Creating a radio drama with your students using the story of Babushka
The conventions of the radio play provide an interesting, inclusive way of working. Everyone can be involved, even if some students find performance work difficult, and the genre encourages collaboration. Radio drama creates an opportunity to conjure up a story using sound and voice, providing a strong link into imaginative visualisation which can be referred to when reading or writing stories
The ideas in this article span different aspects of storytelling and theatricality, including the relationship between sound and mime. The work could even focus on producing a stage play, a scheme of work on storytelling or Russian folklore, or a cross-curricular project, rather than a radio play.
The opportunity to explore a particular folk tale, like Babushka, enables you to extend the work in a number of directions — work on the culture concerned, for instance, and interesting angles involving traditional dress, food, religion and entertainment. In terms of drama, a folk tale can lead into work on storytelling, puppet making, mask work or dance drama. Depending on the different cultures represented in your group, you might want to find an alternative story or festival to investigate.
- Here are a series of workshops designed to lead towards a performance for the end of the autumn term, based on the story of Babushka. You will find that the activities are flexible, and can be extended and adapted in various ways. Extension activities are suggested for each stage.
Introducing storytelling
At this first stage, students will look at elements of the Babushka
story, at the same time as exploring basic storytelling techniques through
visualisation leading into a series of mimes.
Look at some elements from the story of Babushka. You don't need to introduce the story itself at this stage. Use the actual objects if you can, to start the students thinking: a colourful headscarf, a wrapped-up present, a candle, a pillow.
Do some improvisation in pairs based on one of these objects. For instance, ask students to:
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Imagine a situation where they might give someone a present
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Mime giving and receiving
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Add a few spoken words
Next 'use' one of the other objects, such as the pillow, in a mime.
Ask students to spread out in the space and work on their own. Begin to introduce the idea of conducting the drama: introduce signals for 'louder', 'softer', 'quicker', 'freeze', 'start' and 'stop'. These will help later when you record the radio play. Practise by having students walk or move around the space in different ways: like a spaceman, like an athlete, as if you are happy, disappointed, angry, like a dancer..
Once the group is used to this idea, ask students to work on a different concept: imagine they are looking for something they can't find. Mime this, concentrating on face and body movements, and using the whole space. Again, add words later. Students can ask 'Have you seen my....?' as they pass each other. Introduce the idea of playing a character to develop this further.
Also in their own space, ask students to think again about presents. If a friend gave them the perfect present, what would it be? Students visualise this rather than discussing it. Go on to mime the receiving of such a present.
Extension activity: Introduce ideas about buying and selling in the holiday season, and finding the perfect present for a friend. Have thinking time first, then work on body movements and facial expressions as students go looking for the perfect present. This introduces the idea of searching.
Working on searching: developing sound
At this stage, the subject matter focuses on the search, whilst the
students learn more sophisticated sound techniques.
Extend the creative visualisation and mime work by thinking about different rooms in the house and objects you might find in them. Use the words and pictures of the objects too if possible. For instance: door, sofa, chair, mat, suitcase, chest of drawers, fridge.
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Mime using these objects in pairs
- Next ask students to imagine they are looking for something in different rooms of the house, according to your suggestions
- As always, add voices later. Use simple phrases such as: 'Where is it? I can't find it!' or 'I know I left it here somewhere.'
With the group discuss the rhythms that have been created so far. Suggest that the search has a rhythm — it begins very carefully and gets quicker and more frantic. In a circle, recreate this as a rhythm — build from soft and slow to quick and frantic, using tapping, clapping or whispering. If you have a props box or set of percussion instruments, improvise with things you find there.
What other sound effects could be involved? Find ways of creating the following:
- Door-slamming
- Rummaging through clothes
- Opening drawers and cupboards
- Running feet
- Words such as: 'Where is it?', 'I must have something somewhere!', 'What's this?', 'Hold on a minute!', 'I'll be right there', 'I'm sure I had...No that's not it. Where is it?'
When using voices at this stage, begin to practice choral speaking and overlap. Now build up layers of the 'searching' rhythm by adding voices, instruments, objects such as clothes, a suitcase or shoes, and recorded sound effects. This is a good opportunity to practice techniques such as:
- Overlapping sound
- Speaking or creating sounds in pairs, as a small group and as a whole group
- Rounds
- Building up sound — gradually or suddenly
- Speaking very quietly
- Giving sound a shape — quiet, louder, softer, louder, for instance
- Conducting the group
- Stopping sound suddenly — 'cut'
- Fading in and out
- Collaboration — 3 or 4 students creating a rhythm together
Extension activity: Ask students with recording equipment to record these sounds and bring them back into the class. Sound effect CDs are also available, but it is more fun to make your own! You could practice recording and playing back sounds at this point, to get used to the recording equipment. To extend this, link up with ICT lessons to create CD ROMs of the sounds you have created.
