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every action, there is an
equal and opposite reaction
(Newton's third law of motion) . When a bullet goes on e
way, the rifle recoils th e
other way . Think of a situation in which an actor woul d
have to throw something on e
way in order to move the opposite direction . This coul d
happen in outer space wher e
there is no friction to slo w
things down .
Adventure Theate r
Roger A . Kenyon
dventure Theater creates a n
environment where stor y
writing and story telling ar e
flexible, yet structured . Flexibility
comes from the narrator's extemporaneous descriptions that guid e
development,
through
impromptu interaction of the actor s
with one another and with elements of the story's world . Structure comes from improvisatio n
guidelines provided by the instructor . The combination of flexibility and structure provides
participants with a sense of ownership in the unfolding production of the story as they activel y
help create the path of its develop ment . What follows is a sample o f
how adventure theatre might b e
presented, a sample of the Ontari o
Ministry of Education descriptio n
of drama as I see it relating to sto rytelling and a sample assessmen t
rhubric follows .
triggered within the tale . A
handler might describe ho w
an object appears or per forms . Examples :
A
1 . Rabbit : large and gray; it appears after the actors discover
alligators in the moat ; too fast t o
be caught, it runs to the dense
forest to the north .
B.
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In Adventure Theater, a narrator presents an openin g
scenario, the actors then se t
about solving problems in
the tale until either time is u p
or the main goals are
achieved . The narrato r
works from a script, but the
actors improvise as they interact with one other, with
story characters or objects in
the story environment, or
give instructions to the narrator . In response, the narrator provides descriptions
based upon a structure d
script .
The narrator's script consist s
of a set of scenarios, handlers, and solutions . A handler tells how to deal with a n
event initiated by an actor or
Work backward from the solution : stranded in space, a n
astronaut has to throw tool s
one way in order to move the
other way back to the space
ship . Develop the openin g
scenario, such as the following. "On a space walk, an astronaut's tether line breaks .
The astronaut forgot to re fuel the jet pack and is now
stranded in space, 5 meter s
from the space ship . The astronaut has a jet pack, protec tive suit, and utility bel t
containing a variety of smal l
tools . "
D.
Add in descriptive elements
to make the setting vivid . For
example, the space ship is silver and cigar shaped, wit h
its tail section to the astronaut's left . Insert a few "re d
herrings" or false leads . Fo r
example, the astronau t
might discover that the utility belt tools interlock, bu t
they cannot make a chain
long enough.
E.
Make a map with the different scenes, such as inside the
space ship, on a nearby spac e
station, and on the spac e
walk . List the main objects in
the story environment and
write their handlers . For example, describe the jet pac k
and what happens if an acto r
uses it in a certain way (e .g . ,
throwing it toward the spac e
3 . Shoe : appears well worn, but
able to be worn; made of
leather; if put on, then actor' s
toes bump into something
warm and furry [mouse] .
1 . Overview
A.
C.
2 . Sack : made of burlap with
FLOUR written on the side; if
taken, crumbles into a mold y
mound ; if opened, reveals
mouse nest with shiny objec t
[ring] in the center .
In Adventure Theater, actor s
play realistic roles (e .g ., an astro naut or police officer, but not a
wizard or elf), the solutions mus t
be based on the laws of nature or
logic (no spells or sword fights) ,
and the focus is on the craft of in teractive story telling and impro visation . The adventure is a series
of situations, each containing a
problem to be solved through interaction and manipulation of re sources .
2 . Making a Puzzle Adventure
A.
B.
Select a genre or setting suitable for the puzzle : gothi c
horror, space exploration,
law enforcement, and military espionage . Although fictional, a scenario shoul d
seem realistic and convincing . For instance, an adventurer can only travel a certain
distance per day and characters can become hungry o r
hurt .
Start with a familiar puzzl e
or principle . For example, for
FALL 200 4
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TEACHING & LEARNIN G
FALL 2004
ship moves the astronau t
further away into space) .
F.
G.
H.
All parts of the tale should b e
consistent . Neighborin g
towns, for instance, shoul d
have roughly the sam e
weather, level of technology ,
and types of government .
The tale should also b e
immersive through clear
mental images . A puzzle adventure is theater of th e
mind and effective descriptions help players become
actors in the play .
Don't let the adventurer do
something fatal or waste essential resources . It is frustrating for players to inves t
time and effort only to have
to start over . Don't let the ad venturer get too far astray ,
either . Use stock responses ,
such as "giving the matter
consideration, you sense tha t
a solution must somehow b e
available at the site . "
4.
Forum theater : a techniqu e
in drama that involves th e
improvisational exploratio n
of a dramatic situation by a
group . Although only a
small group does the improvisation, the rest of the grou p
observes, and all grou p
members participate in creating the scene through discussion . Members of the
group may also stop the action in order to make suggestions or to take over a role .
6.
