First journal of the new semester -- it won't be your last!
Grade 9/10: What is the funniest movie you've ever seen? What made it so funny? Describe one scene in detail. Give the actors' names and explain what happens and why it is funny. If you aren't sure why, try to think of what made you laugh and analyze why it worked.
Grade 8: What should Ms. Kosar know about you? We're going to spend 9 weeks together and there are probably things I should know. Do you have stage fright? How bad is it? Have you ever done Drama before (in a club or at elementary school or anywhere else)? What did you do? Have you ever had to perform in front of an audience (in a sport? as a musician? making a speech?) How did that go? What do you expect from Drama 8?
That's it. It should come to about a half a page if you do a good job.
Thursday 31 January 2019
Monday 28 January 2019
Monologues and Journals and all that jazz
Semester one folks,
I can change your marks until February 1 in the morning, so if you have an outstanding monologue or some journals to hand in, get them to me or perform for me before then!
I wish you all the best of luck in Semester 2 and thank you all for throwing yourselves into the wacky world of the theatre for Semester 1. I hope to see all of you back in the swim of drama next year!
The WAG film festival will screen the films entered in the contest on January 30 (that's Wednesday) at lunch in the theatre. If you want to vote for the People's Choice Best Picture, make sure you come. The WAG Gala will be on Monday, February 4 at 6:30. We will screen the films then, and people can vote for People's Choice and we will announce the judges' picks as well. The jazz band will play and there'll be food and drinks and fun! See you then.
I can change your marks until February 1 in the morning, so if you have an outstanding monologue or some journals to hand in, get them to me or perform for me before then!
I wish you all the best of luck in Semester 2 and thank you all for throwing yourselves into the wacky world of the theatre for Semester 1. I hope to see all of you back in the swim of drama next year!
The WAG film festival will screen the films entered in the contest on January 30 (that's Wednesday) at lunch in the theatre. If you want to vote for the People's Choice Best Picture, make sure you come. The WAG Gala will be on Monday, February 4 at 6:30. We will screen the films then, and people can vote for People's Choice and we will announce the judges' picks as well. The jazz band will play and there'll be food and drinks and fun! See you then.
Sunday 20 January 2019
Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse!
Something like that! I took two photos of the lunar eclipse tonight.
This was the start:
And this was at TOTALITY!
Of course, my camera isn't very good, but in person, it is really wondrous! The moon is very red and when it was almost completely covered, it had a sliver of shining white at the top and then some blue and then mottled red. It looked three dimensional, whereas, I think, the moon usually looks flat. It felt like it really was this little round ball circling us. Long after we've done whatever damage we can't stop ourselves from doing, the moon will continue to circle the earth and the lunar eclipses will continue, long after we've wreaked untold horrors on our dear little home. I hope we wise up. The natural world is more magical than we can ever say. More than we could ever imagine.
This was the start:
And this was at TOTALITY!
Of course, my camera isn't very good, but in person, it is really wondrous! The moon is very red and when it was almost completely covered, it had a sliver of shining white at the top and then some blue and then mottled red. It looked three dimensional, whereas, I think, the moon usually looks flat. It felt like it really was this little round ball circling us. Long after we've done whatever damage we can't stop ourselves from doing, the moon will continue to circle the earth and the lunar eclipses will continue, long after we've wreaked untold horrors on our dear little home. I hope we wise up. The natural world is more magical than we can ever say. More than we could ever imagine.
Thursday 17 January 2019
End of times
For some of you, this might be your LAST JOURNAL EVER! Make it count!
Senior Drama and 9/10 Drama:
Who did you play in the role play? Describe how you approached your character (what you thought about doing, how you dressed, spoke, activities you engaged in as the character, etc.) and how it turned out. Did you have any interesting interactions with others during the extended role play? Describe them.
Drama 8:
Which "show and tell" speech did you like the best? Why?
Which lesson of the Aesop's Fables do you need to learn? Explain why.
Senior Drama and 9/10 Drama:
Who did you play in the role play? Describe how you approached your character (what you thought about doing, how you dressed, spoke, activities you engaged in as the character, etc.) and how it turned out. Did you have any interesting interactions with others during the extended role play? Describe them.
Drama 8:
Which "show and tell" speech did you like the best? Why?
Which lesson of the Aesop's Fables do you need to learn? Explain why.
Friday 11 January 2019
Doldrums of January
Well, we're soldiering on to the end of the semester. Try to catch up on work that you haven't done before we get to the end of the term.
