During the Corona Pandemic 2020/2021, upper secondary education in Sweden is periodically conducted at a distance. This narrative study aims to create knowledge about how this affects the teaching of the aesthetic program’s theater education from a student perspective; through the students' stories from distance education, we can get information about how the students experience effects on drive, interaction and learning in Theater. A socio-cultural and relational perspective permeates the essay and the ten informants' stories are linked to governing documents, previous research in theater didactics, didactic design and digitization, digital tools in drama and theater teaching and reports from authorities on the impact of distance education on teaching and learning. The result is presented in two parts, a chronological and a thematic story. The analysis shows that students generally have difficulties related to motivation and creativity during periods of digital education. Students in need of special support are particularly affected when they don’t receive the help they need to establish routines and get started with their tasks. The interaction between students and between students and teachers has weakened significantly as the students work alone at home and this affects both their well-being and mental state. Group development stagnates or regresses when the students don’t have joint theater projects and do not meet in real life. However, there are individual differences; students with social anxiety have been helped by the distance education and many students believe that they have, after all, learned what they should, because they have implemented the planned elements in some form. A discussion about online theater teaching, development of didactic digital tools, loss of knowledge and the students' social situation during distance education ends the essay.

Studien syftar till att förstå och synliggöra en del av det didaktiska arbetet i teaterundervisningen inom kulturskolan genom drama- och teaterpedagogers uppfattningar av begreppen samspel och inlevelse och hur de relaterar till den pedagogiska praktiken. Didaktisk forskning för teaterämnet inom denna kontext är näst intill obefintlig. För att nå studiens syfte används frågeställningarna: Hur uppfattar några drama- och teaterpedagoger innebörden av begreppen samspel och inlevelse i relation till teaterundervisningen inom kulturskolan? Hur kan man arbeta med områden som samspel och inlevelse med barn och ungdomar inom kulturskolans teaterämne? Hur uppfattar drama- och teaterpedagogerna att elevers progression inom områden som samspel och inlevelse kan uppnås? Grundad teori utgör metodologisk utgångspunkt och genom intervjuer och en dramaworkshop har empirin insamlats. Resultatet presenteras genom en teori vilken lyfter att samspel, inom aktuell kontext, berör teaterns alla delar. Dessa måste samverka för att det som framställs ska kunna kommunicera med en publik, för deltagarna innebär det att ingå i en helhet. Deltagarna tränas i att inta publikperspektivet för att kunna förstå hur delarna samverkar, de uppmanas att rikta blicken utåt. I arbetet övar deltagarna på att ge och ta plats sceniskt. Gruppdynamiska aspekter och scenframställning går inte att separera från varandra, samspel berör arbetet både på och av scenen. Innebörden av begreppet åskådliggörs genom att deltagarna gör övningar som kräver att de samspelar för att klara av uppgiften. Progression nås genom att det sceniska arbetet varvas med gruppens och pedagogens reflektioner. Inlevelse betonas som att förmedla kroppsligt, emotionellt, mot rummet och situationen med hjälp av hela människan. Pjäser och improvisationer är sceniska berättelser, för att stötta vägen till inlevelse guidar pedagogerna sökandet bakom situationen och historien. Aktörernas möjlighet att spela sina roller är beroende av vad de sceniskt får av varandra och att alla ”tror” på fiktionen, det behövs en gemensam hängivelse. Området bearbetas genom att deltagarna få prova att spela olika karaktärstyper men även genom enkla övningar som till exempel kull, där förmågan att ge sig hän övas. Spärrar av självcensur behöver släppas för att kunna nå progression, gruppdynamiken är avgörande för att det ska kunna ske. / The study aims to understand and highlight a part of the didactic work in education of theater within the framework of the Swedish kulturskola (Community Schools of Music and Arts) through drama- and theaterpedagogues’ view of the concepts of interplay and empathy and how theese concepts relates to the pedagogical practice. Didactic research on the subject of theater within this context is almost non-existent. To reach the aim of the study, the following framing of questions are used: How is the concept of interplay and empathy perceived by some drama- and theaterpedagogues in relation to theatereducation within the kulturskola? How can concepts like interplay and empathy be implied in the work with children and youth according to the subject of theater within the kulturskola? How do the drama- and theater-pedagogues perceive that progression within concepts like interplay and empathy among students can be achieved? Grounded theory is the methodological premiss and the empirical material has been collected with the help of interviews and a workshop in drama. The result is presented through a theory which emphasize that interplay, within this specific context, concerns all aspects of theater. These different aspects need to cooperate in order for what that is presented to communicate with an audience. For the participants this means to form a part of a wholeness. The participants are trained into taking the perspective of the audience to understand how different parts cooperates, they are requested to address their point of gaze outworth. In their working progress the participants practice on how to, on stage, give and take space. Groupdynamic aspects and presentation on stage is not possible to separate from each other, interplay concerns both work on and off stage. The meaning of the concept is illustrated through participants doing exercises that demands cooperation to solve the assigned task. Progression is achieved through letting the work on stage being interspersed with the group´s and the pedagogue´s reflections. Empathy is emphasized as to convey through body, emotionally towards the space and situation with the help of the whole being. Theatrical plays and improvisations are scenic, theatrical stories. To support the way to empathy the pedagogues are guiding the search behind the situation and the story. The actors means and capability to play their parts are dependent of what they scenically receive from one and other and that everyone “believe” in the fiction, in what can be understood as common dedication. The field is processed by letting the participants try to play different kinds of characters but also through simple exercises like for example playing tag where the ability to surrender oneself is practiced. Hindering self-censorship needs to be released in order to achieve progression, the groupdynamic is crucial for this to happen. / <p>Godkännande datum: 2022-06-03</p>