Developing Self-Esteem
& Social Skills
through Theater
2008 NODCC Conference
Cherry Hill, NJ
Presented by
Cindy Schneider
Susan March
ACTING ANTICS Inc.
Neurological Differences
CEREBRAL CORTEX
FRONTAL LOBE
!!
!
AMYGDALA
&
HIPPOCAMPUS
CEREBELLUM
BRAINSTEM
Corpus Callosum Disorders*
*NODCC 2008
»  Abnormality in structure of the brain
»  The CC does not develop typically
»  Can be diagnosed through MRI or
CAT scan
»  Does not worsen, nor can it be
“cured” at this time
DCC Challenges to Selfesteem
»  Delays in reaching developmental
milestones (ex. walking, talking, reading)
»  Clumsiness/difficulty with bilateral
coordination (ex. swimming, riding a bike,
tying shoes, pencil-paper tasks)
»  Learning difficulties (esp. related to
abstract concepts, reasoning, problemsolving)
»  Social confusion (becoming worse as
child approaches adolescence)
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Social Confusion with
Language
Social Confusion with Nonverbal Communicaiton
»  May not understand common
expressions, metaphors, double meanings
for words, exaggerations, etc.
»  May not “get” a joke (or be able to make
one)
»  May not understand how to initiate or
enter a conversation
»  May not understand the reciprocal
nature of conversation
»  May misunderstand:
body language
facial expression
tone of voice
»  May not pick up on sarcasm or other’s
intentions
»  May not understand social conventions or
“hidden curriculums”
Social Confusion with
People-Awareness
»  May not understand that others have feelings
and thoughts that are different than their own
»  May not understand the consequences of
their behavior (how it affects others)
»  May not recognize the purpose of taking turns
and making compromises
»  May not use appropriate motor planning to
avoid violating another’s “life space” (ex.
stepping on toes, bumping or crowding
another)
»  May have limited insight into their own
challenges
Social Confusion May Lead To…
»  Difficulty making and keeping friends
»  Seeking attention for attention sake;
negative reactions from peers may be
seen as better than being ignored
»  Poor self concept
»  Poor self-control or regulation
»  Vulnerability to suggestion (gullible)
»  Easy targets for bullies
2
Enter …
ACTING
Components of being an
audience
»  Reading body language
»  Reading facial expressions
»  Interpreting vocal tone, volume
»  Understanding the content and
context of the situation
Why Theatre?
»  Recreational activity
»  Conducive to teaching social
cues and interpretation
»  Interacting is an integral part of
acting
»  It builds self-esteem
»  It’s fun!
»  It’s not called Social Skills!!
Components of being
an actor
»  Using appropriate body language
»  Using appropriate facial expression
»  Modulating vocal tone and volume
»  Portraying meaning and context
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From here on. . .
