Dramatic Need

Hi Dramatic Need Community!

Janet Lindley, Dramatic Need’s Operations and Development Manager, shares about our exciting start to the new year! 

I woke to the sound of steady falling rain at Rietpan Farm near Rammulotsi this morning, so packed my car in readiness for a quick getaway as the farm roads very quickly become waterlogged and impassable! But it soon stopped and, although it remained very grey and gratefully cool, did not look like it would become floodlike.

Kekana ‘Tatu’ Somfula, Dramatic Need’s operations manager and senior arts facilitator in Rammulotsi, Free State, Lawrence Chabalala, (DN arts facilitator) and myself were due to leave for Welkom (about an hour and a half’s drive from Viljoenskroon) for the ASSITEJ  South Africa’s multidisciplinary arts facilitators’ training workshop. ASSITEJ SA is the South African chapter of the international organisation for the support of theatre for children and young people. They offer wonderful arts teacher facilitation workshops that our team are attending. I hoped the rain would not return as the roads are tricky and potholes are not our friends when it’s very wet! We were due to stay in Welkom for two nights and would be returning to Viljoenskroon on the Sunday.

It had been a good week and we are settling into the new Dramatic Need programme for 2019. We are working with the following fantastic groups of students:

Evergreen Primary School: (ages 5 to 9)

Evergreen is a local primary school which sits adjacent to our largest arts centre on Rietpan farm in the Free State. We have had a long relationship with the school but have recently re-started our arts programming with their young students. We are offering them a series of art activity classes for their age group organised and led by Lawrence after school on each Friday. The children are thoroughly enjoying their arts classes, especially when it comes time to create their own artworks.

Adeline Meje Primary School: Grade 6 (ages 10 to 12)

Adeline Meji is a school in the centre of Rammulotsi Township, Free State and the site of one of our smaller shipping crate art centres. This is an in-school programme where we are working with the creative arts teacher to facilitate her grade 6 students. There are three Grade 6 classes, each with about 40 children. Each week we focus on a different art discipline, covering music, dance, drama and visual art. This week we used the art of mime to explore different ways the students could create their own artworks using their bodies as sculptures. This is a wonderful and non-threatening way for them to begin to express themselves through drama, starting with frozen images and moving on to little mimed scenes.

Grade 8: (from the five local high schools and aged 13 to 14)

This is our after-school group on Mondays. The number of student attending is still fluctuating but we maintain between 35 and 40 students each week, which is manageable and fun. We are going to use the same lessons with them as we are with the Grade 6s in order to streamline prep and resources, but obviously will raise the level of intricacy and expectation with this group. We also have more time for games and meaningful discussions arising from the work. The Grade 8s wrote their monologues this week; these are their own stories about a day they will never forget. These monologues are the first step towards our next big Children’s Monologues fundraiser, which takes these stories and develops them into professional performances, and will take place in 2020. They focused well and wrote quietly for the whole session, which we began and ended with some lively games. They can choose if they want to remain anonymous or not, and it gives them a chance to explore a day that may or may not have been a good one for them, and rethink its impact on themselves and their lives. They are a very engaged group that are keen to explore new ideas and experiences.

Grade 9 to 11: (from the five local high schools and aged 15 to 20)

These students cone after school on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week. All our loyal attendees are back from the previous year and although we lost last year's grade 11s, as they have to focus on their final year exams, we have gained many new and enthusiastic participants! This week we began a four-week session to explore the meaning of the signals and signs. They loved it. Tatu led the session which took them through exploring the signals and signs we see around us every day. The students then spent time each designing their own personalised sign that sends a message they feel should be seen by their community. Over the next three weeks they will paint large versions of these on to the wall of the local stadium (permission received from the municipality!), which is a place most of the community walks or drives past at some stage. Many came back a second or third time to make more signs! It was lovely to see them so engaged in their creations, of which they were very proud. This will be a wonderful opportunity for them to start to define their personal values and views which they can share with their whole community.