Grade 8's: How do you think the world was created? Could you make a play out of your idea?
How is your group doing with the creation of the world? What is each person in the group contributing to the presentation?
Grade 9 and 10: What are your thoughts on the theme you have been given? Does it have any impact on your actual life? Explain.
Senior Drama:
Directing/Script Development: Have your script ready for Monday!
Theatre Production: Have your concept journal ready for Monday. You should be thinking about your set and whether you need actors to help and which actors might be suitable.
Actors: Work on your monologues!
Grade 8's: How do you think the world was created? Could you make a play out of your idea?
How is your group doing with the creation of the world? What is each person in the group contributing to the presentation?
Grade 9 and 10: What are your thoughts on the theme you have been given? Does it have any impact on your actual life? Explain.
Senior Drama:
Directing/Script Development: Have your script ready for Monday!
Theatre Production: Have your concept journal ready for Monday. You should be thinking about your set and whether you need actors to help and which actors might be suitable.
Actors: Work on your monologues!
Monday 7 January 2019
Welcome back!
I was going to print all this out and then I realized we don't have to use all that paper! I wanted to give everyone a heads up about what we will be doing this month before the end of the semester!
Grade 8's: You should be preparing your "show and tell" speeches! Practice your speech OUT LOUD and make sure you have two minutes of material! This is very important.
You will stand centre stage and not fidget! You will appear to be confident. You may use cue cards, or even have your whole speech written out, but you must make eye contact with the audience. You must speak clearly and make sure I can hear you and understand you from the back of the theatre.
You may speak about anything you like, but if it is not allowed at school, you will have to show a photo or picture of it.
You MUST not start the speech with "so" or end it with "yeah". Think of a joke or a quotation or a question to start things out and then at the end come to a conclusion -- "this is what I learned", "this is why this thing is so important to me", "as you can see, it is important to 'look before you leap'. Something like that.
Use something that inspires a story to tell. Just describing the item will not engage your audience. If you are interested in the story, we will be, too.
This is a chance for you to demonstrate that you are a good public speaker! Make sure you have TWO MINUTES of material. Don't speak too fast!
Grade 9's and 10's: We will be doing playbuilding at the end of the term. Make sure you learn the monologue I handed out before the holidays. You need to memorize it and ACT it, not just recite it. If you still have a Shakespeare scene to perform, you must do that by the end of the term. We will do the extended role play (I will discuss this in class) in the last few days of the semester.
Senior Drama:
Actors: You must prepare and act the monologue you have been assigned. Some of you have not done the Shakespeare monologue!
Theatre Production: I have a hand out for the sound and light show. You will also need to support the directors in their final original script.
Director/Writers: You need to come up with your original script. The length doesn't matter. You will be assigned actors and will be asked to present your final script as a performance.
We will be doing the extended role play at the end of the term. Anyone want to be the teacher?
Grade 8's: You should be preparing your "show and tell" speeches! Practice your speech OUT LOUD and make sure you have two minutes of material! This is very important.
You will stand centre stage and not fidget! You will appear to be confident. You may use cue cards, or even have your whole speech written out, but you must make eye contact with the audience. You must speak clearly and make sure I can hear you and understand you from the back of the theatre.
You may speak about anything you like, but if it is not allowed at school, you will have to show a photo or picture of it.
You MUST not start the speech with "so" or end it with "yeah". Think of a joke or a quotation or a question to start things out and then at the end come to a conclusion -- "this is what I learned", "this is why this thing is so important to me", "as you can see, it is important to 'look before you leap'. Something like that.
Use something that inspires a story to tell. Just describing the item will not engage your audience. If you are interested in the story, we will be, too.
This is a chance for you to demonstrate that you are a good public speaker! Make sure you have TWO MINUTES of material. Don't speak too fast!
Grade 9's and 10's: We will be doing playbuilding at the end of the term. Make sure you learn the monologue I handed out before the holidays. You need to memorize it and ACT it, not just recite it. If you still have a Shakespeare scene to perform, you must do that by the end of the term. We will do the extended role play (I will discuss this in class) in the last few days of the semester.
Senior Drama:
Actors: You must prepare and act the monologue you have been assigned. Some of you have not done the Shakespeare monologue!
Theatre Production: I have a hand out for the sound and light show. You will also need to support the directors in their final original script.
Director/Writers: You need to come up with your original script. The length doesn't matter. You will be assigned actors and will be asked to present your final script as a performance.
