University of Rhode Island

In a recent article in Hispania, Gerald Giauque wrote of the critical difference that generally exists today between the teaching of humanities which rely primarily on the printed word, and those areas, such as studio painting and music, which can readily and directly involve the student's creativity. «Stated in oversimplified terms, we may say that the fine arts are active; they require the student to give form and meaning to formless material. The other disciplines are passive; they require the student to assimilate what has already been given form by someone else» (424). He suggests that humanists, including foreign language teachers, could revitalize creative modes of learning by combining with the traditional intellectual component certain techniques and experiences peculiar to such areas as fine arts, theater, and creative writing. Giauque further points out that students often need to seek artistic outlets through various activities that may carry little or no academic credit.

One way in which foreign language instructors could explore creativity and stimulate the artistic imagination of students, is through a course on oral and dramatic interpretation of literature. Having developed and taught such a course since the late 1970's, I would like to share my experience in the present paper. The occasional production of foreign language plays may indeed be found at many schools and college campuses, either as an extracurricular activity, or perhaps as a change of pace in a course on language or literature. Rarely, however, is such activity designed to occupy a central place in the goals of an academic course¹¹⁷.

The course to which I refer is entitled «Oral and Dramatic Presentation of Hispanic Literature». It evolved in somewhat improvisational fashion out of a theater experience that I introduced into an undergraduate seminar on medieval Spanish literature. During the latter portion of this seminar, I noticed that student motivation and preparation were beginning to lag woefully, perhaps partly due to the inherent problems of reading early Spanish, partly also to an inability of the students to make that vital and necessary personal connection with what they were studying. I decided, not without some trepidation, on a radical proposal to shake off the creeping lethargy. The class was given the option of substituting for the final written exam a short public stage production based on a course reading. The students naturally accepted with alacrity the elimination of the exam, but they also took on the theatrical challenge with a wonderful enthusiasm and purposefulness.

I selected for our production Alejandro Casona's dramatization of Don Juan Manuel's famous tale of the taming of the shrew, «El mancebo que casó con una mujer muy fuerte y muy brava». We had no theatrical expertise, no props, not even an adequate stage, but these turned out not to be essential ingredients for producing a successful amateur dramatization. We managed to secure the use of the student ballroom stage (not normally used for theater and with poor acoustics); we rehearsed there after the initial try-outs in class, when roles were determined. Students improvised their own costumes, which, though not «authentic», conveyed something of the spirit of the play and its characters. The actual portrayal of character was, of course, the most difficult task. Some students are natural «hams», and need only slight coaching and encouragement. Other have great trouble in forgetting their every day self-consciousness in order to project a character and situation that may seem alien to them. These reluctant actors may need considerable persuasion, prodding, and practice in order to overcome their inhibitions. In the final days of preparation, which included a number of evening rehearsals, a sense of collective accomplishment permeated our group. The play was presented (gratis) before an appreciative   —187→   audience that included other Spanish students, faculty, some friends or relatives of the actors, and a small contingent of local high school students.

This experience impressed me by what it offered in terms of potential for student growth and creativity, as well as its alternative approach to language experience and literary appreciation. Thus I decided to design an entire course for oral and dramatic presentations. If fine arts and theater departments offer academic courses for artistic training and productions, why couldn't foreign language teachers involve their classes in analogous activities to vary and enhance the learning process? Here the goals are to offer an additional language learning technique, to provide a very direct, personal experience and understanding of aspects of the target culture and literature, and to tap the students' latent creative energies.

The dramatization of short skits has long been an optional technique used by some FL teachers and incorporated into many texts. The British language profession has shown particular interest in developing the use of drama in the FL classroom¹¹⁸. Such techniques can be quite helpful in involving students vividly in the language experience at the early stages of learning. The course I am describing, however, is designed for more advanced undergraduate students -as prerequisite they need the college level III courses, plus at least one course on Spanish literature and culture. Needless to say, language proficiency in the class may vary considerably, and so there is still on-going work to improve fluency, with particular stress on proper pronunciation and intonation patterns in simulated «real-life» situations in the plays, as well as in oral renderings of poetry.

