Playback Theatre: Embodying the CLIL methodology

Tomás motos teruel, ph.d.
Instituto de Creatividad e Innovaciones Educativas, Universidad de Valencia
Donna Lee Fields, Ph.D.
Universidad Internacional de Valencia
LACLIL 
(Latin American Journal of Content and Language Integrated Learning)
July 2014

Introduction

The simultaneous education of the mind and body, the nurturing of imagination, and the use of secular venues to foment education, has been the practice of dedicated teachers since time out of hand. In the 1800s, the insatiable desire of the Prussian royalty for absolute supremacy and compliant citizens, derailed this more holistic pursuit, and fostered the advent of the autocratic classroom structure. Based principally on rote learning, the subsequent dictatorial model was later furthered by financially motivated industrialists who saw the benefit of exploiting a teaching environment which also supported the suppression of individuality as it created the perfect factory worker. Nowadays, as more educators eschew this autocratic educational model in favor of that which honors the individual student and which caters to different learning styles, those didactic partnerships which foster the integration of content, which stimulate an atmosphere of shared learning, and which focus on elements which make education relevant to its audience, are becoming ever more in demand.

What we know today as Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has been alive and well in the educational sphere since time out of hand, developed independently and informally by teachers who have considered issues deeply and who have worked at finding ways to reach out to their students when tried and true methods have failed. David Marsh saw the value of formalizing these independent practices, and dedicated himself to identifying the building blocks of a platform which would lead students to a more integrated style of learning. Through trial and error, insertion and clarification, CLIL has become a seamless patchwork of competencies and language acquisition, which outlines the theories, guidelines, and rational for the design of a student-centered classroom, which encourages creativity and the empowerment of the learners, and which insists on lessons steeped in authentic educational experiences.

The possibilities for the application of the methodology are infinite. Exploring the changing bio-systems of different countries in science classes, using modern architecture to study geometric shapes in engineering schools, visiting hospitals in medical studies, writing and sending job applications in vocational training courses, studying the billing history of thriving companies in economic classes – all of these are ways of applying the core features of CLIL to making learning more meaningful and personal. Nowhere, however, is the application more harmonious than in the theatre, and in particular that form known as Playback Theatre (PT). In this ingenious marriage of theatre, storytelling, and psychology, the precepts of CLIL are embodied to their fullest potential.

1.     What is Playback Theatre?

Playback Theatre is spontaneous, instantaneous, and unscripted theatre performed in conventional and unconventional venues, working under the premise that stories are an art form when presented with specific elements and in interactive ways. This improvisational theatrical format strives to encourage dialogue and create connections between the audience and a corp of actors and musicians. Members of the audience volunteer to share personal stories which, filtered through ritual, theatrical aesthetics, dialogue, movement, and music, are immediately personified by the actors who give them artistic form. A conductor functions as an intermediary between the actors and the storyteller, gleaning the essence of the speaker’s tale and verbalizing the core elements so as to help the actors in their interpretation. The actors take pains to present the stories with empathy and care, using humor to help generate perspective for the audience and the storyteller.

Jonathan Fox, the principal designer of PT, postulates that if we are to actuate personal and social transformations we need to listen to each other on a deeper level, and as such, this art form creates a space for learning, healing, and creating bonds between people. Fox (1994: 12) describes PT as a force to preserve the social ecology by “transforming the lives of people and forming groups.”

Playback Theatre was created by Jonathan Fox and his partner, Jo Salas, in the mid-1970s in a little town in the Hudson River Valley, about one hundred miles north of New York  City (Fox, 1994; Fox, 1999; Fox & Dauber, 1999). Both educators, inspired by experimental theatre, psychodrama and the oral traditions of indigenous cultures, and also by Pedogogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire, and Theatre of the Oppressed by Augusto Boal, spent several years testing and developing their theories and practices. Fox explains that their intention in establishing PT was to offer an intimate forum in which the audience neighbours, family or acquaintances could gather and share. ‘Many people have sad or dramatic stories that others are unaware or unwilling to listen to [in other venues]. I wanted Playback Theatre to be a place where everyone could tell their story and be heard’ (Friedler: 2006).

Early on, Fox and Salas decided to liberate the art form from conventional forums. It is largely due to this move – to use the practice as a wider application and offering actuations in less conventional venues and audiences – that defines and has set PT apart from other theatrical forms. As such, the first groups of benefactors of PT were schoolchildren, the elderly and disabled, foster-home support groups, people undergoing rehabilitation, family therapy groups, and community action meetings, all in their own environments.

Its success is also credited to its format, its flexibility, the care and sensitivity with which the tales are treated, and its limitless possibilities. To name just a few, PT is regularly used in educational venues, in company improvement plans, in psychotherapy groups, in prisons, hospitals and at-risk youth centres. Its versatility of form helps in its proliferation as it can take place just as effectively in the conference rooms of a formal convention centre, on a traditional stage, as well as in any alternative space. Today, this therapeutic art form is gaining importance at an exponential rate. Not only is its global value universal, but it benefits from the universal truth that wherever there is a gathering of people – either planned or unplanned – there is always a story.

