Drama Performance Techniques/ College Level/ Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcome Three:

Students, college levels drama, will be preparing for a production of the musical “Billy Elliot” for a music drama course.

Since “Billy Elliot” is based on true story, the students will research historical facts of the boy dancer and his existence through the times of the coal miner strikes during the year of 1984. They will research the British National Union of Mineworkers and the strike they underwent to save the coal mining industries. They will research Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her oppositions to the state-owned industries and unions.

The students will learn through research of the history of these times whether they can develop empathy and understandings to the different characters of the story, their positions and their passionate roles. They will continue research of the current circumstances of the coals miners, and understand the statistics being performed, and how in 1984, there were more than 300,000 men working in the industry, and how today they are less than 1000 workers in England. They will explain the moral an ethical positions of the culture and politics, considering the fact that currently more than 98% of coal used for British Energy is now imported from abroad. They will interpret the intimidations it took for this young boy to pursue ballet dancing, and they will develop an understanding of the severity of the times and the judgments that may have up against the young aspiring dancer.

This research and the reflections will give students the opportunity to better understand the social and political discretions and use it towards characters they choose for the try outs.

In addition, students will collaborate in designing different stages for the story/play, and incorporate their research about the times and circumstances, giving positions, to both union workers and police state workers.

Students will combine their understanding to produce adjustments in scene scripts and scene settings to better the authenticity and accuracy of this true story as it will be composed into a play. Students will combine their increased compassions and understandings into bettering the stage and scripts of the productions to come.