MACs: (Our Morning Arts Club for those who have left school aged 18 to 25)

This group is for those young people within the Rammulotsi community who have left school but haven’t yet found a job or vocation. We have a steady group of 6 young people at the moment, both boys and girls, and others have showed an interest and will hopefully join us during the coming weeks. During their Thursday session we go over the lesson we will be teaching the Grade 6s the following week. We are training our MACs as arts facilitators so that they can eventually teach the grade 6s, but they have to participate in each session and, as with the grade 8s, we facilitate these session in a manner appropriate to their level of maturity.

The MACs are slowly warming to the idea of what DN can offer them. And what they can offer to DN. When they first arrived this week they were incredibly shy and reserved, but after one or two games they started to relax and become themselves. They engaged very meaningfully with the lesson, which centred around the creation and understanding of Tableaux. We also introduced the idea of conflict in theatre. These concepts will be taken forward in more complexity and detail during the course of the year. It is very rewarding seeing these young people who have previously struggled with school or work blossoming by the minute as they learn how to explore their inner and creative selves in this safe, non-judgemental and equitable space.

Between 25 November (The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2018) and 10 December (Human Rights Day), the South African government (amongst others) marks 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children. This campaign aims to raise awareness of the ubiquity of violence within households and intimate contexts, which in South Africa is primarily directed against children and against women, female-identifying and non-binary individuals.  Dramatic Need works with many vulnerable adults and children using arts-based advocacy and community theatre to build awareness, self-confidence and help them to speak out against abuse and abusers. We also work with boys and young men to encourage them to better communicate and to express their anger and frustrations in a non-violent way. This form of psychosocial care is crucial if intimate partner violence is to be obliterated in future generations.

In support of all those who are vulnerable to domestic, intimate and carer-inflicted violence,  we will be posting short videos of individuals from all walks of life, from all round the world, highlighting the appalling extent of this problem in South Africa . Please share these videos with people you love. It’s time for awareness and it’s time for change.

We acknowledge that gender-based violence exists in all communities, amongst all genders and affects both trans and cis-gendered people. Gender-based violence and violence towards minors, of any form, are abhorrent and we stand in solidarity with those who have experienced it, whatever their gender or age, wherever they are in the world.

In these videos we have done our best to use reliable and verifiable statistics. Where statistics were not measured within the last two years we have specifically mentioned this fact. Sexual violence and rape statistics are difficult to accurately measure due to low levels of reporting and the intimacy of the crime.

STATISTIC SOURCES:

South Africa’s femicide rate is 5 times higher than the global rate. A woman is killed every 4 hours in South Africa, with one every 8 hours classified as an intimate femicide. This is the murder of a woman at the hands of their current or ex-husband or boyfriend, same sex partner or rejected would-be lover.

https://ewn.co.za/2017/07/13/fact-check-femicide-in-sa-3-numbers-on-the-murder-of-women

________________________________________

Almost 8% of South African men think it is acceptable to hit a woman if she argues with him

6% (Around 1.18 million) South African men think it’s acceptable to hit a woman if she goes out without telling him.

South Africa has one of the highest incidences of rape in the world

http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/Report-03-40-05/Report-03-40-05June2018.pdf

 41 percent of rapes in South Africa are committed against children

In 2014/15, there were 15 520 child rapes reported. Only 1799 ended up in successful convictions. In 2015/16, 16 389 were reported. Just 2 488 were convicted.

In 2016/17, the numbers rose even further to 19 071. Thankfully, there was a small improvement in convictions; 6 366 were convicted.

https://www.thesouthafrican.com/rape-statistics-41-children/

In 2017/18, a total of 50,108 sexual offences were recorded by the police, up from 49,660 in 2016/17. The majority of the sexual offences recorded were rapes.

A NEW VOLUNTEER ON THE SCENE! ’ 

