Lauren Noble
Lauren Noble is the founder and creative director of co|laboratory, a theatre company which harnesses the collaborative potential that exists in the intersectional spaces between industries. As an award-winning director and scriptwriter with a passion for arts education, Lauren is uniquely situated to empower others using a holistic pedagogy which responds to the constantly evolving educational and artistic landscape of the 21st century. Lauren has a BA Honours in Drama and Performance Studies and is also a qualified theatre teacher with over 10 years’ experience in the drama classrooms of Durban and Dubai. Her aim is to redefine the performing arts on a global stage by putting collaboration at the forefront of everything she does.
Exploring the impact of collaborative theatre in the creation of a culture of resilience
Bullying is a pervasive concern across educational institutions, at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Educational initiatives and interventions have had mixed results – student engagement is often superficial, pastoral systems already in place are often overwhelmed or underequipped, and different age groups may not view initiatives or interventions as impactful or relevant which leads to a lack of realistic solution-focused structures being implemented. Collaborative theatre, and other performing arts-based initiatives, are being increasingly utilized, as these techniques allow students to be directly and actively involved in both devising and delivering the educational content.
In this interactive workshop, the facilitators will discuss the theory of collaborative theatre as an educational platform, and allow participants to take on the role of students in devising a new performance piece. Participants will also hear from students who have been involved in such theatrical pieces at their own school, and hear their reflections on its impact on them individually, as well as the school community collectively.
Workshop objectives:
- Understand the theory that supports the effective use of performing arts in educational interventions;
- Appreciate the collaborative process in devising a theatre piece with student participants;
- Gain insight into the skill sets required for this to be an impactful, and safe, initiative to implement in educational institutions;
- Reflect on your own experience in devising a piece of theatre, as well as the experience of students who have already been through the process;
- Explore the research opportunities this type of intervention allows; and
- Discuss the opportunities and challenges if you were to implement this approach in your own institution.