We will be doing the extended role play at the end of the term. Anyone want to be the teacher?
Thursday 3 January 2019
"Useless Knowledge"
“Now I sometimes wonder,” he wrote, “whether there would be sufficient opportunity for a full life if the world were emptied of some of the useless things that give it spiritual significance; in other words, whether our conception of what is useful may not have become too narrow to be adequate to the roaming and capricious possibilities of the human spirit.”
This is from an article I just read in the New York Times (which I like to read in the morning before I start my day -- it often has thought provoking ideas that I can mull over for days after I read the article -- like, for instance, an article I read at the beginning of the holidays that said that, since a turn away from learning history in schools, a large percentage of British students were under the impression that Winston Churchill was a fictional character and that Sherlock Holmes was real!). The quote is from an article ("The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge") by Abraham Flexner, who was an educational reformer. He makes the point that many things that we originally thought were "useless" did, in fact, turn into ideas that were useful in everyone's way of seeing the world (like the discovery of the double helix or Newton's third law of motion) but beyond all of that, I think it is abundantly true that human beings are curious creatures and to suggest that the pursuit of wonder is frivolous flies in the face of everything I know about how we can be happy.
I would say that I am a relatively happy person (and that's as good as it gets, I think). Of course, I have faced lots of trouble in my life (as we all do) but my fall back position is that I have a wonderful life and should "count my blessings" (as my mother always taught me). One thing that has sustained me (and this is thanks to my mother, who I have mentioned here a lot) is that I have quite a bit of enthusiasm for lots of things. I love to read fiction because it helps me see the world through another person's eyes and gives me insight into how they feel. I love plays because they do the same thing. I love to watch the birds at my bird feeder and imagine that somehow I'm part of their world. I am interested in politics and the environment and I like to do puzzles and argue with people and I think the more things you have in your life that can get you out of your own head, the better. If your view of happiness involves a lot of acquisitions, I'm afraid you won't be as happy as someone who relishes the world at large. Because the birds will always be there (I hope -- at the rate we're going perhaps, if we're not careful, we will eliminate the birds), but maybe you won't have enough money to buy that new iphone, or the people you think you want to hang out with won't have time for you, or you might get sick or any of those things.
It seems like we are under the impression that it is better to study "business" than art, that studying business is more practical than art. I just finished reading a book called Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas which is about how the rich want to use their wealth to "help" those less fortunate than they, but without any sacrifice to their own acquisitions (so they want to donate to charities that they control rather than pay more taxes). I know lots of you think of taxes as a terrible thing, but if you understand how taxation is supposed to work, it is a way of spreading the wealth around, by supporting things like public education (which helps people who might not be rich still have opportunities) and public healthcare (which ensures that people don't lose everything just because they get sick) and public transportation and roads and law enforcement (which we all benefit from). So taxes pay for us to have an orderly society -- who wouldn't want that? Giridharadas suggests that we have lost sight of the value of government and collective action in our increasingly individual-focused world view. That's why theatre can be such a shot in the arm. It explores the human condition and helps us see the world through someone else's eyes and is also a collective endeavour -- you're only as good as the weakest link, so you all have to band together to bring everyone along! I don't imagine many people think about the value of that kind of study when they're thinking about what we should learn at school.
I like the idea of school opening doors for people's minds, that studying and wondering and being curious and trying different ways of thinking is of value itself. I want school to be a place where you can take intellectual and creative risks and be honoured for that. Maybe one of my resolutions will be to try to make my classroom a place of wonder and curiosity! (I wonder how you measure that!)
This is from an article I just read in the New York Times (which I like to read in the morning before I start my day -- it often has thought provoking ideas that I can mull over for days after I read the article -- like, for instance, an article I read at the beginning of the holidays that said that, since a turn away from learning history in schools, a large percentage of British students were under the impression that Winston Churchill was a fictional character and that Sherlock Holmes was real!). The quote is from an article ("The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge") by Abraham Flexner, who was an educational reformer. He makes the point that many things that we originally thought were "useless" did, in fact, turn into ideas that were useful in everyone's way of seeing the world (like the discovery of the double helix or Newton's third law of motion) but beyond all of that, I think it is abundantly true that human beings are curious creatures and to suggest that the pursuit of wonder is frivolous flies in the face of everything I know about how we can be happy.
