Grade 8's: Here are your instructions for the Show and Tell project. If you have any questions, please make sure to ask me.
1. Choose something about which you can speak for 2 minutes. It can be ANYTHING, as long as it generates a good, engaging story.
2. Jot down some ideas about what you want to say. You could briefly describe the object, tell how you acquired it, why it is important to you, with whom you associate it, anything that will make the audience interested. Think about what would interest you. Think about why the item is important to you. If you are interested in it, it is likely that we will be, too. Don't be afraid to be enthusiastic.
3. Plan what you are going to say. Prepare cue cards, if that will help. (It would help me.) You can say what you think you might say in your speech and write it down, or you can write it down first. This is your process and you can experiment with what works best, but you do need to have a plan and stick to it.
4. Practice saying your speech. Time it and make sure it is about 2 minutes long. Say it to someone you trust and ask them for feedback.
5. Practice speaking slowly and clearly and projecting your voice. Remember to try to appear to be confident, even if you don't feel confident. Let your enthusiasm for the item shine through. That will help engage the audience. When you present, stand centerstage. Don't move around too much. Make eye contact with the audience. Keep your head up.
6. Don't use repetitive words and phrases (like "y'know" and "that sort of thing" and "sort of"). Don't begin your speech with "so" and don't end it with "yeah".
7. It can be a good idea to start your speech with a question that involves the audience's experience, for example, "have you ever been lost in a foreign city?" or "do any of you have a part time job?" End the speech with some sort of conclusion, perhaps a lesson you've learned or an experience we can identify with. "In conclusion, winning this medal taught me that you can never give up because, as Yogi Beara said, 'it ain't over, till it's over'" or "I guess we should always listen to the advice of our parents!"
Let me know if you have any questions about this assignment.
Monday 29 February 2016
Sunday 28 February 2016
Winners and Losers
I'm up here with mixed feelings, I have been critical of the Academy ... and for reason. I refuse to believe that I beat Jack Lemmon, that I beat Peter Sellers. I refuse to believe that Robert Duvall lost. We are part of an artistic family ... and most actors don't work, they have to practice accents while driving a taxi. And some of us are so lucky to work with writing, to work with directing. And to that artistic family that strives for excellence, none of you have ever lost, and I am proud to share this with you.
- Dustin Hoffman
Yes, it is Oscar night. I think I've mentioned before that, when I was young, my sister and I would pore over the nominations and choose who would win all the awards and have a rationale for our choices but now, I don't even watch the show. I am curious as to who wins, I guess, but I don't really care. I don't think it actually means anything about being an artist. I agree with Dustin Hoffman -- there are a lot of great actors driving taxis or working in restaurants (or even teaching Drama!) -- unsung heroes who "bloom unseen", "mute inglorious Miltons". The work itself is what's important, not a statuette.
I saw the play, "Winners and Losers" yesterday. It was basically two guys throwing out topics and deciding whether they were winners and losers -- things like Canada, and Pamela Anderson, and wordly wisdom. It was great and it certainly provoked a lot of interesting reflection after the show was over. I wonder what they would say about the Oscars themselves -- are the Oscars a winner or a loser? I guess, in most cases, it provides the movie with some "buzz" which makes people want to see it, maybe gives the actor or screenwriter the clout to negotiate for a higher salary, so in that way it appears to be a winner. But what does it do to you as an artist? Does it validate you? If you win, do you feel like Sally Field -- "you like me! you really like me!" Do you feel like Dustin Hoffman, that everyone wins?
In our own little corner of the theatre world, we are doing a few more go-throughs of the tunnel of love on Monday. I think it's gone pretty well and we've learned a lot in putting it together which makes us winners, right?
- Dustin Hoffman
Yes, it is Oscar night. I think I've mentioned before that, when I was young, my sister and I would pore over the nominations and choose who would win all the awards and have a rationale for our choices but now, I don't even watch the show. I am curious as to who wins, I guess, but I don't really care. I don't think it actually means anything about being an artist. I agree with Dustin Hoffman -- there are a lot of great actors driving taxis or working in restaurants (or even teaching Drama!) -- unsung heroes who "bloom unseen", "mute inglorious Miltons". The work itself is what's important, not a statuette.