This course, designed for the FL student, combines certain features of theater production courses with those of courses on oral interpretation of literature, a sub-specialty of many speech departments. The English oral interpretation performances which I have seen or discussed with teachers do not carry out the total simulation process of theater (memorization and acting out of roles, movement, action); rather, they strive for artistic oral readings and interpretations of literary pieces, in groups or solos. Much of our class activity evolves around similar types of oral performance, but the course always concludes with the public staging of a short play, or in some cases, two or three one-act plays. The announcement at the beginning of the course that a Spanish play will be staged always evokes nervous excitement, and feelings of anxiety are common. However, never has a student dropped the course on this account. The period of training and practice in oral and dramatic reading (with discussion) tends to build up student confidence, and prepares the class for the play production, which becomes a challenging yet deeply rewarding project to conclude the course. A poetry recital is also included in the final performance.

After trial and error, I have found it best to meet with the class twice weekly for sessions of an hour and a quarter. Fifty minute class periods proved to be too short. Students are also expected to practice informally in small groups (and of course alone as well) outside class hours. During play production, a number of additional rehearsals are scheduled outside regular class times. To help foster the appropriate atmosphere (and avoid disturbing other classes), we always meet in an auditorium with a stage. The theater department was unable to offer us their facilities for this purpose (although on occasion they have loaned us a few props and once, a set of delightful period costumes); however, I was able to reserve the afternoon and evening use of a lecture hall which once was used for dramatic productions. The stage curtains are gone and lighting is poor, but the room has good acoustics, and we are physically and mentally removed from the conventional classrooms.

Up until play production time, the class meets once a week for poetry recitation and discussion, and once for analysis and dramatic reading of plays. Initially I attempted to include also some oral interpretation of short fiction, but the complexities of rendering narrative voice, description, and dialogue, proved in this instance excessive for FL students. No doubt more experimentation and research on methods and materials in this area could lead to interesting results in the FL class.

For the poetry, students are assigned specific poems to prepare for oral reading and discussion. Much work and insistence from the instructor are usually needed to bring the students to the point of conveying real feeling, nuance of tone, and rhythm (not to mention adequate pronunciation). With the exception of an occasional student previously trained or   —188→   intuitively gifted, most students begin in a hopelessly flat monotone! It is clear that American education has been very remiss in not teaching students, from an early age, to enjoy the beauty and power of language through the oral recitation of poetry. We may blame this situation on the cult of obscurity in much of modern poetry, or on the academic tradition that approaches poetry largely for analytical purposes, or on the anti-poetic climate of our culture. Be that as it may, as teachers we must strive toward the positive, and show students that poetry deals with very human feelings and experiences which they can recognize and express in their own personal way. This can only be accomplished if they exert, not only their mind, but also their will and their imagination; the latter is often semi-stifled by years of learning by rote memorization or by emphasis on analysis of fact and theory (one also cannot underestimate in this regard the deadening influence of television upon the psyche of today's youth).

Naturally, the student must also strive for intellectual understanding of what he or she is reading, and that is why I require, along with the oral interpretation, a brief presentation of the poem's themes, emotional tone, and something about its style. The student's comments are then open to class discussion; in these sessions important matters of understanding the content and form are often clarified, corrected, or amplified. I try to point out to the students that the feelings and experiences conveyed by the poem possibly may be linked with something they have personally experienced, either directly in their lives, or vicariously through readings or accounts by others. If not, then a new experience about life should always be welcomed. Even when students can recognize these connections with their lives, some may still feel inhibited about expressing strong personal feelings before an audience. They may need more coaching and especially more time to bring themselves to recreate the experience of another. The example of their more audacious peers may also be an inducement in the long run.

For the theatrical component of the course, only short, usually one-act plays have been used so far. Given the time constraints of a one-semester course, and the inherent difficulties of oral and dramatic interpretation in a foreign language, it did not seem feasible to embark on an ambitious, full-length play.

Perhaps this may be done in the future. A one-act play can be neatly encompassed in a single class; its essential features can be briefly discussed and the pre-assigned roles acted out on stage during the class period, with a few minutes at the end for group or instructor reactions. Some attention is paid to gesture and movement from the beginning, although these aspects cannot be sufficiently developed until roles are memorized in the final production. It is of course essential to insist that the students speak in a much louder (and in some cases, clearer) voice than normal, and that they avoid turning their backs to the audience. As with poetry, student identification with the personality, feelings, and motives of the character portrayed, must be stressed again and again. Character analysis before and after role-playing helps this process along.

