HOT IDEAS FOR CLASS OPENINGS:

1. Get a bottle of bubbles. Hand out slips of paper that say: bubble catcher or observer or observer of observers. When all of the students have arrived and been able to have a moment to follow their slip of paper, use the activity to introduce a lesson on: different styles (how were the bubbles caught?), participation vs. observation (role of the audience, role of a minor character), action/reaction (motivation for response) etc. 2. Give out numbers as the students enter the room. Each number will match a picture of characters with varying ages and occupations posted on the walls. Students will go to the pictures and write something about the character. Use music to tell them when to moveplay it while they are writing; when it stops they are to go to the next picture. You may have them do a handful of pictures or all of them as time permits. You may have them go back to the original person and recreate that character in an improv. 3. Create a maze at the entrance of the room that keeps the students from seeing the other end. (Use a sheet, curtain or flat.) Move all the desks/chairs to allow for a large area and as each student exits the maze have them add on to the obstacles. By the time the final student arrives, all the students have created a machine to use to introduce ensemble. Use music or a mix in the background and have a sidebar about the tempo and how it effects their choices as they add on. 4. Cut an index card into two pieces tat cannot be matched except with the original other half. As students enter have them draw a card and then search for the perfect match. When everyone is paired, give the assignment that requires working in pairs. 5. Make cards with the name of an object in the room. Give a card to each student as they enter. Have them create an overview, front, side and rear view of the object, to scale, as an exercise for tech. These drawings can be used as templates for renderings, at a later date. 6. Vary the scavenger hunt theme: as students enter, give each a handout that requires them to perform a variety of activities in each area of the stage. (The sequence of activities should vary.) Have the room divided into these areas and assign the first student to sign off on the handouts when jobs are completed. (EX- Whistle the school fight song DR) This activity tests knowledge of stage areas and actor positions. Variation: Work in pairs with each verifying the other. 7. Provide safety pins for each student as they enter. Have them draw a dialect you have studied, a character from a play seen or read, a character to improv, etc. They will adopt this role for the duration of the class period or whatever length of time you set. When instruction is given to begin, students may claim the pin of anyone who drops the dialect or character. At the end, recognize the student with the most pins. Be sure the lesson allows for all students to interact. Breaks of character could be physical as well as vocal, depending on the focus of the lesson. 8. Cut a square into geometric shapes (triangles, squares, rectangles). Give each student a puzzle piece as they enter. Keep the groups to a manageable number by cutting several puzzles, each from a different color of paper. Students may not talk or touch other puzzle pieces. Reward the group that solves their puzzle first. Use to introduce the concept of sharing on stage, communicating, ensemble work, etc. An extension
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can occur when a group finishes first, separates and helps other groups without taking or talking. This can be used as an example of the interdependence of parts of theatre.

Texas Middle School Association Convention, February 1996 Presented by Michelle Jett, Bailey Middle School, Austin I.S.D.

Theatre Arts Energizers

WARM-UP ACTIVITIES
OBJECTIVE: prepare the students to perform, allow each student to lead the class, enhance learning, spark creativity, and allow the teacher time to check roll and do necessary beginning of class paper work. ACTIVITY: Warm-ups are done at the very beginning of class each day. For full year classes, assign each student a week that they will lead warm-ups. Write this in a chart and post it in the classroom. Teach how to do warm-ups for the first week or two and add new warm-ups after covering it in class during the year. For example; while teaching improvisation do an activity (like freeze) and inform the class that they can now due it for a warm-up. Each day of the week is assigned a different type of warm-up that the student leader may choose from: Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: Friday: Stretching exercises Full Class Games Full Class Warm-ups Performer / Audience Leaders choice

FULL CLASS GAMES

LIONS, TIGERS, AND BEARS OBJECTIVE: To control the body, to react quickly, to create energy. GOAL: To avoid being the only person without a chair. ACTIVITY: Have everyone sit in chairs in a circle with an "it" in the center. Each person is assigned a "lion, tiger, or bear." "It" calls out "Lion, Tiger, Bear, or Zoo." If "it" calls out lions, all lions run to find a vacated seat including the "it." If he calls out Zoo, everyone must get up and find a new seat at least 2 chairs away. Person left out is the new "it." DARLING IF YOU LOVE ME, SMILE OBJECTIVE: To control the body, to stay in character, to focus GOAL: To not smile or laugh ACTIVITY: 1. Have everyone sit or stand in a circle with an "it" in the center. 2. The "it" will go up to a "person" in the circle and say "Darling, if you love me smile." three times. They may use vocal, facial, and body expressions (as long as it is "G" rated) as they say it. The "it" may not touch the "person" in any way. The "person must look at the "it" without covering their mouth. 3. The "person" will respond by saying, "Darling, I love you but I just can't smile." If the "person" laughs or smiles they become the new "it." If they do not, the "it" must try again. YES CIRCLE OBJECTIVE: Warm up and quick reactions GOAL: To think and move before someone takes your place ACTIVITY: Have all students stand in a circle. One person starts by saying "yes" and pointing to someone in the circle. Then they walk directly towards that person. The new person must then say "yes," point, and
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move before the original person gets to his place. VARIATION: choose a category instead of just saying "yes" Ex. colors, colleges, lines from the play ZOOM IRK OBJECTIVE: To listen and respond without hesitation, and to react spontaneously GOAL: To avoid messing up and ending in the mush pot ACTIVITY: Actors sit in a circle facing center. One person starts by saying zoom to the person next to him. That person says so on to the next person as quickly as possible keeping the established rhythm going. To change the direction of the zoom, a person may say irk. to skip the next person a player may make an explosion sound. You are out if you change the rhythm, say the wrong word, hesitate, or pass the wrong direction. MURDER OBJECTIVE: To communicate non-verbally, to concentrate, to become aware GOAL: To figure out who the murderer is before getting killed ACTIVITY: Actors sit in a circle facing in. Everyone closes their eyes while the leader picks the Murderer. Everyone opens their eyes. The murder kills people by winking at them. If you are winked at, you must do an elaborate death and lay down. The others are trying to figure out who the murderer is. If you think you know, raise, your hand and tell the leader. If you guess wrong, you are dead. SHUFFLE YOUR BOOTIE OBJECTIVE: To have a seat to sit in GOAL: To control the body, to react quickly and to energize ACTIVITY: Arrange chairs (2-4 extra than students) in a very tight circle. The it stands in the middle and says, Hi, Im ______. The students in the circle say, Hi ______. The it says, shuffle your bootie. The students in the circle start scooting around clockwise trying not to leave space between anyone. The it tries to sit down in the moving circle. The person the it sits in front of becomes the new it.

FULL CLASS WARM UPS

OBJECTIVES: To prepare all actors to perform, loosen up, and relax SINGIN' IN THE RAIN ACTIVITY: Students sing Singin in the rain. . . Leader says Thumbs up while holding thumbs up, then everyone repeats it. Repeat all, Leader adds a body part each time the song is sung. "Elbows back", "Knees bent", "Knees together", "toes too", "Butt out", "Chest out", "Head back", "Tongue out." HOKEY POKEY You know this one. If you don't, go roller-skating. RELAXATION Have students lie on their backs while the leader tells them to relax each body part, one at a time.

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ARISTOTLES ELEMENTS OF THEATRE

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) was a Greek philosopher who described the elements of theatre in The Poetics. I. All drama should: A. Have dramatic conflict. This can be conflict between people, between individuals and an outside force or conflict within a person. B. Have a beginning, middle and an end. C. Be purposeful, organized to evoke a specific response from the audience. D. Be complete and self-contained, having everything necessary for understanding. E. Have dramatic action that is: 1. Varied. 2. Engaging and able to maintain the interest of the audience. 3. Probable. All elements should be logical and consistent. The elements of theatre provide the structure for drama. By Aristotles ranking, the elements from most to least important are: A. PLOT The overall structure of the play. 1. Initial incident the first important event that starts the plot moving. (Includes plot and character exposition.) 2. Rising action the series of events following the initial incident, leads to the climax. 3. Climax the turning point of the action; the moment that determines the outcome of the conflict. 4. Falling action the series of events following the climax. 5. Conclusion (resolution or denouement) the end of the play; must be the logical outcome of all that has gone before.
B.

II.

CHARACTER AND CHARACTERIZATION The playwrights means of showing the difference between persons. 1. The levels of characterization are: a. Physical b. Social (relationships) c. Psychological d. Moral 2. Character traits are revealed through: a. Descriptions in stage directions, prefaces, and other explanatory material. b. What the character says. c. What the character does actions. d. What other characters say about the character.

C. THOUGHT The theme or over-all meaning of the play. 1. Theme is present in all plays, even the most lighthearted. 2. This is the specific idea that gives unity and purpose to everything that happens in the play. 3. Theme should not be confused with a moral.
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D.

DIALOGUE Diction or language is the playwrights primary means of expression. 1. The dialogue serves the following purposes: a. To impart information about the story, setting and characters. b. To direct attention to important plot elements. c. To reveal the theme. d. To establish tone or mood, tempo and rhythm. 2. The language in a play must be appropriate to the characters, the situation, the time period, the levels of probability and the genre of the play. MELODY or RHYTHM (MUSIC) All patterned sound and its tempo. Rhythm is an important ingredient in every production and can serve the following functions: 1. Establish mood and enhance expectations. 2. Establish the level of probability. 3. Condense or speed up characterization and exposition. 4. Lend variety. 5. Give pleasure for its beauty alone. SPECTACLE All the visual elements of a production such as the movement and spatial relations of the characters, the lighting, scenery, costumes, makeup, properties, and special effects. Spectacle can serve the following purposes: 1. Provide information about setting and background for the action. 2. Aid establishment of character. 3. Set mood and atmosphere.

E.

F.

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PLAY REVIEW
One Play Review due for each grading period. The due dates will be: 1st____________________________ 3rd____________________________ 2nd ___________________________ 4th ___________________________

Your play reviews should be written in ESSAY FORM and include the following information: Paragraph I - General Information Play title and playwright Location and date you saw the play The Setting place, time, atmosphere/mood of the play
The Characters List and tell something about each of the major characters.

Paragraph II The Plot Identify the following: The Initial Incident Rising Action, 3 to 4 instances Climax Falling Action Conclusion Paragraph III Theme(s) - discuss the theme in depth. Support your choices with evidence from the plays. Paragraph IV Production Elements - Discuss the effectiveness of the following: Set Costumes Makeup Lighting Sound Paragraph V Give your opinion of the actors performances and your over-all impression of the play. You may Review: Any live play you see while enrolled in this class. A movie based on a Pulitzer Prize winning play. (See list.) ~~Type or write in blue or black ink and only use the front side of the paper.~

SCENE CUTTING
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Cover Sheet
Please answer the following questions. You must type this report on your own paper. Remember to enclose two copies of your proposed scene. Do NOT staple these together. 1.
Play Title: ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. 3. 4. 5. Playwright: ____________________________________________________________________________ Play Publisher: _________________________________________________________________________ This scene includes: Page ____________________ to Page # ______________________

Which characters are involved?(describe them in age, looks, personality, mood etc.) ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________

6.

