Practitioners
Paul Johnson and Jenny Johnson
"We
are motivated by our fabulous actors and staff and by the great feedback we
receive every day from teachers and students'."
Background
Paul Johnson is a psychologist, school counsellor and script writer. Jenny Johnson is a script writer and creative director. Together they co-founded Brainstorm Productions which has been awarded an Australian Violence Prevention Award from the Australian Institute of Criminology.
How do you approach the issue of bullying in your plays?
Paul: We take the example of a couple of individuals and devise plays that allow students to identify with the experiences and feelings of the characters. Some of the insights in the play “Sticks and Stones” come from Edward de Bono’s methods of conflict resolution and the martial art of Aikido, which uses a non-violent means of dealing with aggression (‘flow’ rather than fight or flight). We take a ‘no-blame’ approach.
Jenny: The strategies offered are simple ones like ‘fist
in your pockets, walk away, breathe, count to ten and find someone to talk
to’. And for the target to stand tall, look the person in the eye and
be assertive. All the strategies are used as a natural part of the story –
not as add-ons. Then there are more suggestions provided in the curriculum-linked
follow up materials.
Where do the script ideas come from?
Paul: Most of our research is based on anecdotal evidence from children. We also comb the web, read the latest literature, consult with experts and modify the shows in response to feedback from teachers and students. Our actors contribute too – they’re intelligent and aware young people and a great source of ideas.
What are you wanting to achieve?
Jenny: Our aim is to inspire the audience to treat themselves and each other with respect, to have empathy with victims and an insight into the psyche of the aggressor. Yes, to have students, through the stories, recognise their own behaviour, feel empathy and compassion for the characters and gain insights into how people can resume control of their behaviour.
What sort of feedback do you get from students?
Paul: The overwhelming response is silence and complete immersion in the story. A teacher at a fairly “tough” school once said to me “The only time my Year 9’s are quiet is for the 1 minute silence on Remembrance Day and the 50 minutes of a Brainstorm show!” I think this is because the young professional actors are inspiring role models and yet really down to earth and believable. Students relate easily to the characters they play and the situations they find themselves in.
How do school communities use your material to address the issue?
Jenny: Some schools use the performances for whole day anti-bullying programs and camps, or generally to reinforce their whole school “no bullying” message. The shared scenarios and accompanying materials provides a focus for students and teachers to explore through the curriculum and beyond that, with the whole school community. Some schools even use our anti-bullying theme songs as their “bell”!
What areas are you working on at the moment?
Paul: We have seven shows about bullying and harassment, but resilience and giving strategies for bouncing back if you are bullied is also a big focus at the moment. It’s not what happens to us, but how we choose to deal with it. The challenge is to eliminate fear and keep our trust and faith in other human beings. If we can help young people do this, we’ll feel we’ve done well.
A number of the issues you address are also societal issues. What do you think
would help to create more inclusive, fair or harmonious relations in schools
and communities?
Jenny: One of our recent shows I’ve written for 5-13 year olds is called ‘The Human Race’. It’s about the qualities that bind us as humans and the attributes we all need to take us into the future, eg empathy, cooperation, compassion, unity and diversity. If we could all develop these virtues we may build more harmonious communities.
More information...
Phone 1800 676 224 or visit www.brainstormproductions.com.au.
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