performing in theatre for young people before coming to Australia. Carole has taught Drama to all age levels and, since the early 80's, she has been actively involved in curriculum development and the review of Victoria's senior performing arts courses. Currently she is Chief Assessor for Drama (performance examinations) and on examination setting panels for both performance and written examinations. She has also managed a children's theatre company and is producer of the VCE Season of Excellence Performing Arts events.

Drama and Theatre Studies are two of the performing arts subjects undertaken by senior school students in the State of Victoria. The special features of the Drama course will be outlined with examples of course work and examination questions to demonstrate the cultural diversity of topics explored in the practice and analysis of Drama. Special emphasis will be placed on the Solo Performance exam structure and participants will have practical experience of some of the approaches to this task.

Tony Le Nguyen -

Tony is currently the Artistic Director for Vietnamese Youth Media. He studied video production at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 1988 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, at the Victoria University of Technology, majoring in Drama and Community Development. He is best known for his pivotal role, Tiger, in Jeffrey Wright's feature film, Romper Stomper. Tony has appeared in many Television productions including: Raw F.M., G.P., Fast Forward, All Together Now, Embassy, Secrets, Damnation of Harvey McHugh, Paradise Beach, etc.. Tony has directed numerous professional and community productions including, Now I Lay Me Down, 1997, by Frank Otis for La Mama Theatre Company, Co-directed A Time of Your Life, 1996 with Anne O'Keffe and Helen Simonson, for St. Martins Youth Theatre and Flemington Community Centre. He also co-directed the 1998 Next Wave Festival production, Taboo, with Debbie Maziarz, Andea Ousley, and Maryanne Permezel. He directed the Vietnamese Chair Dance for the 1997 Maribyrnong Festival. Most of Tony's work involves many young people from diverse social and cultural backgrounds. In 1996, Tony co-directed Worlds Apart with Gary McKechnie, a half-hour drama about generation conflict within a Vietnamese-Australian family. World's Apart was screened on SBS Television in December 1997. Last year Tony worked with Urban Theatre Projects and the Vietnamese Community in Sydney to produce a new production of Chay Vong Vong. This was one of the first large-scale community theatre projects, which involved over fifty Vietnamese-Australian living in and around the Western suburbs of Sydney. Tony is currently a board member with the City of Melbourne Community Cultural Development Advisory Board and a member of the Victorian Ethnic Community Council Media and Arts committee.

Sue Lindsay - The Alpha Thespians Tour of Japan - 2001

This group of performers have worked together with Sue Lindsay for five years at Alphington Grammar School, in Melbourne, Australia. They have performed in a wide variety of styles of theatre including musicals- The Sound of Music, Oliver, West Side Story and plays such as Rhinoceros, Leaving, Androcles and the Lion and Song of the Seals - from Commedia Dell'Arte, Absurd Theatre to Contemporary Australian Drama.
Dimitra Bitsas - Mrs Moolight, Tristan Burfield - Honeyman, sound, Mario Carlucci - Billy, David Carruthers - Honeyman, sound, Andrew Demetriou - Fyshe, James Ketteridge - The Captain, Sue Lindsay - Director, Andrew Podbury - Marvin Prawn, Peter Strateas - Willow, design, Pamela Koimtsidis - Stage Management

Riding an escalator, juggling the props case on the Shinkansen, exploring the performance space ~ from Lorne to Tokyo - we will share our trip and some practical tips on touring a performance and the joys of cultural exchange.

Sarah Lovesy - Performance Essay-bodily kinesthetic intellegence

Sarah Lovesy has a background in performance and teaching and is a member of the of the New South Wales Board of Studies Drama Syllabus Committee. For the past 9 years Sarah has been employed as the Head Drama Teacher at Santa Sabina College, Strathfield. Santa Sabina's Drama Department is one of the largest in New South Wales with 5 staff members and over 500 students electing to study Drama. This year Sarah is on sabbatical and is working on her PhD as well as teaching Drama subjects to the Secondary Drama Graduate Diploma students at the University of Western Sydney.