Which character is your favorite? Why? __________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Why did you choose this particular scene? ___________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. What is happening in the scene you have picked? ______________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. Would you recommend this play to anyone to read? Why or Why not?___________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. Could this play be produced on the high school stage? Why or Why not? ________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________

THE STAGE

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apron - part of the stage projecting past the curtain line toward the audience. backstage - area that the audience cannot see; off. centerstage - middle portion of the stage area. curtain line - imaginary line on the stage below the grand drape. downstage, down - portion of the stage closest to the audience; toward the audience. house - the audience; place where the audience sits; front, out front. left, stage left - actor's left when facing the audience. proscenium - permanent framed opening through which the audience sees a play. right, stage right - actor's right when facing the audience. stage - part of the theater where actors perform; acting area, boards, deck, on, playing area. theatre in the round - theatre facility where the audience surrounds the stage on the all sides; arena stage. thrust stage - stage that extends well past the proscenium arch so that the audience surrounds it on three sides. up, upstage - portion of the stage farthest from the audience; away from the audience. wings - backstage area on either side of the stage.

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BLOCKING GUIDELINES
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1. BLOCKING is the basic movement of the actor. 2. Make turns toward the audience. 3. 4. When two people are walking together, the upstage actor should be slightly ahead. Make a cross with the foot nearest your destination (usually the upstage foot).

5. Cross in front of another actor when you are speaking. 6. Avoid moving when another actor is speaking. 7. Don't establish eye contact with the audience. 8. Avoid standing directly behind another actor. It is the upstage actor's responsibility to move unless he is seated.

9. Use the upstage hand for props and-gestures. 10. Don't upstage another actor. 11. Drama is life. If something falls, pick it up. 12. To open to the audience is to face them. The more open the character's position, the more attention he receives. Usually full front more emphatic, followed by one quarter profile, three quarter, and full back. During the course of the scene use as much of the stage as possible. Use the depth (up and down stage) as well as the width (right and left). Dominant (most important) - position should be considered when blocking a scene. A standing position is usually more dominant than a sitting position; sitting is more emphatic than lying. Plan purposeful movement. Know the motivating desire of the character and his objective (what he expects to accomplish) with the scene. Avoid straight lines on stage; unless characters are marching, this is unnatural.

13. 14.

15.

16.

17. The actor speaking dominates unless there is movement on stage. 18. Down center strongest area of the stage. Use for emphasis. 19. The higher level a character is on, the more attention he/she receives. 20. Remember, variety in positioning movement, use of stage and character the key to an interesting scene. function is

* ALSO, REMEMBER TO ALWAYS HAVE YOUR SCRIPT AND A PENCIL WHEN PRACTICING YOUR SCENE.
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STAGE PICTURES DIRECTING ASSIGNMENT

Plan 5-6 stage pictures that will tell a story. You will compose these pictures using 3-5 of your classmates as the actors. Determine whether the actors needs to be a male, female or can be either one. You will tell your cast where to be on stage (UR, DL, C, DC, etc), actor position (full-front, profile L, etc.). You will also tell them how to position their bodies (standing, sitting, kneeling, lying, leaning, etc.), and other needed information such as hands on hips, reaching to the left with your right hand, left hand over mouth, head bowed, etc. Use the chart below to record your pictures. Prepare to use stage terms to move your actors from one picture to another.
ACTOR NAME STAGE AREA ACTOR POSITION
(M1, M2, F1, F2) (DR,UC,DL,RC) (ff,1/4R, profL,3/4L, fb)

BODY POSITION
(sit, stand, kneel)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
(head, arm, hand, leg, foot positions)

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PANTOMIME
What is pantomime? Pantomime is acting without talking. The word pantomime comes from the Greek word pantominios which means all imitator or imitate all. Why study pantomime? The study of pantomime helps the performer develop a very powerful tool, the human body.

Is pantomime important? The language of action is universal. A smile means the same thing everywhere in the world. Pantomime is not limited by language barriers. Because actors are seen before being heard or understood, the art of acting without speech is the first phase of acting training. On stage especially, actions speak louder than words. What is the history of pantomime? Pantomime is the oldest means of dramatic expression. Early man imitated the significant events in their lives after those events took place. Successful hunts, victorious battles and responses to earth quenching rains were typical of the events acted out within a circle of viewers. The first actors began to pantomime, dance and chant their hopes for future events. In ancient Rome, pantomime performances were interspersed between longer plays. Elizabethan period pantomimes were called dumb shows and were very popular with audiences. The popularity of silent movies was partly due to the skill of Charlie Chaplin, a great pantomimist. In the 1950s, a French mime artist, Marcel Marceau, made the art of classic mime popular world wide. Marceau calls pantomime the language of the heart.

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Principles of Pantomime
1. The chest is the key to bodily movement. Positive emotions such as love, honor, pride, courage and sympathy expand the body and tend toward a high chest and head, free movement, broad gestures, and animated features. Negative emotions such as hate, greed, fear, and suffering contract the body and tend toward a shrunken chest, tense movements, restricted gestures, and drawn facial features. 2. Make all gestures with the upstage arm whenever possible. Avoid any tendency to cover the face while expressing an emotion. 3. Always keep the audience in mind and direct the actions to them. 4. All movement should be clearly motivated. 5. Use the posture and movements that are expected of the character you are representing. Acquainting ourselves with other postures is like using other dialects. It helps us to improve our own posture. 6. To create the illusion of an object in pantomime we must use it. Creating an object in pantomime requires several steps. Using all four steps below helps us to cleanly, believably create objects that the audience can see. *Visualize the object. See it in your mind. *Approach the object. Move toward it. *Take the object. Make contact with the object. Tell the audience its location, size, shape, weight, etc. *Release the object. Take your hand away from the object let go. 7. Concentrate!! 8. Practice! Practice! Practice!!! Begin your pantomime performance by standing down center, facing the audience. State your title clearly and distinctly and follow by bowing only your head. Perform you pantomime, keeping in mind the above guidelines. End your pantomime by returning to down center and bow your head again. DOs and DONTs DO exaggerate facial expression. DO show the shape, size, weight, etc. of objects. DO focus fully on the task. DO show the audience who you are, where you are and what is happening. DO plan a beginning, middle and end to the pantomime. DO include conflict or a problem in your pantomime. DONT mouth words. DONT make any noise or props DONT include any body contact. DONT include any violence, weapons, or inappropriateness in your pantomime. Names _____________________________________________________________________
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Theatre Arts I Period ________ Date __________ Title __________________________

DUET PANTOMIME PLANNING SHEET

1.

3.
4.

Performance criteria: The audience should be able to tell who you are, where you are, and what you are doing. 2. Your scene should be complete, having a beginning, a middle, and an end. There must be a conflict that is resolved -- after the rising action -- happily or unhappily. The two parts should be equal in importance and size. Every movement should be motivated and clear to the audience. 5. Use concentration, sensory recall and emotional recall to make your performance believable. 6. Plan and rehearse the action in your scene so that you react to each other, work well together and give and take the scene. I. Who will you be? Describe character 1 played by ________________________

Describe character 2 played by ________________________

II.

Where will your scene take place? _____________________________________________ Draw a birds eye view diagram of your set below. Place doors, furniture, trees, cars, etc.

III. List, by character, the emotions you will portray, the objects you will establish and the sensory reactions you will display. Emotions Character 1
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Objects

Senses

Character 2

IV.

Outline the action in your scene: Opening (exposition How will you tell the audience who, where, what, etc.?)

Conflict or problem

Rising action Plan at least 3 ways the problem gets worse, more complicated or extends.

Conclusion or Resolution

VOCAL WARM UPS

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Trinidad, and the big Mississippi And the town Honolulu And the Lake Tee-tee-ka-ka. The Popatatapital is not in Canada, rather in Mexico, Mexico, Mexico. Canada, Monogull, Remedy, Bremecy, Canada, Monogull, Remedy, Bremecy, Canada, Monogull, Remedy, Bremecy. Yes, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet. Nagasaki, Yokahama, Nagasaki, Yokahama. Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet -- Trinidad To sit in solemn silence on a dull, dark dock In a pestilential prison with a life long lock Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big, black block. A big black block, a short, sharp shock From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big, black block. (from The Mikado by W. S. Gilbert) What a tadoo to die today at a minute or two till two. A thing distinctly hard to say, but harder still to do. Well beat a tatoo at twenty till two and a rat-a-tat-a-tat-a-tat two. And the dragon will come when he hears the drum At a minute or two till two today, At a minute or two till two. Fat black bucks in a wine barrel room Barrel house kings with feet unstable Sagged and reeled and pounded on the table. Pounded on the table. Beat an empty barrel with the handle of a broom, Hard as they were able. Boom! Boom! Boom! With a silk umbrella and the handle of a broom. Boom lay, boom - lay, boom - lay boom! from The Congo by Vachel Linsay Moses supposes his toeses are roses,but Moses supposes erroneously. For Moses he knowes his toes arent roses, as Moses supposes his toeses to be. Biggity, baggity, bacon and beans, A bucket of butter, a basket of greens, A bottle for baby, some berries for Bess, And a big block of beef for big brother Jess. A tutor who tooted the flute Tried to tutor two tooters to toot. Said the two to the tutor, Is it harder to toot Or to tutor two tooters to toot? Betty Botter bought a bit of butter But said she, This butters bitter.
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If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter, But a bit of better butter will make my batter better. So Betty bought a bit of better butter (Much better than the bitter butter) And it made her batter better. A fly and a flea in a flue Were imprisoned so what could they do? Said the fly, Let us flee! Let us fly! said the flea. And they flew through a flaw in the flue. Whether the weather be fine Or whether the weather be hot, Whether the weather be cold Or whether the weather be not, Well weather the weather Whatever the weather, Whether we like it or not. Theophilus Thistle, the successful thistle sifter, In sifting a sieve full of unsifted thistles, Thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb. See that thou, in sifting a sieve full of unsifted thistles Thrust not three thousand thistles through the thick of thy thumb. Jiggle it a little. Itll open. Jiggle it a little. Itll open. Ten tiny toddling tots testily trying to train their tongues to trill. A big black bug bit a big black bear. Better buy the bigger rubber baby buggy bumpers. Fine art is that in which the hand, the head and the heart go together. What whim led Whitey Whitney to whisper, whimper, whittle and whistle? Aluminum, Linoleum, Aluminum, Linoleum, Aluminum, Linoleum. Toy boat, toy boat, toy boat, toy boat. Red leather, Yellow leather; Red leather, Yellow leather; Red leather, Yellow leather. Synonym, Cinnamon, Synonym, Cinnamon. Unique New York, Unique New York, Unique New York, Blue glass fruit bowl. Blue glass fruit bowl. Blue glass fruit bowl. The seething sea ceaseth and thus the seething sea sufficeth us. Round and round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran.
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She says such shabbily sewed seams show seriously. The sixth sheiks sixth sheeps sick. Did you see Peter Pipers puppy peeping playfully? Sinful Caesar sipped his snifter, seized his knee and sneezed. Shy Sarah saw six Swiss wristwatches. The old cold scold sold the school coal scuttle.