I would say that I am a relatively happy person (and that's as good as it gets, I think). Of course, I have faced lots of trouble in my life (as we all do) but my fall back position is that I have a wonderful life and should "count my blessings" (as my mother always taught me). One thing that has sustained me (and this is thanks to my mother, who I have mentioned here a lot) is that I have quite a bit of enthusiasm for lots of things. I love to read fiction because it helps me see the world through another person's eyes and gives me insight into how they feel. I love plays because they do the same thing. I love to watch the birds at my bird feeder and imagine that somehow I'm part of their world. I am interested in politics and the environment and I like to do puzzles and argue with people and I think the more things you have in your life that can get you out of your own head, the better. If your view of happiness involves a lot of acquisitions, I'm afraid you won't be as happy as someone who relishes the world at large. Because the birds will always be there (I hope -- at the rate we're going perhaps, if we're not careful, we will eliminate the birds), but maybe you won't have enough money to buy that new iphone, or the people you think you want to hang out with won't have time for you, or you might get sick or any of those things.
It seems like we are under the impression that it is better to study "business" than art, that studying business is more practical than art. I just finished reading a book called Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas which is about how the rich want to use their wealth to "help" those less fortunate than they, but without any sacrifice to their own acquisitions (so they want to donate to charities that they control rather than pay more taxes). I know lots of you think of taxes as a terrible thing, but if you understand how taxation is supposed to work, it is a way of spreading the wealth around, by supporting things like public education (which helps people who might not be rich still have opportunities) and public healthcare (which ensures that people don't lose everything just because they get sick) and public transportation and roads and law enforcement (which we all benefit from). So taxes pay for us to have an orderly society -- who wouldn't want that? Giridharadas suggests that we have lost sight of the value of government and collective action in our increasingly individual-focused world view. That's why theatre can be such a shot in the arm. It explores the human condition and helps us see the world through someone else's eyes and is also a collective endeavour -- you're only as good as the weakest link, so you all have to band together to bring everyone along! I don't imagine many people think about the value of that kind of study when they're thinking about what we should learn at school.
I like the idea of school opening doors for people's minds, that studying and wondering and being curious and trying different ways of thinking is of value itself. I want school to be a place where you can take intellectual and creative risks and be honoured for that. Maybe one of my resolutions will be to try to make my classroom a place of wonder and curiosity! (I wonder how you measure that!)
Wednesday 2 January 2019
Resolutions
I looked back at my resolutions and discovered that I did not manage to do the writing that I intended so perhaps those resolutions can be held over for this year. I have made two new resolutions that I think will be good for me and also will be kept.
Firstly, I am going to eat less meat and dairy. Not only is it good for me personally, but it is also good for the planet. It is very scary to think what we are doing to our little home. I have been reading about the insect apocalypse and I think many of us have taken for granted that there are so many insects that they will always be here, long after we disappear, but perhaps we are damaging the natural world so much that even the insects can't survive. That's a truly terrifying prospect. It makes me think of "Blade Runner" and how there are no living things at all and when he finds the spider, it's so amazing and then the androids don't get it at all. Anyway, I think the best way to see if I'm managing to keep my resolution is to decide on a measurable response, so I am saying that I will prepare one completely meatless and dairy-less meal a week. If I am able to do more, good on me! (Did you read that story from Australia about the passerby who heard "why don't you die?" being screamed in a house he walked past? He was very concerned and called the police who attended at the scene and discovered a man who has a terrible fear of spiders. The man was trying to kill a spider but I guess the spider was too elusive and it was driving the man crazy. The police said everyone seemed okay at the house "except the spider".)
Secondly, I have resolved to see more live theatre. I often see reviews for plays and I think, "oh, I've got to see that" but then life gets in the way and I don't. My measurable goal, then, is to see at least one show a month, which should not be too overwhelming.
So let's see how I do!
Firstly, I am going to eat less meat and dairy. Not only is it good for me personally, but it is also good for the planet. It is very scary to think what we are doing to our little home. I have been reading about the insect apocalypse and I think many of us have taken for granted that there are so many insects that they will always be here, long after we disappear, but perhaps we are damaging the natural world so much that even the insects can't survive. That's a truly terrifying prospect. It makes me think of "Blade Runner" and how there are no living things at all and when he finds the spider, it's so amazing and then the androids don't get it at all. Anyway, I think the best way to see if I'm managing to keep my resolution is to decide on a measurable response, so I am saying that I will prepare one completely meatless and dairy-less meal a week. If I am able to do more, good on me! (Did you read that story from Australia about the passerby who heard "why don't you die?" being screamed in a house he walked past? He was very concerned and called the police who attended at the scene and discovered a man who has a terrible fear of spiders. The man was trying to kill a spider but I guess the spider was too elusive and it was driving the man crazy. The police said everyone seemed okay at the house "except the spider".)
