Role
Working in role is fundamental to drama and theatre. The process of playing a role develops the performer’s ability to see the world from another person’s eyes and empathise with that person. Roles allow us to take on a higher or lower status than that of our everyday selves and to use the language of a particular place or time. The process of playing someone or something other than ourselves lets us imaginatively explore lives, risks, and events that we may never directly experience.
In his book Making Drama, Bruce Burton describes three different levels of role:
- role-taking
- role-play
- role-creation.
Burton sees role-taking as a simple form of role that lasts for a short time and involves little development or exploration of the role’s thoughts or feelings. Role-taking mostly makes use of the techniques of movement and body.
Burton sees role-play as more complex than role-taking because it involves speaking and behaving as the chosen role. Students might use role-play to explore stereotypes or an exaggerated aspect of a role.
Role-creation involves creation of a complex role. This level of role requires the student to think, feel, and react as if they were another person. They must develop an understanding of the character’s history and of the different dimensions of the character’s personality.
In the course of their drama work, year 9–13 students will experience and use each of these levels of role for a variety of purposes. They need opportunities to play a wide variety of roles in their drama work, including:
- roles developed in the context of process dramas
- roles devised for performance
- scripted roles.