HOT IDEAS FOR VOCALS:

1. Prepare a list of consonants with some capitalized and some lower case. Have the students work in pairs to monitor each other and work to voice capital sounds and whisper the lower case sounds. Divide them by staccato and legato sounds as well to make the exercise more playful. 2. For a gibberish exercise, choose two vowel sounds and two consonant sounds to use exclusively in your language game. Play them together in a variety of blends and rhythms in the warm up. Avoid singing but work to be aware of vocal range in the speaking voice. 3. Take a word that is onomatopoetic and play with it. Break each word into its sounds, focusing on where the sound is created in the mouth. Use a new breath for each letter/sound. Pick up speed and then separate each letter/sound while using the same breath. Ex: S-P-L-A-SH 4. Do breathing exercises on the floor lying on the back. This position allows for the actor to be the most tension free and most receptive to sounds.
5. Open your nose by closing off one side and breathing 5-6 short, quick sniffs through

the other. Exhale with ffff through the mouth. Repeat on the other side and then repeat the entire process several times. Close off one side and hum. Repeat on the other side. Repeat the entire process, changing the pitch with ascending notes. Wrinkle the nose and hum at the wrinkle. Change the sound to a mee-mee-mee, aim it at the wrinkle. The sound comes through the nose, not the mouth. Make a high pitched mee-mee sound with your mouth that goes through the nose. Focus on sound placement. Relax and shake out. 6. Take a picture word: stone, butterfly, river, sparks, brick, etc. See the picture of the word in your mind and focus on the feelings that respond to the image. Let the feelings choose the sound to express the image. Repeat the word with the emotion of the word expressed in the sound. 7. Have the students write their own tongue twisters. The class can choose the five or six they like the best or that provide the best work out. 8. Use the relaxation and warm up activities after using the voice as a cool down. This
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works like a massage for a boxer after a fight.

The ACTORS TOOLS

Flexibility Projection Articulation

Energy Inflection

VOICE
Movement

BODY
Melody/Rhythm

MIND
Knowledge Imagination EMOTION

Creativity

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Mary Ann Fletcher

GOALS FOR A BELIEVABLE PERFORMANCE

STAY VISIBLE TO THE AUDIENCE. Stay open, in one quarter or full front when possible. Turn toward the audience when moving on stage. Gesture with the upstage hand. When two actors cross the stage together, the downstage actor should trail slightly behind. ENGAGE YOURSELF FULLY IN THE SCENE. Concentrate fully on the scene situation. Focus completely on your characters thoughts and feeling so that you cannot be distracted. INVEST ALL OF YOUR ENERGY IN YOUR PERFORMANCE. Express vitality and excitement to your audience. Expand gestures and facial expressions so they carry to the last row of the house. EXPLOIT THE SITUATION. Use your imagination and creativity to explore possibilities for your performance and select the best ones to include in your portrayal.
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Rehearse to give your audience the best performance you can.

Stanislavskis Method
1.

The objective The objective is the want or need that propels the character toward action. It is the life need that accounts for everything the character says and does in the course of the play. What does the character want? The obstacle What stands in the way of the character getting what he/she wants? Subtext What is the characters actual intention or meaning which may underlie a statement? Beat The smallest unit of action into which the scene can be broken. A beat ends when a new piece of information is introduced, an event over which a character has no control is introduced or a new action begins. Given circumstances What has happened up to this point to your character? What specifically has your character done up to this point? What secrets does your character have now? What occurred just before the scene begins? The magic if Given that you are the character, what would you do if you were in this situation? The concept of situation is crucial. Make sure you are considering all of the circumstances in the text. The actor must operate as if the sets and props were real and he/she is truly in that situation, then what if? What would I have to do in order to do what the character does in these circumstances? Physical action Find a physical action that enables your character to accomplish his/her objective.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

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Generality is the enemy of art. Konstantin Stanislavsky

CHARACTERIZATION: Making Choices

You do not need [a] book to teach you to act; you already know. What your teacher and I do is assist in reawakening the actor in you, while supplying a set of physical, intellectual, and spiritual techniques which will enable that natural actor to give a powerful and reliable performance Robert Benedetti The Actor at Work, 3rd Edition

CHARACTER ANALYSIS
1. Characters grow out of action within the text. Characterization is a means to an end, not an end in itself. 2. Actors make choices in creating a character. Making choices is the actors way of seeing his world through the characters relationships with other characters and philosophical beliefs. Choice is an active way for the actor to enter the character. Factors that influence an actors choices are: A. Internal 1. Needs and desires 2. Social background 3. Ethical values 4. Physiology 5. The way a character thinks, Mental traits B. External 1. Relationships with or attitudes toward other characters 2. Social environment 3. Physical environment 4. Specific, immediate circumstances C. Theatrical concerns requiring adjustment of choice 1. Style/genre of the play 2. Characters dramatic purpose in the play
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3. Visual and auditory demands of the stage

LEVELS OF CHARACTERIZATION
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. A. PHYSICAL The most simplistic level Age Sex Size Walk Other external traits B. SOCIAL 1. Economic status 2. Profession 3. Religion 4. Family relationships 5. Environmental factors C. PSYCHOLOGICAL -- Most important level as drama arises from conflicts in desires and needs 1. Habitual responses 2. Attitudes 3. Desires 4. Motivation 5. Likes / dislikes 6. Emotional and intellectual workings of the mind D. MORAL Most difficult level to add
1. Moral choices allow the character to examine his/her own morals based on his/her motives or values. 2. Involves such traits as hypocrisy, honesty, selfishness, integrity, greed. 3. Used more in serious plays and tragedies. 4. Moral aspects ignored and decisions based on expediency in comedy. 5. Moral choices allow completeness, a final spiritual, emotional and intellectual bridge that may not be seen on the other levels. 6. Not all scripts will emphasize / highlight moral aspects of the characters.

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Character Analysis
Use the information from the script and your imagination to answer the following questions so that you can develop a background and personality for your character. Answer the questions as if you yourself were really the character. 1. Who are you? What is your name? 2. What is your ethnic background? 3. How would you describe yourself physically? Include your height, weight, facial features, hair color, and skin tone. Also be sure to note any outstanding physical trait or condition that makes you unique. 4. How would you describe your stance, posture, walk, and movement? 5. What rhythm or tempo do you associate with yourself? Think of a piece of music that would describe you. Would the tempo be a waltz, a cha-cha, a march, square dance, swing, or contemporary jazz? 6. What gestures, mannerisms, or habits do you use unconsciously? 7. How do you dress? 8. How do you sound? Describe your voice quality. Is it high or low, nasal or guttural? Do you speak with a drawl, twang, accent or dialect? Do you make any unusual sounds, such as wheezing or grunting? 9. Think about your background. Where did you grow up? What type of environment shaped your early life? What kind or relationship do you have with your family? 10. Where do you live now? What is your present family status? 11. Think about your intellect. How would you describe your mental capabilities? 12. What is your position in society? Are you rich, poor, important or powerful? 13. What is your job or occupation? 14. What are your attitudes toward life and people? What are your values and beliefs? 15. What is your emotional state? 16. How do you treat other people? How do others treat you? 17. Do you have a secret that you try to hide? 18. What is your greatest want or need? 19. What is the problem or obstacle standing in the way of fulfilling your want or need? 20. To what extent are you willing to go to eliminate the obstacles to getting what you want or need? 21. What do you enjoy or do for fun?
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22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28.

What are you thinking at this very moment? What do other people say about you? What phrase or expression do you use frequently? What is one thing you wish other people understood about you? What is your greatest fear? What about yourself are you most proud? Who do you admire most?

THE GENERIC DIALOGUE SCENE

REQUIREMENTS: 2 actors Introduction that includes: Title, stars, and either characters, setting or situation. Use of basic dialogue without additions or subtractions. There are two sets of dialogue below. Only underlined words may be changed. Meaning and characterization (supplied by the actors) A: B: A: B: A: B: A: B: A: B: A: B: A: B: Hello Hello Nice day isnt it. Yes, it is. Trees are sure pretty this time of year. Especially in the park. Do you come to the park often? Oh, every now and then. Care for a piece of gum? Yes, thanks. It has sugar in it. Oh. . . no. Oh, well, sure is a nice day. Yes it is.

OR
A: B: A: B: A: B: A: B: A: B: A: B: A: B: I think Ill start now No. Why not? Look around. So? Well, I think its obvious. Not to me. What time is it? Does it matter? Of course. Its 12:30. Well? Ill wait. Do you want to stay here?
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A: I guess so. B: Good decision. Suggested character duos 2 spies superhero and sidekick teacher and student librarian romantic couple cowperson and Indian

Mad scientist and monster 2 old people employee and boss Tarzan and Cheetah old lady and purse snatcher biker and girl/boy scout and thug captain and pirate gunslingers knight and dragon

Contentless Scene
With your partner, select a scene. Punctuate, pause, and interpret at your own discretion. Use two words: John says Mary; Mary says John. Say them 12 times each. A: B: A: B: A: B: A: B: A: B: C: D: C: D: C: D: C: D: C: D: E: F: E: F: E: F: E: F: E: F: G: H: Hi. Hi. What did you do last night? Nothing. Nothing? I said nothing. I see. Do you? I think so. No you dont. Good morning. Good morning. Toast. Thanks Marmalade Thanks I was wondering Really Perhaps another time Never mind Its time Already I think so I cant believe it Well I know. I know. Just say the word Are you sure? No question OK Can I see you on Monday? How about Tuesday?
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G: How about Wednesday? H: How about Thursday? G: How about Friday? H: How about Saturday? G: Can I see you on Sunday? H: OK then. Sunday.

THE ORIGINAL MONOLOGUE

Goal: Create a character and an original monologue for that character. Perform the monologue for the class. Reason for assignment: To satisfy a creative need or talent. To increase our knowledge and appreciation of playwriting To broaden our sense of the totality of theatre. To fulfill the need to make a statement about the human condition. To enjoy participation in a new dimension of theatre.

The Monologue The monologue is a speech in dramatic literature spoken by one character to reveal his or her thoughts. This can be a longer speech to other onstage characters that is audible to them. It can also be a soliloquy or an aside, which is audible to the audience but supposedly not heard by the other characters that are on stage. These types of monologues date back to ancient Greek theatre and were also used extensively by Shakespeare. Sources for ideas for a monologue: Things we have done or wished to do in our lives. People we have met, known, loved, hated, feared, or respected. Existing stories and myths (a new viewpoint or update, perhaps?) Ideas for resolving various conflicts.

Important tenets of playwriting No conflict, no drama. Motivation and consequence (cause and effect) are the bases of conflict. The things we write about that really count are primitive thingswe all have primitive needs and thats what its all about. Try to avoid narratives put your character in the action, not talking about the action. Four things the audience should know as soon as possible. 1. Who is speaking and to whom? (character) 2. What is happening? (action) 3. Where is this occurring? (place) 4. When is this occurring? (time)
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(The how and why should emerge from the dialogue itself; a good adage to recall is Who does what to whom and why?)

