Devising Museum Theatre in Schools
Peter Wilkins, Executive Teacher Arts, Narrabundah College
Peter Wilkins teaches Museum Theatre at Narrabundah College in Canberra. This paper presents the various approaches that teachers may take to creating Museum Theatre with young people. The paper will chronicle Peter’s experiences in Museum Theatre since 1980 and provide examples of projects that have been undertaken with a variety of cultural institutions, including the Australian War Memorial, Old Parliament House, the National Gallery of Australia and the National Museum of Australia.
Visual examples of the projects, including extracts from recent performances, commissioned by the National Museum of Australia, will provide an insight into the approach, process and performance styles of works that draw on collections to provide inspiration for students devising and performing Museum Theatre. It will examine the relationship that exists between the school and the cultural institution, what support is necessary to enable a productive and creative collaboration and what role museums can play in the development of young people’s theatre education.
Endless Forms Most Beautiful….
Michael Mills, Creative Director, Heaps Good Productions
Can collections inspire great theatre? Michael Mills believes they can!
Based on his extensive experience in creating and presenting performances for a number of South Australia’s major cultural institutions Michael argues that you need 3 key elements in place to guarantee excellence.
Content needs to be accurate and teased out collaboratively, artistic values must be high, and the principles of engaging interpretation should be evident.
Using this model this presentation considers at what point does educational interpretation become theatre? When is a piece of theatre integral to a particular cultural institution and its collection, and when is it simply a piece of theatre using that institution as a fancy backdrop? Most importantly this paper suggests there is a way for theatre practitioners, curators and educators to collaboratively create performances that enhance collections, communicate key ideas, and create great theatre.
As Charles Darwin might have said of theatre in cultural institutions, from so simple a beginning, “endless forms most beautiful” can, and are being created.
A Skip Back in Time
Michael Ward, Principal, Sovereign Hill School
A presentation of the unique history of the Sovereign Hill School outlining its growth from one school setting to four within the Sovereign Hill Outdoor Museum. It includes a detailed look at the activities that the visiting students take part in over the two days of the program. Our belief that “immersion” is the foundation on which we provide excellent learning outcomes is highlighted. Both the social mores and academic activities are combined with the usage of some of the brilliant activations within The Sovereign Hill Outdoor Museum. We will share some of the wonderful anecdotes starring some of our slightly “left of centre” visiting students. Time for questions will be allowed at the conclusion of the session.
Robot in Residence: Constructing an Innovative Artist-in-residence Model
Paul Cooper and Jody Kingston, Happy Android Company
Tubby the Robot is a fully voiced, interactive character that has performed since 1997 in a wide range of environments. The 'Robot in Residence' project is inspired by experiences at Scienceworks, QPAC, the Queensland Art Gallery and other sites, where Tubby the Robot has been embraced as part of a community. During the course of these extended engagements Tubby has excited a remarkable degree of engagement, dialogue and play (and not just in children). Conference participants will have the opportunity to meet Tubby for themselves in the early part of the conference.
The 'Robot in Residence' project seeks to integrate and expand live performance in cultural institutions. We work in partnership with institutions to develop site specific performances that highlight selected aspects of the exhibition or the visitor experience, by offering a unique and novel interpretation through Tubby’s ‘robot filter’.
In the presentation we explore how we, as independent artists, can raise the standard of performance, enhancing and extending a host organisation’s program without increasing their program budget. We will discuss the history of the project, our objectives, stakeholder interests and project development and delivery. We will also explore the unique opportunities that exist to integrate interactive technology into the costume and the performance.
Dr Scar’s Bloody Science
David Cannell, Theatre Manager, Questacon
Dr Scar spends his time at Questacon practicing the art of Face Paining. Through the use of theatrical make-up and effects Dr Scar defaces willing children with cuts, scars, lacerations and burns whilst explaining the science of blood and the skin. Blood and scabs and pus! Goreful science at its bloodiest.
When is a show not a show?
Patrick Helean, Coordinator Excited Particles, Special Events and Training, Questacon
Pat details the stealthily inspirational work being done by Questacon’s performance team, the Excited Particles in presenting material in many different guises. Showcasing original ways to deliver education programs and performance pieces, all the science communication that occurs between shows.
The ‘Cheese’ Man
Chris Krishna-Pillay, Manger, CSIRO Education, Victoria and Sean Elliott, Education Officer, CSIRO Education, Victoria
Feeling peckish for a little fermented curd? In this performance, meet the microbes responsible for the form and flavour of the world's most famous and favourite cheeses! Microbes are everywhere...on our skin, in our hair, down our throats and in our tummies. Come and find out how we can use some of them as tiny machines to ferment milk into cheese.
This session examines the challenges faced when presenting material that has both a social and scientific context. While cheese may seem to be universally liked and understood, there are plenty of issues to be considered. How do all the different cheeses in the available range differ from one another and what are their relative nutritional benefits/risks? Then there all the challenges of what is useful for an audience to know/understand, what relationship can be established between the audience and the performer in the available time and which theatrical techniques can employed to meet these ends.
Settlers Under Sail
Nadya Tkachenko, Senior Programs Officer, Immigration Museum and Kelly Nash, Performer
Developed by Drama Victoria & the Immigration Museum participants explore immigration and cultural diversity through an exciting drama workshop. Participants investigate the impact of past and present migration to our country, as well as developing an understanding of their own cultural backgrounds.
The drama strategies are designed to engage participants physically, emotionally and intellectually with the topic. Through interacting with roles and taking on roles they are able to better comprehend the dilemmas, decisions and dangers faced by immigrants as they leave their homeland and journey to an unknown land.
Conference delegates participate in approx 20 minutes of the Settlers Under Sail workshop led by performer Kelly Nash and a presentation/discussion: Role playing in museums as an effective way to make learning connections with Nadya Tkachenko.
Using Role Conventions and Role Distance in the Construction of Meaning
Jerry Boland, Course Coordinator, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst
'Role conventions' and 'role distance' are concepts that have common currency amongst drama and theatre in education practitioners throughout the world. This presentation & workshop uses concrete examples to demonstrate how museums, historic sites, and living history events use these concepts to construct their interpretive installations and programs. The purpose of this discussion is to forge conceptual links between drama in education theory and the design of cultural performance events that are promoted by interpretive programs in museums.