This paper discusses an emerging Drama paradigm called a 'Performance Essay". Many students belong to the kinaesthetic world and must learn to use their kinaesthetic voice in both their performance and written work. After engaging in the Performance Essay methodologies, students have the ability to both perform and write more effectively with their own imaginative and kinesthetic voices.

Peter Marron - Masks: A Treasure Chest

Pete has been teaching secondary and college drama for fifteen years including three years overseas in London and Tokyo. He is currently the Drama Coordinator at Riverside High School in Laun\ceston, Tasmania. While continuing with further study Pete Marron is a passionate, practical Drama teacher who recently presented a similar work at the Drama Tas Conference with excellent reviews.
This engaging workshop will revitalise your classroom teaching, providing a treasure chest of activities relevant to secondary school drama. Through user friendly activities participants become aware of the versatitly of this creative medium, exploring focus, stagecraft, story telling, characterisation, movement and mime skills

Debby Maziarz - Westside Circus

The Westside Circus began as a small theatre program in 1995 within the Moonee Valley City Council, providing circus, music and drama workshops for young offenders at the Sunshine Juvenile Justice Unit. In 1997, The Westside Circus set up a permanent Circus Space at the North Melbourne Community Centre and opened the program up to service a wide range of young people who live, work or recreate in Melbourne. Over the past few years, the Westside Circus has grown into an innovative theatre company with a vibrant workshop program that incorporates outreach workshops to regional Victoria, one off large-scale theatre and music projects, joint theatre projects and small-scale touring performances. Over the years, the Westside Circus has successfully serviced many communities, providing a range of alternative workshop and performance opportunities to disadvantaged young people all over Melbourne and Victoria.

Participants must wear comfortable, flexible clothing. The workshop will begin with a 25-minute physical theatre performance by the Westside Circus Theatre Company. The show incorporates circus, storytelling, imagery and percussion to explore the theme of 'Breaking Down Barriers'. The inspirational cast will then discuss in detail their unique creative process of theatre making. Participants will then participate in a basic circus skills workshop which will include fun theatre games, double balance, pyramid building and juggling.

Tiina Moore and Geraldine Peters - Drama as the Centre of Learning:A model for an intergrated learning

Tiina Moore is the primary drama specialist at Eltham College in Victoria. She has been a sessional instructor at Melbourne University and RMIT, which affords an enjoyable balance of teaching children and trainee teachers. She has taught primary, secondary and tertiary education in Australia, the UK and Canada for over 20 years. Tiina has coordinated a project co-sponsored by Drama Victoria and Drama Australia which has resulted in a monograph, entitled Phoenix Texts: A Window on Drama Practice in Australian Primary Schools. She is currently enrolled in the PhD program at Griffith University, Queensland.
Geraldine Peters has been a primary classroom teacher at Eltham College in Victoria for ten years. She specialises in an integrated arts curriculum with drama at the center of children's learning. She has been a committee member of Drama Victoria and has presented workshops at state, national and IDEA Congresses. She is currently enrolled in a Masters program at Melbourne University.

This workshop will provide a model for working with historical material as a way of understanding racism and/or bullying. The model is appropriate for integrated curricular frameworks and specialist drama programs. It is appropriate for Upper Primary and Middle School years.
The practical experiences will be highlighted by videos taken in the classroom and at Sovereign Hill in Victoria. This Eltham College collaborations has been recognised by Drama Victoria for Innovation in Curriculum in 2000 and has been extended in 2001 into Concert formats and Chinese cultural studies.

Ronaldo Morelos - Cults of Performance

Ronaldo Morelos is currently undertaking his PhD candidature in the field of Theatre & Performance Studies at the School of Creative Arts in the University of Melbourne. His dissertation is entitled "Trance Forms: A Theory of Performed States of Consciousness". Previously he wrote his MA (Research) thesis at the Queensland University of Technology on Augusto Boal and Theatre of the Oppressed, and produced a documentary entitled "Como Querem Beber Agua: Augusto Boal and Theatre of the Oppressed in Rio de Janeiro". In recent years Morelos has worked as an actor, writer, director and facilitator of theatre in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide for companies such as Arena Theatre Company, Melbourne Workers Theatre and Musik Kabau.