The power of the PT format and its proliferation are becoming recognized worldwide. Rasa Friedler, founder and CEO of the SaludArte Foundation, an organization whose mission it is to demonstrate how the health of any given population can be directly affected by art and humour, explains “PT is a major activator of the potential and spotlight of people. It wakes up the best of what is dormant in every society and promotes integration between different artistic areas,” (2006:1). Today, this theatrical format is currently implemented in over 55 countries, helping tens of thousands of individuals and groups develop direct communication, and to interconnect on an emotional level.

1.1                       Components and the process of Playback Theatre

According to co-creator Jo Salas, from its earliest inception, the scope and purpose of PT was to “reveal the form and meaning of any experience, even those that are ostensibly formless and ambiguous in the telling. [PT] dignifies stories with ritual and aesthetic awareness, and links them together so that they form a collective story about a community of people, whether this be a group of people whose lives are connected in an ongoing way, or one created in the moment, such as one finds in most public audiences…[PT] offers an arena in which the meaning of individual experience expands to become part of a shared sense of purposeful existence” (1993: 22).

Fox emphasizes art, ritual and social interaction as the essential elements of PT (1999: 127). The relationship between these dimensions is interactive and over the course of any PT performance all three must be continually balanced. As the story unfolds, it is the domain of the conductor to weigh and adjust the tension in the dialectical flux of these three dimensions, leaving the actors to be free to measure the balance between the demands of their own performance and those of the social demands – of listening and being present (Salas, 2005). The only element not represented to its fullest in the above model is the fundamental role the participation of the audience has in the interaction; it is, in fact, of primary value and one of the underlying the precepts of a ‘good’ enactment. (Dennis, 2004:20).

A more developed description of the three defining elements of PT:

(A)    the personal story (the content)
(B)    a ritual aesthetic (the form)
(C)    the context (locale)

A)    The story

Part of the intention of co-creators Fox and Salas, in developing PT, was to create and present a space in which every voice and any story could be heard, however ordinary or extraordinary, and in which any experience of life could be related, however frivolous or transcendent, comic or tragic. It was to be a platform from which repressed emotions or experiences that are difficult for the narrator to express in other forums, could be heard and honoured.

Though spontaneity is one of the corner stones of this art form, Fox and Salas have deduced that the process is most effective when the presentations revolve around a specific issue. As such, part of the ritual of PT includes involving the audience in choosing one theme which will then serve as the impetus of each individual enactment. Narrators are encouraged to relate their memories, fantasies, dreams, conflicts, and/or feeling related to this chosen theme. As an example, we present a session in which the focus – agreed upon by the audience – was on family relationships.

• Antonio, a 25 year old man, related the following story, developed with the aid of the conductor:
• Antonio:          What do you think? Should I talk about friendships, girlfriend, or family? I have conflicts with everyone.
• Conductor:      Whichever you want.
• Antonio:          Well, the first one that comes to mind has to do with my sister and my mother.
• Conductor:      What is your relationship with your mother? Can you describe her with two adjectives?
• Antonio:          Well, my mother is a strong woman and extremely possessive.
• Conductor:      And what is your sister like?
• Antonio:          Very selfish. She’s self-centred and has no empathy for anyone.
• Conductor:      What is the story you’d like to tell?
• Antonio           Well, I want to be a pop singer. So, one morning my sister came home. She and my mother started talking about the gossip from the town. I was woken up by their voices, but I was afraid to leave my bedroom. When I finally did, both of them immediately started harping on me about my job situation. They said that I needed to look for a job, that I had to send out my CV…and a lot of other things. After that I told my sister that that night I was going to a competition for amateur singers. My sister sings also. When I sang the song I had written, she shot me down with: “Well, you don’t have good ear so why are you going to take part in the competition?”

The actors represented the above story and then the narrator was asked how he felt about it. His response was that he felt that it was very well done and true to his narration. He felt that the actors captured the true spirit of his character and that of his sister. However, the mother was a bit exaggerated, as his mother in real life is more distracted. In any case, he did not take the option of asking the actors to redo any part of it, and left the stage very satisfied.

In a session focusing on dreams, Carmen, a 60 year-old woman related the following story:

• Carmen:          I have a dream that it is repeated a lot. I’m in a ballroom. I cannot dance. I’ve never learned to dance, but in the dream I do. So I’m in the ballroom and a very handsome guy invites me to dance with him.
• Conductor:      What feeling do you have when you wake up from that dream?
• Carmen:          I wake up with the desire to learn to dance, but I am unable to do so and I realise I’m frustrated because I feel like I’m too old to learn. However, I would like to dance like I do in the dream.

In this case, during the representation of the above story, the narrator was so moved that she began to cry and did not stop until it was over. When the scene was over, she got up and hugged each actor in turn. So powerful was the scene for her that she returned to her seat thanking the entire corp of actors.

