2-way street...

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Ros had advised us at the start of the residency that the first phase would probably involve exploring and creating the different resources we might use to accompany the Jub Jub Tree "experience"". Having set up a home-base of materials in the school's resources room ( Room 3 between Sarah's class and the library) we have been priviledged to have a constant informal exchange of ideas and questions going on between ourselves and the teachers, EA's and therapists who use this space. Everyone has been so generous with their time and expertise and open to our endless interruptions and questions of "How do you think the kids might like...?"etc. etc.
Yvette has created an Aided Learning Display to accompany the Jub Jub Tree and give the kids some basic symbols to use when communicating about the story - vary cool.
Meanwhile Ann and Mim in the library have also been putting up with a constant barage of questions and requests. Ann has accessed hundreds of photos of our earlier development performances at Carson St from last year to illustrate a 2D flip book version of the story based on our script that we've created with her -(we're also interested to see how much association/memory of their earlier experiences of the show will be prompted by seeing themselves in the fotos that accompany the text). Ann has been incredibly patient with our tweaking of the text and gone the extra mile to take new fotos of the puppets and photoshop them into the book We're very excited to be getting more hands-on with the kids this week as we start to use these 2D books with them...
This part of the residency, working alongside the staff to explore all the resource "add-ons" for the show has been really valuable in terms of getting us to think about the "layering"of experiences and learning opportunities we can provide audiences with to enhance their eventual engagement with the actual show. Already the artist team is feeling that ultimately a pre-show resource package for schools could involve a whole plastic tub of 2D and 3D tools of engagement for the kids to be used before and during a pre-show visit from the cast. The synergy of Arts & Education with this element of our practice is very strong. Lots to learn from each other around this stuff..


 
It's in the bag...
One of the organisations we'd also like to visit when we eventually get to the UK to meet more established Sensory Theatre practitioners is the mob who make 'Bag Books' - the tactile storytelling aides that come with objects for PMLD kids to touch and interact with as a teacher/ EA tells a simple story that is "illustrated" by the kids getting to handle each item in the "bag". After having a play with one in the school's library, Bec & I were keen to sit in on a session and watch the kids being told a story with one. Needless to say, we jumped at the EA's (Roz) invitation to tackle a second bag book story with the same group and were hamming it up within minutes... The adults present were interested to note that the bag books seemed to be even more effective when led by two people(actually kind of tricky for one person to pass around the storycards and objects while referring to the text and instructions - alone). Also, we were instinctively more theatrical (surprise!) and maybe less locked into the explicitly tactile instructions that came with the book. EG: when the object card accompanying the text: "..When the wind picked up"was passed around, we also made a fan of wind with it to blow onto each kid (as opposed to them merely stroking the cotton wool cloud depicted on the card). The kids obviously enjoyed the more animated than usual session (they were an infamously "naughty"/mobile group who shall remain un-named!) which was proven by them being able to sit through a second 15 min bag-book story with us after already having heard the first story.  Made me realise the value of MULTI-senspory - creating as many "narrative entrances"as possible ("touch"the wooly wind cloud AND "FEEL"the wind on your face etc ).
We are now working on our own "bag book" version of the Jub Jub Tree that might possibly accompany a prer-show resource kit for schools... It's interesting - and even a tad difficult - to work throught the kind of editorial choiuces to make when thinking about simple objects that non-performers could use effectively with kids outside the live-theatre version of our show... (more on our progress with this later).
 
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Adult members of the Tracksuit Performance Group playing in a sensory forest we created for them at a workshop last week.
It's called "a PLAY", stupid...
Thinking about Bec's description of Mr P's "lightness of touch" when facilitating physical ed sessions at the school. Noticing that his use of humour and levity relaxes the EA's as much as the kids. While the EA's are still alert to the individual needs of the kids, they also seem to visibly un-tense - the structured frivolity of the sessions is infectious for the EA's as well in a way that affects the atmosphere of the whole room and seems to make the kids more relaxed and receptive in turn. The artist team was discussing this and I realised that what we'd observed in these phys ed classes (his spanish classes with Melinda's Bellmae kids are also a hoot!) was in contrast to the slightly "precious" artsy approach we'd taken at the beginnings of our performances late last year when "setting the space" for the show as the kids entered through the sensory curtain. That is, I've been wondering if, by being in "performance mode" (poised, hushed, all tinkly hand-bells atmospheric, trying to be "actor-ly reverential") as the audience arrived, were we unintentionally signalling to the EA's/teachers/adults that the show was so special that they reflexively went into "lock-down/trouble-shooting/non-disruptive mode" with the kids and perhaps, in turn, unintentionally inhibited them a little in their responses at the beginning of the show?
We've been realising that when we eventually get to perform the show near the end of the residency we want to signal informality and fun to the kids from the first moments of the sensory theatre experience. Infact, these realisations have made us decide we should let them explore the puppets and sets for at least 15 - 20 mins before the show even begins (previously we let this happen a little at the end of the show).  Also - I'm VERY excited - as a result, we've agreed that I can go out and order 4 square metres of the most luscious long artificial lawn (it feels really "real"!) for the whole show to be performed on! How cool to let the kids feel the grass underfoot in the forest setting of the story - or even let the wheelchair kids lie on the grass and look up at the sensory forest curtain around them - before starting to tell them the story!  How cool to let them PLAY within the environment that the story takes place...
 
