Journals! I know you are all waiting for it!
Grade 8: How do you think the world was created? Could you make a play about it? Describe how.
Grades 9/10 and Theatre Production:
Choose one of the current events spoofs and write about it in the same way that you reviewed the funny movie from last week. Make sure you give your review a title! (Something catchy.) Write about what made the scene funny. Choose one of the actors and write about what that actor did that made the scene funny.
Thursday, 12 March 2015
Stock characters in Comedia Del'Arte
The stock characters in comedia del'arte were just like characters we enjoy in modern performances. We recognize characters like the nerd, the dumb blonde, the amoral politician, the pretty boy, the cougar, the person who thinks he's smart but actually isn't, the person who acts like he's "all that" but isn't -- I'm sure you can think of lots of others. Some of the most popular characters from comedia include Il Capitano (the braggart warrior, who is scared of everything but pretends to be brave, with lots of bluster), Il Dotore (who uses lots of big words, and intellectual concepts and Latin, to show off his intellect, which is nearly non-existent), Columbina (the wise servant, much wiser than her mistress) and Il Pantalone (the old miser who likes young women). If you are in Twelfth Night, you will realize that lots of the characters in the play are Shakespeare's take on these comedia characters. If you're trying to create a stock character, think of what sort of animal your character resembles, or what sort of costume she might wear. That might help you get a handle on who he is.
It can be fun to play a broad character. Start with a voice that sounds like the character (an accent doesn't hurt, or a lisp, or a different pitch than your own voice). Maybe a funny walk will help you find out more about who you are. Some actors count on costumes to help them develop a character.
Great actors start with a broad character and then personalize it. They ask themselves why Pantalone is a miser. The character of Ebenezer Scrooge looks like a stereotype, but as Charles Dickens explores his history, we find out what has turned him into a "grasping, covetous old sinner". That is because Dickens isn't satisfied with the way things appear -- he's an artist and wants to know why. He wants us to see that nothing is simple. Shakespeare does this with every character, even those we think of as minor roles. No such thing as a small part, remember!
It can be fun to play a broad character. Start with a voice that sounds like the character (an accent doesn't hurt, or a lisp, or a different pitch than your own voice). Maybe a funny walk will help you find out more about who you are. Some actors count on costumes to help them develop a character.
Great actors start with a broad character and then personalize it. They ask themselves why Pantalone is a miser. The character of Ebenezer Scrooge looks like a stereotype, but as Charles Dickens explores his history, we find out what has turned him into a "grasping, covetous old sinner". That is because Dickens isn't satisfied with the way things appear -- he's an artist and wants to know why. He wants us to see that nothing is simple. Shakespeare does this with every character, even those we think of as minor roles. No such thing as a small part, remember!
Thursday, 5 March 2015
Journals for March 6
Grade 8's: Firstly, I want to remind you that I won't expect your show and tell speeches immediately after we return from spring break. I just want you to start thinking about what you might like to talk about. That is your journal topic for this week. What might you bring from home that would make a good speech? It can be something that has personal significance to you (I brought my grandmother's copy of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare" which she won for being the "best lady skater in Lang, Saskatchewan in 1910!) It might be some award you've won or something you made of which you are proud. It might be a souvenir of a trip you've taken. Remember, I just want it to be something that you can share with the class and that can generate two minutes of interesting talk. Describe something that you think you might show the class and tell why it would be a good subject about which to talk.
Drama 9/10:
What is the funniest movie you've ever seen? Give the title. What made the movie funny? Say at least three things that made you laugh. Who performed in the movie? What did they do to be funny? Try to write it as if you were reviewing it for the newspaper. Give your review a catchy title!
Theatre Production:
In "Twelfth Night", several characters are partly defined by their costumes. Malvolio is one. At the beginning of the play, he is strict and severe and disapproving of the other members of Olivia's household. But after he receives the note he thinks is from Olivia, he changes his clothes. Draw two sketches -- one of Malvolio before the note and one after. Don't worry about sticking to the bohemian chic style, if you don't want to.