CREATING A CHARACTER The first step in writing a monologue is creating the character. The more decisions you make about your character, the easier it will be to write your monologue. Make the choices about your character: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. Gender Age Ethnic heritage Physical appearance Family status Environment Occupation / Profession Religious belief Political affiliation Emotional state Strength of Will Need / desire / objective Barrier or opposition to obtaining desire or fulfilling need Reason the barrier exists and/or is a problem The best adjective to describe this character Logical (for character) reasons for saying the words in the monologue at this time Probable outcome / resolution of conflict

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Now decide what your character says.

Daily Grade - Lesson Plans Major Grade - Presentation

DUE:______________

THEATRE HISTORY TEACHING UNIT

You and your partner will "teach" the rest of the class a lesson on Theatre History. Your lesson will be based on one of the "Our Theatre Heritage" units from the text (no two pairs will do the same lesson). Lessons will last 15 minutes each. You may choose to use one or more teaching techniques (some are listed below). Use your imagination and creativity - remember how you like to be taught and how you learn best. Teaching techniques include: lecture, questions & answers, worksheet, discussion, participation, overhead, puzzle, game, etc. (remember you aren't limited to these techniques). While you teach, you must include certain things: What was happening in the world at that time How did theatre relate to or reflect society at that time What (if any) lasting effect did this have on the theatre (how might we "see" the effects in theatre today) During your presentation YOU MUST:

present something tangible to the class (i.e. posters, handouts, worksheets, puzzles, notes, overhead pictures, etc.) present information gathered from a source or sources other than the text have a review to see if the class understands what you've taught. show some sort of "example" of what you're talking about (this could occur at any point in the lesson)

You must also turn in "Lesson Plans" for your unit that includes: title of unit outline of how you plan to present lesson copy of any handout given (and answer key if applicable) instruction sheet for game if one is to be played

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IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER:

Don't just read - teach! Explain it - Put it into your own words Plan everything even how you will set up and get ready (who will do what) If you play a game be sure to explain how it relates to your unit - or why we're playing it Be careful about having your students do too many things at once (i.e.- listening to notes and answering questions, from a worksheet at the same time) "Candy" rewards are OK, but use them sparingly and wisely You may use notes (or note cards) but only as a reference

GRADES will be based on: 1. Do you know and understand the information? 2. Did you get that information across to the students? 3. Did you have all the "necessaries"? something tangible information from another source a review complete lesson plan an example 4. Imagination, creativity and clarity 5. Accuracy in information, handouts, notes, etc. 6. Organization and energy during presentation

School of Theatre Arts

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THEATRE HISTORY PROJECTS

Pre History Storytelling -- origin stories, etc. Storytelling -- student written Ritual ceremonies -- create a list of rituals that are a part of our lives today. Task related movements and language Event related movements and language Symbolic language and items Rituals and their meaning for watchers - performers Greek Theatre Choral readings Mask making Theatre models or drawings Scenes from Greek plays Original scenes -- ex. Typical family going to the play festival Roman Theatre Scenes from Roman plays Masks or costumes Original scenes -- ex. Architects and builders planning to adapt a Greek theatre or working on a colossal entertainment venue. Typical Roman audience etiquette. Medieval Theatre Model or drawing of a medieval wagon Original Morality, Mystery, or Miracle play Original scene -- ex. Clergy actors or congregation members discussing plays Eastern Theatre Noh, Masks and costumes -- Kabuki, makeup and costumes -- Chinese Opera costumes Model stage or drawing Original scenes -- ex. Father training son to take Kabuki role, audience members attending a play, modern day person attending a traditional play today. Paraphrase of Chinese, Sanskrit, Noh or Kabuki play or original script using typical eastern themes Italian Renaissance Theatre Masks and costumes Scenes from Commedia based plays such as A Company of Wayward Saints Model stages, theatres Scenes involving stock characters Original scenes -- ex. Troupe of commedia dellarte discussing a new scenario, audience members at a neoclassic play, playwrights discussing versimiltude Elizabethan and Jacobean Theatre Model theatre or drawing
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Scenes or monologues from plays Paraphrase of plays Costume Original scenes -- ex. Groundlings and wealthy theatre patron discuss a performance. Actors discuss past or upcoming production. French Neoclassic Theatre Costume Makeup drawing Model proscenium arch theatre or drawing Scenes or monologues from plays Paraphrase play Original scenes -- ex. Richelieu discussing building his theatre or adapting a tennis court, aristocratic patron discussing upcoming production with members of an acting company. Restoration and Eighteenth Century Theatre Make and learn to use Restoration hand prop (fan, handkerchief, parasol, snuff box) Theatre model or drawing Costume Makeup drawing Write a contemporary comedy of manners Paraphrase play Original scene -- ex. Actors discussing serious vs. frivolous play or Charles IIs decree about actresses, stage hands discussing theatre machinery, the raked stage and/or special effects. Romanticism and Nineteenth Century Theatre Scene from play Paraphrase play Original scene -- ex. Life in the Kemble household (Sarah, John and perhaps parents and other siblings), theatre technicians discussing the new gas lights and special effects, and/or historically accurate costumes, Romantic acting lesson. Theatre model or drawing Realism and Naturalism in Theatre Scene from play Paraphrase play Original scene -- ex. Playwrights, actors, or audience discussing the isms or the new motion pictures, Traveling players taking their show on the road Twentieth Century Theatre Scene from play Paraphrase play Write original script using Symbolism, Expressionism, Futurism or Epic Theatre style. Twentieth Century Theatre, continued Original scenes -- ex. Actors being trained in the Stanislovsky system, Actors/singers discussing the new musical, Actors and technicians worrying about movies and TV, Theatre Technicians discuss innovations in theatre equipment. General Masks through the ages
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Women actors throughout history Changes in the theatre building or place Changes in the stage or playing area Advances in special effects The Music of Drama The Role of the Director The Story of Stage Makeup Time Lines

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THEATRE HISTORY GROUP PROJECT

Objective: To research and to teach the class about a specific period of Theatre History. Directions: Complete the following research project with your group, assigning different parts of the project to each member of the group.

1.

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH: Read the section of the textbook concerning your specific time period, finding other points of research (play titles, playwrights, etc.) from other sources. RESEARCH: You will find additional information about your time period in other books in the classroom or in the library and information available on the internet. Locating this information must be done outside of class if not completed during the class time given for research. ORGANIZING THOUGHTS: Write an informal paper (rough draft) of all the things you have learned about your specific time period. Include playwrights and titles of their plays, any significant changes from the previous theatre period (types of stages, use of actors, special effects, etc.) and any important historic events of the time period. Note your sources at the end of the paper. PRESENTATION: Prepare a presentation of the material covered in your research (due ___________) to teach the class about your specific time period in theatre history. Each member of the group should participate in the presentation. Make the presentation exciting, interesting, and informative. Keep in mind the techniques that help people learn and remember information. A visual, such as a poster, costume, drawing, etc. will only help your grade. There will be an overall group grade and individual grades given.

2.

3.

4.

OUR THEATRE HISTORY PROJECT

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THEATRE HISTORY TIME LINE ASSIGNMENT

Objective: To research, create and present to the class a time line of a specific period of Theatre History. Directions: Complete the following research project with your group, assigning different parts of the project to each member of the group.

1.

PRELIMINARY RESEARCH: Read the section of the textbook concerning your specific time period, finding other points of research (play titles, playwrights, etc.) from other sources. RESEARCH: You will find additional information about your time period in other books in the classroom or in the library and information available on the internet. Locating this information must be done outside of class if not completed during the class time given for research. ORGANIZING THOUGHTS: Produce your section of the time line using the information you have learned about your specific time period. Include playwrights and titles of their plays, theatre buildings, acting styles, and any significant changes from the previous theatre period (types of stages, use of actors, special effects, etc.) Place this information at the top of the time line and important historic events of the time period at the bottom. You must include pictures of theatres, actors, costumes, masks, etc. A list of your sources is due when you present your section of the timeline. PRESENTATION: Prepare a presentation of your timeline (due ___________) to teach the class about your specific time period in theatre history and add to the class timeline. Each member of the group should participate in the presentation. There will be an overall group grade and individual grades given.

2.

3.

4.

Theatre History and Style Terms

Greek Theatre Dionysus Thespis skene Oresteia Aeschylus Sophocles Euripides
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Aristophanes Aristotle tragedy comedy Commedia Dell Arte Renaissance Arlecchino(Harlequino) Pantalone Brighella Capitano Columbine Iazzi Elizabethan/Shakespeare public theatres pit private theatres The Globe revenge tragedy tragicomedy histories Puritans French Neoclassic/English Restoration neoclassical French Academy Moliere Theatre-Francaise the Great Rebellion Restoration Comedy comedies of manners Modern Theatre Antirealism symbolism expressionism surrealism absurdism existentialism Samuel Beckett Eugene Ionesco
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Edward Albee Epic Theatre Presentationalism

Theatre Traditions and Myths

1. The phrase "break a leg" is used to wish each other good luck, even though it seems to be a contradiction in terms. No one knows for sure who coined it, but there are several theories: One is that, since the great actress Sarah Bernhardt got by on a wooden leg (she actually wore one only briefly), a performer would be lucky to be like her. More likely, it derives from Hals-und Beinbruch, a German phrase meaning "may you break your leg and neck"--which was intended, with typically heavy Teutonic humor, to ward off "the evil eye." The phrase "in the Limelight" came about because at one time, lime was used on stage lights to take away the warm glow of an ordinary electric bulb and to produce an effect more dramatic and unusual. This was usually done with an overhead spotlight that shown on one main star at certain moments during a stage play. Today "to be in the limelight" means the same thing in a metaphorical way: to have all the attention focused on a certain person. The phrase "to steel someone's thunder" usually means to deprive someone of his/her due credit by "beating him to the punch," the phrase was first used in 1709 when a critic and playwright named John Dennis devised a successful form of imitation thunder to be used as a sound effect in his own play, Appius and Virginia. The play was a flop, and just a few nights after it closed he attended a performance of Macbeth in the same theatre, and during the performance the thunder sound effects he had invented were heard. In a violent passion, he rose from his seat and cried out, "See how the rascals use me! They will not let me play run and yet they steal my thunder!" The expression caught on, and ever since it has been used to mean stealing credit for another's accomplishments. It is bad luck for an actor to change costume in which he/she has found success. If the play has a long run the same garment is often worn until it becomes threadbare. The Witches' Song in Macbeth is believed to have the power of casting evil spells. Hence, the seasoned actor seldom choose to play this part. To hum the Witches' Song from Macbeth where a fellow actor can hear it will mean that you are likely to lose his or her friendship. Actors will not go on a stage where there is a picture of an ostrich or peacock. Actors will never repeat the last line of a play at rehearsal, as it is considered an ill omen for the upcoming opening of the play. If the handle of a wrong door is turned while seeking entrance to the theatre manager's or an agent's office it is taken as an omen of failure. To correct this the applicant must return home and start out fresh the next day. Should an actor stumble over anything while making an entrance, they will forget their
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2.

