A Dramatic Metaphor - Tracy Krauss

"All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts."

As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 7

I couldn't help myself. I've been teaching Drama full time for almost eighteen years and seem to find a lot of useful metaphors from the theatre. This month we're talking about metaphors for writing, but this one applies to all of life. Specifically, I want to highlight two key principles of improvisation. (Side note: I'll be facilitating a workshop at the Fall Conference called 'Acting Up' which includes improv!

Good improv has few rules, but there are two basic ones that can make or break the success of any given session. They are: 1) the rule of agreement and 2) be a giver. 

The rule of agreement' simply means that the actor must 'buy in' to whatever is suggested by his or her scene partner. Some people mistakenly interpret this to mean "Always say yes," but it's a little more complicated than that. Without the rule of agreement, a scene can die a quick and often disastrous death. (I've given some examples below.*)

So it is in life. As Christians we need to 'buy in' to God's plan for our lives. This means we are acting upon what God is telling us, not necessarily what other people suggest. We can't always say "Yes" to people, but we must always say "Yes" to God, knowing He will bring about an outcome that will be just right for our lives.

'Be a giver' is the next most important rule in improv. It's not enough to 'buy in' to a suggestion on stage. It's each actor's job to provide information to keep moving the scene forward. If one actor is carrying the entire scene it begins to look lopsided. The 'giver' might even get tired and give up. When the actors work together, however, bouncing ideas off one another, it is a spectacular thing to watch.

This principle can also be applied to real life. We need to be supporting others in their journey, not always taking for ourselves. Being a giver isn't always easy. It can be hard work and sometimes it takes us outside our comfort zone, but in the end the rewards are great for everyone involved.




It reminds me of Jesus' response when He was asked which was the greatest commandment. In Luke 10:27 He said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind." This is a full scale 'buy in', just like the 'Rule of Agreement'. Then He goes on to say, "And love your neighbour as yourself." What better way to love other people than by being a giver?
_______________________________________

*Examples of the rules in action:

Peggy: Hi Grandma. How are you today?

Bill: I'm not your Grandma.

Done. Dead. Scene over. Nothing kills a scene more quickly than Bill NOT agreeing to

Peggy's suggestion that he is her Grandma. Boo! Let's do that over.



Peggy: Hi Grandma. How are you today?

Bill: Your meds are making you hallucinate again. I'm not your Grandma, remember?

Bill still isn't buying in, but at least he gave Peggy another avenue to carry the scene forward.



Peggy: Hi Grandma. How are you today?

Bill: Just fine, dearie, Come on in and I'll fix you some cocoa after I feed my pet rhinoceros. 

Okay... probably not what Peggy was expecting, but Bill bought in to her idea AND

offered new information that she now has to run with.

_______________________________

Tracy Krauss continues to write - and play theatre games - in her role as Drama teacher at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Visit her website for more: http://tracykrauss.com  

- fiction on the edge without crossing the line -

A Little of This and a Bit of That - Tracy Krauss

In case you missed it, here is this month's theme and prompt: (And I want to give a shout out to Sandi Somers for these wonderfully creative prompts each month.)

"Do you ever wonder what other writers do when they’re not writing? Some of the most accomplished and prolific writers don’t sit at their computers all day. Take Madeline L’Engle, who refreshed herself as she played the piano. Or take our InScribe blog moderator, Tracy Krauss, who loves quilting and drama. Sally Meadows is a singer/songwriter, and Jan Cox is an artist. (I could go on…)"

"Prompt: Tell us about your other art form. It can be something in the range of fine arts, or it can be an artistic garden, woodworking project or creative activities with your children. Can you find a larger meaning for your creativity and the Holy Spirit’s inspiration to you?"

_____________________

"Fall Splendour"

As it said in the prompt, I do like quilting and drama, although I haven't done much quilting in the past few years because of eye trouble. (It is too difficult to thread my needle. One of these days I'm going to invest in a self threading machine, but until then...) I have several pages on my blog dedicated to various creative pursuits. To see each one, click the links: 

My quilting page.

Drama on the other hand takes up a lot of my time since it is one of the subjects I teach at the secondary school level. In fact, this very day - June 15 - my students are performing twice - once in the afternoon for the entire school population and once in the evening for the public. They just finished two performances yesterday as well, so tonight is closing night. I put a lot of heart and soul into my 'kids', as I call them. We do two major shows per year and spend pretty much ten out of twelve months rehearsing. I often write the plays but this year we chose two scripts that were already published: Knights of the Rad Table by Pat Lydersen and And Then There Was One by Michael Druce. The first is a King Arthur parody and the second a spoof on an Agatha Christie murder mystery. Super fun... super exhausting... 

My drama page. 

scene from my play  'Mutiny On Mt Olympus'

part of a series I did for Christmas gifts

My first artistic love, however, was drawing. I filled sketchbook upon sketchbook as a child and I went on to study Fine Art at university, getting my degree in Art Education. I still teach Secondary School Art and enjoy it as much as teaching Drama, and I still love to paint and draw in my 'spare' time... (Spare time? That concept is actually laughable!) I do try to enter at least one piece in our regional juried art show each year.  

My Art page.

in my Art classroom

I lead worship at our church and find that playing the piano, especially worship songs, is a wonderful stress reliever. It is probably my best go-to activity when I just need to decompress. I have a piano at home, but I love to go over to the church when no one else is there and play the grand piano. It is very cathartic and I find it brings a lot of clarity, which is logical since it is really just another way to worship and connect with God on a one-on-one basis. No music page. (*smile*)

After reading the other posts this month, I am impressed with what a truly diverse and artistic bunch we are. It makes sense that writers, who are some of the most inventive people around, would also be creative in other areas as well. 

Tracy's Website