Communication took on a new form for the sixth graders at Irvington Middle School as they used movement, expression and creativity to tell stories without saying a word.
The students recently began the Physical Theater unit in Chad Beckim’s Drama 6 course, building on skills developed through ensemble-building and improvisation during the first several weeks of the 10-week program. The unit introduces students to ways performers can communicate ideas and emotions through their bodies rather than relying on dialogue.
During a recent series of lessons, students explored mask work, which removes facial expressions from the equation and challenges performers to communicate through posture, movement and exaggerated physical choices. They first learned the rules and rituals associated with working with masks before progressing from stationary expressions to full-body movement.
As their work developed, students considered how a character might convey emotions such as anger, joy or sadness without using their face or voice. Music added another dimension to the experience as students experimented with how different styles could influence the way they moved. They later worked with partners and small groups to create short, choreographed pieces combining movement, music and storytelling.
For Beckim, the activities are about more than performance. Drama 6 is designed to give students experience with a variety of theater skills while helping them develop abilities that can carry into other areas of their education. The course has also been more closely aligned with English language arts this year to reinforce skills such as cold reading, reading aloud and overall literacy. Later in the course, students will apply their learning to short scenes as they explore script work, characterization, memorization and performance.
Students have already begun identifying the skills they can carry forward. When asked what they could use from mask work in their final scenes, responses included “listening and responding,” “exaggeration” and “focus.”
The experience has also created space for students to step outside their comfort zones. Reflecting on the mask work, one student shared, “One thing I really enjoyed about Mask Work was Freedom. I don’t usually like to dance.” Another said, “One thing I really enjoyed about Mask Work was I could be myself.”
Those reflections connect naturally to The Irvington Way, as students are challenged to Be Courageous by taking creative risks, Be Collaborative while developing and performing work with their classmates and Be Self-Aware as they consider how movement, focus and expression shape the way they communicate.
As the 10-week course continues, students will move from physical theater into short script work before bringing several of their developing skills together in final performances. Through each new experience, Drama 6 gives sixth graders an opportunity to experiment, express themselves and discover how the skills developed onstage can extend well beyond it.