Alternative extension activity: The machine game provides
a fun way into this work. Ask students to practice machine-like movements
first. Adding students one at a time, a machine is created in the centre of the
circle. The working parts must interact with each other. Add sound effects and
conduct the machine. (It can speed up, slow down, or go too fast and break
down, for example.)
Introducing waiting
At this stage the focus moves to waiting — the other main theme
of the Babushka story — as students learn to create sequences. This work
is then combined with the previous work on searching.
Ask students to sit in a space on their own and imagine what it is like to wait. Have students ever waited for something or someone? Extend this work by discussing and improvising around things you have to wait for, places where you wait or ideas of patience and impatience.
Again working in a space on their own, students decide what gestures and sounds are associated with waiting. (You might like to ask for suggestions first and give a demonstration.) Come up with a list of gestures and sounds like this one:
- Looking at watch
- Pacing
- Sighing
- Tapping feet or fingers
- Looking around for the thing you are waiting for
- Rolling eyes skywards
- Shifting weight from foot to foot
- Tutting
- Scratching
- Shuffling
Hone these waiting gestures and sounds until the students can reproduce them at a signal from you. Introduce the idea of gestures and sounds lasting for a particular count (five seconds or ten seconds, for instance). Use freezes to try to get a position precise (looking at watch with weight on one foot, for example) and then 'bring to life.'
Try a sequence where each component lasts for five seconds, such as: foot tapping; looking at watch, raising eyes skyward and sighing; scuffing shoes; shifting weight from foot to foot.
Once you have created a 'waiting' sequence with the whole group, practice conducting it and encourage the use of sound effects. (Demonstrate again here if necessary). Ask groups of three to work together.
An example of a small group sequence could be: All sigh and stand up, all tap feet, all look at watch, all sigh and pace in different directions, repeat twice, sigh and sit down.
Ask small groups to show some of their work to the rest of the group. Create a rhythm as a whole group out of some of the developed sounds and gestures; practice conducting again. The idea of rehearsal is introduced through this kind of repetition and honing.
Now combine rhythms and gestures for both searching and waiting. Half of the group is searching, the other half waiting.
Once everyone has had a go, try conducting again in a detailed sequence. For instance, try:
- A freeze on both sides
- A few people 'brought to life' on either side
- Cutting from one side to the other
- Building up the sounds and gestures to a crescendo
- Getting softer and stopping
Again using the idea of rehearsal, state intentions for a sequence — write it up if you like — and then practice it.
Extension activity: Introduce some Laban technique during one session. Laban gives eight efforts which suggest different movements. They are each a different combination of weight (heavy or light), space (direct or indirect) and time (sustained or un-sustained.) It isn't necessary to look at the theory of the movements in order to build movement work from them, nor to work with all of the efforts.
The Laban Efforts with Time / Space / Weight
- Gliding: Sustained, Direct, Light
- Pressing: Sustained, Direct, Strong
- Floating: Sustained, Flexible, Light
- Wringing: Sustained, Flexible, Strong
- Dabbing: Quick, Direct, Light
- Punching: Quick, Direct, Strong
- Slashing: Quick, Flexible, Strong
- Flicking: Quick, Flexible, Light
Practice working on these movements individually, in pairs
and in threes. Relate them to everyday activities such as wringing out a
dishcloth or pushing a heavy box. Add sound effects. This can help with work on
sequences, rhythms and conducting. For more information, see this resource guide
for Drama GCSE students (click on 'Education' and then
'Project Sheets').
The story of Babushka: creating a script
At this stage, the full story of Babushka is brought into play, as a
formalised script is developed. Tell the story of Babushka to the class.
Explore the context through pictures of traditional dress, famous buildings,
food etc. Use the objects again as visual reminders. Bring in the sounds
already practiced as you read the story through.
Divide the story into sections and work on one at a time or ask small groups to each work on different sections. Continue to emphasise gesture and sound effects. (Gestures help in rehearsing for a radio play because they produce previously inhibited sound effects, as well as helping with storytelling generally).
Here are the different parts of the story:
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The Wise Men decide to follow the star.
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They see Babushka's house.
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She is kind and offers them hospitality. (A nice bed and good food).
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They tell her they are going to look for the baby Jesus and ask if she wants to come.
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She says yes — but has to look for a present.
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They wait and wait and eventually warn her they are going to leave without her.
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Finally, they leave without her.
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Babushka searches for the baby Jesus alone — going from door to door with her candle.