I saw the play, "Winners and Losers" yesterday. It was basically two guys throwing out topics and deciding whether they were winners and losers -- things like Canada, and Pamela Anderson, and wordly wisdom. It was great and it certainly provoked a lot of interesting reflection after the show was over. I wonder what they would say about the Oscars themselves -- are the Oscars a winner or a loser? I guess, in most cases, it provides the movie with some "buzz" which makes people want to see it, maybe gives the actor or screenwriter the clout to negotiate for a higher salary, so in that way it appears to be a winner. But what does it do to you as an artist? Does it validate you? If you win, do you feel like Sally Field -- "you like me! you really like me!" Do you feel like Dustin Hoffman, that everyone wins?
In our own little corner of the theatre world, we are doing a few more go-throughs of the tunnel of love on Monday. I think it's gone pretty well and we've learned a lot in putting it together which makes us winners, right?
Thursday 25 February 2016
The Love Boat -- Shining and New
Today we're doing the "Love Boat" in the theatre, to celebrate the "month of love"! I have never done a valentine's play like this and so it is an exciting and scary adventure! I hope it all goes well. I have a lot of confidence in the kids who are performing and it is always good to take creative risks and see how things turn out. If it doesn't turn out the way you want it to, then you learn something from it.
Acting 11/12: Write about your part in the tunnel of love. Who are you playing? What can you do with a character like that? Some of your roles don't SEEM to be big, but in an interactive show like this, you can make something out of something that seems quite minor. Do your best and try to interact with the audience members.
Directors: Write your comments about the "tunnel of love". Would you ever stage an unstructured show like this? What would make a good venue?
Theatre Production: What worked well in the "tunnel of love"? What would you have liked to do differently? We don't have an endless amount of money, so keep that in mind.
Drama 9/10: Write about the process through which you went to develop your first heritage performance. What needs to be improved? What went well?
Drama 8: How would you explain the natural phenomenon that you have been assigned? You can use magic, imagination and the ideas of the other people in your group. Try to make it actually explain the phenomenon in a believable way.
Acting 11/12: Write about your part in the tunnel of love. Who are you playing? What can you do with a character like that? Some of your roles don't SEEM to be big, but in an interactive show like this, you can make something out of something that seems quite minor. Do your best and try to interact with the audience members.
Directors: Write your comments about the "tunnel of love". Would you ever stage an unstructured show like this? What would make a good venue?
Theatre Production: What worked well in the "tunnel of love"? What would you have liked to do differently? We don't have an endless amount of money, so keep that in mind.
Drama 9/10: Write about the process through which you went to develop your first heritage performance. What needs to be improved? What went well?
Drama 8: How would you explain the natural phenomenon that you have been assigned? You can use magic, imagination and the ideas of the other people in your group. Try to make it actually explain the phenomenon in a believable way.
Wednesday 24 February 2016
When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie . . . that's amore!
Finally, we're able to present our "Love Boat" interactive theatre piece! Today, we assigned roles -- please make sure you learn any lines you've been given, come up with some acceptable pickup lines and jokes, and think of what you can do to entertain our audiences. I have no idea how it will go, so let's come in tomorrow morning ready to work! Make something of your part!
Grade 8's: Make sure you know how to show your emotion in your face. Know your nursery rhyme so you are confident to recite it.
Grade 9/10: Hand in your heritage story if you haven't. Remember, this is a group project. You need to be sensitive to the feelings of the people in your group -- take their stories seriously. Try your best to work with everyone and bring out the best in everyone. It isn't easy, of course, but that's the theatre for you.
Theatre Production: We need to finish putting together the "tunnel of love". The audience is coming on Friday!
Grade 8's: Make sure you know how to show your emotion in your face. Know your nursery rhyme so you are confident to recite it.
Grade 9/10: Hand in your heritage story if you haven't. Remember, this is a group project. You need to be sensitive to the feelings of the people in your group -- take their stories seriously. Try your best to work with everyone and bring out the best in everyone. It isn't easy, of course, but that's the theatre for you.