At the beginning stage of the final production, a critical point in the course is reached. Students have an important voice in the selection of plays; they are asked to rate by a point system all the plays we have worked with. I reserve the right to final selection, but usually accept their preference. It is important to choose a work or works that will allow all, or almost all the students to participate as actors. Plays with humorous elements are usually best suited for this type of production, but there is no need to avoid plays with a serious theme. Tryouts are a time of nervous excitement, and occasionally tensions surface. Those with obviously less acting talent or interest are assigned shorter or less demanding roles, and may be given managerial and support tasks, such as publicity, programs, prompting, etc. The teacher must point out the significance of the group effort; even the most humble task is important to the success of the whole. Students usually appreciate this, and contribute positively with mutual support, helpful advice, and encouragement. However, group dynamics in this kind of class may vary in unexpected ways. Rivalries, resentments, and hurt feelings may arise, and require some soul-searching from teacher and students alike. These are to be viewed as passing conflicts and moods which must be faced and then forgotten. The overall tone of such a class is normally one of positive and imaginative self-development and group cooperation.

The search for materials appropriate to this type of course has been difficult and ongoing.   —189→   I have found Dauster and Lyday's collection, En un acto. Diez piezas hispanoamericanas, to be quite useful. It offers a refreshing variety of contemporary styles and themes, ranging from social and poetic realism to symbolism and allegory. Another book available in the U. S. is O'Connor and Pasquariello's Contemporary Spanish Theater. Seven One-Act Plays. I found this collection of interest, but rather uniform in tone and style: underground absurdist and allegorical theater from the last Franco years. Also used were some plays from earlier periods, such as an adaptation of Lope de Rueda's «Las aceitunas» and the sainetes of Ramón de la Cruz. The latter pose difficulties due to vocabulary and versification, but one sainete, «El no», was effectively staged by our students. For poetry I have currently settled on John Crow's bilingual collection, An Anthology of Spanish Poetry. It contains varied chronological coverage of both Spain and Spanish America, and concise yet stimulating introductions to each poet. However, the reader should be forewarned that the book has many typos.

Students are evaluated on the quality of their class contribution (both discussion and oral performance), short written assignments, and their work in the final production. The written work, which includes brief analyses of poems and dramatic characters, continues their language skill development and sharpens their thinking and understanding in preparation for class work. Written exams are not used, since they would not provide a meaningful measure of student performance in this type of course.

Poetry and theater both have their origin in the living, spoken word, and are part of mankind's very early artistic and cultural creations. For too long their vital connection with speech has been obscured by the study of literature as a written document. Oral and dramatic presentation of literature offers a way to re-establish that original connection. It can be effectively applied to the foreign language class, thereby improving proficiency, stimulating creativity, and evoking the curiosity and wonder which are essential to the positive learning experience. Experimentation along this path is an adventure for student and teacher alike.

Casona, Alejandro. «Entremés del mancebo que casó con mujer brava». In Obras completas II. Madrid: Aguilar, 1966. 528-38. (This volume also contains several other short and lively dramatic adaptations by the author.)

Crow, John A. (ed.). An Anthology of Spanish Poetry. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1979.

Cruz, Ramón de la. «El no». In Nicolás González Ruiz (ed.), Antología de piezas cortas de teatro I. Barcelona: Editorial Labor, 1965. 176-85.

Dauster, Frank and Leon Lyday (eds.). En un acto. Diez piezas hispanoamericanas, 2nd ed. Boston: Heinle and Heinle Publishers, 1983.

Giauque, Gerald. «Creativity and Foreign Language Learning». Hispania 68 (May 1985): 425-27.

Holden, Susan. Drama in Language Teaching. Harlow, Essex: Longman Group Limited, 1981.

O'Connor, Patricia W. and Anthony Pasquariello (eds.). Contemporary Spanish Theater. Seven One Act Plays. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1980.

Rueda, Lope de. «Las Aceitunas». In Ángel Flores (ed.), Selecciones españolas. A Basic Spanish Reader. New York: Bantam Brooks, 1967.

Hispania [Publicaciones periódicas]. Volume 71, Number 1, March 1988