October was a busy month of preparation for our new volunteer from New York, Raven Cassell’s visit. The students wanted to present their plays they had been working on to her on her very first day with them, so the first two weeks before she arrived were spent writing scripts and getting their stories finalised into scenes. This process not only hones their writing skills, but also affords them the opportunity to negotiate and come to an agreement as a group about the specifics and flow of their stories. The role of the facilitator is key here as it is important that, while giving technical guidance, they ensure that the students maintain ownership and management of the production of the plays. The last two weeks of October were spent rehearsing and creating costumes, props and simple sets. The stage was set!Reflections on this last week:Raven’s first session with the Dramatic Need students was on Monday 29 October. There was much excitement as they presented their work to a very appreciative audience. Raven then took them through a process of developing their own community values which are to be agreed upon and upheld for the six weeks that they will be working together. The students showed a good understanding of the values instilled through the Dramatic Need process. It was a valuable exercise in rethinking and reinforcing the way we strive to work together in the sessions. The students really enjoyed meeting and working with Raven and are looking forward to the next few weeks with her. She has already added huge value to the sessions.Next week’s plans:This next session will continue to build on the community and dialogic principles from session 1. Raven will start the session with meditation and check-in. She will lead the students through an interactive lesson on theatre vocabulary and techniques. The students will then have to opportunity to collaboratively redefine these concepts for themselves. Students will then be asked to find objects. These objects will be used for an improvisation exercise. 

Reflections on this last week:

Raven’s first session with the Dramatic Need students was on Monday 29 October. There was much excitement as they presented their work to a very appreciative audience. Raven then took them through a process of developing their own community values which are to be agreed upon and upheld for the six weeks that they will be working together. The students showed a good understanding of the values instilled through the Dramatic Need process. It was a valuable exercise in rethinking and reinforcing the way we strive to work together in the sessions. The students really enjoyed meeting and working with Raven and are looking forward to the next few weeks with her. She has already added huge value to the sessions.

Next week’s plans:

In September we explored the creation of positive and negative tableaux. It was very interesting to see the students’ interpretations of their peers tableaux and also sobering to note how the majority used violent images to portray a negative scene. These moments always serve to remind the facilitators that violence is something with which our young students are often confronted. The transition from their positive to negative tableaux enabled discussions to emerge on what instigates violence and how it may perhaps be mitigated in various family and community situations. After the performances we then spoke about things that make a tableau more interesting, like the focal point, expressive body shapes and positions as well as exaggerated facial expressions.

We also experimented with how to create sets for scenes using our bodies instead of real furniture etc and much fun was had with mobile chairs and doors; a wonderful kitchen was created complete with oversize kettle; Janet had a shower in the most magnificent bathroom; we even had a talking cross hanging in a church which was being led by a corrupt pastor!

The team felt that the students needed a break from performance art for a session so Tatu and Lawrence led the students through a process of kitemaking during the third week of September. The kites were made from waste material that the students decorated and collated. Each one was unique and all were beautiful.

During the final week of September they returned to their plays, exploring conflict and conflict resolution. Although this was done through little enacted scenes and a further exploration of their stories, Tatu, Lawrence and Janet spent many hours before the lesson going through what this could mean in the lives of the students and how important it is for them to recognise different types of conflict and learn how to deal with these in the real world. Quite a simple lesson, but with complex content that was explored in great depth by the students.

These plays will be taken forward into scripts during October and we hope to perform them for our next volunteer, Raven Cassell, a drama practitioner from the USA, when she arrives in Viljoenskroon on 29 October. Raven will be with us for 6 weeks and the students will be proud to be able to offer her something of their own on her arrival.

Raven  plans to co-create a unique society with the DN youth, co-developing values and practices. Thematically she plans to look at science fiction or visionary fiction as an entry point to “creating new realities.” Over the course of the session they will look at community, collaboration as a process, relationship to body, earth and else, how to be in conversation with art and its context and personal history - all through the lens of theatre.

By the end of the course she’d like students to walk away with the ability to understand what it means to be a  collaborator, to create work with the knowledge of how to be in dialogue with identity and the position they hold in the world and to have learned how to use the theatre as a tool for community building. She plans to introduce the students to the works of artists that reflect the students and their communities, and to guide them through a process of finding ways to express themselves through art. They will use theatre, music, photography, poetry and film to achieve this.

