Task D: Descriptive style of writing draft 1

My experience of my drama workshop.

I did not sleep well on the night of the 21st as I was so nervous about the first workshop I was ever going to lead on my own. My eyes were like a wild owl, open and alert. In the morning my unease was increased by the fact that the workshop was being held in a building I had never been to before. It was unfamiliar territory; I felt like an army general going into foreign land. I felt alien to my surroundings. On arrival, I was even more unnerved than before. My nerves started to take control and I became scatty as I walked into the building. The building looked like a school, but somehow more gothic and cold.

As soon as I got there the leader of Resources for Autism informed me that I would be leading for most of the day. I had not been previously informed about this. This led me to panic somewhat and my heart began to beat as fast as a racing car. In my head, it sounded like a beating drum.

The person who was meant to drop off the costumes and props was unable to do so and failed to inform me. This was a major setback for me as my workshop involved a lot of dressing up and simply would not be the same without these aids. I felt disappointed and let down like when the rain falls on a beautiful summer’s day.

At ten o’clock the workshop began. I felt like a school teacher encouraging the children to enter the classroom. When they came into the workshop room I played a CD from Chicken Shed’s Pinocchio which put them at ease and helped them to focus. They were enchanted by the magical uplifting music as the entered. This made them calm. They seemed like two little cats, resting in the garden, whilst appreciating their surroundings.

Part of the workshop was to show them sign language. I felt like a puppeteer, directing the children to mimic and follow my physical instruction. I felt like a proud puppeteer, watching the puppets become confident with their ability to sign. This part of the workshop was designed to be organised, but one puppet didn’t feel comfortable following me. He seemed confused, like a lost puppet. He wanted to come loose of his strings and be a free spirit.


I encouraged the child to join in, but he was happy watching. He watched, fixated like a child drawn to the television. I felt like I failed in being unable to persuade him to engage with us. I then realised that it was not a fault of my own, but that he was quite content to observe.
The second part of the workshop was more liberal. I had to improvise as the girl participant, wanted to dress up as a fairy, but as previously explained there were no costumes. So I took the initiative, to make a wand. I felt like the fairy God Mother, making her dreams come true, in helping her make a wand out of paper and glitter, in becoming the fairy she wanted to be.