What is the Process Drama Approach?
Process drama is a method of teaching and learning drama where both the students and teacher are working in and out of role. Called “process” drama because it emphasizes the process. Moreover, the collaborative creation and exploration of a dramatic story or theme, rather than a polished performance for an audience. Often used in educational settings! Furthermore, including classrooms, to explore complex themes, subjects, or social issues.
Example of a Process Drama:
Theme: The consequences of environmental pollution.
Setting: A small coastal town that relies heavily on its beaches and ocean for tourism.
Roles:
- Townspeople
- Fishermen/women
- Local business owners (e.g., hotel owners, restaurant owners)
- Environmentalists
- Tourists
- Mayor and town council members
- Industrial company executives responsible for the pollution
The Drama:
- Introduction/Setting the Scene: The teacher narrates a brief backstory about the town and how recently, dead fish have been appearing on the shores, and the water is showing signs of pollution. Tourists are canceling bookings, fishermen/women can’t catch healthy fish, and there’s a significant downturn in business. A town meeting has been called to discuss the crisis.
- Exploration: Students are assigned or choose roles. They work in small groups to discuss the situation from their character’s perspective. For example, business owners may be worried about their livelihood, environmentalists about the long-term impact, and the industrial company executives about potential backlash and costs of cleanup.
- Town Meeting: The class comes together for a town meeting where different groups voice their concerns, share their feelings, and discuss potential solutions.
What is the Process Drama Approach? What is the Process Drama Approach?
- Confrontation: The town discovers that a factory upstream is responsible for the pollution. The town council, along with other role players, confronts the company executives.
- Resolution: After much discussion and negotiation, the factory agrees to fund the cleanup, adopt sustainable practices, and the town decides to establish an environmental watchdog committee to prevent such issues in the future.
- Debrief: After coming out of their roles, the students and teacher discuss the activity, what they learned, how they felt in their roles, and how the situation mirrors real-life issues.
Throughout this process drama, there’s no script, and the emphasis is on the experience, exploration, and learning, rather than a performance for an external audience. The teacher acts as a guide, sometimes stepping into the drama as a character (e.g., a concerned parent or a journalist) to steer the direction or introduce new elements to the story.