Theatre Production: We need to finish putting together the "tunnel of love". The audience is coming on Friday!
Saturday 20 February 2016
Winners and Losers
"There's a point at which it's useful to ask to what extent our lizard brain instincts are serving us." -- Marcus Youssef
There is a play running at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre called "Winners and Losers". It is written and performed by two local playwrights -- Marcus Youssef and James Long -- and they have toured the show all over the world to great success (which, I guess, makes them "winners".) It is in a debate format and they discuss human beings' natural desire to compete and to cooperate, and that is what elicited Youssef's statement about "our lizard brains". I haven't seen the show yet, but I am going at the end of the week and will report back. My Stoic readings say that, in order to achieve tranquillity, we need to fight against our evolutionary tendencies that helped us survive in the past -- tendencies to give ourselves up to fear and anger. They were handy when we were running from lions and when we had to fight to defend our farms from interlopers, but perhaps not so much now, when we have guns and bombs and cars and are crippled, sometimes, by irrational fears and rages.
"Meet the Teacher" was a very pleasant event. I think it was well attended and it was nice to meet many of your parents and talk about the new curriculum and what we're up to in class. The next day, we had a professional development day and we were introduced to the concept of "SAMR" which is a description of the continuum of the use of technology in the classroom. "SAMR" stands for "substitution, augmentation, modification and redesign" - when a teacher decides to use some sort of technology in class, it probably fits within one of these categories. Now, many of you know I'm a bit of a Luddite (Luddites were people in Britain who fought against the advances of the Industrial Revolution) but I'm not completely averse to using technology. I will take your journals by email (which is "substitution") and I invite you to use your devices when we're looking for information or music to accompany your play (augmentation, I think). Of course, we use technology in the theatre for light and sound and for sets and costumes and props. But on the other hand, I feel like part of my role is to get you away from your phones and screens and ask you to be present in the moment (a theatre term which asks you to fully focus on what is happening in the here and now and not anticipate what might come next or worry over what has happened before you got to Drama). We all spend a lot of our day mesmerized by a screen of some sort and so, for 72 minutes in Drama class, I want you to focus on your role as a person here in the theatre, on your place as a member of the class and of your group. I want you to live your actual life, not your virtual life. (You've heard me say that countless times, I think.) I went over the edge when the presenter urged us to look at samples of lessons using this idea of SAMR and one of the lessons was "how to throw a baseball" and another about how to create a painting. There are some things you can't learn from a computer.
Next week:
Grade 8's, remember, you're going to be reciting "All the world's a stage" on Monday and Tuesday. Have music for your fairy tale mime on Monday so you can practice with it.
Grade 9's and 10's: Practice "Speak the speech"! You will recite soon! Some of you haven't handed in your heritage stories yet. The weekend is a good time to interview your family members and choose something interesting to share.
Theatre Production: Next week, we're setting up for the "Love Boat". Be ready to work hard.
Acting ll and 12: Memorize that scene from "Midsummer Night's Dream" -- both parts.
Directors: Think of how we can organize things for the "Love Boat" interactive theatre production!
There is a play running at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre called "Winners and Losers". It is written and performed by two local playwrights -- Marcus Youssef and James Long -- and they have toured the show all over the world to great success (which, I guess, makes them "winners".) It is in a debate format and they discuss human beings' natural desire to compete and to cooperate, and that is what elicited Youssef's statement about "our lizard brains". I haven't seen the show yet, but I am going at the end of the week and will report back. My Stoic readings say that, in order to achieve tranquillity, we need to fight against our evolutionary tendencies that helped us survive in the past -- tendencies to give ourselves up to fear and anger. They were handy when we were running from lions and when we had to fight to defend our farms from interlopers, but perhaps not so much now, when we have guns and bombs and cars and are crippled, sometimes, by irrational fears and rages.