B)    The ritual

The aesthetic form of PT has a framework of expectations which can be considered ritualistic in a secular sense. This strict adherence to definitive steps honoured throughout the enactment, “symbolizes the repeated structures in space and time that provide stability and familiarity within which unpredictability can be found” (Salas, 2005: 117). Aside from defining the shape of the art form, this ritualized process facilitates interaction between the audience and the actors, and eases the former into partaking of the process; in other circumstances participants may not be so open or willing to expose themselves.

The physical setting is also considered part of PT’s ritualistic structure, though, paradoxically, the corp of players can adapt the sessions to virtually any backdrop. The only requirement of the locale is that it has two defined areas: one for the actors and one for the audience (See Figure 2). In the area designated for the enactment of the stories (the stage), two chairs are placed to the side of the main arena. The chair closest to the audience is assigned to the conductor whose role it is to act as master of ceremonies, host, and companion to the narrator in the story-making process.

Figure 2. The Playback Theatre stageThe second chair is for the narrator – a member of the audience who has volunteered to tell a personal story. Opposite the conductor is a musician who has at her/his disposition a variety of instruments. Towards the back of the stage, four or five chairs or crates are set up upon which the actors sit when they are not acting. These crates can also be used as props. On one side is a ‘prop tree’ draped in materials and various objects that can be used to embellish characters, indicate location, or symbolically represent other elements of the narration.

The following is a list of the 12 steps of the art form followed by a more detailed explanation of each:

1.Prologue. The musician infuses the setting with melodies and sounds. The conductor greets the audience and makes an introduction explaining the structure of the event they have come to participate in, with the intention of establishing a relationship between the conductor and the audience. The goal is to create a warm and trusting environment in which audience feels heard, accepted and respected. As the audience members are the protagonists of the function, this step is essential, as without their willingness to share their stories, there is no PT.

2.         Presentation of actors. The conductor lets the actors introduce themselves. They enter, one by one, with a lot of energy and expectation, state their names and offer a short statement (1-2 sentences) either about something that happened to them recently or share a dominant feeling that they are experiencing at that moment. Following their introductions, they go to their crates and sit.

3.         Ice-breaking games with audience.   The conductor proposes a game or a short exercise designed to relax the audience and create an atmosphere of trust and respect. The nature of the game often depends on the space chosen for the function.

4.         Choosing the theme. PT sessions work best when the group is homogeneous and is focused on one topic of interest which has been agreed upon by the members of the audience. Having established this preference as the norm, equally viable are those sessions in which the stories of the narrators do not share a common thread.

5.         Fluid Sculptures

Before beginning with the first narration, the actors, musician and conductor give the viewers a demonstration of the event and a possible interaction between the audience and the corp of players. The audience members, prompted by the conductor, communicate a sentiment, which is then manifested by motion and sound by the actors and musicians. As an example, the conductor asks the group: ‘How do you feel about coming to a PT performance first the first time?’ A member of the audience raises a hand, the director thanks the person, asks for the person’s name, and then asks for a response. The persona may answer: ‘I feel anxious.’ The conductor turns to the actors and repeats: ‘This is Sue and she feels anxious.’ The actors immediately construct a kind of sculpture with their bodies personifying anxiety. In this way the public sees that their participation will be received with “respect and aesthetic attention” (Salas, 2005: 46). They also begin to understand that though their involvement is very welcome, they are under no obligation to participate.

6.         First interview. The conductor asks for a volunteer from the audience at which time an audience member may step forward and is then invited to take the seat on stage designated for the narrator. The moment that this first participant moves from the audience to the stage is a defining and transitional moment, for it breaches: the traditional theatre’s fourth wall. It claims the space usually occupied by the privileged authority of writer and director. This is a salient subversion of traditional theatre protocol, and audience members can move both toward and away from the idea of being a participant at this level. (Dennis, 2004: A5)

The conductor then simultaneously attends to three branches of the enactment: the shaping of the story told by the narrator, the information necessary to incite the actors into movement, and the audience’s reception of the tale portrayed by the actors. It is the conductor’s job to filter through the narration and identify key moments in the story – how, what, when, and where the event happened, who was present, how it ended, and how the narrator felt in that situation – in order to help the actors identify the core features of the issue.

When this part of the process is complete and the conductor feels that the actors have enough information to begin, the conductor invites the narrator to choose actors to play the primary and supporting characters in the upcoming enactment. (One actor can represent more than one character.) The actor/s selected stand up and prepare themselves for the scene while the conductor continues addressing questions to the narrator.

7.         Setting up. As the actors (silently) choose places on the stage to begin, the musician begins with tones and rhythm from different instruments to introduce the scene. The music at this time is an integral part of the ritual, serving a dual purpose of a) creating an atmospheric setting, and b) giving the actors more time to reflect on their assigned roles. As mentioned above, the chairs or crates these latter have been sitting on can be used and arranged in a variety of ways to help emphasize a tone. In the same manner, the material and other objects hung on the “props tree” can be utilized to help bring characters to life and to manifest symbolic themes.