"Cults of Performance in the Twentieth Century": Contemporary performance practice developed around a number of 'cults', or systems of beliefs and values. Three prominent cults - the cult of Realism, the cult of Mysticism, and the cult of Radicalism - are examined in Psychological Realism and Avant Garde performance. Each cult is a way embodying and enacting particular states of consciousness, various ways of perceiving and experiencing others and the environment.

Angela O'Brien - Drama for Students at Risk

Sarah O'Donnell - BOOTS - Storytelling Workshop

Sarah O'Donnell is a student teacher and actress, a graduate of both NIDA and The University of Melbourne, and currently doing a Diploma of Education at The University of Melbourne. In 1993 and 1994, she lived and worked in Russia, teaching English to actors of the famous Maly Theatre of St Petersburg and directing school students in a group devised version of Oscar Wildes' "The Selfish Giant". The current version of this workshop has been successfully presented in several schools to students at year 9, 10 and 12.

With the storyteller's tools of humour, characterization, a keen eye and a chair, Sarah O'Donnell's "Boots" takes students to Russia 1993 and gives a personal insight into life after communism and the collapse of the Soviet Empire. Set around the seemingly innocuous task of purchasing footwear, the performer introduces a complex world in transition, one where organized crime and poverty have replaced Big Brother in the Kremlin. The 30-minute performance is accompanied by a storytelling workshop to empower students with the skills to tell their own narratives and an understanding of the place of "story" in history. The performance acts as a reference point to illustrate that multiple characters; environments and time skills can be created using only the dramatic skills of the storyteller and the stimuli of the object as an entrance into telling a story.

Joanne O'Mara - Unravelling the Mystery: A PhD Journey

Joanne O'Mara is a Lecturer in Secondary English Education in the School of Cultural and Social Studies in Education at Deakin University. She has taught secondary English and Drama for twelve years. She recently returned from two years of teaching Senior Secondary English in Vanuatu, where she was working with Australian Volunteers International. Her research includes a teacher researcher study of the use of reflective practice in process drama.

This paper will explore the writer's journey through the PhD process, focusing on the stages that the research and writing took from the initial research through to submission. The presentation is aimed at research students or teachers who are considering doing some post-graduate research and are interested in hearing about one journey.

John O'Toole - Pilgrims Progress

John O'Toole is Associate Professor of Drama at Griffith University, Queensland. A founder member of Drama Australia and QADIE, he has been teaching drama and theatre in higher education for twenty-five years. In 1995 he was Co-Convenor of the IDEA 2nd World Congress. Author of the first book on TIE: Theatre in Education (1977), his many other publications include The Process of Drama (1992) and Dramawise (1988 with Brad Haseman). He has been involved in developing many syllabuses and curriculum documents. He is also a playwright for TIE and community theatre.

Robin Pascoe - Between the learning and the teaching

Robin Pascoe is currently Curriculum Manager for the Cannington Education District in metropolitan Perth where he leads a team supporting schools implement reform. He is the Chief Examiner and Chief Marker for Year 12 Drama Studies, Chair of the Drama Syllabus Committee. He was writer of the Arts in the Curriculum Framework [Western Australia; Curriculum Council 1998] and as part of the team working on the Arts National Statement and Profile [CURASS, 1994] wrote the Drama sections.

Participants in this workshop will explore the concepts of learning and teaching that provide a scaffold for learning drama. They will participate in curriculum conversations, exploring and questioning how students learn drama and the connections between drama in schools and drama in the wider community. This workshop is adapted from the one presented at IDEA 2001 in Bergen.

Belinda Peterson and Katrina Beard - A Digital Odyssey: Web quests and virtual drama

Belinda Peterson is the Senior Project Officer for eLearning with responsibility for the IdeaBank, an on-line database of 1000 lesson activities which embed the use of Technology into the curriculum. She is the Study Writer of the current VCE Drama course and the Extension Education Officer for Drama Victoria from 1995-1999. She taught Drama for 12 years in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary settings.
Katrina Beard is the Senior Project Officer for eLearning, with responsibility for the eLibrary, a digital library of websites for teachers and students. She has taught literary studies and social research techniques in a tertiary setting.

