TRANS'LATING INDIVIDUAL ISSUES TO GROUP ACTION

    There are a variety of ways to tell when a group is ready for action. Members
may be speaking eagerly about their experiences. Someone may say something
that the others respond to with energy and spontaneity where earlier the conversation seemed to limp along . Several people may literally be sitting at the edge of their seats or expressng strong emotion when they speak. Once you have determined that the group is ready for action, as the director ask yourself,
''What will the action be ?"and "How do I enlist members to participate in it?"
    In order to answer these questions, the director must listen closely and attend to the group interactions as they evolve. The group's dynamics are intensely important to the director,.as the action emerges directly from the group's process.
    She must discover what common themes are emerging from the discussion
that can be explored sociodramarlcally.As she listens to people tell their
individual stories (plots), she listens for the themes (universal ideas and issues) that tie the stories together. Among these themes are unresolved issues shared by group members, for instance trusting a friend. They are called ope11. tension systems. The director also listens for what specific needs people have that can be satisfied through the action of the s:ociodrama, for instance the need to assert independence. These are called act hung-ers. Out of the open tension systems and act hungers, one main issue crystallizes- for instance, setting ltmits with friends. This issue, with which all group members seem to be concerned, is called the shared central issue.