"Meet the Teacher" was a very pleasant event. I think it was well attended and it was nice to meet many of your parents and talk about the new curriculum and what we're up to in class. The next day, we had a professional development day and we were introduced to the concept of "SAMR" which is a description of the continuum of the use of technology in the classroom. "SAMR" stands for "substitution, augmentation, modification and redesign" - when a teacher decides to use some sort of technology in class, it probably fits within one of these categories. Now, many of you know I'm a bit of a Luddite (Luddites were people in Britain who fought against the advances of the Industrial Revolution) but I'm not completely averse to using technology. I will take your journals by email (which is "substitution") and I invite you to use your devices when we're looking for information or music to accompany your play (augmentation, I think). Of course, we use technology in the theatre for light and sound and for sets and costumes and props. But on the other hand, I feel like part of my role is to get you away from your phones and screens and ask you to be present in the moment (a theatre term which asks you to fully focus on what is happening in the here and now and not anticipate what might come next or worry over what has happened before you got to Drama). We all spend a lot of our day mesmerized by a screen of some sort and so, for 72 minutes in Drama class, I want you to focus on your role as a person here in the theatre, on your place as a member of the class and of your group. I want you to live your actual life, not your virtual life. (You've heard me say that countless times, I think.) I went over the edge when the presenter urged us to look at samples of lessons using this idea of SAMR and one of the lessons was "how to throw a baseball" and another about how to create a painting. There are some things you can't learn from a computer.
Next week:
Grade 8's, remember, you're going to be reciting "All the world's a stage" on Monday and Tuesday. Have music for your fairy tale mime on Monday so you can practice with it.
Grade 9's and 10's: Practice "Speak the speech"! You will recite soon! Some of you haven't handed in your heritage stories yet. The weekend is a good time to interview your family members and choose something interesting to share.
Theatre Production: Next week, we're setting up for the "Love Boat". Be ready to work hard.
Acting ll and 12: Memorize that scene from "Midsummer Night's Dream" -- both parts.
Directors: Think of how we can organize things for the "Love Boat" interactive theatre production!
Sunday 14 February 2016
A Bird in the Hand
This is the Great Backyard Bird Count weekend. If you are outdoors at all this weekend, take fifteen minutes to look around and see how many birds you can see. (Better if you actually know what the birds are! Take a bird book with you -- you can get one from the library -- or, in this day and age, you can probably find everything you need to know on Google.) Count the different species and then go on the Great Backyard Bird Count website and submit your list.
As always, Daisy and I were up early and walked down to Rocky Point Park (this morning in the driving rain). We saw lots of birds -- our usual friends, Canada Geese, and gulls (hard to identify what sort of gull they are) and mallard ducks and crows flying in from Burnaby for the day and two trees full of noisy starlings (I know they're interlopers, but it's not their fault, it's ours -- I always remember this story on the news a number of years ago about an old man in a Downtown Eastside hotel SRO who had befriended a starling -- he had a little shoebox in the window for it to nest in and he fed it and it provided him with a great deal of joy because, like all birds, it was pretty {starlings are glossy and speckled and bright-eyed} and had all sorts of funny antics -- it was a lovely story). We also saw some hooded mergansers (which are less common than the other birds I've mentioned) and the males were doing their mating poses, throwing their big white heads back dramatically to show the females how cool they are. Daisy wasn't impressed but I was pleased to see a little romance on Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day can be lonesome for those of us who haven't got a "significant other". The Stoics would tell us to be happy with what we do have and they are right. Canada has been chosen the most respected country in the world (along with places like Norway and Sweden as always) -- how lucky we are to live in such a place. How lucky I am to be able to take my sweet nervous dog to the park and see all sorts of different lovely birds and come home and hang up my clothes to dry in a warm house and have a nice cup of coffee and get a Valentine from my little boy and write in my blog. Happy Valentine's Day. Eat something delicious today (think of how amazing it is that we can eat oranges in this cold climate! when my mother was a little girl, an orange was a rarity), listen to some music, go for a walk and count the birds. It's all good.
