The Arts · Year 10

Active learning ideas

Devising Original Theater

Active learning works for devising original theater because students need to experience the tension between structure and spontaneity firsthand. These activities transform abstract concepts like non-linear storytelling and physicality into tangible, collaborative processes where students see theory become practice in real time.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9ADR10E01
• AC9ADR10C01

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 35 min · Small Groups

Tableau Stations: Silence and Stillness

Set up stations for groups to create body tableaux depicting key emotions or plot turns without words. Add 30-second transitions between poses. Groups rotate stations, then perform one for the class with peer feedback on impact.

Explain how silence and stillness can be used as powerful narrative tools?

Facilitation Tip

During Tableau Stations, remind students that the power of stillness lies in the space between movements, not the movements themselves.

What to look for

After a devised scene is performed, have students use a rubric to assess their peers' use of physical theatre techniques. Questions include: 'Did the performers effectively use gesture to convey emotion?' and 'How did the use of space contribute to the scene's meaning?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 25 min · Small Groups

Improv Circles: Breaking the Fourth Wall

In circles, students improvise short scenes; at signal, one actor addresses the audience directly to reveal inner thoughts. Switch roles twice. Debrief on how it shifts engagement.

Analyze what impact breaking the fourth wall has on audience engagement?

Facilitation Tip

In Improv Circles, have students freeze after each break of the fourth wall to reflect on what changed in the audience’s relationship to the story.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are directing a short film. How would you use silence and stillness to create suspense in a scene where a character is alone?' Facilitate a brief class discussion, encouraging students to share specific visual or auditory ideas.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 40 min · Pairs

Non-Linear Script Weave

Pairs jot scene ideas on cards with characters, actions, and emotions. Shuffle and rearrange into non-linear order, then rehearse physically. Present and justify structure choices.

Compare how collaborative ensembles negotiate differing creative visions?

Facilitation Tip

For Non-Linear Script Weave, provide colored strings to visually map connections between scenes before students write a single line.

What to look for

Provide students with a short, abstract image or a single word. Ask them to write down two ways they could represent this concept using only physical theatre techniques, and one way they could use a non-linear structure to present it.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 30 min · Small Groups

Physical Negotiation Drills

Groups pitch conflicting ideas for a scene, using movement to 'vote' or merge concepts. Rehearse combined physical sequence. Reflect on compromise strategies.

Explain how silence and stillness can be used as powerful narrative tools?

Facilitation Tip

In Physical Negotiation Drills, assign roles like ‘observer’ and ‘facilitator’ to keep debates productive and focused on movement.

What to look for

After a devised scene is performed, have students use a rubric to assess their peers' use of physical theatre techniques. Questions include: 'Did the performers effectively use gesture to convey emotion?' and 'How did the use of space contribute to the scene's meaning?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by establishing clear frameworks at the start, then stepping back to let students test rules through failure and revision. Research shows that when students experience the messiness of collaboration firsthand, they develop deeper metacognitive skills about their creative process. Avoid stepping in too quickly to ‘fix’ conflicts; instead, give them tools like structured improvisation or silent voting to resolve differences independently.

Successful learning looks like students moving from initial chaos to purposeful choices in their devised work, using silence and movement deliberately rather than as filler. You will see them negotiate creative conflicts with concrete strategies and justify their artistic decisions with clear examples from their own rehearsals.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Tableau Stations, watch for students who confuse stillness with lack of energy. They may hold positions rigidly without considering the space between frames.

  Pause the station and ask students to identify the ‘story gap’ in their tableau. Have them articulate what happens between the frozen moments before adjusting their poses to reveal that tension.

• During Improv Circles, students may assume breaking the fourth wall means simply speaking to the audience directly.

  Redirect them to use vocal or physical cues that pull the audience in without relying on words. Ask, ‘What gesture makes the audience lean in without you telling them to?’

• During Physical Negotiation Drills, students often believe collaboration means everyone agrees immediately.

  Assign one student to be the ‘movement translator’ who must physically interpret another student’s idea before the group votes on which version to keep.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play