Nursery World - In on the act (1)

Imagining yourself as someone else must surely be the first lesson in citizenship - but besides that, it's fun. Youth theatre organiser Alex Marker shows you how to run drama sessions in a new bi-monthly series i have an admission to make. When I first stood in front of a group of children as a drama group leader, I had no training. My only experience was drawn from the time I had spent participating in drama groups. I remembered what had interested or bored me in those sessions, and also where my various drama leaders, some good, some bad, had been successful or unsuccessful. Full of a well-meaning desire to give something back I had volunteered to run a group myself - I suspect I was rather hit or miss for the first few terms.

i have an admission to make. When I first stood in front of a group of children as a drama group leader, I had no training. My only experience was drawn from the time I had spent participating in drama groups. I remembered what had interested or bored me in those sessions, and also where my various drama leaders, some good, some bad, had been successful or unsuccessful. Full of a well-meaning desire to give something back I had volunteered to run a group myself - I suspect I was rather hit or miss for the first few terms.

But I soon realised that a crucial question a drama leader has to consider, even before deciding the content of the sessions, is, 'Where am I leading my group?' And, 'What do I want them to get out of the experience?'

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