3.

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

10.

lines. 11. 12. Should a costume catch in the scenery as an actor is entering the stage, a new entrance must be made, or else bad luck will follow throughout the entire performance. After the performance should an actor kick off his/her shoes and have them alight on their soles, it is considered a good omen. Should they fall on their sides, however it is a sign of bad luck. Actors will not allow green or yellow to be worn on stage. Green is said to be unlucky for both the play and performance, while yellow is believed to create memory loss while learning a part. Actors believe that wigs bring luck and will go out of their way to wear one even though the part does not call for it. Should an actor's squeak upon making an entrance, it's seen as a sign of audience approval and applause. For another to look in an actor's mirror while he/she is putting on their make-up is considered unlucky. Should a cat run across the stage during the play, misfortune is sure to follow. An actor must never look at the audience from the wrong side of a drop curtain. It is considered unlucky and highly unprofessional. The peephole through which an actor looks out at the audience must be in the center. If it is placed to either side it will bring bad luck.

14.

15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

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Theatre Arts I

Makeup Morgue Assignment

Begin gathering photographs, prints, reproductions, pictures, brochures, et cetera, for your own makeup morgue. Small clippings should be pasted on 81/2" by 11" paper, or on artists drawing paper. It is suggested that the morgue be bound into one unit - preferably an expanding file. REQUIRED CLASSIFICATION 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Old age - male and female. (55----) Beard and mustaches. Stylized/Fantasy/Fictional. (Oliver Twist, Alice in Wonderland, Cheshire Cat, Ariel) Historical male and female. (Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Custer) Noses -- male and female. Eyes - male and female. Mouths -- male and female. Racial and National. (Black, White, Indian, Japanese, Chinese)
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9. 10.

Light and Shade. Wigs and hair -- male and female.

Date due: _____________________________ Extra credit classifications: 1. 2. 3. Corrective makeup. Equipment and supplies catalogues. Prosthetics and latex.

Cut two platforms

Cut two platforms

Photocopy on card stock, cut, fold and glue on shaded tabs to create " scale model of unit set elements as listed on p. 96 of the Handbook for One-Act Play 12th ed.

7-40 Page One of Three U.I.L. Unit Set Elements

Ron White Brazoswood High School

Cut two of all pylon, ramp, platform and step units on this page.

7-41 Page Two of Three U.I.L. Unit Set Elements

Ron White Brazoswood High School

Cut four three-fold flat units

Cut four two-fold flat units

Page Three of Three U.I.L. Unit Set Elements

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Ron White Brazoswood High School THEATRE ARTS II ACTING/DIRECTING UNIT

TLW be able to: 1. Cut a full-length play to forty minutes in length. 2. Design one set for the play, using the UIL one-act play set; submit a floor plan and perspective drawing of the set which will be explained In an oral presentation to the class. 3. Design five different costumes for the play and make a rendering for each costume which will be presented orally to the class. Note: This is a long-term project which will last most of the term. There will be check points when grades will be assigned based on the work completed at that time. It Is important to work daily on this project. WHERE TO BEGIN???????????????????????????????????????????????? 1. CHOOSING A PLAY: a. b. You may choose any play from the ONE-ACT PLAY HANDBOOK. If you wish to use a play that is not on the "approved list", you must have teacher approval to use a play. Read many plays. Look for a play which interests you. The play should have four or more characters. It should be a full-length play.
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c.

The title of the play which you will use for this assignment will be due __________________________________________________

2.

CUTTING A PLAY: a. b. c. d. e. Become completely familiar with the script. Decide what the playwright's intention is, and cut within that framework. Every cutting should have a beginning, middle, and ending. You will turn in an outline of the plot which you will, also, present orally to the class. This will be due on ______________________________________

3.

DESIGNING A SET a. b. c. You will design one set for the play, referring to the script for the needs of the play. After getting more instruction on how to draw a floor plan and a perspective, you will complete both for your set. These will, also, be presented orally to the class. This will be due on ___________________________________________________

4.

DESIGNING COSTUMES a. b. c. You will design five (5) costumes for the play. These may be for five different characters or several costumes for a few characters. Referring to the requirements of the script, you will design these costumes using a full page for each costume. Using water colors or colored pencils, you will color your designs. You will need to have a written description or swatches of fabric on each page to further explain your design. Also, include on each page the title of the play, name of the character, and the act/scene in which the costume would be worn. This part of the project will be due on ________________________

d.

You will continue to add to your notebook and make-up morgue. You will, also, continue to be responsible for monologues. The next notebook/make-up morgue will be due on _______________________ with five more pictures in each category. The next monologue will be due on ___________________________________ This monologue should be a contrast to your last monologue.

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WHERE DO I STAND?
EXERCISES FOR THE BEGINNING DIRECTOR BEST WAYS TO LEARN TO DIRECT
1. By directing anything you can. (small scenes, skits, videos, and one-acts) 2. By being directed. Try to work for a variety of directors. Pay attention to their techniques. 3. Try to become the Assistant., Director or Stage Manager for a production. Find out what works and what doesn't. 4. See and Read as many plays as you can.

10 TIPS FOR NEW DIRECTORS 1. Director as Group Therapist. As the director, you must discover
the playwright's intentions. You must interpret the motivations, psychological status, and reactions of every character in every
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situation. 2. Be a good communicator. Avoid showing actors how to do something. Learn to give direction, not perform it yourself. If they aren't getting it, maybe YOU are the problem. Try other ways of communicating your idea. 3. Create an atmosphere that promotes creativity. Allow actors to have input. Then watch and see what works and what doesn't. 4. No Gestapo Theatre. No one wants to work with a dictator. It is difficult to work with anyone, especially your peers, if you approach theatre in a bossy manner. Avoid temper tantrums. Avoid embarrassing cast and crew members. Remember, you want them to be successful. 5. If your concept isn't working, change it! 6. Learn to edit your work. Sometimes less is best. 7. Be an expert, Research your play and it's time period. Read literary reviews of your play and others by that playwright. 8. Be prepared. Do your homework. Have blocking concepts, interpretations, warm-ups, improvs, etc., ready BEFORE rehearsal. 9. Director as cheerleader. Use positive reinforcement with your actors and production staff. Try not to say Don't DO THIS, say Try THIS. 10. Cast the best person possible in each role. If you cast well, much of your work- is done.

THE DIRECTING EXERCISES PICTURES CREATE 4 CONSECUTIVE "PICTURES" OF ONE OF THE FOLLOWING EVENTS. 1.) A Car Accident 4.) A "Hold Up" 2.) The Heimlich Maneuver 5.) A Bar Room Brawl. 3) Fans At a Championship Game
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***Remember to use physical levels, motion, and reactions. BLOCKING CREATE A SCENE WITHOUT WORDS THAT FITS THE FOLLOWING BLOCKING. (B begins center in a chair; A begins UL.) A- X to stand next to B B- - X to DL A- Push chair, X to UR B- X to A and push A A Push B and X to chair B X to chair and straddle it, A- Exit UL B push chair over and exit UR ***Variation. Directors may create their own scenes without words and direct them or exchange scenes with other directors. SOAP OPERA SCRIPTS ANSWER THE QUESTIONS AND DIRECT THE FOLLOWING SHADOW SCENE. Time, Place, Surroundings, Characters, Relationship, Previous action, and The main need of each character? A- Hey, you, come over here please. B- Who? Me? A- Yes. What are you doing? B- well ..... A- Well, what? B - well, I thought you could guess by just looking. A- I mean, why? B- B- Why not? A- Do you know who I am?
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C- Well, I think I can guess by just looking D- A- And youre right. come along with me.

BEST PICTURE ACADEMY AWARDS

1927/28Wings 1928/29TheBroadwayMelody 1929/30AllQuietontheWesternFront 1930/31Cimarron 1931/32GrandHotel 1932/33Cavalcade 1934 It Happened One Night 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 Mutiny on the Bounty TheGreatZiegfeld TheLifeofEmileZola YouCantTakeItWithYou GoneWiththeWind Rebecca HowGreenWasMyValley Mrs.Miniver Casablanca GoingMyWay TheLostWeekend TheBestYearsofOurLives GentlemensAgreement Hamlet AlltheKingsMen AllAboutEve AnAmericaninParis TheGreatestShowonEarth FromHeretoEternity OntheWaterfront Marty AroundtheWorldin80Days TheBridgeontheRiverKwai Gigi BenHur TheApartment WestSideStory LawrenceofArabia TomJones 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 MyFairLady TheSoundofMusic AManforAllSeasons IntheHeatoftheNight Oliver! MidnightCowboy Patton TheFrenchConnection TheGodfather TheSting TheGodfatherPartII OneFlewOvertheCuckoosNest Rocky AnnieHall TheDeerHunter Kramervs.Kramer OrdinaryPeople ChariotsofFire Gandhi TermsofEndearment Amadeus OutofAfrica Platoon TheLastEmperor RainMan DrivingMissDaisy DanceswithWolves TheSilenceoftheLambs Unforgiven SchlindersList ForrestGump Braveheart TheEnglishPatient Titanic ShakespeareinLove AmericanBeauty Gladiator
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7-49

PULITZER PRIZES IN DRAMA

1918 - Why Marry? Jesse Lynch Williams 1920 - Beyond the Horizon Eugene ONeill 1921 - Miss Lulu Bett Zona Gale 1922Anna Christie Eugene ONeill 1938 - Our Town Thornton Wilder 1939 - Abe Lincoln in Illinois Robert E. Sherwood 1940 - The Time of Your Life William Saroyan 1941 - There Shall Be No Night Robert E. Sherwood 1943 - The Skin of Our Teeth Thornton Wilder 1945 - Harvey Mary Chase 1946 - State of the Union R. Crouse & H. Lindsay 1948 - A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams 1949 - Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller 1950 - South Pacific R. Rodgers, O. Hammerstein, & J. Logan 1952 - The Shrike Joseph Kramm 1953 - Picnic William Inge 1954 - Teahouse of the August Moon John Patrick 1955 - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Tennessee Williams 1956 - The Diary of Anne Frank F. Goodrich & A. Hackett 1957 - Long Days Journey Into Night Eugene ONeill 1958 - Look Homeward, Angel Ketti Frings 1959 - J.B.

