T.I.E.
- Body
image devising
project
Theatre in Education
What is T.I.E?
T.I.E. stands for Theatre in Education. It utilises theatrical productions in
educational settings like schools, universities and colleges. These performances are
often meant to be engaging to the audience and educational, offering a different way
for students to learn. The key features of T.I.E. are:
- Direct Address
- Multi rolling
- Audience participation
Body Image
Body image is someone’s perspective, feelings, thoughts, and attitudes about their
physical appearance, which can have a significant impact on their mental health. This
is an important topic for young people since social media and the changes in their
brain can cause them to compare and feel bad at themselves and their body. Some of
the ways the media can impact body image in teenagers:
- Unrealistic body standards on social media
- Cyberbullying- 59% have personally experienced cyberbullying
- Impact on eating and weight concerns, leading to eating disorders.
Character Creation
- Victim: Jorgia, 14. She has body image issues from instagram about her birthmark,
seeing it as an imperfection, especially in leotards which she has to wear in gymnastics.
She is very gorgeous and has a very handsome boyfriend called Gary. Vir makes her
feel even more insecure, often wanting to cover her legs.
- Bully: Vir, 11 Vir is jealous of Jorgia, previously not been good enough at gymnastics to
get onto the team. Out of spite, he takes it out on her, since he is often around Jorgia
for gymnastics. He knows it hurts Jorgia but he justifies it as payback for ‘taking his
place’.
- Bystander: Reece, 34, is the gymnastics instructor who teaches both Jorgia and Vir. He
is the one who decided who made the team and is completely unaware of Vir bullying
Jorgia.
What if… scenario: initial conflict
Scene 1: Jorgia has arrived to gymnastic with Gary and has changed into her leotard,
trying to cover her birthmark with her gymnastics bag. She tried to cover it up with
makeup, but it didn’t work. It is a rehearsal for an important performance, so she is
extra nervous. Vir comes up to her and comments on how the birthmark on her legs
ruin her appearance, even after her hair and makeup- Gary usually tells him to back
off, but today he is not there since he had to leave for gym. Reece is in the practice
room, extremely busy with setting up the different props and equipment needed for
the actual performance, but comes to the hallway Vir and Jorgia are in, catching
sight of how uncomfortable Jorgia looks.
What if… Choice 1
However, Reece is too busy to sort this conflict out- he thinks, that it is just a small
fight and he does not want to intervene since he does not want to waste time. He
gets something from his office, and asks an assistant to help him with setting up a
sign. Meanwhile, Jorgia is about to cry and is unable to walk away from Vir. Vir keeps
commenting her about the other parts of her appearance, such as her (for now)
non-blonde hair and cellulite. Finally, Reece calls Jorgia in for practice and she is
unable to concentrate, falling behind in her moves and Reece is very annoyed at her.
What if… Choice 2
Reece interrupts Vir; something is not right between him and Jorgia. He tells Vir to
stop saying rude comments about her body and appearance, and talks to his mum
about his behaviour. Jorgia is comforted, and feels supported at gymnastics. She
goes to practice and does extremely well, resulting in lots of praise and a great
future performance.
Included Drama Techniques
- Thought tracking: for Reece’s conflicting thoughts during when he sees Jorgia
and Vir.
- Direct address: at the end for the audience to note and think about the choices
made in the performance by characters.
- Narration: for Jorgia to express her thoughts and insecurities about herself.
- Flashback: the many times Vir has bullied her to highlight the great impact it has
had on Jorgia.
- Narration: so the audience can follow along with the story.