This workshop explores the integration of digital technologies into the drama classroom. Participants will use web quests and virtual environments to investigate and develop innovative computer based classroom activities which will extend and compliment practical workshops.

Julie Porteus, Tim Moss and Lisa Bennett - The Winds of Change

Julie Porteus Med, is currently a lecturer in Education & Drama in Education at the University of Tasmania. She is the DALO for Drama Tasmania.
Liz Bennett - ASTA3 and Drama teacher at Exeter High School is the new President of Drama Tasmania.
Tim Moss - Hons 1st Class, is a lecturer in Drama in Education at the University of Tasmania, undertaking a PhD with qualitive research into drama teachers
Are the winds of change blowing us forward or back? A playbuilding workshop suitable for teachers from Grades 4 - 10. Participants will engage in a variety of drama strategies to explore issues of contemporary society (for example, genetic engineering and globalisation), culminating in a performance that incorporates strategic use of technology.

Jo Raphael - Disability, Dramability, and empowerment - a case study

Jo Raphael is a lecturer in Drama Education at Deakin University, Melbourne. Jo has taught and worked in drama and theatre in a range of settings including primary and secondary schools, TAFE colleges, outreach programs for the long term unemployed, in English language education programs, institutions for people with intellectual disabilities, community arts projects and in universities. A strong interest in Asian art forms lead Jo to Japan for two years where she studied Noh Theatre (shimai, Kanze school), Butoh with Kazuo Ohno and puppetry.
This paper/presentation will explore a range of data including video and photos collected during the research of workshops and performances of a drama group that combines tertiary students of performing arts and drama education with adults from the broader community who have intellectual disabilities. The significance of the drama practice will be looked at with particular interest in the learning and understanding taking place and empowerment for the individuals involved. This presentation will be of interest to drama teachers and practitioners, community theatre workers, teacher educators, those considering post-graduate studies and anyone interested in re-affirming their belief in the value of drama education.

Jo Raphael - Less is More: Zen and the art of performance making

Jo Raphael is a lecturer in Drama Education at Deakin University, Melbourne. Jo has taught and worked in drama and theatre in a range of settings including primary and secondary schools, TAFE colleges, outreach programs for the long term unemployed, in English language education programs, institutions for people with intellectual disabilities, community arts projects and in universities. A strong interest in Asian art forms lead Jo to Japan for two years where she studied Noh Theatre (shimai, Kanze school), Butoh with Kazuo Ohno and puppetry.
This workshop exemplifies an approach to exploring traditional Japanese theatre forms with secondary school students. Taking the Noh Theatre as an example it considers first encounters with the theatrical form and ways of understanding it within its aesthetic context. Non-naturalistic performance elements of the Noh theatre are explored in the workshop including the underlying Zen principle of 'less is more'. The ways that modern theatre practitioners have been influenced by Asian Theatre forms are considered and the workshop suggests ways in which practical and philosophical understandings of Noh Theatre may influence and inspire students in their own performance making.

Richard Sallis - Masculinity and the drama classroom - an ethnographic performance text

Richard began his professional career performing with 'Bouverie Street' theatre company at the Drama Resource Centre in Carlton. He was a founding member of 'FM LIVE', a theatre for young people company in Victoria. For ten years he was the Victorian Contributing Editor of Lowdown Youth Arts Magazine. Richard then moved into the field of drama education and was Head of Drama at two independent boys' schools in Melbourne in the 1990s. He is currently Director of Projects of Drama Australia and Extension Education Officer of Drama Victoria. He is a teacher of the pre-service drama teachers at the University of Melbourne. He is also co-author of the 'Acting Smart' VCE Drama and Theatre Studies student texts.

This paper reports on research I am conducting focussing on the ways the teaching and learning of drama in single sex boys' schools enables the students to explore their gender, sexuality and the multiple facets of their masculinity. I will share with participants material from an ethnographic performance text I am writing based on the data.

