Keynote Workshop Erika Piazzoli

An online process drama based on the pre-text The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore, by W.E. Joyce. Basic process drama conventions like thought-tracking, still image, hot seat, sculpting, Teacher in Role and creative writing will invite participants to explore the imaginary world of Mr Lessmore, an ordinary man who finds himself on a new strange new dimension, after a cyclone shatters his everyday routine and eradicates his reality.

Themes such as loss, displacement, isolation, and community re-building are more relevant than ever in the post COVID-19 pandemic. However, these themes are sensitive, and may be too close to home for many students, and teachers, who have been affected by the pandemic. How can such themes be embedded in the language curriculum in a way that engages, but does not upset?

The workshop is deliberately playful in its approach to role-taking. The group will experiment with a spectrum of dramatic roles, from realistic to imaginary, to explore concepts such as connection and isolation, displacement and community re-building, and consequently reflect on aesthetic distancing and protection into emotion. The workshop is pitched at adult native speakers but can be adapted to children at an intermediate and/or beginner language proficiency.