Secondly, I have resolved to see more live theatre. I often see reviews for plays and I think, "oh, I've got to see that" but then life gets in the way and I don't. My measurable goal, then, is to see at least one show a month, which should not be too overwhelming.
So let's see how I do!
Tuesday 1 January 2019
Happy New Year!
Welcome to 2019! It is snowing here in Port Moody and Daisy and I enjoyed walking down to the park. There will be a "penguin swim" later this morning. In September, when I saw the notices for it, I thought, "oh, I should do that this year", but having walked down in my winter coat with my Second City toque and my bright red mitts and looked at the frosty sidewalk and the icy water, I think a saner head has prevailed. I get the metaphor -- wash yourself clean and start fresh -- but maybe I can accomplish that with a nice warm shower.
I had a very quiet New Year's Eve. I watched "The Apartment" with Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray. It is such a terrific movie. I have seen it countless times and notice new things every viewing. Like Baxter has "I and the Village" on his wall, just like I do! I love the set in the insurance office and the whole New York atmosphere and the actors who play the two timing (or more than two, I think) husbands are all so terrific -- Ray Walston, David Lewis, David White, and Willard Waterman. I always remember Fred MacMurray as the warm dad in "My Three Sons", but he played these nasty characters like Jeff Sheldrake really well. I just love the scene in his office when Baxter decides to quit and then later at the New Year's Eve party where he tells Miss Kubelik that Baxter said he couldn't bring her to the apartment. The black and white looks terrific and the music is so evocative and Edie Adams and Hope Holiday are both really memorable in small roles. It's witty and poignant and of course, Jack Lemmon is in his element.
I usually watch "Desk Set" with Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn on New Year's Day, but I can't find it! My back has been sore for a couple of days and it is hard for me to crawl under the Christmas tree to see if it is in the cupboard behind it.
Did you make any New Year's resolutions? I think it's fun to make them and of course, I used to say I was going to lose weight or get more exercise, but I think those resolutions are doomed to fail. I would like to be thinner and stronger, but I think that takes more than a resolution. I will have to look here to see what I resolved last year, but I think it probably was about writing things and about having a positive attitude, which I think I do anyway. Anyway, enjoy your New Year's Day! I suggest you get outside (this is always my theme). Don't take your phone! For many of you, that might be a good resolution. Put your phone away! You could give yourself a time limit. "I won't look at my phone for 2 hours!" See if you can do it! As you know, it can be such a time waster. Think of what you could do with those two hours.
I had a very quiet New Year's Eve. I watched "The Apartment" with Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray. It is such a terrific movie. I have seen it countless times and notice new things every viewing. Like Baxter has "I and the Village" on his wall, just like I do! I love the set in the insurance office and the whole New York atmosphere and the actors who play the two timing (or more than two, I think) husbands are all so terrific -- Ray Walston, David Lewis, David White, and Willard Waterman. I always remember Fred MacMurray as the warm dad in "My Three Sons", but he played these nasty characters like Jeff Sheldrake really well. I just love the scene in his office when Baxter decides to quit and then later at the New Year's Eve party where he tells Miss Kubelik that Baxter said he couldn't bring her to the apartment. The black and white looks terrific and the music is so evocative and Edie Adams and Hope Holiday are both really memorable in small roles. It's witty and poignant and of course, Jack Lemmon is in his element.
I usually watch "Desk Set" with Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn on New Year's Day, but I can't find it! My back has been sore for a couple of days and it is hard for me to crawl under the Christmas tree to see if it is in the cupboard behind it.
Did you make any New Year's resolutions? I think it's fun to make them and of course, I used to say I was going to lose weight or get more exercise, but I think those resolutions are doomed to fail. I would like to be thinner and stronger, but I think that takes more than a resolution. I will have to look here to see what I resolved last year, but I think it probably was about writing things and about having a positive attitude, which I think I do anyway. Anyway, enjoy your New Year's Day! I suggest you get outside (this is always my theme). Don't take your phone! For many of you, that might be a good resolution. Put your phone away! You could give yourself a time limit. "I won't look at my phone for 2 hours!" See if you can do it! As you know, it can be such a time waster. Think of what you could do with those two hours.
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