Lana Salter - Oh No! Not Year 9 Again

Lana Salter has taught in primary, secondary and tertiary settings ~ coordinated the Aerobatic Arts Community School, a number of drama departments and a music department. In a previous life she was a school counsellor and has a special education qualification. Presently Lana is coordinating year 9 students and teaching year 8 and 9 Drama, VCE Theatre. Lana has also enjoyed the IDEA Conferences in Portugal and Brisbane and the National Drama Conferences for many years. As part of her masters thesis she produced drama cirriculum for middle secondary school which she draws upon in the workshop.

How do we engage, motivate and gain meaningful outcomes in 3 periods a week in 1 semester? How do we marry the culture that exist in our classrooms? Come and find one way in….. A workshop for middle years teachers focussing on issues of the typical year 9 adolescent. The focus is playmaking using stories, interests and issues of year 9's, but the process, strategies and skills used can be easily adapted for middle years.

Helen Sandercoe - The Child who know no fear

Helen Sandercoe is an experienced drama/theatre teacher and director of more than twenty years. I have been a high school drama teacher for ten years. At present I am teaching part-time in tertiary drama and completing my Masters in Drama Education, at the University of Melbourne. I have presented a wide variety of workshops at State and National Conferences in Australia. My main areas of expertise are directing, movement for actors, physical theatre, acting styles and visual theatre.

This will be a practical workshop, which will explore the performance possibilities through taking a story about fears; especially children's fears can be overcome. Grimm's tale about the prince who knew no fear will be used as the starting point. This workshop will look at the ways an old story can be used as the basis of contemporary performance making. The aim of this kind of work is to empower the participants through the development of the form and the content, including discussion about how to deal with one's fear. The style of performance will revolve around physical theatre ensemble techniques.

Helen Sandercoe - Happenings for empowerment

This practical workshop will explore how the form of Happenings can be developed to express contemporary social issues. Happenings was the term given to multi- art events which emerged in the 50's and continued until the early 70's. These performances incorporate, movement, dance, other dramatic techniques such as mask, visual theatre, creating an environment for the space, projecting a wide variety of visual images, sound and music. This way of making performance art still has enormous potential for students today as a way of using multi-media and multi- arts, and approaching social issues, such as bullying.
This workshop offers possible approaches dealing with two questions facing contemporary Western drama teaching of (1) how to use multi-media successfully in a dramatic context, so each media has a valid voice, and yet in combination there is dramatic coherence and (2) how to find symbolic form for social issues, which is another way of dealing with important personal problems. Theatre of the Oppressed is at one end of the spectrum with symbolic theatre at the other end. This workshop will offer possibilities of how to experience and to construct one's own Happening. It will also introduce briefly the history and the context for Happenings.
This workshop could be applied to a wide variety of educational situations, from primary to tertiary as well as community theatre.

Helen Sandercoe - The Neutral Mask: The Masl of Revelation

The Neutral Mask: The mask of revelation This is a practical introduction to the power and usefulness of the neutral mask training for performers. The neutral mask is not a performing mask; there is no neutral 'style' of acting. But it is a useful tool for the performer as the neutral mask reveals any 'inauthentic' movements, as it demands the actor to be simple.

Tracey Sanders - Experiences of Adolescent boys in two classrooms

Tracey Sanders has been teaching over twenty years across primary, secondary and tertiary education sectors. She is currently Lecturer in Drama at the Australian Catholic University (Queensland) where she is Lecturer in Charge of educational drama and theatre units in both the Bachelor of Education (under and postgraduate programs) and the Bachelor of Arts degrees. She has been both a district panel member and district panel chair in drama for the Queensland Board of Senior Secondary School Studies, Branch Liaison Officer for the Queenland Association for Drama in Education for three years and editor of the Australian Drama Education Magazine (ADEM) for four years. In addition, she has conducted numerous drama workshops for Catholic schools in Queensland and at Catholic Education conferences over the last 11 years. Her research specialisation is in gender studies with her Master of Philosophy degree (1997) exploring adolescent girls, empowerment and drama in one single sex drama classroom. Her current doctoral research investigates the experiences of adolescent boys in two single sex drama classrooms with a special emphasis on the drama praxis of their female teacher.

