{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.018067846607669618, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0022123893805309734, 'mean_word_length': 5.222477064220183, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Diving in: Adolescents' Experiences of Physical Work in the Context of Theatre Education.

This study deals with adolescents' experiences and perceptions of physical actor training practice in the context of theatre education. The study took place in Kallio Upper Secondary School of Performing Arts in Helsinki, Finland, where I work as a drama teacher. As a researcher, I carried out an authorized inquiry with two groups of 16-year old students who took part in acting classes as an optional subject in their curriculum. This qualitative phenomenological research followed the basic principles of an embodied narrative inquiry, presented by Liora Bresler (2006). Regarding the developmental process the psychodynamic approach is being used along with the phenomenological. Overall the students' response was positive: they found it easier to dive in when there was an emphasis on the physical in the course work. Also the fact that the work was collective was considered helpful. Physical work seems to provide possibilities for an adolescent to take steps in personal growth. We can call these breakthrough experiences. However, when the work is both physical and collective it can also create unnecessary emotional distress. Therefore, special attention should be paid to dialogical encounter in pedagogical situations. Preface This article is based on my thinking about a constructive learning environment for supporting adolescent's personal growth through theatrical work in the context of theatre education. I also seek to combine certain aspects of the tradition of physical theatre and youth theatre education in secondary school teaching with a practical pedagogical view: a combination that is not so much found in international literature. A couple of adjustments seem necessary before I start. Firstly, a " constructive " learning environment does not necessarily mean the best possible environment for everyone, but in my experience, for the majority of students, or a considerable large number of them. Secondly, I am about to describe a certain approach to theatre education that can be called 'psychophysical', which means basically that there is an emphasis on physical work. It is not a specific, theoretically and practically outlined method but a collection of principles and procedures that draw mostly from the tradition of physical theatre. When we talk about psychophysical training or work we must also consider the possibility of traumatic experiences: such training can cause unnecessary emotional distress and anxiety if run carelessly. The growth of an adolescent is usually a pains taking process that cannot but include some amount of emotional distress and anxiety in itself. …