As always, Daisy and I were up early and walked down to Rocky Point Park (this morning in the driving rain). We saw lots of birds -- our usual friends, Canada Geese, and gulls (hard to identify what sort of gull they are) and mallard ducks and crows flying in from Burnaby for the day and two trees full of noisy starlings (I know they're interlopers, but it's not their fault, it's ours -- I always remember this story on the news a number of years ago about an old man in a Downtown Eastside hotel SRO who had befriended a starling -- he had a little shoebox in the window for it to nest in and he fed it and it provided him with a great deal of joy because, like all birds, it was pretty {starlings are glossy and speckled and bright-eyed} and had all sorts of funny antics -- it was a lovely story). We also saw some hooded mergansers (which are less common than the other birds I've mentioned) and the males were doing their mating poses, throwing their big white heads back dramatically to show the females how cool they are. Daisy wasn't impressed but I was pleased to see a little romance on Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day can be lonesome for those of us who haven't got a "significant other". The Stoics would tell us to be happy with what we do have and they are right. Canada has been chosen the most respected country in the world (along with places like Norway and Sweden as always) -- how lucky we are to live in such a place. How lucky I am to be able to take my sweet nervous dog to the park and see all sorts of different lovely birds and come home and hang up my clothes to dry in a warm house and have a nice cup of coffee and get a Valentine from my little boy and write in my blog. Happy Valentine's Day. Eat something delicious today (think of how amazing it is that we can eat oranges in this cold climate! when my mother was a little girl, an orange was a rarity), listen to some music, go for a walk and count the birds. It's all good.
Thursday 11 February 2016
Do you know what happens when you give a procrastinator a good idea? Nothing!
That's just a little push for those of you who like to put off tomorrow what you can do next week. We give out report cards on Friday -- that could be a wakeup call for some of you who let things go. Resolve to stay on top of things this semester and you'll feel a lot better about everything. Last week I brought home all your journals with the intention of marking them over the weekend, but the bin sat in my car most of the time. If I had pulled them out and marked them on Saturday, I would have felt like I deserved the rest of the weekend for a lovely relaxing time, but they were at the back of my mind the whole time and I had to knuckle down and mark them on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. I hope I learn my lesson.
Here are your journal topics for this week. (You can email me your response if that's easier.)
Grade 8: Are you good at working as a member of a group? What skills do you have that make you a good team-mate? How can you improve? Are you a good leader? Explain why or why not. Write about an experience you had as a member of a group. What did you learn from the experience?
Grade 9/10: Write your "heritage" story. Take some time to speak to your family members about any stories they might know about your family history. It can be about a holiday your family took, or about how your family got to Canada. Unfortunately, most families have some war stories (make sure you find out the circumstances of the war, if you use a story like this. We are all familiar with the World Wars, but in some cases, the war your relative fought in might not be as well known.) Many families have stories about marriages and births and even deaths. It can be a funny story, or a sad one or a romantic one or something scary or dramatic. Give as many details as possible.
Theatre production: We have decided to include the "wishing tree" idea and the "gondola" idea in our Love Boat experience. Describe how we can create a "tree" for people to put their wishes on. How will we decorate the car to make it romantic? Give details. We will do the Love Boat experience on February 22. Next week, we will work on setting it all up.
Directors: Write a brief "love" scene, like the one we worked on in class yesterday and today. It should be short and open to a variety of interpretations. Also, which scene of the ones you directed did you think was the most successful? Explain why.
Acting 11/12: What is the most romantic performance you've ever seen? Why do you choose that performance? Why do you think it's so hard for actors to play romantic scenes? Do you find it difficult? Explain your answer.
Here are your journal topics for this week. (You can email me your response if that's easier.)
Grade 8: Are you good at working as a member of a group? What skills do you have that make you a good team-mate? How can you improve? Are you a good leader? Explain why or why not. Write about an experience you had as a member of a group. What did you learn from the experience?
Grade 9/10: Write your "heritage" story. Take some time to speak to your family members about any stories they might know about your family history. It can be about a holiday your family took, or about how your family got to Canada. Unfortunately, most families have some war stories (make sure you find out the circumstances of the war, if you use a story like this. We are all familiar with the World Wars, but in some cases, the war your relative fought in might not be as well known.) Many families have stories about marriages and births and even deaths. It can be a funny story, or a sad one or a romantic one or something scary or dramatic. Give as many details as possible.
Theatre production: We have decided to include the "wishing tree" idea and the "gondola" idea in our Love Boat experience. Describe how we can create a "tree" for people to put their wishes on. How will we decorate the car to make it romantic? Give details. We will do the Love Boat experience on February 22. Next week, we will work on setting it all up.
