Workshop 3 – Jimmy

For each of the workshop activities, remember to uphold the expectations of your class and the accompanying resources in the links and activities on the Respectful learning page. These expectations should be regularly reflected on and discussed as part of the activities for this resource.

Review p 34 of Teaching First Nations Content and Concepts in the Drama Classroom on Ilbijerri Theatre Company's education webpage, and discuss what is appropriate and not appropriate when learning about and performing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander characters in the school classroom. Note: your teacher may wish to review this with the whole class.

You may want to make these expectations clear and accessible for members of the class to access, if you have not already done so.

Teacher note

The selection of sources and issues investigated in this exercise should be considered within the specific school context and in line with the Controversial Issues in Schools Policy.

Lesson intention

To understand how character development across the play Stolen shapes an audience's understanding of the similarities and differences for characters in cultural, social, political and personal responses to issues or concerns in theatre. By focusing on the journey of one character, you may also be able to appreciate how a multi-character play juxtaposes character journeys around issues, concerns or events like The Stolen Generations.

Assumed knowledge

It is assumed that you have completed Activity 2 on the Respectful learning page, including accessing associated resources on Ilbijerri Theatre Company's education webpage.

Instructions

• As a whole class, collate Jimmy’s scenes and read as a linear story.  Answer the questions below. 

  1. • Where are the moments of hope for Jimmy?  

     • How does Harrison ensure that the fairy-tale of happy reunions is replaced with the painful truth and trauma of unrequited searching and lost hope?

• Whose story does Jimmy represent in the wider story of intergenerational trauma? With your teacher's guidance, investigate the facts about deaths in custody and incarceration rates for Aboriginal and Torres Islander Peoples. 

• Reconvene as a class to discuss what you found through your investigation.

• As a class, stage the scene ‘What do you do?' from the play. You might wish to appoint directors, or direct as a whole class through suggestions facilitated by your teacher.

• Focus on manipulating proxemics and movement choices to represent the intimacy and connection that both mother and son seek, but are ultimately denied.

• You might also want to explore the impact of sound and projection to deepen the audience engagement with the new trauma that awaits Jimmy. 

• After you've staged and performed the scene, discuss how the mood of anticipation is shifted in the staging of the mother’s death, in contrast with Jimmy’s energised anticipation?  

• Now work in small groups of 3 or 4 to create an imagined staging of the scene (1 to 2 minutes).

  1. • Consider how historical documents and images may be interwoven/integrated into the staging of Jimmy’s story to highlight the wider cultural, social, political and personal issues. 

     • Consider what you have learned about contemporary Australian theatre conventions to enhance your staging and engage audiences in Harrison's intended meaning in the script.

• Share your staging with the class.

Note: where appropriate, consider adjusting Steps 8 and 9 to be a director's pitch.

• Prepare a director’s pitch to present to the class where they outline what they would do with this scene.

• The pitch should last no more than 2 minutes.

• During the pitch, the director may be accompanied by very short clips of performance (5 seconds), a tableaux of images, or sample performance elements (such as intended accompanying music for the scene).

Reflection

• Take some time as a class after everyone's performances (or pitches) and document your experiential examples for your study note table. 

• Consider the multiple meanings being communicated across the samples of performance and how they impact audiences in different ways.

• Select 2 examples of performance and compare them in your note table.

For a suggestion on how to structure a note table, refer to the Study notes page.