The education of adolescent boys in this country is currently under review. Contemporary gender theories on the education of young males argue that educators are failing to address the difficulities of Œbecoming a man¹ in this ever-changing society. In offering young men an aesthetic education there is hope that their development into manhood can be positive, creative and empowering. This research explores two years in two all male drama classrooms and the effect drama had on preparing young males for their future lives. Their stories and the wonderful praxis of their female teacher weave the narrative of the research and provide a framework for all teachers of young males to consider.

Michael Lindsey-Simpson - The Evermore Senior Cd-ROM

Michael Lindsey Simpson has a broad range of theatrical training and experience. He has been invited to work with the Jim Henson Artists in New York, Mel Gibson's Icon Productions, Phillipe Genty and Jacques Le Coq in France. In 1997 he was awarded the Derek Jacobi Scholarship to study Shakespeare at Oxford University. These experiences founded his company, Evolve Productions, which has founded training programs for the performing arts in a wide range of educational and private enterprise institutions both nationaly and internationally. In 1996 Michael directed A Rare Performance, with a student cast. This was invited to perform at the Cultural Olympiad in Atlanta, The International Puppetry Festival in New York and the National Arts Council OF Singapore's Reach Out Program. In 1998 the company was awarded the Silver Hugo at the International Film Festival in Chicago for educational animation. In 2000 work began on the project called Evermore which includes a stage show, and interactive CD-ROM where students can create their own version of the show. The show , also including a student cast,will tour to regional WA in April may this year before an international touring season to Nth America in 2002.

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe Participants will explore the first three creative options of the Evermore Senior CD-ROM by utilising teacher resources, lesson plans and curriculum frameworks. This will include a reading of the text, drafting of first ideas and the creation of production teams to develop a group vision for the adaptation of Poe's gothic story of the Tell-Tale Heart. Identification of skill levels, reflection techniques and the observation of video footage capturing student works will also be explored in assessing team work practices for the classroom.

Dr Heather Smigiel - Using drama to develop visual literacy skills

Dr Heather Smigiel is a drama lecturer at the University of Tasmania. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in drama and research methods
Interactive workshop exploring the use of drama in the teaching of visual literacy skills. This workshop will aim to develop participants understanding of the place and function of visual literacy in contemporary culture. We will explore the use of visual texts as sites for teaching and learning and develop understanding of the place of drama in teaching visual literacy in classroom contexts. The workshop will be interactive and participants will be introduced to a range of approaches to teach literacy skills in the classroom settings.

Madonna Stinson - Out of the Labryth: The Arts Cirriculum in Queensland

Madonna Stinson is currently an Arts Project Officer at the Queensland School Curriculum Council where she is one of the writers of the forthcoming curriculum in The Arts for Years 1-10. Previously Head of Performing Arts at a large Brisbane high school, she has taught in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors both here and in the United Kingdom. Her Master's thesis focused on play-scripts for youth theatre and their connections with both popular culture and traditional theatre forms. A founding member of Red Jam, a collaborative women's performance group, she writes and performs when she can. Madonna is part-way through doctoral studies at Griffith University.

This paper will present the documents comprising the new curriculum in The Arts for Years 1 to 10 in Queensland. Madonna will share the syllabus, the sourcebook Guidelines, twelve sample drama modules and the CD-Rom, which contains video footage of students demonstrating the outcomes in a classroom context.

Peter Stretton - Theatre Project: Campur Campuran

Peter Streeton and Desak Putu Warti - Campur Campuran Peter has taught in Victoria, Arabia, UK and Indonesia. He is an actor, playwrite and director while currently teaching Drama and English in Darwin. Putu is a graduate of STSI, the major performing arts institute in Bali. Currently she lectures in music and dance (NTU) and is studing a Bachelor of Education. Both are co-authors of "Tunas Mekar", a cross cultural performance collective in Darwin and Bali.