There is a saying, "clothes make the man". What do you think of that saying? Back up what you say with an example.
Drama 9/10:
What is the funniest movie you've ever seen? Give the title. What made the movie funny? Say at least three things that made you laugh. Who performed in the movie? What did they do to be funny? Try to write it as if you were reviewing it for the newspaper. Give your review a catchy title!
Theatre Production:
In "Twelfth Night", several characters are partly defined by their costumes. Malvolio is one. At the beginning of the play, he is strict and severe and disapproving of the other members of Olivia's household. But after he receives the note he thinks is from Olivia, he changes his clothes. Draw two sketches -- one of Malvolio before the note and one after. Don't worry about sticking to the bohemian chic style, if you don't want to.
There is a saying, "clothes make the man". What do you think of that saying? Back up what you say with an example.
Show and Tell for Grade 8
Show and tell!
After spring break, the grade eights will be presenting their show and tell
speeches. Your speech should be two minutes long (one minute is too
short, and three minutes is too long!) You should bring something from
home about which you can speak in an interesting way for two minutes.
(It could be a souvenir you acquired on holiday, or something you won,
or a piece of art you created, or a special gift you received, or a toy
you like when you were little or anything! Whatever would make an
interesting story.) Prepare your speech - it might help to write it
down and then practice saying it. I expect that when you deliver it,
you will speak clearly and project your voice. You will stand
comfortably at center stage and not fidget or pace.
Your speech should take this form.
1. Tell us what the item is. You could describe it briefly. (For example, these are the Mickey Mouse ears I got at Disneyland. When my parents told me we were going to California, I dreamed that I would be able to come home with this hat!)
2. Tell how you acquired the item. (For example, you could describe the experience of training and preparing to play a certain sport, and then give us a description of the "big game" and how you played and the circumstances that resulted in you receiving the medal or the item you are showing.)
3. You can conclude with what you learned from the experience or what the rest of us could take away from your speech (perhaps that you should listen to your parents and then you won't get lost at Disneyland or that if you keep trying, you will succeed).
If you want to ask me any questions about this, please feel free to do so!
Your speech should take this form.
1. Tell us what the item is. You could describe it briefly. (For example, these are the Mickey Mouse ears I got at Disneyland. When my parents told me we were going to California, I dreamed that I would be able to come home with this hat!)
2. Tell how you acquired the item. (For example, you could describe the experience of training and preparing to play a certain sport, and then give us a description of the "big game" and how you played and the circumstances that resulted in you receiving the medal or the item you are showing.)
3. You can conclude with what you learned from the experience or what the rest of us could take away from your speech (perhaps that you should listen to your parents and then you won't get lost at Disneyland or that if you keep trying, you will succeed).
If you want to ask me any questions about this, please feel free to do so!
Monologues for Grades 9/10
Peter from “Goin’ Down the Road”:
Those guys are three dummies. I don’t get you. When we were leaving, you couldn’t get out of
the place fast enough. Now you go on
about some job in the cannery. Oh,
listen, Joey, it’s gonna be so different.
There you can get all kinds of jobs.
Not just sweat and dirt all the time . . . And the places to go; we’re gonna hit some night spots, have us
some good times! No sitting in some
restaurant all night or cruising up and down main street, looking for something
you know damn well isn’t there . . . Joey, there’s going to be so much there,
we won’t know where to begin.
Ruthie from “Distended Ear Lobes”:
Well, it isn’t exactly that he doesn’t interest me
anymore. It’s that I’m not quite sure of
the chemistry. Before it was all
chemistry, and I didn’t even think about whether he interested me. Now the chemistry is deluded and I’ve had
time to consider whether or not he interests me, I mean as a person, that is.
Actors in 9/10: These are your two monologues. Obviously, Peter is the boys' monologue and Ruthie is the girls'. I do not expect you to know these on Monday after spring break, but you should have them in mind. If you have time, you can read them out loud. That will help you memorize it. Eventually, you will develop a character that reflects the things you say. Think of what your character is doing while she talks. What makes him tell the story? How will the character move in the piece?
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