8 .        Enactment. The conductor now affects the transitory measures necessary to move from the narrative to the dramatic state  – the enactment of the story. With the simple phrase ‘Let’s watch!’, the actors and the musician take over. Dramatically indicating the transformation from passive ‘citizens’ listening to a narration to co-creators (Dennis, 2004: A10), the musician heightens the intensity of the music while the actors carry off unnecessary props from the stage, while the conductor and narrator remain seated and watch with the rest of the audience members. From this point, the actors and musician work together, presenting improvisational scenes which emphasize the essential events, and dilemmas or conundrums related by the narrator. As a rule, instead of placing an emphasis on linear structure, the scenes are more metaphoric than literal, with the intention of creating a flow of moments without necessarily showing realistic details. What is essential throughout is that at the heart of the performance there exudes respect and understanding towards the narrator.  In terms of the players, the process has been proven to be effective with actors of almost any skill level. The most important factor is that they always act with respect and empathy, and that they are daring in interpreting the stories. In fact, so important are the elements of empathy and intuition in the interpretation that Salas cautions against enactments that do no more than produce superficial versions of stories narrated.

9.         Acknowledgment. When the actors feel that they have fleshed out the story as completely as possible, they pause to acknowledge the narrator, gesturing to the person as if to say that they offer their dramatization as a gift. This is an essential step in honouring both the person and the story.

10.       Returning to the narrator. With the actors still in position of homage, the conductor questions the narrator to ascertain whether the enactment has been true – if it portrayed the fundamental idea of the tale. If the narrator is unsatisfied with any element of the performance the process continues: the conductor gleans more details from the narrator, and asks the actors to interpret one or more parts, incorporating the clarifications. This replay is called ‘correction.’ Occasionally, when a story has been accurately represented but the narrator is left confused, worried or distressed, the conductor may invite the actors to imagine and present an alternative ending. In the same vein, if the narrator herself requests a different outcome to the story, this new ending is called a “transformation”.

At the completion of these enactments, the conductor thanks the narrator who is then invited to return to her/his seat in the audience.

11.       New interviews, enactments and acknowledges. A new audience member is invited to take the stage and the process is repeated – as often as time allows.

12.       Closing sequence. Once more, to emphasize the value the corp of players have for the audience members, they perform four or five very short skits, using facial expression, posture, movement, sound and words, reprising echoes of elements of the dramatic sequences that were created during the performance. Following this, the conductor thanks the audience for their participation and the musician plays a tune of farewell as the viewers leave their seats.

1.2.            The Context.

PT in the hands of an experienced group of actors is fluid and exciting and its effect magical. Having said this, since the very structure of PT ignites change and discovery, even audiences led by a corp of players with little or no formal acting training will experience powerful results. Whether in prisons, at-risk youth centers, hospitals, or on the stage of a traditional theater, PT’s fundamental framework is designed to help audiences search within themselves to resolve differences, to learn from the perspective of peers, and to make peace with their past.

Bringing the art form to an established community (instead of a group of audience members formed arbitrarily), is one of the key elements of Playback Theatre. It is possible that the technique could work just as well independent of context, but as C.G. Jung proposes, “There is…a kind of experience, in which recognition lies simultaneously above and below the level of consciousness.” (Fox, 1999) Offering an educational/therapeutic experience to participants in a familiar setting provides a shortcut to helping them be receptive to the process. It provides a door through which the audience can step into the participatory framework of the ritual and form of PT. A strong identification to the context aids in establishing commitment to the process; it helps weaken the resistance the audience might initially feel, and promotes a state of readiness, which give the actors more direct access to the emotional thresholds of the viewers.

The importance of including a corp of actors in the process of PT and the question of whether or not they are essential in reaching a sufficiently profound emotional level in the audience, has been frequently addressed by co-creators Fox and Salas As an answer, the latter notes that when she began using PT in child care centres, the children themselves filled the roles of both actors and spectators (Salas, 2008). The format was the same, but, as the intention was to provide a therapeutic platform, the emphasis was on the process of breaking down barriers and helping the children listen to each other, rather than on artistic competence. In relation to context, then, if the intention is to provide therapy to a community of audience members, this second model is viable and perhaps even recommended.

2.       Fields in which PT is practiced

Since its inception PT has been practised in many different fields and with several different purposes. According to Salas, PT… is a versatile theatrical form that is equally at home in public theatres, schools, hospitals, residencies, corporate settings, conferences, and in forums for social change. It can be just as effective on the streets of southern India with Dalit people telling stories about police brutality, as in an outdoor community event exploring diversity in a small American town. (2009:445)

Given its very nature PT conforms to the needs and concerns of every kind of audience and any environment. The versatility of the locales is again reflected in articles published in Interplay. (the quarterly review of the International Playback Theatre Network). These locales include cooperate offices (Hofman, 1997); prisons (Bett, 2000, Southard 2000); housing estates (Murphy, 2001); disability meetings(Day, 1998); mental health institutions (Muckley, 1998); youth centres (Wynter, 1998); refugee shelters (Robb, 2002); and indigenous communities (Cox, 1996).

