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200 Socially Intelligent Agents

found in dramatic games of the school, Teatrix is divided in three phases. In
the first phase, one child (often helped by the others) is responsible for the
preparation of the story. This preparation includes the choice of the theme, the
cast, props and scenes for the future play (see Figure 24.1).

Figure 24.1. Teatrix: Backstage Option

The second phase provides the children with the possibility to initiate one
story and to start the acting (on stage performance). This option is accom-
plished in a collaborative 3D world (see Figure 24.2) where each participating
child controls one character. So, at the beginning of the acting phase, each
child has to choose her character to control. The story creation only evolves if
the children try to achieve a common story, collaboratively. However, the way
the story will evolve at acting time is completely open to the goals of the group
of children engaged in its creation.
Once the play is finished, children obtain a product- a “film”-like object,
which they can exhibit as a proof of their collaborative work. This “film”is
then used for the next phase. In this last phase, children can be the audience
of their own performances and watch their previous stories. The story can
be seen from different perspectives (focusing the camera on different actors),
which can provide the children with the possibility to discuss each others’ per-