My News, Your News Workshop
(12 – 26 yrs) all year
What makes the news? Stories that influence us
WORKSHOP BY JOANNA LUCAS
We are delighted to offer a new drama workshop that will not only engage and entertain your students, but also let them learn about the way stories in the media shape and influence our thinking.
In a time where information is everywhere and we are confronted by news stories in so many ways, understanding how stories are designed to influence and affect us is key to developing independent thoughts and opinions. Using group discussion, real world examples and drama games, students explore the impact of the stories we share and how we tell them.
Information
| COST | €320 / 1 hour (60 minutes, no break) €480 / 1,5 hours (90 minutes, no break) recommended length € 740 / 3 hours (180 minutes, with break) Prices are negotiable, discounts for more than one session |
| DATE | School year 2022-2023 |
| RUNNING TIME | You can choose to have a 1,5 or a 3 hours session. You can also suggest different running times. |
| VENUE | Your school or a location you provide |
| AGE RANGE | 12 – 26 years – the workshops are tailored to the age of your students |
| PARTICIPANTS |
The workshop is the most effective and enjoyable for participants when there are maximum 15 students with a workshop leader. We advise two sessions OR two workshop leaders if you have more students than 15. Get in touch to discuss details. |
| LANGUAGE | English (Joanna Lucas is from the UK) |
| REQUEST A SPECIFIC THEME | Do you have a theme you are currently working on with your group? Are you covering news, headlines and what’s behind it? This workshop is a perfect compliment to your project. |
Key areas of focus
- Non-formal learning through drama
- An entertaining and engaging way to learn about oneself and the world
- Gaining confidence and owning your opinion
- Learning about and practicing active citizenship
- Using theatre games to explore the impact of stories
- Exploring the power of stories and the intenthion behind them
Key benefits to students
- Creative and independent thinking
- Communication skills
- Empathy skills
- Develop resourcefulness
- Learning to be an active participant of a group, society
Meet your workshop leader
Joanna is a British actress. She trained at Drama Studio London, graduating in 2013, and since then he has worked in television, radio and theatre. Her work as a performer spans from new writing and contemporary drama to Shakespeare, with plenty of singing and dancing along the way!
Ultimately, she believes in stories as one of the most valuable forms of communication. We see how news reports full of statistics leave us cold, but documentaries about the real people involved in tragedy, telling their personal tale, can be incredibly powerful. This belief in telling and connecting with stories has led her to work extensively with young people and adults as an English communication and acting coach, and workshop facilitator. She hopes to help people find their own voice, to tell the stories they want to share.
Workshop plans
90 mins workshop:
This workshop gives students the opportunity to explore how news stories are presented in the media, developing their own ideas about how these choices influence our perception. Using theatre techniques, they can discover how body language and presentation style affect our response to information, culminating in an informal presentation to their peers of their own news story.
| 15mins | Drama warm-up games |
| 10 minutes | Look at some real news headlines. Why did they make the front page? How are headlines designed to attract readers? |
| 20 minutes | Drama games to explore how body language, voice and context affect how we process information. |
| 10 minutes | In groups, explore how a given news story can be portrayed positively or negatively. |
| 20 minutes | Rehearse your news story with a reporter, news reader and witness. |
| 15 minutes | Group presentations and feedback |
3 hour workshop:
This longer session follows the structure of the 90 minute workshop, but allows more time for your students to develop their own fictional news stories and discover more detailed techniques to develop their public-speaking skills. Character development and more in-depth group work and rehearsal will culminate in a final performance of their own, television-style, news report.
Possible fictional news stories to explore in groups:
All Dutch school children will have to wear uniforms: Create a news story that promotes this as good / bad news.
Children under 18 will no longer have access to Instagram. Create a news story that spins this as good / bad news.
Booking and information
E: education@theenglishtheatre.nl
T: +31 6 20431919