BIG 3
»  Body Language
»  Facial Expression
»  Vocal Tone and
Modulation
Rules of Acting
»  Never hurt another actor
!  Physically
!  Feelings
»  Listen to the director
Name Game
Name game
»  Introductory circle game
»  All actors and directors where
nametags
»  One person looks across circle at
another person, claps & says that
person’s name
»  Second person does the same, etc,
4
Skills in “Name Game”
»  Learning names/faces
The Power
»  Using body face to give message
»  Break the ice
»  Work as a group
“The Power”
»  Pass clap around circle in one
direction
»  The person who has “the power”
gets to change direction
»  Eventually multiple people have
“the power”
Skills in “The Power”
»  Works on focus and attention
»  Must pick up body cues for where
the clap is going
»  Promotes the ability to “shift”
»  Repetition increases the ability to
shift quickly
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Spongebob
Squarepants
Skills in Spongebob
Spongebob
»  Circle or line
»  Director gives a feeling word to
actor
»  Actors use body language, facial
expression, vocal tone to express
emotion
»  Say BAMBOOZLE using that emotion
Scenes from a Hat
»  Begin to work on the “BIG 3”
»  Can scaffold easily to levels of
actor
»  Build confidence
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Scenes from a Hat
»  Pair given a common scenario
with a minor conflict
»  Actors create dialogue on the
spot, reacting to one another
»  Must come to some resolution/
ending
Blah, Blah…
Blah,blah
Blah,blah
Skills in “Scenes From A Hat”
»  Working with a partner
»  Being attentive to partner
»  Using verbal and non-verbal
communication
»  REACTING to verbal AND non-verbal
communication of partner
»  Analyzing outcomes of
communication
“Blah Blah”
»  More abstract version of “Scenes from a
Hat”
»  Pair given a common scenario with
conflict
»  Only verbalization allowed is “Blah, Blah”
»  Two characters have “Blah Blah”
conversation about conflict
»  Must come to some resolution/ending
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Skills in “Blah Blah”
»  Portray meaning without words, with nonverbals
»  Read meaning without words , with nonverbals
»  Conflict resolution
»  Reinforce concept that one person’s
action causes a reaction
Props
»  Use common objects
!  Kitchen tools, containers, odds & ends
!  Ex: ladle, roll of masking tape, basket, scarf
»  Have actor choose one
»  Actor uses it as something entirely
different than its intended use
»  Audience guesses what the object is now
supposed to be
Props
Props
»  Intention is not to stump audience,
but to make it really clear
»  Actor calls on audience member
who are raising hands to guess.
»  If audience cannot guess, actor
may need help giving more
information.
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Skills in “Props”
»  Thinking about what others know
»  Thinking about what others see and
perceive
»  Creative thinking
»  Risk taking
“Taxi Driver”
»  Four chairs set up-2 front and 2 back
»  Three actors start in car
»  New person comes up to car as “driver”
with a specific persona
»  Other members in car must emulate that
same persona
»  Director yells “switch” and actors rotate
and new driver comes in with new
persona
Taxi Driver
Comments about
“Taxi Driver”
»  Rehearse rotation scheme before playing
»  Brainstorm different characters before playing
»  Difficult for some actors especially those who are
less confident to come up with a character
»  Option to choose from brainstorming list
9
Skills in “Taxi Driver”
»  Motor planning
»  Attending to fellow actors and
emulating a persona
»  “Shifting”- quickly
»  Creative thinking
»  Increasing confidence so that one
is willing to ‘take a risk’
Partner Scenes
Examples
»  Bank Robber
»  Politician
»  Elderly
woman/man
»  Robot
»  Cool dude
»  Firefighter
»  Cowboy
»  S-L-O-W talker
»  Movie Star
»  Sports announcer
Partner Scenes
»  Scene from everyday life
»  Understand meaning of dialogue
and develop a character
»  Memorize scene if possible
»  Perform for audience of peers
»  Discuss context, social implications,
language usage with group
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Partner scenes
»  Two or three actors
»  Scene from everyday life
»  Can have a message
»  Can have some humor
»  Students work on them week after week
»  Highlight their lines
»  Understand meaning and develop a
character
»  Perform for audience of peers
Skills in small group scenes
»  Taking direction from director
»  Learning basic stage movement,
blocking
»  Taking the perspective of the
character
»  Thinking about the perspective of
the audience
Group Scenes
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Larger Group Scenes
The showcase
»  Short Skits with entire group of
actors
»  “Punch line “Scripts
»  Scripts utilizing double
meanings, social miscues, etc.
The Showcase
»  Actors invite those they wish to attend
»  Plan what activities, scenes they wish
to showcase
»  Wonderful feedback from audience
»  Evidence of the power of
communication
The Final Word
Theatre can offer youngsters:
»  Opportunity to develop a leisure time
activity that they enjoy
»  Build Self-esteem
»  Make friends
»  Work on social and pragmatic issues
»  Have fun!!!
What more could we ask?!
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