1923 - Icebound Owen Davis 1924 - Hell-Bent for Heaven Hatcher Hughes 1925 - They Knew What They Wanted Sidney Howard 1926 - Craigs Wife George Kelly 1927 - In Abrahams Bosom Paul Green 1928 - Strange Interlude Eugene ONeill 1929 - Street Scene Elmer Rice 1930 - The Green Pastures Marc Connelly 1931 - Alisons House Susan Glaspell 1932 - Of Thee I Sing G. Kaufman, M. Ryskind, & I. Gershwin 1933 - Both Your Houses Maxwell Anderson 1934 - Men in White Sidney Kingsley 1935 - The Old Maid Zoe Akins 1936 - Idiots Delight

Robert E. Sherwood 1937 - You Cant Take It With You G. Kaufman & M. Hart 1961 - All the Way Home Tad Mosel 1962 - How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying F. Loesser & A. Burrows 1965 - The Subject Was Roses Frank D. Gilroy 1967 - A Delicate Balance Edward Albee 1969 - The Great White Hope Howard Sackler 1970 - No Place to Be Somebody Charles Gordone 1971 - The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds Paul Zindel 1973 - That Championship Season Jason Miller 1975 - Seascape Edward Albee 1976 - A Chorus Line M. Bennett, J. Kirkwood, N. Dante, M. Hamlisch & E. Kleban 1977 - The Shadow Box Michael Cristofer 1978 - The Gin Game Donald L. Colburn 1979 - Buried Child Sam Shepard 1980 - Talleys Folly Lanford Wilson 1981 - Crimes of the Heart Beth Henley 1982 - A Soldiers Play Charles Fuller

Archibald MacLeish 1960 - Fiorello G. Abbott, J. Weidman, S. Hamick, & J. Bock 1987 - Fences August Wilson 1988 - Driving Miss Daisy Alfred Uhry

1989 - The Heidi Chronicles Wendy Wasserstein 1990 - The Piano Lesson August Wilson 1991 - Lost in Yonkers Neil Simon 1992 - The Kentucky Cycle Robert Schenkkan 1993 - Angels in America: Millennium Approaches Tony Kushner

1994 - Three Tall Women Edward Albee 1995The Young Man from Atlanta Horton Foote

1996 - Rent Jonathan Larson

1998 - How I Learned to Drive Paula Vogel 1999 - Wit Margaret Edson 2000 - Dinner with Friends Donald Margulies 2001 - Proof David Auburn

1983 - night, Mother Marsha Norman 1984 - Glengarry Glen Ross David Mamet 1985 - Sunday in the Park with George S. Sondheim, & J. Lapine

TOP FORTY PLAYS TO BE STUDIED IN GRADES 9 12

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 21. 22. 23. 24. Glass Menagerie Antigone Death of a Salesman Macbeth Oedipus Rex Romeo and Juliet Importance of Being Earnest Our Town Midsummer Night's Dream Hamlet Arsenic and Old Lace Crucible Medea Imaginary Invalid Cyrano de Bergerac Miracle Worker Doll's House Streetcar Named Desire Everyman West Side Story Taming of the Shrew Tartuffe Pgymalion 38. School for Scandal 39. Blithe Spirit 40. To Kill a Mockingbird

Williams Sophocles or Anouilh Miller Shakespeare Sophocles Shakespeare Wilde Wilder Shakespeare Shakespeare Kesselring Miller Euripides or Jeffers Moliere Rostand Gibson Ibsen Williams anonymous Kaufman and Hart Laurents and Bernstein Shakespeare Moliere Shaw Medoff Goodrich and Hackett Lawrence and Lee Steinbeck Shakespeare Nash Euripides Herman

20. You Can't Take It With You

25. Children of a Lesser God 26. Diary of Anne Frank 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. Inherit the Wind Of Mice and Men Julius Caesar Rainmaker Trojan Women Company of Wayward Saints Elephant Man Raisin in the Sun Fantastics Oklahoma Miser

Pomerance Hansberry Jones and Schmidt Rodgers and Hammerstein

Moliere Sheridan Coward Lee/Sergel

CHILDRENS PLAYS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Androcles and the Lion Peter Pan Wizard of Oz Tom Sawyer Great Cross Country Race Reynard the Fox Arkansas Bear Ransom of Red Chief Step on a Crack Livin' De Life Rags to Riches Yankee Doodle Ice Wolf Appleseed Steal Away Home The Play Called Noah's Flood I Didn't Know That! Flashback! Special Class Trudi and the Minstrel Harris Barrie Baum Twain/various Broadhurst Fauquez Harris O'Henry/Kral Zeder Graczyk Harris Harris Kraus Graczyk Harris Zeder Saldana, Maloney Wilson, Saldana Kral Cullen 15. Joseph and Technicolor Dreamcoat 16. Grease 17. Carousel 18. 1776 19. Strider 20. Pippin 21. Bye Bye Birdie 22. Hello, Dolly 23. Jesus Christ Superstar 24. Working 25. Runaways 26. Wiz 27. Me Nobody Knows

MUSICALS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. West Side Story Fantastics Oklahoma Camelot My Fair Lady Fiddler On The Roof Godspell Man of La Mancha South Pacific Music Man King and I

7. You're A Good Man, Charlie B.

13. Sound of Music 14. Oliver

Laurents and Bernstein Jones and Schmidt

Rodgers and Hammerstein Lerner and Loewe Lerner and Loewe Stein and Bock Gesner Schwartz Wasserman and Leigh Rodgers and Hammerstein Wilson Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein Bart Rice and Webber

Jacobs and Casey Rodgers and Hammerstein Stone and Edwards Rozovsky Hirson and Schwartz Stewart and Strouse Herman Rice and Webber Turkel and Schwartz Swados Brown and Smalls Livingston and Friedman

TOP THIRTY PLAYS TO BE STUDIED IN GRADES 7 8

1. You're A Good Man, Charlie B. 2. Miracle Worker 3. Tom Sawyer 4. Wizard of Oz 5. Peter Pan 6. Christmas Carol 7. Diary of Anne Frank 8. Androcles and the Lion 9. Androcles and the Lion 10. Harvey 11. Ransom of Red Chief 12. Cheaper by the Dozen 13. Little Women 14. Our Town 15. Romeo and Juliet 16. Midsurnmer Night's Dream 17. I Remember Mama 18. Alice in Wonderland 19. Charley's Aunt 20. Flowers for Algernon 21. Great Cross Country Race 22. Arsenic and Old Lace 23. Crucible 24. Reynard the Fox 25. Arkansas Bear 26. Gammer Gurton's Needle 27. Our Hearts Were Young and Gay 28. Ralph Roister Doister 29. You Can't Take It With You 30. Sound of Music

Gesner Gibson Twain/various Baum Barrie Dickens Goodrich and Hackett Harris Shaw Chase O'Henry/Kral Gilbreth Alcot Wilder Shakespeare Shakespeare Van Druten Caroll/Manhattan Project Thomas Rogers Broadhurst Kesselring Miller Fauquez Harris

anonymous Skinner Udall Kaufman and Hart Rodgers and Hammerstein

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION OUTSTANDING PLAYS FOR THE COLLEGE BOUND

Lysistrata Oedipus the King Noh Drama: Ten Plays From the Japanese 14th and 15th Centuries Twelfth Night The Tempest Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme The School for Scandal A Doll's House Pirates of Penzance Arms and the Man The Importance of Being Earnest Cyrano de Bergerac The Cherry Orchard Pgymalion Six Characters in Search of an Author The Threepenny Opera The Children's Hour Murder in the Cathedral You Can't Take It With You OurTown Pal Joey Blithe Spirit Oklahoma No Exit A Streetcar named Desire Long Day's Journey Into Night West Side Story The Zoo Story Cabaret Hair The Price Sweeney Todd Children of Lesser God Brighton Beach Memoirs Woza Afrika: An Anthology of South African Plays

Aristophanes Sophocles Arthur Waley, trans. (Tuttle, 1960) Shakespeare Shakespeare Moliere Sheridan Ibsen Gilbert and Sullivan Shaw Wilde Rostand Chekhov Shaw Pirandello Brecht and Weill Hellman T.S. Eliot Kaufmann and Hart Wilder O'Hara, Rodgers, Hart Coward Rodgers, Hammerstein Sarte Williams O'Neill Bernstein Albee

Kander and Ebb MacDermot Miller Sondheim Medoff Simon Duma Ndlovu, ed.

(Braziller, 1986)

THEATRE ARTS LESSON PLAN OUTLINE

TITLE TEKS ________________________________________________________________________ _____Strand 1--Perception _____Strand 2--Creative Expression/Performance _____Strand 2.1--Creative Expression/Production _____Strand 3--Historical/Cultural Heritage _____Strand 4--Response/Evaluation

OBJECTIVES ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ PREPARATION AND MATERIALS Space ________________________________________________________________________ Equipment Books ________________________________________________________________________ Music Visual Aids ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ WARMUP ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ PRESENTATION OF STORY/IDEA ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ PREPARATION FOR PLAYING Grouping ________________________________________________________________________ Rules Space ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ EVALUATION ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ REPLAYING ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ CLOSING ACTIVITY ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

EVALUATION OF LESSON PLAN How it worked ________________________________________________________________________ Improvements ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

Names ________________________________________ Period __________________ _________________________________________ Date ___________________

Duet Acting Evaluation

Title of Play _________________________________________________________________ Name of Characters __________________________ ____________________________
Superior Excellent Good Fair Needs Work

10 pts. 9 pts. 8 pts. 7 pts. 6 pts. ________________________________________________________________________ Introduction | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Established | | | | | Setting | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Blocking | | | | | Actors visible | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Line Interpretation | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Characterization | | | | | Physical | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Vocal | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Maintained | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Interaction with | | | | | Partner | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Creativity | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Overall performance | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________

| | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Comments: Names _______________________________ Period ______ Date___________

Duet Pantomime Evaluation

Title of Pantomime ___________________________________________________________
Superior Excellent Good Fair Needs Work

10 pts. 9 pts. 8 pts. 7 pts. 6 pts. ________________________________________________________________________ Introduction | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Established Character | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Maintained Character | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Established Setting | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Action Clear | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Action Motivated | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Blocking (actors visible) | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Story Complete | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Ensemble | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Overall Performance | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________

| | | | | | | | | |

Comments:

Name ___________________________________ Period _______ Date ______________

Monologue Performance Evaluation

Title of Play _________________________________________________________________ Name of Character ___________________________________________________________
Superior Excellent Good Fair Needs Work

10 pts. 9 pts. 8 pts. 7 pts. 6 pts. ________________________________________________________________________ Introduction | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Memorization | | | | | | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Blocking | | | | | Actor visible | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Characterization | | | | | Physical | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Vocal | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Maintained | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Dramatic | | | | | Interpretation | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Memorization | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Creativity | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________ Overall performance | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________

| | | | | | | | | | | | | |

ACTING EVALUATION FORM

NAME(S)_________________________________________________________________ TITLE _________________________________________ AUTHOR_________________ TIME: ___________ SCENE ANALYSIS DUE: ______________ GRADE: _____________ CHARACTER ANALYSIS DUE: ______________GRADE: _________ FINAL GRADE: ______ I. INTRODUCTION a. attention getter b. information c. title & author d. memorization

