The Artistic Process in Theatre



Creating

Creating in drama/theatre is a process in which students use the voice, body, and
imagination to express concepts, ideas, and feelings. At its heart creating in drama/theatre involves generating stories and “imagined worlds” that are communicated through words, voice, movement, aural elements, and visual elements. As reflected in the standards, the creative process includes several steps which, though presented in a linear fashion through Anchor Standards 1-3, are sometimes iterative, repeated, or cyclical. Whether stories are scripted or improvised, the creative process in drama/theatre begins with imagination; either individually or collaboratively students pursue an idea through creative exploration and inquiry. The standards for creating emphasize that as ideas are developed, theatre artists make choices. Whether for the development of a script, design or character, students’ experience of the creative process in drama/theatre should include an exploration of the “how, when, and why” choices get made.

Performing

As presented in the Connecticut Arts Standards, the core process of performing in theatre and drama refers to the myriad of choices an actor or technician makes to bring to life a character or visual design and present it to a specific audience. Such choices are at the root of the process component select, and are based on analysis and interpretation of a script or design. In lower grades, ‘Selecting’ under Anchor Standard 4 involves making choices primarily about the physical and vocal life of a character. As students develop proficiency through the grades, acting
choices are rooted in more sophisticated psychological concepts such as objectives, tactics, and given circumstances. Students may share improvised scripted or devised artistic work to communicate concepts, ideas, and feelings effectively to an audience. The standards recognize that characters are developed through analysis of interconnected elements such as character relationships, pacing, and dramatic structure.

Responding

Responding in theatre involves students in perceiving and interpreting drama and theatre work. Responding may include students’ reactions to ideas, stories, scripts, designs, artistic choices, performances, and actions of others. Key to this process is the idea that interpretations of and personal reactions to theatre have multiple influences. Students should be able to describe how a theatre work can influence an audience, a community, or the creation of other works through observing, analyzing, evaluating, comparing and contrasting, and justifying their thinking. Cultural perspectives, beliefs, personal aesthetics, and preferences all factor into the
process of making meaning from and evaluating theatre. Once again, what this core process will look and feel like will vary depending on the grade level of students.

Connecting

The core process of connecting in theatre recognizes that drama/theatre work happens in a complex context comprised of societal, personal, and historical forces, all of which have an impact on the other artistic processes of creating, performing, and responding. The standards encompass a broad range of connections that can be made including production histories, personal experience/beliefs, culture, other disciplines, and relevant research. At younger ages, students identify similarities between story, characters, and emotions in a drama to personal experience. At more sophisticated levels, students connect drama to culture and community; students incorporate perspectives in a drama/theatre work and investigate how cultural perspectives and personal beliefs impact the way a drama/theatre work is perceived.

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