Improvisation : generally a
spontaneous response to a
dramatic situation that involves verbal and non-verba l
activity . The improviser act s
in the role of a specific character . Sometimes, however,
some preparation is involved, as in the improvisation of a key moment in a
drama . In such cases, the improvisers need to do a certain
amount of planning and collaboration - for example,
they need to choose carefully
the moment to be enacted
and the dialogue to be spoken . Various techniques ma y
be used . For example, students may experiment wit h
making transitions betwee n
still shapes (that is, movin g
from one tableau to another) ,
or they may select a word rel evant to the drama and
explore aspects of its
meaning through movemen t
and role playing .
From Ontario Ministry o f
Education and Training, The Art s
[Grades 1-8], 1998 .
Dance drama : a drama enacted through dance . The objective is to interpret a story,
theme, or piece of music
through movement .
2.
Drama anthology : a collection of materials (e .g ., letters ,
songs, poems, speeches ,
monologues, diaries, photo graphs) that represent aspects of life in a certain
historical period or aspect s
of the life of a person, real o r
fictional.
3.
Elements of dance : fundamental components of
Elements of drama : fundamental components o f
drama . They include character, suspense, conflict, and
structure .
5.
Draw a map of the story environment and use token s
(e .g ., pieces from a boar d
game or coins) to track the lo cation of actors .
1.
may compose it or it may b e
taken from source material .
Its dramatic purpose is to
provide insight into the character .
dance . They include space,
shape, time (rhythm), an d
energy .
7.
Monologue : a scene in a
drama in which a perso n
speaks alone . The speech i s
usually long . The speaker
8.
Role-playing : a technique in
drama that involves th e
adopting of the point of vie w
of a character in an imaginary situation . The aim of the
exercise is to try to understand through imaginatio n
what that character feels and
how that character thinks .
When someone is playing
the role of a character, he o r
she is said to be speaking o r
writing "in role" . Speaking
in role is not confined to acting in a dramatic scene, bu t
can be done out of the scene ;
that is, someone could still be
playing the part of a character, for purposes of study ,
during a discussion of th e
motives or personality o f
that character .
9.
Tableau : a silent group of
people frozen in time to rep resent a scene, abstract ide a
(e .g ., peace, joy), or theme .
10.
A role-playing game (RPG )
is a type of game where players assume the role of a fictional character, via
role-playing . At their core ,
these games are a form of interactive and cooperativ e
storytelling . Whereas cinema, novels and televisio n
shows are passive, RPG en gages the participants actively, allowing them to
simultaneously be audienc e
and author .
3 . Rubri c
A . Knowledge/Skill s
1 . Demonstrates understandin g
of the concepts ; gives complet e
explanations .
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TEACHING & LEARNING
2 :1
B . Scale
Level
Actor
Narrator
4
Level 3 plus works off o f
fellow actors and ha s
presence in scenes
Level 3 plus has intriguin g
puzzles and extensive event
handlers
3
2
Level 2 plus enhances th e
story content and advance s
the scene
Conveys a realisti c
character, stays in
character, and can be hear d
and seen (does not hide
from audience)
Level 2 plus marshals actors
along with a logical, natura l
development
Creates a consistent an d
immersive environment, use s
vivid descriptions, show s
voice contro l
1
Has difficulty in one or more of the areas in level 2
2. Shows analysis and interpretation of artwork with evidence t o
support opinions .
3. Applies the skills, concepts, and
techniques taught with completion and safety .
4. Communicates with clarity,
completion, and precision using correct terminology .
Conclusio n
Adventure Theatre promote s
confidence and competence on
the part of Junior and Intermediate Division students in writin g
and telling stories . The storyteller
occupies an interactive role, guiding listeners along the adventure ,
while listeners become partici -
FALL 200 4
pants to this theatre of the mind .
Adventure Theatre develop s
skills in extemporaneous presentation, active listening, visualization, group problem solving, an d
constructing meaning through
cause and effect testing .
Roger Kenyon is a teacher with the
Peel Board of education and published playwright and dramatist . He
loves to tell stories
and teach students different
forms of storytelling . He has doctoral degrees in
law and philosophy, has served as
tribunal collegial
judge, written articles and books in
law, philosopy ,
and education, and taught grades 3
through 8 over the last couple decades .
The storyteller as depicted in New Mexico 's Puebl o
culture reminds us of times when after the evenin g
meal, grandparents, uncles and aunts, mothers an d
fathers, children and grandchildren would si t
together and listen to the "TELLING " . Stories were
about Creation, a recounting that took many nights o r
about how Coyote scattered the stars or of Pen-yu the
great serpent and how he was defeated or they may
have been about legends of the Sacred Mountains an d
lessons learned from the land . Whatever the tale,
"Story Time" was important for it was the storytelle r
who, while he wove his tale was also knitting a new
generation into its long past, maintaining a cultura l
tapestry in a way that most advanced printing,
computer or video technology has yet to achieve .
Dr. George Stombus,
Professor Emeritus, University of New Mexic o
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