This month was an exciting one where we guided the students through a process of bringing their characters to life. The first week was spent trying out the different physical characteristics and personalities that their characters might have and embody. Once the students had worked out how their character might walk, sit and move around the space, they each had to take up the “hot seat” and answer questions (posed to them by their peers) as their character. We got to know some very interesting characters over the course of the week! It was amazing to see how imaginative the students were when they answered questions as their characters. It was very valuable for both those asking and answering the questions to learn how different people can respond to the same situation, depending on their unique personality and characteristics. We did notice that many of them had brought their characters to life as gangsters. While there was definitely an inherent understanding that these were not people to admire as model citizens, it became clearer and clearer as the week went by that many of our young students saw them as successful navigators of their circumstances, and that their alternatives were few and often unattainable. In the society that these children inhabit, the gangster is often the only role model of financial independence and entrepreneurial success. This is a reality that we as facilitators have to be cognisant of as we progress.    

During the second week our students became composers and, through a guided process of musical exploration, composed a short piece of music that could be considered to be their character’s musical signature. They were encouraged to think of musical signatures that we have all come to know (Jaws music for a shark, Pink Panther music, the musical signatures of their favourite Anime characters) and to create one for their own characters. Our marimbas and other instruments were put to good use and some budding composers were discovered!

The following week saw them flex their choreographic muscles as we guided them through a process of choreographing unique movement pieces for their characters. This was great fun for all involved and some very interesting steps were achieved! It was very inspiring to see how creative our students could be through musical composition and dance choreography. Often we assume that these skills lie with the professionals and are not accessible to all. Our students learned that they could all be composers and choreographers if they chose to be, and that their creations were valued and admired. All their pieces were performed for their peers and they were very proud of showcasing their original compositions and dances.

Week three was a more introspective one, where they explored the possible secrets that their characters could have. This was an interesting exploration into the secret lives we all live in our heads, and what that means for our lives and relationships. The conversations that arose were not always easy ones, but Tatu and Lawrence facilitated these with the thoughtful care that is an essential and integral part of all the work that we do. We had many debriefing sessions that week in order to ensure that all issues and concerns were dealt with in such a way that no participant felt threatened or compromised at any time during the process. It was ultimately a very rewarding week for all involved, and contributed to a greater depth of understanding of the complexities of the people alongside whom we live and work.

July was full of activity! We started the month by painting amazing murals designed by Dramatic Need students on the outside walls of our staff house on Riet Pan Farm, Viljoenskroon. Tatu and Lawrence organised all the paints and materials and assisted the students with transposing their images on to the walls. Mixing the colours to achieve just the right one each time was a wonderfully satisfying task! The students did an incredible job and completed this artistic feat during their mid-year holidays. They worked very hard to get it done on time and we all think they are beautiful.

The centre closed for the last week of the holidays so that Tatu and Lawrence could attend the Assitej South Africa teacher training course for Creative Arts teachers in Kroonstad from 9 to 14 July. This was a wonderfully informative and innovative week crammed with activities and information that has given us great content to include in the Dramatic Need curriculum. Tatu, Lawrence and Janet have taken some of the Assitej lessons and combined them with the amazing Visual Arts curriculum compiled by Shannon Brinkley and we now have a comprehensive and magical multidisciplinary arts curriculum planned for the rest of 2018!

The first week of the term commenced with the Creating Characters lesson, where the students go through a thoughtful and democratic process of creating imaginary characters complete with their own musical and dance signature. Once they have defined these characters and know them well, they will give them unique costumes and explore their hidden Secrets and Needs. This is a wonderful process for exploring the complexity of human beings and the darkness and light in all of us and for ultimately getting to understand who we are as individuals within a diverse and multicultural society.

Operations & Development Manager (South Africa & Rwanda)

Based: Johannesburg Reports to: Operations & Development Director Direct Report: Regional Operations Manager & Community Liaison & Facilitator (Free State), Regional Project Manager (Graaff-Reinet) & Volunteers Salary: R380,000 – R440,000 (Dependent on Experience)

Dramatic Need is looking for a dynamic Operations and Development Manager to support the senior management team and co-ordinate the in-field teams in implementing the core charity programmes in South Africa and Rwanda.

​The Operations and Development Manager will manage the development of Dramatic Need’s networks and fundraising models within South Africa and the Continent. They will be responsible for overseeing the programmes and staff across our existing art centres and the roll-out of our planned expansion model.

Excellent communications skills and an ability to build strong relationships with individuals, donors and organisations is essential for this role, as well as enthusiasm and commitment to Dramatic Need's mission.