2.1.  In education.

PT is used in schools as a tool to help educators in their classrooms and to confront various issues that are traditionally difficult to resolve amongst many student bodies (Salas, 2005). As a way of presenting or reviewing material, PT can be used, for example, in a literature, class in which the students the opportunity to portray literary themes, or historical characters, in a science class, asking a group of students to demonstrate the phases of the sun and cycles of the moon, or in an art class, giving the students the challenge of representing primary, secondary and tertiary colors. (More on this utility is expounded below.)

In social aspects of school, such as with bullying, participants relate their experiences and explore how they can all create a respectful and safe environment. In higher education, in teacher training, for example, PT can be used as a way of encouraging the development of democratic participation in language and aesthetic education (Feldhendler, 2009). In these settings, the PT framework can be embodied either by professional actors or by the teachers and students (Wright, 2002.)

2.2.           In social change.

As mentioned above, part of PTs missive is to open up pathways to produce constructive social interaction, to promote social justice, and to build community (Fox, 2007). Practitioners of the art form look for places where communication and coexistence are damaged by inequality and injustice. Their goal is to help individuals share their values ​​and experiences while feeling supported by their neighbours, co-workers, or peers as they narrate their own stories (Park- Fuller, 2003). Once these communities are identified, the corp of actors works with the members of the chosen community in finding a space to host the enactment. This cooperation is an integral part of PT as it empowers the community to be part of the process and so be more invested in its resolution.

On a more global scale, PT has been used as the framework for forums in which victims of natural disasters, climate change, violence, or immigration issues, can share their experiences (Feldhendler, 2009). As an example, in the summer of 2008, the Centre for Playback Theatre organised a program called ‘After the Storm: Mobilizing Playback Theatre for Communities in Crisis” in New Orleans, the city which took the brunt of a hurricane which destroyed much of the city and its coast in 2005.

In relation to violence and immigration matters, PT players have gone into prisons and have interacted with inmates, helping them to find methods of reconciliation, and have hosted sessions in immigration support groups and their host communities, aiding them to build bridges across cultural misunderstandings and language barriers (Barreto, 2008).

2.3.            In companies

The theatre company has also successfully donned the role of supervisors and counsellors in a coaching format. Since the mid-1990s PT has most frequently been used as an effective ongoing training strategy on a variety of topics such as management and communication skills, and awareness of diversity (Stronks, 2013). In some cases, participants have described events that occur in the workplace on a regular basis which gave rise to conflicts or feelings of dissatisfaction. The actors represent the stories told and the conductor organizes a debate on the representation. In these sessions, participants later describe how they obtained valuable lessons from the process (Dennis, 2004).

2.4.           In psychotherapy, hospitals and mental health services

Although not a therapeutic technique per se, PT does have therapeutic properties and can be adapted by specially trained therapists to use with their patients with excellent results. In a more general forum, participants obtain, among other benefits, self-awareness, opportunity for catharsis, connection with others and personal expression development (Salas, 2008). Presented always with an  underlying lyrical and light touch, the process helps participants improve their self-esteem, promote relaxation, and connect with a greater sense of empathy (Moran and Allon, 2011). It has also been used in mental health services (Larkinson and Rowe, 2003).

3.       The harmony of Playback Theatre and CLIL methodology

Versatile and adaptable, PT has been used in a variety of communities and settings. One of its most valuable faces is as a straightforward educational tool to help students learn with the added benefit of reaching all students’ varied learning styles that are not addressed in the traditional teaching model.

Teachers have been challenging educational norms for centuries – breaking boundaries of what was (and still is) generally accepted in a classroom, analyzing the effects of autocratic teaching, and considering the results (or lack thereof) of lessons with a singular focus. Dedicated professionals have been experimenting with alternative forms of presenting material to students so as to reach, engage, and motivate all of them. Just as PT has dared to break the fourth wall in order to merge the two worlds of art and audience, educators, too, have stepped into the center of the classroom, leaving behind their posturing in front of and sometimes even above the students, in order to create a dynamic in which learning experience is shared.

The intention for many teachers now is to integrate lessons in all its senses – physically, philosophically, logistically – that are geared not towards rote memorization but rather to a variety of learning styles. This model is seen more and more as the appropriate and desired framework of curriculum dispersion in the educational setting. Formulized today under the acronym CLIL and championed by educators world-wide, this student-centered classroom is more a philosophy than a methodology. The classroom is not a space surrounded by immutable walls which house straight rows of desks isolated one from the other, facing an omnipotent and supposedly omniscient queen/king figure who lectures to submissive and passive students. Instead it is one in which everyone has equal value, and equal importance. The teacher serves as a facilitator and creates a forum within which the students work together to assimilate the information in their own way.