5 5

10 10 5 5 10 10 10 10

15 15 10 10 15 15 15 15

20 20 15 15 20 20 20 20

II. CHARACTER a. gesture /character habit 5 b. physical portrayal 5 c. emotions 5 d. reactions 5 III. VOICE a. b. c. d.

25 25 20 25 20 25 GRADE: _______________ 25 25 25 25 GRADE: _______________ 20 25 25 25 25 GRADE: _______________ 25 25 25 25 GRADE: _______________ 25 25 25 25 GRADE: _______________

volume rate/tempo tone/pitch (deep-high) different /appropriate

5 5 5

5 10 10 10

10 15 15 15

15 20 20 20

IV. MOVEMENT a. blocking adequate b. levels c. motivated d. interesting V. COMMUNICATION a. focus b. mood c. meaning d. intentions

5 5 5 5

10 10 10 10

15 15 15 15

20 20 20 20

5 5 5 5

10 10 10 10

15 15 15 15

20 20 20 20

OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS a. well developed b. elements blended c. believability d. memorization Total Scores divided by 6 =

5 5 5

10 5 10 10

15 10 15 15

20 15 20 20

25 20 25 25 25 GRADE: _______________ ________________

TEAM RECORD MIME

Starring

________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________

Period ________ Date _____________________ Selection _________________________________________________________________

Objective: To create a performance in pantomime using a recording as a base and incorporating body movement and/or choreography in sync with recording and each other. Criteria Introduction 9 10 Choice of selection 9 10 Actors focused on surroundings. 9 10 Understanding and interpretation of record. 9 10 Characterizations. 9 10 Movements and mouths in sync with record. 9 10 Movements appropriate to record. 9 10 Staging--Actors and action clearly visible to audience. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Score

Stage presence/poise 9 10 Creative spark to surprise or please the audience. Overall performance 9 10 TOTAL

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Names __________________________________________________ Date ___________

Perform your scene for two other students as if you were performing for an audience. Give this sheet to those students so that they can evaluate your performance. Obtain at least 3 evaluations today.
Evaluators 1 STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES COMMENTS

SCENE ACTING REHEARSAL EVALUATIONS

Theatre Quotations Acting is doing. -- Stella Adler Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. -- Stella Adler Champions arent made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them a desire, a dream, a vision. -- Muhammad Ali Even a fool knows you cant touch the stars, but it doesnt stop a wise man from trying. -- Harry Anderson No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place. -- Maya Angelou We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit. -- Aristotle The theatre has built a whole art around the actor, based on the man and his double the actor and his character. -- Jean Louis Barrault An actor is a sculptor who writes in snow. -- Lawrence Barrett Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. --Henry Ward Beecher The director is the magnifying lens through which the actors impulse shines; the director is the resonator which lends depths to the actors music. -- Robert Benedette Any great work of art is great because it creates a special world of its own. -- Leonard Berstein Education: That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding. --Ambrose Bierce The Devils Dictionary Loving theatre is not enough. -- Richard Bolslavesky

When humor goes, there goes civilization. --Erma Bombeck Laughter is the closest distance between two people. -- Victor Borge If art reflects life, it does so with special mirrors. --Bertolt Brecht Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die. --Mel Brooks The most basic definition of theatre is someone performing for someone else. -- Oscar Brockett Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern but impossible to enslave. --Baron Henry Peter Brougham The secret of joy in work is contained in one word EXCELLENCE. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it. -- Pearl Buck Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars. -- Les Brown The most important things in life arent things. -- Art Buchwald A good heart is better than all the heads in the world. -- Edward Bulwer-Lytton Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, youve got it made. -- George Burns In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. -- Albert Camus I made some mistakes in drama. I thought drama was when the actor cried, but drama is when the audience cries. -- Frank Capra The most wasted day is that in which we do not laugh. --Sebastian Chamfort The technique of acting can never be properly understood without practicing it. -- Michael Chekhov If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.

-- Lord Chesterfield Let us think of our lives as works of art. -- Harold Clurman Real knowledge is to know the extent of ones ignorance. -- Confucius Realism is experience whereas art is revelation. -- Gordon Craig The actors technique is the personal and private means by which he gets the best out of himself. -- Hume Cronyn Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. -- Marie Curie When God conceived the world, that was Poetry. He formed it, and that was Sculpture. He colored it and that was Painting. He peopled it with living beings, And that was the grand, divine, eternal Drama. --Charlotte Cushman Nothing more truly portrays us as we are and as we could be than the play and the players. -- Miguel de Cervantes That which is striking and beautiful is not always good; but that which is good is always beautiful. -- Ninon de lEnclos Freedom is not what you like. It is what you want, but you cannot have freedom to express yourself until you have discipline. -- Dame Ninette de Valois Minds are like parachutes they only function when open. -- Thomas Dewar In the discovery of knowledge there is great entertainment. -- Walt Disney Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action. --Benjamin Disraeli Acting to reveal your soul through art. -- Eleanor Duci Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. --Ralph Waldo Emerson What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson Imagination is more important than knowledge. -- Albert Einstein In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. -- Albert Einstein The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. -- Albert Einstein The world is a dangerous place to live in, not because of the people that do evil; but because of the people that stand by and let them do it. -- Albert Einstein Its never too late to be what you might have been. -- George Eliot Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. -- T. S. Eliot Happiness is being able to speak the truth without hurting anyone. -- Federico Fellini I think its important to get a sense of how the character sees the world, how they think. Thats what I love, getting inside their skin and their heads. Its also an adventure into your own head, I think. -- Ralph Fiennes A plot is: The king died and then the queen died. A story is: The king died and then the queen died of a broken heart. -- E. M. Forster Continue searching harder, deeper, faster, stronger and louder and knowing one day, youll be called upon to use all that youve amassed in the process. -- Jodie Foster, Actor/Director To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan but also believe. -- Anatole France How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. -- Anne Frank We have a contract with the public. In us they see themselves or what they would like to be. -- Clark Gable Let us become the change we seek in the world.

-- Mahatma Gandhi The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still voice within. -- Mohandas K. Gandhi It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow. -- Robert H. Goddard Few people have the imagination for reality. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Choose well: your choice is brief, and yet endless. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Ones roused by this, another finds that fit. Each loves the play for what he brings to it. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe After all of our studies we acquire only that which we put into practice. -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Humor is a universal language. --Joel Goodman You miss 100% of the shots you never take. -- Wayne Gretzky Just as robes or rags give the actor the feel of the character, so also can makeup. --Uta Hagan Some people talk because they think that sounds more manageable than silence. -- Margaret Halsey The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps we must step up the stairs. -- Vance Havner Actor: a musician who plays on a homemade instrument: himself. -- Helen Hayes Experience is a good school, but the fees are high. --Heinrich Heine I am the master of my fate; the captain of my soul. -- William Ernest Henley Theatre is life without the boring parts. -- Alfred Hitchcock

Creativity is flight in restriction. -- Francis Hodge A mans mind once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions. -- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. The mind of a bigot is like the pupil of the eye. The more light you shine on it, the more it will contract. -- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Every calling is great when greatly pursued. -- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. You never get ahead of anyone as long as you try to get even with him. Language is the picture and counterpart of thought. People do not lack strength; they lack will. -- Victor Hugo Nothing else in the world is so powerful as an idea whose time has come. -- Victor Hugo Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind. -- Henry James In the end, only kindness matters. -- Jewel Language springs out of the inmost parts of us. No glass renders a mans likeness so true as his speech. -- Ben Johnson What we hope to do with ease we must first learn to do with diligence. -- Samuel Johnson The dramas laws, the dramas patrons give. And we that live to please must please to live. -- Samuel Johnson Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome. -- Samuel Johnson In the last analysis, the designing of stage scenery is not the problem of an architect or a painter or a sculptor or even a musician, but a poet. -- Robert Edmond Jones Theatre demands of its craftsman that they know their jobs. The theatre is a school. We shall never be done with studying and learning. -- Robert Edmond Jones Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. -- Carl Jung -- Lou Holtz --Mark Hopkins

The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker. -- Helen Keller Its not easy being green. -- Kermit, the Frog Mime is the art of creating the illusion of reality and the art of imagining the world together with others. -- Claude Kipnis In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. -- Lao-tsu Interpretation is the art of communicating to an audience a work of literary art in its intellectual, emotional and aesthetic entirety. -- Charlotte Lee Life is too serious to be taken seriously. -- Mike Leonard You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with a singleness of purpose. -- Abraham Lincoln Ignorance is a voluntary misfortune. --Nicholas Ling Its not whether you get knocked down. Its whether you get up again. -- Vince Lombardi Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody. -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow There is only one success: to spend life in your own way. -- Christopher Marlowe An actor can only be a mirror of humanity, a mirror looked into by audiences. -- Shirley MacLaine Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance toward the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point. -- Harold B. Melchart Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I accomplish. --Michelangelo Art teaches nothing except the significance of life. -- Henry Miller Reality is something you rise above.

-- Lisa Minell The art of a people is a true mirror to their minds. -- Jawaharial Nehru Acting isnt really a creative profession. Its an interpretive one. -- Paul Newman Acting is a question of absorbing other peoples personalities and adding some of our own experience. -- Paul Newman A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. -- Proverbs 25:11 Art is the lie that makes us realize the truth. -- Pablo Picasso I am always doing that which I cannot do in order that I may learn how to do it. -- Pablo Picasso Without publicity, all else fails. -- Joseph Pulitzer Though laughter seems like a trifle, yet it has a power perhaps more despotic than anything else, and one that is well-nigh irresistible; it often changes the tendency of the greatest affairs, as it very often dissipates hatred and anger. -- Quintilian If you have tried to do something but couldnt you are far better off than if you had tried to do nothing and succeeded. -- John T. Ragland, Jr. Acting is not being emotional, but being able to express emotion. --Kate Reid No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. The finest works of the dramatist are dead without the actors heart. --Edmond Rostand Cyrano de Bergera The web of our life is a mingled yarn, good and ill together. --William Shakespeare Alls Well That Ends Well All the worlds a stage and all the men and women merely players. --William Shakespeare As You Like It Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets and then is heard no more. --William Shakespeare -- Eleanor Roosevelt -- Eleanor Roosevelt

As You Like It Its meat and drink for me to see a clown. -- William Shakespeare Speak the speech I pray you as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue. -- William Shakespeare Hamlet, Hamlet Suit the action to the word, The word to the action; With this special observance, That you oerstep not the modesty of nature. -- William Shakespeare Hamlet, Hamlet To thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. -- William Shakespeare Polonius, Hamlet Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice; Take each mans censure, but reserve thy judgment. -- William Shakespeare Polonius, Hamlet Mind you speech a little, Les you mar your fortune. -- William Shakespeare Thus I play in one person many people. -- William Shakespeare O, speak to me no more; These words like daggers enter in my ears. --William Shakespeare Gertrude, Hamlet Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt. -- William Shakespeare Know you how much the people may be moved by that which he will utter? -- William Shakespeare Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable. -- George Bernard Shaw Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. -- George Bernard Shaw Everyday learn. Learn enough so that you can do good theatre. --Michael Shurtliff

