DESCRIPTION OF UNIT ASSIGNMENTS Write a theme paper

Write a four-five page thesis-driven paper on a theme. Choose a theme in Macbeth and show how Shakespeare brings those themes to the reader through what he says and what the characters do. Your thesis must be approved by the teacher before you write.

Be a Director
You are working for a theatre company that is staging Macbeth in the future. As the Director, you are the overseer of everything that goes on in the play, including: Finding Actors what kind of actors are you looking for? Take each character and note his/her physical/emotional traits (at least six-seven for Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banqo, Macduff, and 34 traits for the others.) What might the actors look like? What are some things you would need to see them do/perform before casting them? Setting the Stage what are the actors going to be supported with? What will the set look like? What colors will the stage be? Will you set it in Medieval Scotland or another time? Will you have an open set or build large set pieces? What colors will you use? What furniture will you use? How will actors get around the stage? How will the audience see everything that is going on on stage? Do this for each set that the play will need. Props what are the props you will need? Make a complete list and provide some pictures/sketches to describe what you are looking for. Stage Tech how will these support your play? What moods will be set with your lighting? Will you have any special sound effects or background music? Will there need to be any special effects? If you use special effects, how will you keep actors, technicians, and audience members safe? Costumes what are your actors going to wear? Are you going to dress them to match medieval times or dress them in something modern (Note: Your costume choice should match the design laid out for your set and lighting.) What fabrics might you use? What colors? How many costumes will each character need? Create some color sketches or provide color pictures to show how you would dress each character. Advertising how are you going to sell seats? Create an original logo and artwork for the show. Include some aspects from the themes and the character in your artwork. You should create a poster for a show (look up examples on the internet,) a newspaper advertisement, and create a script for a 30-second radio ad. You can also design a billboard, email blast, or any other creative advertising idea (flash mob incident, airplane acrobatics, more?) Choose two of the above categories and provide an in-depth answer to each. Include drawings, pictures, or schematics as needed. Do this in a notebook, composition book, or binder. Take the remaining four categories and provide a general answer to each, giving a basic idea of how you will accomplish each of these tasks.

Ambition Essay

Write a 4-5 Page essay comparing the examples of Ambition in Macbeth to your own ambitions. In the first 2-3 pages, examining how ambition drives Macbeth to do what he does. (Example: At first, Macbeth says if chance will have me king, then chance shall crown me without my stir, which means he will not go against fate. However, in reality, he does go against fate and takes matters into his own hands.) Then in the remaining 1-2 pages, examine your ambitions. Are they as high as Macbeths were? How far will you go to achieve them?

Macbeth: The Soundtrack

Create a soundtrack for the play that includes songs from today. Then, on paper, tell what song will play at what point in the play and write a 4-6 sentence description telling how the song fits this part of the play. Minimum 2 songs per act (2 songs x 5 acts = 10 songs), max 16 songs total. Finally, package your soundtrack by burning it to a CD and creating a CD Cover (in color!) for it. On your cd, you can include your written descriptions OR you can print a copy instead.

Theme Art create a piece of artwork (two or three dimension) that emulates a theme of the story and write a review of your art and how it fits the theme.
Choose a theme from the play and create an original, substantial work of art (it should take you at least seven hours to complete) depicting what Shakespeare is telling us about this theme. This work of art can be of any medium pencil on paper, ink, chalk, charcoal, paint, clay, wood, yarn, fabric, a combination of mediums, or more. Then, write a one page explanation of why you chose the theme and how your work of art expresses this theme. Your idea must be approved by the teacher before you begin.

Glamis Times Create a newspaper for each act and include a headline story, a side story, an editorial, and more.
Create a total of five newspaper layouts for the play. Your newspaper should be named, include dates and volume/edition number, include a headline story consisting of at least 25 sentences, a side story of at least 15 sentences, an editorial of at least 10 sentences, and a picture. Include one other unique item such as an advice column, advertising, public interest story, original comics let your imagination work on this one!

Your idea
If you have an idea of a project you would like to do that is not listed above, you should certainly think about it and come talk to me if your idea is the proper scale, then it should be no problem letting you do that instead!