GUEST BLOG: Drama therapy at the Piet Patsa

This was my second time volunteering at the Dramatic Need Piet Patsa Art centre in Rammulotsi/Viljoenskroon and what an absolute delight! As with my previous time, I volunteered as a drama therapist, and facilitator working with an incredible group of adolescents. 

It always amazes me how powerful drama is and can be in whichever form it is applied. I spent 4 days with a group of 15 girls, exploring role-play, storytelling and enactment, and most importantly a taste of a typical drama therapeutic experience. The participants always tell you what they need and how ready they are to engage with the medium, which in this case was fascinating as this group of girls demonstrated a great enthusiasm and commitment to the process. Of course in such a limited time, I could not do very deep therapeutic work, however I believe that the space offered a strong sense of containment and safety where the participants openly expressed themselves and had fun without any consequence or inhibitions.

Located on a farm, the environment itself adds a calm and therapeutic touch to the entire experience. I am really grateful the opportunity to have met and worked with some of the children from the centre and to have shared a bit of drama therapy. I hope that this is only the beginning of more important work to be done in the future. To all the girls, and the team, ke a leboha! I look forward to working with you again.

My last week at Dramatic Need was here. It came round so fast it was almost unexpected and definitely unwanted. The zines were finished and I handed out the photocopies I’d made of each one and asked the kids to remind themselves who their zine was for and the messages they wanted to protray. Was their message clear? Would their audience understand it? The kids reviewed their work and using the design tools we’d learnt such as colour, fonts, shapes, emphasis and layout made a few final amends and assembled thier copies ready for distirbution to their audience. After a panicked first half (in some cases) we counted down to the finish line and the kids gathered together to complete the final piece of the project and an important part of being a designer; presenting and explaining our work. To guide them in what can be a daunting task for even the most proficient designer I asked them to answer four questions: What is your message? Who is your audience? Why did you use the fonts, colours images etc and what are you most proud of? What followed was lively, fun, touching and made me feel extremely proud. In some cases I really had to hold in the tears listening to heartfelt speeches as the kids thoughtfully explained their zines. I was amazed at the wisdom and creativity that was shown and just how how much thought and care had been put into their work, with no exceptions. Topics such as lesbianism, being yourself and being proud of it, depression and anxiety, not judging others because you don’t know the truth of any situation (along with a really clever visual representation of this), as well as crime in the community, health issues and more lighthearted fashion and football zines. There were the usual laughs between presentations, but when the more serious topics came up silence fell and the kids listened intently and showed amazing support and respect for each other. It was intense at times and incredibly moving as I realised something else that was so special about Piet Patsa; the way that kids felt safe enough to express themselves in such a vulnerable way which, I think, is down to a variety of factors; being away from the township, the support they had for each other and the open, kind and respectful culture that the Dramatic Need staff have managed to create. Being able to be part of it for a few short weeks felt like an incredible privilege. I finished my workshops by explaining the types of career you can have as a graphic designer, the routes you can take to become one in South Africa and finally showing them my own portfolio; a chance for them to be the ones to judge my work. I hope they learnt something about design and possibly a career that they could be good at and enjoy. But I know that what I did is minimal compared to everything that Dramatic Needs offers them... a safe place where they can find out about themselves and their world without judgement, where they can express themselves and realise that they have their own opinions and that they matter. Where they can get support, encouragement and be heard. And where they can have fun, let off some steam and have a good old laugh. These things are so much more valuable than I ever realised before arriving in South Africa’ and learning about it’s complicated past and the realities some of the kids in this country face daily. My experience with Dramatic Need is easily one of the most rewarding and inspiring things I have ever done. Getting to know these gorgeous teenagers and seeing their individuality and everything they have to offer has been an amazing experience that I’ll never forget. It’s unbelievable how quickly you can become attached to them, leaving their smiling faces was heart breaking but it helped to know that despite the things they have to deal with they are lucky in one way at least; to be part of Dramatic Need.

Volunteer graphic design specialist Kaysha updates on her recent experiences at our Piet Patsa Community Arts Centre in the Free State.