Yet, even though this structure and perspective towards education has gained a dedicated following, and the benefits are undeniable, there is still a dearth of materials and resources available. The result is that most CLIL teachers have to create most of the materials themselves. This involves an enormous amount of work that is, even in the best circumstances, overwhelming for even the most dedicated. As a result, teachers desirous of new, meaningful and authentic ways of presenting curriculum, look for frameworks that they can use and adapt, in order to animate their students. PT is just such a structure. Moreover, the theatre is a space which is known in Spanish as “las Cinco Cs” – cuerpo, corazón, cerebro, context y creatividad. In other words, the five elements that energize and bring a story to life in the theatre are: the body, the heart, the head, the context and creativity. First, one has to react with the body, next with the heart, and finally with reflection and knowledge (the head). The last element – the combination of reflection and knowledge, one does in a multicultural context, all in a creative environment (creativity) (Laferrière y Motos, 2003: 92).

The CLIL methodology is denoted in PT’s very platform. A teacher taking the CLIL template and applying to it PT’s structure, will find that every element fits cleanly into each identifier. Scaffolding, for instance, credited as the key ingredient in helping students ease into a new subject, builds on a student’s existing knowledge, skills, attitudes, interests and experience, fostering creative and critical thinking, and challenging students to advance (Mehisto: 2014). This corresponds to PT’s method of beginning each session with different forms of ice-breaking techniques, and involving the audience in the choice of topics that will be subsequently developed throughout the enactment. The feature of creating a Safe and Enriching Environment for students – using routine activities and discourse, guiding access to authentic learning materials – is reflected in PT’s ritualistic approach to the artistic form, and of using personal stories from the audience members themselves.

In CLIL’s Active Learning denominator, synonymous with the balance of the interaction of the conductor and the rest of the participants in a PT event, the teacher acts as facilitator, while the stress during the lesson is on student involvement. A CLIL teacher’s job is to inspire students to communicate, just as the conductor’s role is to encourage the PT narrator to share; the students in a CLIL classroom are given the opportunity to take part in choosing the content of studies just as it is the PT narrator’s choice of what story to share; the CLIL methodology encourages students to take part in the evaluative outcomes just as it is up to the narrator to assess the veracity of the enactment to the narrative. The CLIL teacher and the PT conductor share the distinction of being seemingly background players while being ultimately responsible for all the action and exchanges which occur during a class/enactment.

The last two core features of the CLIL methodology, Authenticity and Multiple Focus are just as intrinsic to the PT format. Authenticity – or the importance of maximizing students’ interests in any subject and making regular connections to students’ lives – is featured in the instance of using real stories from the audience members, while Multiple Focus – or the importance of integrating several subjects and reflecting on the learning process – is reflected in the different narrations which are presented during the course of any enactment, plus the opportunity PT gives to the narrator to reflect on whether unexpected issues were resolved during the enactment and whether others had been resolved.  .

3.1.   Expounding on ways to use PT in the CLIL classroom:

Theory aside, teachers need specifics and not just the framework when applying new methodology to their classrooms. It is the intention of this paper, not only to present the theory of the symbiotic relationship between CLIL methodology and that of PT, but to also present concrete ways which CLIL teachers can adapt and use PT in their classes. The following are just a few examples of CLIL lessons[1]:

Social Sciences:

·         The Narrator: The teacher chooses student who is strong in linguistic intelligence

·         Actors: The teacher chooses four or five students who have demonstrated difficulties in the subject.

·         Conductor: The teacher.

·         Musician: A member of the student body with strong musical intelligence.

·         Prologue: The teacher explains the format of the lesson.

·         Presentation of Actors: The chosen four/five present themselves to the group, though they are well-known beforehand.

·         Ice-breaking games with audience: The teacher (now the conductor) might ask the ‘audience’ questions about a chapter that they have been studying, keeping the tone light and perhaps asking trick questions, always with the intention of helping the students relax.

·         Choosing the theme: The teacher can let the students choose the chapter/issue that they will elaborate on during the session. In this case the students have chosen the unit on World War I.

·         Fluid Structure: If the students are very comfortable with each other, the teacher can attempt to elaborate this part of the process. It may, however, be embarrassing for many students and this can always be passed over if the teacher feels that it will create more anxiety than benefits.

·         First Interview: The teacher asks the narrator to speak about the world leaders leading up to World War I and their role in the events that caused its outbreak. The actors pay close attention in order to be able to personify one of the world leaders and know what to say. In true PT style, the teacher repeats the key points related to the narrator (subtly correcting or clarifying any points that may have been related incorrectly or ambiguously) so that the actors and the ‘audience’ have the benefit of hearing the information again. (This would be at least the third time they have been presented with this information, the first time being during previous class time.) The teacher then asks the narrator to choose which actor will play which world leader.

