What Country, Friends, Is This? by Max Hafler

Author:Max Hafler [Hafler, Max]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788503891
Publisher: Nick Hern Books
Published: 2021-08-29T16:00:00+00:00

Issues of Physical Contact: The Way I Deal with It

In the drama studio there needs to be an atmosphere of trust as we explore the play, ourselves and our character. As someone who has worked with young people for a long time, I am aware one has to be mindful of things going on in their lives that we don’t know about. However, I am beginning to fear that young people are afraid to touch each other, which for theatre can be extremely problematic. In Physicalising the Psychology (an approach we use later in this chapter) it is sometimes required that the actors have to touch, push or hold each other. So how do we resolve this, particularly with young adults? After several people, in a recent class I taught, kept asking permission to hold someone or touch someone’s hand, I made a series of rules, as follows:

• I say that this is a safe space and that no one is allowed to do anything inappropriate to anyone else.

• At the same time, we have to recognise that we are acting and to explore character and relationship, some physical contact must be allowed: the condition is we ask permission and it is granted. This cannot happen every single time physical contact occurs because it breaks the energy of the movement.

• At the start of the session I ask whether anyone feels unwell or would mind theoretically being held or pulled around the room, or whatever might be required. If everyone says they are okay, then I remind them they can change their mind later in the session: just to let me know. If this action was likely to be something strenuous I would perhaps ask again. Basically, however, when we have agreed once, permission has been given for the session. There is no need to keep asking!

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