For each part of the story, draw an image and use it in a display, or use fabric to create a collage. Write up key words for each part of the story and use them to make sentences together: Star, Wise Men, Babushka, Baby Jesus, Searching, Present, Hospitality, Waiting. Each person in the class writes and illustrates their own version of the story. This work can be concurrent with the drama work exploring storytelling and the radio play, or be introduced at this stage.
For the opening section (1.The Wise Men decide to follow the star), write a dialogue as a whole group. Set it out as a play from the start, with capital letters for characters, colons, no speech marks and spaces between lines:
WISE MAN 1: The stars are bright tonight!
WISE MAN 2: Yes, but look how bright that star is. It outshines all the others.
WISE MAN 3: As if it is leading the way somewhere.
Give students beginning pieces of dialogue (for sections 2 — 7) and ask them to continue with them in pairs. Then ask for suggestions to create a whole class script. Keep the script very simple — try to find the key words and phrases. As you write up the script, leave space for sound effects.
What sound effects and music could be added to the script? Ask for ideas and write these up in a different colour. Sound effects should be either in capitals or underlined, and separate from the dialogue, as follows:
WISE MAN 1: The stars are bright tonight!
WISE MAN 2: Yes, but look how bright that star is. It outshines all the others.
Sound effect: In the distance, there's the sound of In the Bleak Midwinter being sung as if by carol singers.
WISE MAN 3: As if it is leading the way somewhere.
Display the words on big sheets. Find ways of learning the lines with the whole group, based on the previous exercises, for instance:
- Inflection exercise: saying lines or words in different ways around the group
- Choral speaking
- Finding the integral rhythm or shape of a phrase
- Using gestures to match the words
- Using objects, sound effects and pictures as reminders
In small groups, ask students to bring one of the sections of the play to life using actions, sounds and words. It's not necessarily a radio play at this stage. You can talk about the difference later, and use the acting out as a way of getting students to remember lines and cues.
Keep introducing new ideas, especially sound effects and rhythm, as you rehearse, conduct and arrange. Further sound effects could include:
- Night time sounds
- Footsteps
- Horses' hooves
- Doors opening
- Knocking
Add your developed sounds and rhythm to the script and the display.
Extension activity: In the Bleak Midwinter, to be used early in script development. One of the verses from this carol is as follows:
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What can I give Him, poor as I am?
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If I were a Shepherd, I would bring a lamb
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If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part
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All I have I give Him, give Him my heart
Sing the song together and talk about what it means; lead
the discussion into a mime. How does this relate to the story of Babushka? What
kind of 'presents' do we have to offer? What talents do we have? Think
about things like: a friendly smile, friendship, a good listener, honesty,
sharing. Find a mime or improvisation for each one.
A radio play
At this stage the play becomes a performance. With recording
equipment, record the groups using their sounds and rhythms. Listen to these
and comment; talk about the differences between TV, the stage and the
radio.
Choose students to play the three Wise Men and Babushka,
plus any other characters you have included and a narrator if necessary. Now
record the play! Invite the whole year group to listen to the completed radio
play. Alternatively perform the play live to another class, using screens to
mask the actors.
Web-based resources about Russia and Babushka
This children's literature site gives reviews of
different tales, and includes an overview of the Babushka story based on
Babushka: A Christmas Folktale from Russia by Arthur Scholey and Helen
Cann and Babushka by Sandra Ann Horn and Cinzia Ratto. Note the idea
of Babushka being too busy to notice the star because she's keeping her
house clean — this could form the basis of some improvisation.
Other Russian folktales can be found on this American
'Russia for kids' resource site. This site
about Russia discusses women in Russia, in particular the
role of the Babushka (old woman or grandmother) in Russian culture. An example
of a school play version of Babushka.
Designing a school production
A how-to guide and checklist are available as part of the resource
pack Drama for Students with Special Needs. Free sample
pages of this, and other Drama Books, can be downloaded as Puffs.
General web-based drama resources
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BBC experts' advice on writing for the radio
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The Arts Council
Useful books
- Babushka by Sandra Ann Horn and Sophie Fatus (Barefoot Books, 2002)
- Babushka: An Old Russian Folktale by Charles Mikolaycak (Holiday House, 1984)
- Putting on the School Play: A Complete Handbook by Adrienne Holtje and Grace A. Mayr (Prentice Hall, 1980)
- Putting on a Nativity Play: Big Book by Wendy Body and M. Bennett (Longman 2003)
- Putting on a Play: Big Book by Caroline Feller Bauer and Cyd Moore (Celebration 1999)
- Writing for Radio by Vincent McInerney (Manchester University Press, 2001)
This article was commissioned by TeacherNet's editorial team, independently of DCSF policy teams.