·         Setting up: The teacher will have provided props that the actors can use (in a general PT session these are more general; however, since the teacher knows beforehand the general topics that will be developed, more specific props can be included), and at this time those who have been assigned roles choose any objects that will aid them in personifying the their character.

·         Enactment: The teacher uses the transitory phrase ‘Let’s watch!’ and the actors work together to portray her/his character’s involvement in the events leading up to the war. The PT framework has a built in safety guard for times when the actors lose focus or they are unclear on how to proceed, or are simply portraying the narration incorrectly. To avoid embarrassment, the teacher simply asks the actors to pause and asks the narrator if there are parts of the enactment that need clarification, elaboration or change. This gives everyone time to get back on track and see and portray the facts faithfully.

·         Acknowledgement: Once the bulk of the information has been acted out and if the actors do not pause themselves, the teacher can step in to determine whether they have reached a natural stopping place, at which time the students on stage will assume the pose of acknowledgement towards the narrator.

·         Returning to the narrator: The teacher will direct the narrator to report on whether there are any inconsistencies, and as such will have one more opportunity to repeat sections that need adjustments. The teacher will then address the actors and ask them to readdress those areas.

·         New interviews, enactments and acknowledgments: The teacher will then choose a different narrator (also with linguistic skills), different actors (preferably others who need a review in the subject using different intelligences), and will again ask for suggestions of another unit to focus on. The process then begins again.

·         Closing sequence, review, and a farewell: At the end of the session, the teacher can ask each group of actors to return to the stage and repeat key points of the unit that they have brought to life. The teacher can also use this opportunity to elaborate or clarify certain points of each unit covered.

Math

·         The Narrator: A student who is strong in logical intelligence.

·         Actors: Four or five students who have demonstrated difficulties in the subject.

·         Conductor: The teacher.

·         Musician: Same as above.

·         Prologue: Same as above.

·         Presentation of Actors: Same as above.

·         Ice-breaking games with audience: The teacher (now the conductor) might present some logic or critical thinking problems, keeping the tone light and helping the students break down whatever resistance they may have towards the subject.

·         Choosing the theme: The teacher can let the students choose the mathematical function to be focused on. In this case, the students have chosen geometric shapes.

·         Fluid Structure of Verbal Stimulus from Audience Members: Same as above.

·         First Interview: The teacher asks the narrator to give the definition of various geometric shapes. The actors pay close attention in order to be able to figure out a way of physically exemplifying each one. The teacher repeats the definitions (subtly clarifying any that may have been related too ambiguously), so that the actors and the ‘audience’ have the benefit of hearing the information yet once more. The teacher then asks the narrator to assign roles to the actors – each one will be in charge of one of the shapes.

·         Setting up: The teacher will have provided props that the actors can use and at this time those who have been assigned roles choose any objects that will aid them in manifesting the shapes. As above, knowing the subject, the teacher can choose specific props or provide generic ones that can be used for any session.

·         Enactment: When the teacher feels that the scene is set, the transitory phrase ‘Let’s watch!’ is spoken. In this case, the interaction of the actors is a bit different. Each actor has been assigned a geometric shape and so that person will direct the others in how to form it on the stage. Once one shape has been formed and the definition given, the next actor takes charge and another geometric shape is presented. At any time the director can intercede if a shape or definition is forgotten or presented incorrectly, but for the most part, the actors can work together, clarifying and adjusting each shape.

·         Acknowledgement: Once all the shapes named and defined by the narrator have been presented, they face the narrator and make the appropriate posture of acknowledgement.

·         Returning to the narrator: The teacher will then direct the narrator to report on whether the shapes have been accurately formed and defined. If there are any inconsistencies, the narrator will repeat the definition and the teacher will ask the actors to readdress those areas.

·         New interviews, enactments and acknowledgments: The teacher will then choose a different narrator, different actors, and will ask the students to decide on another unit which they will then develop.

·         Closing sequence, and a farewell: The teacher can ask each group of actors to return to the stage and repeat the mathematical functions that they have brought to life.

4.       Linguistic Elements of PT and CLIL Methodology

Although there are cases in theatre in which words are non-existent, such as in the behaviouristic mime experiment Act Without Words by Samuel Beckett, or in physical theatre, the spoken word is generally accepted as the key element in acting. Conceptually different from one culture to another, theatre can be perceived with a stress either on oral or visual senses. In native English-speaking countries, for instance, audiences are listeners by definition, whereas in Spanish-speaking countries, the stress is on the visual as an audience is called espectador (spectator). Among others, Jonathan Fox (1994), Jo Salas (2005), Daniel Feldhendler (2005, 2006 and 2009) and Janet Salas (2006) have written extensively on the relationship between PT and some aspects of verbal language.