Directors: Write a brief "love" scene, like the one we worked on in class yesterday and today. It should be short and open to a variety of interpretations. Also, which scene of the ones you directed did you think was the most successful? Explain why.
Acting 11/12: What is the most romantic performance you've ever seen? Why do you choose that performance? Why do you think it's so hard for actors to play romantic scenes? Do you find it difficult? Explain your answer.
Saturday 6 February 2016
Is romance dead?
Two things caught my attention this morning as I read the news. (We had a mini-wind storm last night and two of my neighbours' big trees came down -- one destroyed their car and the other fell within metres of their house. Our power was out all night -- you never know how much you enjoy having electricity until you don't have it! I will say this, the BC Hydro people were out almost immediately after the event and worked ALL NIGHT to restore our power, so a big thank-you to them for their hard work, skill and dedication.)
The first one was about a school in St. Paul, Minnesota. The principal of the school has decided that, in a move to be "inclusive", the school will no longer observe festive days like Valentine's Day or Hallowe'en. The school's population is very diverse -- 52% Asian, 36% Black, 7% Hispanic, 4% white and 1% aboriginal. He says until the school can arrive at a way to celebrate everyone's cultures, they just don't see how they can celebrate any festive days. I have always had a problem with Valentine's Day, because when I was a kid, they didn't make us give Valentines to everyone and there was always a kid who didn't get one in the little mailbox we made for the front of our desk, but I do think we're better at it now. When my sons were small, the teachers sent home a class list and told parents to make sure everyone on the list got a card. That seemed like a great way to deal with it. I think it is unfortunate if you take all the special days out of the calendar. They can add a lot of fun to the school year and if they're done right, everyone can get a kick out of them. I see what the principal is saying, but couldn't they ask parents about the festive days in their own cultures and include them in the mix as well? Valentine's Day isn't really about St. Valentine, is it? It seems like it's morphed into a very modern occasion and here, at least, is a day to eat chocolate and give out those silly cards with a lame joke on them (a picture of a bee smiling and the phrase, "won't you BEEEEE my Valentine?" for example). What do you think?
The other thing I read was the story about a young Italian actor, Raphael Schumacher, who was in a play in Pisa that depicted a suicide. Something went terribly wrong with the performance and it appears that he actually hurt himself in the play and went into a coma and is now not expected to survive. It is so important to remember that, as artists, it is good to take creative risks, but not risks that endanger your well-being. Our lives are so precious, and although we are strong and resilient, we have to realize that if we don't exercise caution and common sense, we could face dire consequences. Young people (and sometimes old people as well) can behave impulsively -- skiing out of bounds, drinking and then getting behind the steering wheel of a car, driving too fast, so many things -- and sometimes, even as you're doing it, you're thinking "this is not a good idea". Those "prevention" commercials are quite good on this topic. They show the hockey player warming up on the ice without his helmet, and the guy distracted on his cellphone walking across the street. Take special care of yourselves this weekend -- see you all on Tuesday.
The first one was about a school in St. Paul, Minnesota. The principal of the school has decided that, in a move to be "inclusive", the school will no longer observe festive days like Valentine's Day or Hallowe'en. The school's population is very diverse -- 52% Asian, 36% Black, 7% Hispanic, 4% white and 1% aboriginal. He says until the school can arrive at a way to celebrate everyone's cultures, they just don't see how they can celebrate any festive days. I have always had a problem with Valentine's Day, because when I was a kid, they didn't make us give Valentines to everyone and there was always a kid who didn't get one in the little mailbox we made for the front of our desk, but I do think we're better at it now. When my sons were small, the teachers sent home a class list and told parents to make sure everyone on the list got a card. That seemed like a great way to deal with it. I think it is unfortunate if you take all the special days out of the calendar. They can add a lot of fun to the school year and if they're done right, everyone can get a kick out of them. I see what the principal is saying, but couldn't they ask parents about the festive days in their own cultures and include them in the mix as well? Valentine's Day isn't really about St. Valentine, is it? It seems like it's morphed into a very modern occasion and here, at least, is a day to eat chocolate and give out those silly cards with a lame joke on them (a picture of a bee smiling and the phrase, "won't you BEEEEE my Valentine?" for example). What do you think?
