We wanted them to learn to solve problems my adult students have difficulty finding solutions and alternatives to problems, they seem to be without challenges in their lives. Many hadn't experienced commitment to a group, a leader or an idea. Juvenile delinquency involving petty theft, vandalism and violence is high in Arctic communities. Chosen for their ability and desire to act, some of the eight participants had been chronic offenders, one had worked as an Institute language teacher, another was a high school graduate, one was illiterate in Institute (the first language) and another in English. None had ever held a job for long and none had ever seen, let alone acted in a play. I began by testing academic standing as best as I could. The actors ranged from about grade two to grade nine in English reading and writing. They were given a week of writing assignments to get them thinking creatively and putting their thoughts on paper. I stressed the rules of the program, mainly that no trouble with the law or misuse of substances would be tolerated. Attendance was important and no more than three absences would be accepted during the six-month program. To maximize the benefits of the creative process we used a group method of play development, not advisable for those seeking a polished product in a short time. The best method of group play development is choosing a theme, researching it extensively, organizing ideas, translating them into dramatic form and then making critical choices about specific scenes before script writing. This ensures a tight script, essential to smooth rehearsals. However, I chose to have the group throw together a quick play on their theme at the beginning of the program because the first performance was only three weeks away. This worked for us because our actors needed exposure to performing before starting a detailed theatre process. Although it was rough, those first performances at Ottawa's Winterlude Festival were well received and the actors returned thirsting to develop a really good play. They had also picked up production and acting techniques for other plays they had seen performed in the south. The second phase of the program began with more exercises in reading plays and re-writing stories into play format. As the theme was changes in Inuit traditional life, research was conducted mostly by interviewing elders in the community and collecting stories and music. An added bonus was a growing admiration for ajajaq (traditional Inuit drum music) which has not been performed regularly in Baffin Island communities since the early Christian missionaries discouraged its use, perceiving a connection between the songs and shamanism. |
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