The different linguistic roles within a PT group are relevant to the subsequent verbal expression and subliminal learning. Janet Salas (2006) delineates each member’s role with the following distinctions:

The integration of content and verbal language is the core principal of CLIL methodology – the fluid exchange of language and content. The CLIL teacher creates occasions for the students to interact within the language as much as possible using curriculum content as the impetus.  These linguistic opportunities are built in to the PT framework and the teacher need only follow the established steps set forth in the PT structure to be able to present an extraordinary environment in which students can practice and dramatically improve their linguistic skills.

There are, of course, certain linguistic elements which need to be at the students’ disposal to ensure able their ability communicate in a foreign language. On a general scale, the students need to have learned the appropriate vocabulary in any given subject to be able to: describe, explain, evaluate, and draw conclusions. On a more specific note, along with the above, students participating in a PT enactment need to be actively developing aural comprehension, as much of their work is listening and interpreting stories from the narrator and receiving verbal cues from the conductor.

In the context of second-language learning, whether as a student participating in a classroom adaptation, or as a member of the corp players, the effectiveness of PT has been proven to be overwhelmingly effective. Janet Salas (2006: 3-4), whose mother tongue is English (New Zealand), is a teacher of German and EFL, and conducts a group of PT using German in their performances. As part of her ongoing analysis of the PT effectiveness, Salas collected her students’ opinions on participating in PT in a second language, related to whether their experience helped their language learning or not. The following are two responses:

– What was more important for me than learning a language [in this case English] while participating in PT, was the way of learning it. (The medium was more important than the results). The learning process is more subliminal, you learn by doing, by imitating the native speakers and other group members (the corp of actors. I identified with them, almost like children who learn by experiencing everyday life with their parents or other grown ups…. The way to understand a language through stories is more complex but also more powerful. You learn to understand and speak in another language by context, by playing singing and dancing is a joyful way.

– The learning of the foreign language by doing PT is much more effective than learning with books or other methods. It is learning with all senses and emotions. When I, as a German speaker, trained for a PT enactment with an English-speaking (American) audience, it was such an intensive experience that that night I dreamt in English. (Salas, 2006: 4).

There are essentially two options in applying a second language in a PT enactment. The first is that the conductor and actors use their native language (L2) which would be the targeted language of study of the audience members (L2). The second possibility is that the actors and the conductor use L1, which would be the native language of the majority of the audience members, but not that of the corp of actors. A high level of concentration is necessary on the part of an audience which attends a function of PT in a second language (L2) to be able to understand the stories told and to follow the course of the drama. Salas lays out the necessary skills students would need in more detail (2006: 7).

The students would need to be able to:

•          listen and understand not only the narration of the performances but also different accents, slang, idioms, etc.

•          talk to strangers or acquaintances about personal matters

•          speak in front of strangers

•          participate in an interaction which includes comprehension of questions and the ability to respond appropriately.

While language communication in the traditional language class is generally disjointed, concentrating heavily on limited phrases and dialogue used out of any connected context, PT:

Provides a context for real, personal communication, where the language is a tool and all stimuli are present. Even when working on playback theatre in the medium of another language with the intention of acquiring or improving the language, the focus is, as in any other PT context, on the person and the group and communication rather than the language. While the enactment of stories told provides the chance to “practise” real-life situations, the group transactions are real.
(Salas, 2006: 14)

Daniel Feldhendler, a professor of French at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, is arguably the leading advocate and expert of PT in L2 teaching. He considers the PT as a practical and comprehensive approach to language training and as a tool for innovation in alternative methods of teaching and learning for both initial studies and advanced studies.

Playback Theatre actively trains the skill of reflection as a mode of enhanced perception of self and others in communication.  An integration of the underlying Playback skills which is a great significance in verbal communication takes place: active listening, hermeneutically deepened understanding of a message, transposing through a variety of modes of expression (body, voice, etc.), learning of appropriate verbal and non-verbal interactive response, dealing with feelings, learning as a transformative process and deepening of awareness, adoption of integrative feedback methods, building a pool of shared experience through process analysis, and perception of interpersonal and thematic connections. (Feldhendler, (2009: 4).

Moreover he states that conflict can be explored through the stories of the tellers and the group’s life stories. He emphasizes that PT contains very useful tools for mediation and sensitization in multicultural and educational settings. The fact that the stories told are personal is an incomparable experience for the students, as they are expressing things relevant to themselves and being empowered in this way.

5.       Conclusion

In this chapter, we have attempted to explain the components and framework of a Playback Theatre session and how it can be used quite effectively by teachers who follow the CLIL methodology.  We have included two specific examples of the use of this theatrical format in general, firstly with an adult audience, and secondly with high school students, both with the goal of creating community and with a stress on demonstrating the importance of PT in the practice of being able to express oneself and to be heard. We have explained how suitable PT is in the educational format and have presented concrete ways of applying the structure in a CLIL classroom. PT is an optimal application of the CLL methodology for the development and promotion of interactive, communicative and creative key skills.

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[1] Note: The lessons below refer to ‘different intelligences’ meaning those outlined by Howard Gardner’s ‘Theory of Multiple Intelligences’, an integral part of a student-centered classroom.

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