Use what you got cause thats all you get. -- Clarence Pine Top Smith Without discipline there can be no theatre art. -- Konstantin Stanislavski Acting is the ability to react to imaginary stimulito create real thoughts and feelings through imaginary circumstance. --Lee Strasberg Speech is the mirror of the soul; as a man speaks, so is he. -- Syrus There is no life that couldnt be immortal, if only for a moment. -- Wislawa Szmborska Every role is a challenge. You always start from scratch. -- Jessica Tandy, Actor There is no deodorant like success. -- Elizabeth Taylor Imagination, industry and intelligence the three Is are all indispensable to the actor, but of these three the greatest is, without doubt, imagination. -- Ellen Terry, Actor An actors art is like a beggars bag he should pick up everything he comes across. -- Sakato Tojuro Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.
--Leo Tolstoy

I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific. -- Lily Tomlin Theatre sets out to induce in an audience the belief that the things and events it presents are not what they are known to be. -- Lionel Trilling It is easier to manufacture seven facts out of a whole cloth than one emotion. -- Mark Twain Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. -- Vincent Van Gogh In theatre you have to make the unreal believable. -- Jean Vilar

Theatre Arts develops practical lifetime skills. -- Kim Alan Wheatley History is made at night. Character is what you are in the dark. -- Lord John Whorfi I love acting. It is so much more real than life. -- Oscar Wilde Ordinary riches can be stolen; real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you. -- Oscar Wilde People are not so dreadful when you get to know them. -- Tennessee Williams Jim: The Glass Menagerie Every now and then, when youre on stage, you hear the best sound a player can hear. Its a sound you cant get in the movies or in television. It is the sound of a wonderful, deep silence that means youve hit them where they live. -- Shelly Winters I have spread my dreams under your feet: tread softly because you tread on my dreams. -- W. B. Yeats White. A blank page or canvas -- so many possibilities. George: Sunday in the Park with George Careful the things you do. Children will see and learn. -- Witch, Into the Woods The harder to get the better to have. -- Prince, Into the Woods He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever. -- Old Chinese saying Let a fool hold his tongue and he will pass for a sage. -- Anonymous An actor is as great as his or her imagination. -- Anonymous An actor is part illusionist, part artist, part ham. -- Anonymous The joy is in the journey. -- Anonymous Without effort, there is no reward. -- Anonymous

THEATRE ARTS VOCABULARY

act - to perform for an audience representing another person. acting area - see stage actor - performer, player, thespian. ad lib - create lines or action spontaneously when necessary. angel - financial backer of a play production.

apron - part of the stage projecting past the curtain line toward the audience. arena stage - see theatre-in-the-round. articulation- process of starting and stopping vowel and consonant sounds. audible - able to be heard. audience - people who watch and or listen and respond to a performance. audition - try out for a role in a play. backstage - area that the audience cannot see. batten - piece of wood or pipe from which lights, scenery and curtains are hung. believable - convincing to the audience. blackout - all stage lights go off at the same time. blocking - planned movement on stage. "break a leg" - wish for good luck in a performance. boards - see stage. build vocally - use the voice to change mood and increase intensity business - 'small bit of action. ex. bouncing a ball, writing a letter, making a sandwich. call board - place where announcements and notices for actors and crew are posted. cast - actors in a play. casting - selecting the actor who will play each role in a show. centerstage - C, middle portion of the stage area; between L & R and U & D. characterization - putting together all facets of a character to make that person a believable individual who can be portrayed before an audience. cheat, cheat out - 'aiming body out toward the audience when talking to another character. climax - 'high point in the action of a scene. collaboration - the work of many people toward a common project; work done by many people. comedy - play that treats situations or characters in a humorous way; play with a happy ending.

company - actors and crew of a production. countercross - 'move to adjust stage picture after another actor has moved. crew - group of workers who handle a specific aspect of a production. cross, X - 'move from one stage area to another. cue - last word or action before your line or action; signal for next line, sound effect, light change, etc. curtain call - appearance of the cast at the end of the show in response to the audience applause. curtain line - imaginary line on the stage below the grand drape. cyclorama, cyc - Curtain or drop across back of stage; can serve as background for some scenes. deck - see stage dialogue - spoken lines in a skit or play; actual words that the characters say. diaphragm - muscle below the ribs that expands out and down causing air to enter the lungs. director - the person in charge of a production. - the BOSS of the play. downstage, down - D, portion of the stage closest to the audience; toward the audience. dress rehearsal - final rehearsal before the show opens with full costumes, makeup, lights, sound, props, etc. dual role - actor's task of thinking, feeling, moving & speaking as the character while maintaining technical control staying open and audible, remembering lines and cues, using "fake" props as if they are real, etc. effect emotional recall - 'remembering a feeling from your own life to apply to a performance. encore - repeated or additional performance at the end of a play. entrance - 'come onto the stage. exhale - expel air from the body. exit - 'leave the stage. exposition - beginning of the play which explains the who, what and where of the plot.

extra - castmember who serves as background for action. Usually used in television or films. eye contact - a performer looking out at the audience directly from time to time. (Should be done at least half the time.) finale - concluding part of any performance. flat - canvas covered wooden frame used for scenery. flies - area between the top of the proscenium arch and the stage ceiling; loft; fly area. fly - to raise scenery above the top of the proscenium opening to lower it down to the stage floor. followspot - spotlight that can be moved around during a performance. front, out front - see house. full back - actor facing away from the audience. Used only on special occasions. full front - actor facing the audience directly. Used for important lines and actions. gesture - 'movement of a part of the body to communicate an emotion or idea. give a scene - 'give audience attention to another actor or actors. grand drape - front curtain separating the stage from the audience, often simply called "the curtain." greenroom - backstage lounge or waiting room for the actors (almost never painted green!) grip - stagehand who moves scenery on and off stage. house - the audience; place where the audience sits; front, out front. imagery - words or phrases that appeal to the senses. imagination - ability to form mental images or concepts that are not actually present in reality. A necessary component of theatre, utilized by actors and the audience. improvisation - make up dialogue and action as you go; usually guided by an idea, theme, or topic. Acting without rehearsal. inflection - gliding from one pitch level to another. Can change the meaning of words.

inhale - take air into the lungs. intermission - short break between the acts of a play or parts of a performance. introduction - announce a scene or selection to an audience, giving information ; includes title, author or playwright, and any necessary information to understand the performance. kill - turn off; stop; remove from stage. larynx - voice box, contains the vocal chords. left, stage left - L, actor's left when facing the audience. legs - narrow curtains on either side of the stage that mask the wings. lines - pieces or sentences of dialogue. makeup - cosmetics of various colors applied to the actor's skin so that facial features are visible and/or altered under stage lighting. mask - hide from audience view. mime - stylized pantomime; done in makeup and costume. motivation - the reason behind a character's behavior. objective - character's goal. off - see backstage. on - on stage. one quarter - actor turned halfway between full front and profile. Used to share a scene. onomatopoeia - words that sound like what they mean. ex. boom, clack, zip. open, open up - turn toward the audience. out front, front - audience seating area. pacing - tempo or speed at which scene is played. Very important in comedy. pantomime - acting without talking or sound effects.

pick up cues - quickly begin a speech without allowing a pause between the first words of the speech and the cue. pitch - highness or lowness of the voice. places - order for actors and crew to get into position for the beginning of a scene. plant - place a prop on stage before the show so that it is available when the script calls for it. player(s) - see actor. playing area - see stage. playwright - person who plans and writes plays. practical - set piece or prop that is usable, actually works. Ex - door or window that opens and shuts, rock or hill you can stand on, lamps that can be turned on. producer - person who finds financial investors, hires the director and production staff, sets the budget, etc. for a play production. profile - actor position facing the wings, left or right. Used for arguments or love scenes. project, (pro' ject) - throw the voice to the farthest person in the audience. prompt book - script marked with directions and cues for use by the crews. prompter - person situated offstage who supplies missed lines during a performance. pronunciation - producing the sounds of words. (Correct sounds, stresses and accents can be found in the dictionary.) properties - all articles and furnishing needed on stage in a play. with the exception or scenery and costumes; can be carried on or planted; props. proscenium - permanent framed opening through which the audience sees a play. raked stage - stage floor tilted toward the audience. rate - speed or tempo.

Reader's Theatre rehearsal - cast members working on a production under the guidance of the director. resolution - ending, happy or sad; conclusion to a story. resonance - enrichment of sound from its vibration in a closed space. resonators - body chambers where sound vibrates; throat, mouth, nasal cavity & sinus cavities. right, stage right - R, actor's right when facing the audience. rising action - conflict in a scene gets worse and/or more complicated. role - part or character played by an actor. royalty - money paid to a playwright for permission to stage his/her play. scene - performance with beginning, middle and end; section of a play that occurs at one place, at one time. scenery - hangings, structures, etc. that represent a location or decorate the stage; set. script - written copy of a play. sensory recall - 'remembering how an action or object felt, looked, smelled, sounded or tasted. set - see scenery. share a scene - 'have equal audience attention with another actor. stage area(s)- sections of the stage, named for their relation to the audience. stage directions - script instructions for movement, business, lighting, sound, etc. Usually in parentheses. stage fright - 'nervous feeling about performing. stage hands - see grip. strike - to clear from the stage completely; take down and store away when the run of the play has ended. take a scene - 'get audience attention.

teasers - short curtains hung above the stage to mask the lights and battens. technical director - person in charge of everything back of the grand drape except the actors and costumes; answers to the stage manager. technical rehearsal - rehearsal for perfecting lights, scenery, sound, and other technical elements. theatre in the round - theatre facility where the audience surrounds the stage on the all sides; arena stage. thespian - see actor. three quarters - actor facing upstage corners of the stage. Used to give a scene. thrust stage - stage that extend well past the proscenium arch so that the audience surrounds it on three sides. tongue twister - difficult to pronounce phrases or sentences used as articulation exercises. top - lines begin before the previous line is finished. tormentors - see legs. tragedy - a play in which the protagonist fails to achieve their goal; a play with a sad or tragic ending. trapdoor, trap - an opening in the stage floor that permits actors to enter from and exit to an area beneath the stage. traveler mid-stage curtain; act curtain. troupe - group of actors, especially those that tour from place to place. (Source of the term "trouper.") up, upstage - U, portion of the stage farthest from the audience; away from the audience. vocal variety - changes in rate, pitch, volume and intensity that help a listener stay interested in a vocal performance. volume - loudness or softness of the voice, sound effects or music. wagon - platforms or large set pieces on casters. walk on - part where an actor comes on and off stage without saying a line.

wardrobe - costumes. wings - backstage area on either side of the stage.

Teaching
The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery. You can teach a lesson for a day but if you teach curiosity, you teach for a

lifetime. Its too bad that the people who really know how to run the country are busy teaching school. When truth stands in your way, you are headed in the wrong direction. When teaching the love of truth, never lose the truth of love. Teachers task: take a lot of live wires and see that they are well grounded. The mediocre teacher tells, the good one explains, the superior one shows, the great one inspires. Nothing improves a childs hearing more than praise.