Theater gives touch of fun to language studies

By Emilie Sueur

JAKARTA (JP): Learning a language is one thing. Practicing it is another. You may have heard this old comment a hundred times:

"Oh, I have studied this language for years, but unfortunately, I have forgotten everything because I didn't practice."

Practice is precisely the core of the Live Language Theater's mission. Their goal is achieved through a play-acting technique, which involves the audience in a performance based on interaction. The Live Language Theater are scheduled to perform tomorrow and Friday at the American Embassy Recreation Association in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

The Live Language Theater was created six years ago by two Irish actors from Ulster, Ed Cousins and Patrick Deas. They have already written several comic plays for English teaching courses.

The Shafter Files, the comedy they performed last Tuesday at the British Council's request, conforms with the idea of an interactive performance -- the script involved many characters though there were only two professional actors.

They ended up with almost 20 people from the audience joining in the play in the most unexpected ways.

A man and woman were assigned to be the revolving door at the entrance of a building housing the office of private Detective Leonard Shafter.

Another couple, holding hands face to face were a lift, yet another couple the window.

But, the worst role, without doubt, must have been the hat stand, with the "actor" keeping both arms up to hold the coats and hat of the two main actors.

Some other people from the audience had more exciting roles -- such as Dolly, the Professor's partner, an English Gangster, or Brain's the dim-witted henchman.

The principle was to get people to talk and act. A narrator would first come on stage to introduce the next scenes.

Then a brand new actor, chosen from the audience, had to interpret the role.

Touch

Some were effectively able to do so, and even added their own personal touch to their character, which was a great source of laughs.

But others seemed to have a really short memory. Action was hilarious as the professional actors, ready to aid the lost newcomer on stage, could adapt to any situation or answer.

As Nanie, a 36-year-old woman enlisted to play Miss Maxwell, the Detective's secretary, asserts, "they are great actors, able to improvise and to adapt to non-foreseeable cues so that the show could always go fluidly on".

Srisna, a 25-year-old woman recruited to play the glamourous Dolly, said, "this kind of play teaches budding actors to improvise and to reply in English".

Through this kind of drama exercise you learn how to communicate, which is the essential goal of language studies.

The actors of Live Language Theater assert that their performance is attainable even for students whose English level is not very high.

Actually the plays could be understood at different levels. First, the actors' elocution was perfectly clear. Then, the visual aspect of the performance helped in the understanding.

Beginners would understand the general story and those more advanced in the language would enjoy the humor in its subtleties.

If necessary, the founders of this peculiar theater can provide a summary of the play with the main keywords to help the beginners.

The two Irish comedians have also written a show specifically for a younger audience, aged between eight and 12 years old.

This way of teaching gave ideas to Nanie, who is a training coordinator at the International Language Program. She would like to introduce this kind of teaching in their courses. Students and teachers alike are expected to throng to the shows tomorrow and Friday.

But Nanie adds, "the teachers need to be trained first". If the two Irish artists' performance was such a success, a large part of it was due to their acting talent.

Would any English teacher be able to adapt so fast and in such a witty way to any improvised cue? Would any teacher be as good as they are at "creating situations," questions Mike Lumber, manager of teaching courses for the British Council.

This certainly requires talent and training. But still, the idea to create and perform plays in language classes is very interesting.

Since the very aim of languages is for them to be used, students should be trained to do so.

And this experiment deserves to be tried all the more as the audience enjoyed the performance so much. The actors admitted they were a little frightened that their humor might not be understood in countries with different cultures.

Well, they should not worry because based on the cheerful and enthusiastic reaction from the Indonesian audience, their sense of humor seems to have been understood and appreciated 100 percent.