Chance Encounters

David Porter
Friday, February 1, 2019

Every day, sometimes several times a day, we meet people, situations and events we had neither planned for nor expected. Such chance encounters can, and often do, change the course of our lives, for good or bad. While in some ways life seems predictable, in reality no one knows how it will turn out, who will cross our paths, or what might suddenly happen. This scheme consisting of five 90 minute sessions is designed to work through three basic scenes each session, to apply cross-cutting as needed, and develop a piece of group drama in different styles to explore the impact of a chance encounter. Some are the ultimate ‘What if…?’ scenarios, looking at what would have happened if this or that had/hadn't occurred at that precise moment involving a particular set of people, with or without narration. Drama techniques cover acting in a particular style, marking the moment and cross-cutting. Stretch and challenge suggestions are based around monologues/duologues, with the expectation that a duologue could comprise an able and a less able student working together. The Resources at the end of the scheme contain a useful grid to assist with devising and pulling workable ideas together collaboratively, raising standards in performance through devising.