Neelands, Jonothan (2010) Mirror, dynamo or lens? Drama, children and social change. In: Creating Democratic Citizenship through Drama Education: the writings of Jonothan Neelands. Trentham Books, Stoke on Trent. ISBN 9781858564562

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Abstract

In this talk I will outline a collection of metaphors in search of an idea that can express theatre’s potential as a form of social pedagogy and socialisation both for young people of school age and also for its other audiences and makers. In talking of a pedagogy of theatre I will borrow from the late John McGrath’s use of the term a ‘learning paedia’ which he succinctly distils into two main features: Accuracy – the audience must recognise and accept the emotional and social veracity of what is happening on stage, must identify with the core situation, whatever styly may be used to present it. Relevance – the core situation must reflect the central, most profound realities of its time, must speak to its audiences about a truth that matters in their lives, whether social, moral, political, emotional or individual I (McGrath 2002, p. 138) To these features of truthfulness and relevance he adds the core principle that theatre should use all possible means to reach every citizen and not act as ‘an excluding agency, whether by the price of its tickets, the manner of its box office staff, its location or its impenetrability’ (ibid. p.139).

Item Type:	Book Item
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN2000 Dramatic representation. The Theater
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Institute of Education
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Social skills -- Study and teaching, Theater and society -- Great Britain, Drama in education -- Great Britain, Citizenship -- Study and teaching -- Great Britain, Social change -- Great Britain
Publisher:	Trentham Books
Place of Publication:	Stoke on Trent
ISBN:	9781858564562
Book Title:	Creating Democratic Citizenship through Drama Education: the writings of Jonothan Neelands
Editor:	O'Connor, Peter, Dr.
Date:	March 2010
Number of Pages:	12
Status:	Not Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
Description:	Lecture given at St Patrick’s College Dublin (13/2/07) as part of the Seamus Heaney Lecture Series.
References:	Artaud, A. (1938) Theatre and its Double Bernstein, B. (1973) Class, Codes and Control Vol 1 St. Albans: Paladin Boal, A. (1998) Theatre of the Oppressed London: Pluto Press Bond, E. (1978) Theatre Poems and Songs London: Eyre Methuen Brecht, B. (1938) The Popular and the Realistic. Twentieth Century Theatre: A Sourcebook ed. Richard Drain. London and New York: Routledge, 1995. 188-191. Friere, P. (1998) Pedagogy of Freedom Oxford: Rowmann and Littlefield Petocz, A. (1999) Freud, Psychoanalysis and Symbolism Cambridge, CUP Hauser, A. (1999) The Social History of Art.- from prehistoric times to the middle ages volume 1, London and New York: Routledge McGrath, J. (2002) Theatre and Democracy New Theatre Quarterty No 18 May 2002 Neelands, J. (1984) Making Sense of Drama London; Heinemann O'Toole, J. and Dunn, J. (2002) Pretending to Leam Frenchs Forest, NSW: Longman Suvin, D. (1967) The Mirror and the Dynamo; on Brecht's aesthetic point of view TDR Vol 12 No 1 pages 56-67 Williams, R. (1954) Drama in Performance Harmondsworth: Penguin
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/2723

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