Participants will observe, explore and practice some relevant issues evident in the cross cultural theatre genre. Focussing on the Campur Campuran theatre project and then transgressing to action on the floor, it is hoped all presnt will discover, reaffirm or re-access the most salient features of this performance and educational process.

Jeffery Tan - Collaborative Playwriting

Jeffrey Tan is a Singaporean theatre director/educator. Started acting in 1985 and has since gone into lecturing, directing, playwriting, lighting and producing. While studying in Australia, Jeffrey also taught for CONTACT YOUTH THEATRE, directed for LA BOITE THEATRE and assistant directed for the QUEENSLAND THEATRE COMPANY.
Currently Jeffrey sits on the NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL'S, "SINGAPORE ARTS FESTIVAL" Programming Committee and the NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL'S "ARTS EXPOSURE PROGRAMME" External Assessor Panel. In September 2001, Jeffrey directed "AH BOY" a monologue that toured Community Clubs in Singapore and "MAGIC OF LOVE" for TOUCH ENTERTAINMENT at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Playwriting is often perceived to be a lonely person's job. This practical workshop will introduce the concept of collective playwriting and a play will be created. The idea for this workshop grew out of two collaborative projects - "GIFT TO THE LITTLE PRINCE FROM THE QING DYNASTY"1999 and "PLAYWEB PROJECT" 2000.

Philip Taylor - Applied Theatre: The Next Wave

APPLIED THEATRE: The Next Wave Recent applied theatre commissioned by NSW Department of Housing will be explored. The work focuses on domestic violence and other pressing social concerns in deprived housing estates in Taree, Tamworth, Casino and Goonellabah. What the work teaches the field as it moves forward will be addressed.

An Exploration of applied Theatre work in deprived housing estates in NSW. The work was commissioned by the NSW Department of Housing in Association with the Centre for Applied Theatre Research. The focus of the applied theatre was on domestic violence, race relations, youth disenfranchisement and teenage drug dependency.

Philip Taylor is Director, Centre for Applied Theatre Research - Griffith University. He is past Director of publications, Drama Australia. He was presented with a DRAMA VIC award for "NJ INDEX 1976 - 1996". Recently he has been appointed Associate Professor in Educational Theatre at New York University.

Prue Wales and Richard Sallis - Dramatising the Journey

Prue Wales is president of Drama Victoria. She teaches at Princes Hill Secondary College where she is Performance and Production Coordinator. Prue's Master of Education examined the lived experience of a drama teacher, as she journeyed from neophyte to experienced educator, and used the hero's journey as metaphor for the teacher's quest. Prue is currently undertaking research for her PhD which will use memory work to examine how drama educators use aspects of their identity in their work.
Richard began his professional career performing with 'Bouverie Street' theatre company at the Drama Resource Centre in Carlton. He was a founding member of 'FM LIVE', a theatre for young people company in Victoria. For ten years he was the Victorian Contributing Editor of Lowdown Youth Arts Magazine. Richard then moved into the field of drama education and was Head of Drama at two independent boys' schools in Melbourne in the 1990s. He is currently Director of Projects of Drama Australia and Extension Education Officer of Drama Victoria. He is a teacher of the pre-service drama teachers at the University of Melbourne. He is also co-author of the 'Acting Smart' VCE Drama and Theatre Studies student texts.

In this workshop the stages and archetypes of the legendary the hero's journey will be used as an allegory for that of the drama teacher. The 'hero' will be called to adventure and will encounter allies and enemies on her/his mythical journey. This material is combined with an exploration of dramatic form(s) and the use of stagecraft to realise the potential of non-conventional drama spaces. The content and form can be used with primary and secondary students.

Prue Wales - What's it doing for you?

Prue Wales is president of Drama Victoria. She teaches at Princes Hill Secondary College where she is Performance and Production Coordinator. Prue's Master of Education examined the lived experience of a drama teacher, as she journeyed from neophyte to experienced educator, and used the hero's journey as metaphor for the teacher's quest. Prue is currently undertaking research for her PhD which will use memory work to examine how drama educators use aspects of their identity in their work.

