Thinking about using peforming arts in Masters

The educational institutes use elements of performing
arts in different forms ranging from instrumental values in the form of devotional
dance to inaugurate events like conferences and arranging skits, dramas, and short
film competitions to observe or celebrate various thematic days of importance
to using creativity as assignments. This use of diversity in pedagogy and
assessment is an encouraging sign of flexibility in the approach to learning
and teaching. While some students may have undertaken training in such forms as
a hobby, and thus may be able to perform and guide others casually, it is
important to acknowledge that elements of art forms are not inherent to
students who can perform without any coaching or guidance. If these forms are to
be mainstreamed, as they should be, the core elements of the art must be valued
and respected while using them as a means. As someone who has undergone training
in theatre, having worked in and on films, and facilitated the production of
audiovisuals for public health awareness, I share below a few things to
consider while choosing to use this art form for educational purposes.

1.      
Have
information shall share – does not work. There is a difference between clicking
photos and making images. There is a difference between recording videos and
making films. Similarly, the use of performing arts in the health and
development sector must go beyond information, education, and communication,
i.e. IEC. Converting information to the message, identifying the target
audience, aligning the message with the preferences of the audience, and identifying
a vehicle to convey the messages are crucial pre-production elements where
students and professionals need to get involved.

2.      
Science
of arts is important. The message is the concept that needs to be developed into
a story, script, and screenplay. All this needs clarity of purpose and needs to
be contextualized for a particular audience. Beyond mere dissemination of information,
the use of performing arts must be entertaining, thought-provoking, open to
interpretation, and engaging.

3.      
Taking
a stand is crucial.  The performing art
piece should have a perspective, a stand to be taken, and a prism or lens to be
fixed to show the layers of reality. This art form need not be balanced; it can
just be a representation of a slice of reality, and it must not have a representation
of the whole. Unlike empirical research, the art form can be biased. One must
acknowledge the bias and tell the story from it.

4.      
Flow
and content are important. Pick up a conflict and imagine a climax. There would
be various ways to resolve the conflict and a range of possible climaxes. deliberate
on them. This required deliberations on perspective – whose view is being held
as a prism? One can choose to portray all possible perspectives with honesty. These
pre-production or development works of deciding the core of the story and the flow
of the narrative are as important as the final product.

5.      
Acting
requires training; it is an art that needs to be learnt and sharpened. Do not
take it for granted that anybody can act, just like that. One needs to invest
in the craft. The team members must identify resources to learn acting, identify
actors among the class and improve their abilities to perform and engage. The
elements of energy, modulation, improvisations etc. are essential beyond
dialogues.

6.      
Stage
and screen craft involves a lot of things beyond writing and acting. This
involves locking, movements, shot division, lights and sound, costumes, properties,
and post-production works around editing, sound and music etc. One must learn and
respect the nuances of these pre- and post-production activities.

7.      
Respect
the art for its intrinsic value beyond its instrumental value as a vehicle to
carry a message. Performing arts is an end in itself.  One must learn about them to get sensitized, if
not master them.

8.      
Responsibility
and intent are crucial. There are four elements to be discussed in the development
sector viz. science, society, system and self. Performers as a self must
identify whom to keep by their side and whom to ride on to question the other.
In a typical health intervention, the performer as a self keeps the science (clinical
medicine, for example) by her/his side and rides on the system (for example,
government) to question the society (belief and practice of the community, for
example). This need not be fruitful all the time and thus, It is important to inquire
about these roles, from time to time, for effective translation of information into
insights about self and society, and perspective towards the science and the
system.