Theater gives touch of fun to language studies

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.