The other thing I read was the story about a young Italian actor, Raphael Schumacher, who was in a play in Pisa that depicted a suicide. Something went terribly wrong with the performance and it appears that he actually hurt himself in the play and went into a coma and is now not expected to survive. It is so important to remember that, as artists, it is good to take creative risks, but not risks that endanger your well-being. Our lives are so precious, and although we are strong and resilient, we have to realize that if we don't exercise caution and common sense, we could face dire consequences. Young people (and sometimes old people as well) can behave impulsively -- skiing out of bounds, drinking and then getting behind the steering wheel of a car, driving too fast, so many things -- and sometimes, even as you're doing it, you're thinking "this is not a good idea". Those "prevention" commercials are quite good on this topic. They show the hockey player warming up on the ice without his helmet, and the guy distracted on his cellphone walking across the street. Take special care of yourselves this weekend -- see you all on Tuesday.
Friday 5 February 2016
Shakespeare recitations!
We are working on memorizing the following passage. If you say it out loud twice a day for several days, you will know it by heart. It is from Shakespeare's play, "As You Like It". Make sure you understand what it means!
All the world's a stage
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances
And one man, in his time, plays many parts.
You need to learn it exactly as it is written! Remember, we pronounce "women" as "wimmen". The "o" says a soft "i" sound in this word.
Grades 9/10:
Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue. But if you mouth it, as many of your players do, I had as lief the town crier spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with your hands, thus; but use all gently, for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I may say, whirlwind of passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance, that may give it smoothness.
This is from "Hamlet" and is called "Hamlet's advice to the players". He is telling the travelling actors who have arrived to perform at his castle how he expects them to present their play. We can take this advice ourselves when we perform.
All the world's a stage
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances
And one man, in his time, plays many parts.
You need to learn it exactly as it is written! Remember, we pronounce "women" as "wimmen". The "o" says a soft "i" sound in this word.
Grades 9/10:
Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue. But if you mouth it, as many of your players do, I had as lief the town crier spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with your hands, thus; but use all gently, for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I may say, whirlwind of passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance, that may give it smoothness.
This is from "Hamlet" and is called "Hamlet's advice to the players". He is telling the travelling actors who have arrived to perform at his castle how he expects them to present their play. We can take this advice ourselves when we perform.
Thursday 4 February 2016
"Love is a smoke and is made with the fume of sighs."
Valentine's Day fast approaches. Make sure you plan something nice for the people you love. (And Family Day is on Monday -- you could spend part of the day making valentine's for your family members!)
And it's journal day!
Grade 8: Very simple. What should I know about you? You could include any drama experience you have, what you want out of Drama, whether you have stage fright, if you've done public speaking or performing before -- anything like that.
Grade 9/10: Write about the process through which you developed the play you will perform on Tuesday. How did you create the plot? Who are the characters? How will you show what sort of person you are (give details). What are you finding challenging?
Theatre Production: How could you set up the entire theatre (including catwalk, audience area, lobby, backstage and hallway) for a Valentine Love Fest? One class suggested a "tunnel of love" scenario. Does that inspire you? Describe what you would do. You may accompany it with sketches if you like. (A picture is worth a thousand words.)
Senior Drama: Which romantic scene impressed you the most? Explain why.
And it's journal day!
Grade 8: Very simple. What should I know about you? You could include any drama experience you have, what you want out of Drama, whether you have stage fright, if you've done public speaking or performing before -- anything like that.
Grade 9/10: Write about the process through which you developed the play you will perform on Tuesday. How did you create the plot? Who are the characters? How will you show what sort of person you are (give details). What are you finding challenging?
Theatre Production: How could you set up the entire theatre (including catwalk, audience area, lobby, backstage and hallway) for a Valentine Love Fest? One class suggested a "tunnel of love" scenario. Does that inspire you? Describe what you would do. You may accompany it with sketches if you like. (A picture is worth a thousand words.)
Senior Drama: Which romantic scene impressed you the most? Explain why.
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