It was in my second week at Dramatic Need, my workshops were going well as the kids and I started to get more comfortable with each other. After our first week of introductions to each other and the graphic design world we started making our zines, or homemade magazines. Using the design principals we talked about in the first week the kids had to define a message, as well as the audience they wanted to speak to via their zines. Now that I had found my feet and got into the groove of things, Operations Manager Beth had arranged with one of the schools for me to go in and help with the visual arts class. The teacher, is actually a Sesotho teacher, but also took the art classes in the absence of any trained art teachers. Not an easy task, I was more than happy to help out however I could.

Beth and I arrived ahead of the lesson in time for what I assumed would be a briefing on the lesson plan and to work out how best I could help. The teacher handed me the visual arts text book and explained the lesson I would be teaching was the first one of the term for grade 8s.

'Oh, I'm not a trained teacher' I explained 'I'm a designer. I'd love to help with the lesson though'. In my mind I would be wandering between students helping them individually with the art works they were creating while she guided the lesson from the front.

'That's OK if you're not a teacher, I can support you with the class if you need me to...'

I look at Beth terrified. Surely the teacher didn't think I would be leading the class? There's two minutes until 60 students arrive. It's the first time I have looked at the text book and I've never taught more than my workshops before.

Beth steps in; 'Oh no, Kaysha is actually designer, not a teacher'

'That's OK...'

'Kaysha is really just here to help you, she's not a teacher...'

Arriving at the Piet Patsa Community Arts Centre and seeing the reality of life in Rammulotsi, one of the most remote townships in the Free State was a huge shock...

On my second day Beth and Tatu from Dramatic Need took me to some of the township high schools to be introduced to the teachers. In one, I met the headteacher, keen to show off the awards and trophies of the school and rightly proud of their many achievements. I was then taken around and shown to every class by the vibrant and energetic creative arts teacher. I had not expected this and had had no time to prepare so I mostly stood at the front of the class in silence as Mr Molefe introduced me.

The kids were so warm and friendly, they gasped when they heard I had come from London and when Beth greeted them in Sesotho they loved it! The classrooms however were much more basic that I had ever seen in the UK and with up to 60 kids per class, in some cases the desks went all the way right up to the front, leaving little to no space for even the teacher to stand. Despite this it was obvious from the outset how interested and keen to learn they all were.

My first afterschool workshop came around and 39 young people showed up (and some of them brand new to Dramatic Need!). I was excited and nervous, having never really done anything like this at all before, but thankfully Tatu’s warm-up exercises got everyone relaxed and having fun which broke the ice, and made things much easier.

I started by explaining what a graphic designer did and how if they looked around their environment they notice that design is everywhere. We talked about logos, packaging, magazine and I explained that design was about communicating a message. The young people listened intently and gave me their full attention. At times when they seemed quiet, Tatu stepped in and translated for them. Mostly they understood everything I said, but later on Tatu explained to me it was shyness that made them quiet. A new person from a completely different culture took them out of their comfort zone. It saddened me that our differences affected them in that way, but as I learnt in the coming weeks it was definitely only temporary. Before long they were the lovely, confident kids who I’d seen in the classrooms in school.

After discussing design tools such as fonts, colour, images and illustration we began our first exercise: Word Art. I gave them a selection of words and their job was to draw/write the words whilst expressing their meaning, such as HOT, COLD, LOVE. Over the week of sessions there was obviously a range of abilities but some of the talent and creativity that I saw was really exciting.

Regardless of talent though, I was amazing at how focused and hardworking they were. They all tried so hard that it made my job easy. The best part was seeing their faces when their work was compliments - it made it all worthwhile!

At the end of each session we presented our work to the class and explained our design decisions.  An important part of a job at graphic design, and indeed an important lifeskill - feeling confident in your decisions and being able to stand up and present them. With hindsight some were a little shiy but they all did it well.

We closed by talking about our next project for the next couple of weeks, creating our ‘Zines’ and starting to think about subjects that were important to us.  The enthusiasm and ideas that came up were really inspiring; having the chance to express themselves was something they relished and it was such a privilege and a joy to see. 

The Children’s Monologues 2017

We’ll have more on this but here’s a little sneak peak from the Rammulotsi Children’s Monologues on Sunday 12 November, 2017 and also The Market Theatre performance on Monday 13 November, 2017.