What is drama doing for you? How is it shaping your life and identity? Are you a control freak? An artist? An escapist? An altruist? These are some of the questions Prue will be examining in her PhD study using memory work. Memory work is a qualitative research method that operates through a group of co-researchers who recall and write on specific memories based on a chosen topic. In this interactive paper/workshop, Prue will discuss her research to date and invite participants to become co-researchers and explore memory work in a practical session.

Edgar John Wegner - Where is the art in Drama? Aesthetic learning in the secondary drama classroom

Edgar John Wegner has taught Drama and Theatre Studies at several schools in Melbourne for ten years. He is currently completing a Master of Education thesis at the University of Melbourne, under the supervision of Kate Donelan. He is concerned about the impact of "Screenage" culture on the forms and content of drama in the classroom and how they affect the artistic choices made by students. Edgar presented a paper about this topic at the IDEA 2001 congress in Bergen.
Aesthetic Learning is a term that is used comfortably but loosely when applied to the drama classroom. This paper looks at a variety of definitions and models for aesthetic learning, and attempts to make sense of them in relation to the regular day-to-day grind of teaching Year 7 to Year 12 Drama in Victoria.

Peter Wiles - Creating Stories Through Images

Peter Wiles is currently Head of Drama at Brighton Grammar School, teaching Drama and Theatre Studies to all levels in secondary schools in both the public and independent school sectors. Peter has completed a research Masters degree that examined the nature and function of school theatre, critical pedagogy and teachers as researchers. Peter has been a Drama Victoria committee member for three years has written numerous articles for subject association publications and education research books and has represented papers and workshop at state, national and international dram education and research conferences.
This practical workshop examines how teachers can use images to create performance texts that draw from a variety of theatrical and drama structures. In doing so, participants can explore the use of non naturalistic forms in creating stories, the use of technology to develop work and the use of pre-text in the structure of dramatic learning activities.

Maggie Young - Journey to Arnhemland-successprojects using Drama with Indigenous students in remote Aboriginal Communities

Maggie Young - Journey to Arnhemland - successful projects using Drama with Indigenous students in a remote Aboriginal community Maggie Young has a Masters degree in Theatre Studies and extensive teaching experience in schools and youth theatres. She is currently teaching in a remote school in the Northern Territory and also working with at-risk-youth. She specialises in Puppetry and Circus skills and also teaches the Alexander Technique.
The Puppeteers Project and Cafe Marynawk were 2 of 4 successful projects conducted at Galiwinku, Arnhemland, using Drama as a methodology for ESL students. An account of these projects, the methods, observations and community interest and involvement will be shared and discussed

This Paper focuses on four projects. Conducted in a school and health clinic on the island of Gatiwinku, Arnhemland. Drama was used as a methodology to achieve successful literacy outcomes and raise awareness of health issues. The projects were inspired by Dorothy Heathcote's "Mantle of the Expert" approach to learning. Cultural differences and expectations are explored. Playback techniques, role-playing and story telling were used, enabling students to have power and responsibility for their own learning

Presenters

The Drama Australia conference is an important annual event giving opportunity for drama/theatre educators and artists to build and nurture partnerships. This may include: practising Drama, Theatre and Arts teachers (in all educational sectors and at all levels P- tertiary), Drama and Theatre practitioners, performing groups, arts and cultural organisations, subject associations, peak educational bodies (state and federal), extension services and theatre industry professionals. We encourage participants from all these areas to apply as a presenter.

Sub-themes
Archetypes and Heroes - influences and inheritances
Quests and Dreamings - designing the future, reconciling the past
Chartered and Uncharted Waters - learning through adventure
Inner journeys - encountering cultures, making meanings
Tall Tales and True - the stories that teach

Strands
Teaching Practice - sustaining, stimulating and steering classroom practice
Performance making - sharing skills and structures, showcasing performance
Research and reflection - quests and questions, analysis and reflection on, in and through drama practice

Modes
Workshops/Masterclass (60 minutes or 120 minutes)
Performances (up to 60 minutes)
Papers and Presentations (up to 30 minutes)