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"Bells and Whistles..."
Interesting designer question for sets, props, costumes etc...: So many activities in these kids' school day have some kind of "assistive technology" associated with them - watching a young boy focusing on perspex numbers illuminated on a light-box, it's tempting as a designer to start dreaming up all sorts of bells and whistles for our show... but I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps what might differentiate some of what sensory theatre can bring to these kids' experience is actually the good old-fashioned magic of story-telling/performance/imaginary play - the "human" elements such as puppets and funny voices and silly faces and inanimate objects brought to life? We ARE being inspired by the educators around us but we are also artists - this residency is about learning from them how best to "assist" the kids to have the best theatrical experience they can.  Hmm...

 
Thinking back over the first 3 weeks of our residency and I'm remembering that Ros had advised us to take it slowly - there would be a lot of elements to consider and a steep learning curve ahead of us in terms of observing the different approaches to engagement, communication and play...
An important early classroom observation that has already begun informing our approach to performance-making has been trying to remain aware  about the the processing time kids might need when taking in information. For many PMLD kids response times to requests and instructions really are a matter of minutes... and minutes... In interactive theatre terms this translates as providing ample time for experiential invitations to be taken up by them - as performers this really requires us to be comfortable with the kinds of lulls and pauses that go against the grain of most of our performance experience. Watching these teachers' infinite patience with each child is hugely instructive (and humbling) to us - the teacher (and the EA's) shows the performers how to calmly use those pauses as opportunities to closely observe each child/audience member. When an individual kid's response and engagement might be measured by small eye movements for example, then as a performer you have to be able to give yourself and them the time and space to communicate that.
I was struck by a kind of table of "Levels of Experience" for PMLD  kids Ros shared in an early meeting, almost in passing, as if it was a given that we all knew already - she described it as "First -  'Encounter', second - 'Engage', third - 'Gaining knowledge', and then, possibly for some - 'Application.' " I've been mulling this over ever since in relation to story-shaping/devising... I'm  learning that I'm going to have to let go of some of my past restrictive scriptwriter ("structure"-focused) tendencies to allow a bit more space for lateral "story exploration" and just let the kids "play through the story" a bit more.
 
Rebecca writes:
My first blog, ever, here in week 3 of the project.  So far the journey has been mind boggling, moving, eye opening, confronting, and exciting.  2 weeks of observation in the school, learning about the communication strategies used to engage with the children,   and communication signals specific each individual student.  At first it seems daunting how to approach working interactively with the students, but with time, both the obvious and subtle systems in place to aid communication become apparent.  Reading body language, interpreting sounds and movements, providing opportunities for them to express themselves verbally or physically, using the pod books, etc.  I have so much respect for the teachers and the EA's, they all display such dedication, persistance, commitment and genuine care for their students.

 I am finding i can get bogged down when imagining what i would like to explore with the children, if i focus too much on communication limitations.  Observing Mr P the phys-ed teacher really helps to break through any tendancies for seriousness and preciousness when interacting with the students.  He has a real ability for enlivening the whole group, and the EA's, while creating a fun and casual atmoshphere that the kids can relax in but also be excited and animated. Observing Anna's music class was also inspiring, seeing what the children experience when engaging with music- lots of enthusiasm, and application when playing along to songs, and joy and freedom of expression when moving and dancing.  I realise there is much scope to extent the interactivity of the songs in the JubJub tree, especially the final celebration.   We need to let go of the format of restricting the children to their chairs, and let them fully explore the space/environment, and engage with the music in a more playful, physical way.
Today i have been reworking the songs, especially the animal themes.  I want to make them more catchy with simpler phrasing, upbeat and rhythmic, and accompanied by actions, to make them more accessible and engaging.  I am realizing i need to become a producer in the course of this process, ideally we will have, as a resource, a cd with the songs available for the children to become familiar with in the class. Garage Band, here i come!
 
After two weeks of observing the 5 classes we will be working with I am starting to become familiar with some of the kids. It's really interesting how that sense of being overwhelmed and not understanding begins to recede and things start to emerge more clearly. I can see how the more time I spend at the school the more I will begin to understand how different students communicate and to interpret what they are saying. I am amazed and impressed by the dedication and skill of all the teachers and staff I have observed. Watching Anna communicate with her pre-primary students and persist in getting them to communicate back to her was very moving. The sitting to standing sequence in Bluegum was so interesting for me and really intersected with some of the Body Mind Centring (BMC) Developmental patterns work I have been engaging in. I also really enjoyed watching Bluegum's "Dinosaur cave" lesson last week and Sarah's storytelling with Room 2. It was striking how effective Rachel's approach of initiating engagement through play via the pterosaur puppet in Bluegum. I really enjoyed observing (and participating) in the music classes last Friday. The students and staff had a ball. Bec was having many "Aha" moments and we already started to see how we could adapt our performance to make it more participatory and engaging. The cooking class in Deanne's was also really fun. I began to trust that we will be able to conduct sessions effectively with the active support of Carson St staff. How the staff follow the lead of the person giving the class and model with the students participation is so supportive and effective. I asked Deanne if we could ask for assitance in preparing and gathering resources when we get to the stage of programming our ideas. She said yes. This will make an enormous difference to what we are able to achieve.

We had a great artist meeting yesterday morning. We decided to install a sensory walk in the assembly area next wednesday and invite everyone in the school to participate, including students, educational and ancillary staff. We think this will be a great initiation for everyone into the AIR project. We also decided that each class we are working with will get to plant a bulb as a kind of symbol of the mutual growth that we can all look forward to in this project.

Ideas starting to "ping" - Feels like we will still need to keep paring back on what we will have time to achieve while still being able to reflect and review effectively.