So how do we teach Mask Theatre during the age of Covid-19? Read on….
Congratulations if you’ve managed to get a class together, socially-distanced and safe in the space. Now what?
Masks are a great way of running drama classes. The process of using and learning about masks lends itself to COVID-friendly teaching. Students can work onstage singularly, and be observed by the class, and if they are onstage in 2’s, 3’s etc then guess what…they’re in masks! There are plenty of physical exercises that can be done at 2m distance, as well as devising work that can take place in bubbles. The key thing, obviously, is….how to use the mask during COVID?
If you’ve a set of masks, each mask can be assigned to a specific student for the duration of several classes, and not shared. They would need to be disinfected before another student used them, and if you’re unsure, leave the mask for 3 days before another student uses it.
“Found” Masks
On the other hand, using ‘disposable’ masks is a quick and cheap fix – and can stretch their creativity. A common route is using large paper plates tied to the face, eyeholes and nose room made, and simple features added with marker pens. Anything that removes the audience’s focus on the face, and removes the voice will work. Or you can leave the eyes free – a bit creepy! So maybe use a COVID mask as usual, but add a red nose. Or add a second disposable COVID mask to cover the eyes, with simple holes made. There are some simple ideas on the “How can I introduce my class to mask theatre” blog post. And don’t forget, there’s lots of mask exercises to do that don’t involve masks, but hone skills in physical acting. Check them out on the website.
I remember seeing a student many years ago create a piece of theatre called ‘Mrs Buckethead’. It was a series of comic sketches where the actor wore a range of ‘found’ masks. Buckets, bags, traffic cone, the inside of a washing machine, a mop. Tie a colander to the face, the base makes a great expression!
Puppets!
Of course, some classes are confined to desk learning. A great opportunity to learn about puppetry. Place a piece of newspaper on each desk. Get each pupil to slowly pull the paper together to make a weird creature, and use one hand to animate the head (The intelligence, the eye) and the other to animate the way the being might move around. Think about ‘fixed points’; rather than sliding the paper around, how can th operator create some sense of movement. Does it step? Does it wiggle like a snake? Or does it fly? Can two people work together to operate one puppet across the aisle? One does head and one leg/wind, the other does the other leg/wing. Maybe an arm. Get the puppet to explore the space of the desk. How does it feel about the vertiginous drop off!? What does it see that is interesting? Try putting on music to fill out the silence and underpin the exercise. Look out for a new blog post about music. Coming your way soon.
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