Group Process in Interactive Theater
8/28/14
Student Government: My Group Process My first stipulations of Group Process in Interactive Theater class was that it was a class to better ones acting in a group setting. Upon reading the excerpt, “Focusing on the stages of Group Development,” I was enlightened to, and excited to find out that the course offered much more depth than just that. I found it exceptionally intriguing to find that there is actually a process that my peers and I will follow to achieve a personal goal. This process includes the stages as followed: the Preformation Stage, the Formation Stage, the Stage of Power and Control, the Intimacy Stage, the Stage of Separation and Individuation, and the Termination Stage. I have always been a very goal oriented person, in turn this appealed to me greatly. I found that I would be leaving the class with more than just knowledge, facts, or techniques, but rather obtain the understanding and value of a family, emotions, and connections through acting. The process and results reminds me of the Student Government Club I participated in all four of my high school years.
Student Government was a rewarding organization and is similar to the interactive theater class like so. At first, the teacher running the club recruits people and sets dates and times for our meetings. We then attend the first session, meet all of the attendees, and the creator of the club sets general rules for us to follow; I would consider this the “Preformation” and “Formation Stage.” Everyone becomes comfortable within the group and we have elections for the different governing positions and the members compete with each other to obtain particular roles. At the end of elections there are people that feared they would be left out or not have enough say in the important matters and tasks of the club. We all also voiced our own opinions about the club which included disagreements and debates on the rules. This could be considered the “Stage of Power and Control.” The group then