Jennifer Wong Pui Cheng

This chapter offers a brief introduction to definitions of imaginal and vicarious experiences before moving on to discuss the image theatre techniques used in the project. It draw links between the image creation process and how imaginal and vicarious experiences were enabled to create pathways for the children to reimagine plausible futures. The chapter concludes with a brief reflection on the process and the importance of opportunities made for young children from difficult circumstances to reimagine and embody alternative narratives from the ones they know. In order to encourage an egalitarian way of working amongst the children, and to provide opportunities for every child to participate in playbuilding regardless of their language abilities, the chapter improvised from existing image theatre techniques and developed two ways of working in tableaux. The first method of working in tableaux involved a process the author called sculpting and reimaging. A second method, five-count image making, was developed as an extension of the first method.

Freezing, or pausing an action momentarily and stopping it from developing further, provides opportunities for participants and audience in a drama to engage in a process of enquiry, reflection and analytical dialogues. Children living in economically impoverished environments face a multitude of challenges, but they often lack the space and adult guidance to practise reflection and analysis to make sense of the many events happening in their lives. Furthermore, infrequent attendance in school and disengagement from academic systems result in an absence of meaningful platforms for some children from low socio-economic backgrounds to understand and negotiate relationships with their peers and their environments. This chapter argues the importance of affording drama programmes, especially for children living in low-income homes, to support the building of reflective and analytical skills that are crucial for their understanding and survival in their worlds.