The energy theater I observed this morning began with two different approaches. Table 7 (wearing microphone) sat at their table and discussed their strategy for how to portray a person eating pasta and then running a marathon. The teachers talked only, no drawing, no movement.
I had missed the introduction to the exercise, so I assumed they were following directions for the exercise; I also assumed this was not energy theater. Until Table 8 got up and put strings on the floor. While Table 7 was sitting and discussing, Table 8 started to do the standing/moving/planning we saw on Friday. They were still talking and strategizing, rather than actively doing energy theater, but they were moving about, adding physical aspects to their conversation.
Because of the disparate approaches, I made more assumptions--this time that the two tables were not working together. About five minutes into the exercise, Dan came over to observe and provided feedback about the tables needing to work together. This was the point where I realized that energy theater, as we've been doing it, was happening. Table 7 got up and joined Table 8, working in the middle of the room.
The two teams together did more standing/moving/planning, and then engaged in active energy theater. (I'm still processing the footage for this, so don't have details right now.) Interestingly, Table 7 never referenced anything in the sitting-and-planning session they had just done. I never heard, "Remember, we decided we were going to move here and then here." From my observation, that planning time seems entirely wasted; the group began processing the concepts anew once they stood up and started moving.
I tend to think that time in discussion is rarely wasted. It may be that the talk was not as productive as it could have been, however it is likely that whatever was discussed anew once the groups combined was assimilated into what had previously been discussed by Table 7 even if it was not explicitly referenced.
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