Merry merry merry!

 Grade 8's -- looking forward to seeing all your dynamite performances today!  I will reconfigure your preliminary marks that you saw on the progress reports because I'm sure all your performances will be terrific.  I will post the marks on the bulletin board outside the drama room on January 4 when we return from holidays.  Unfortunately for me, you will all be going off to Art on that day and we won't have any more drama classes in Grade 8, but I hope to see lots of you in Drama  9.

Grade 9's -- if you feel ambitious, practice your Seinfeld monologue over the holidays.  I always love to learn a new monologue!

Please take care of yourselves over the holidays and find joy in the small things.  I am looking forward to spending lots of time with my dear old dog, Daisy.  She is one of my favourite things in the whole world.

Breakfast with Santa!

 Everyone -- remember -- school starts tomorrow at 8:30, so don't be late!

A Block -- you will get the chance to see the video of all your friends at SLSS performing for the holidays.  The teachers have two songs to sing for you and there will be all sorts of other great acts.

8:30 - 10:45 - A Block

10:45 - 11:15 Snack break

11:15 - 1:30 - B Block -- Grade 8's will perform their Aesop Fables

1:30 -- Dismissal -- last dismissal of 2020!

Holidays until January 4, 2021!  Have a wonderful time away from all your responsibilities at school.  Read a good book, watch a funny video, go for a long walk along the mighty Fraser River, write in a journal about what you're grateful for, cook a meal for your family, listen to some music you like -- the world is your oyster (there's a lazzi, Grade 9's.)

Have a safe, restful and happy holiday, everyone!  See you in 2021.

Lazzi fun!

 For your final commedia dell'arte scenes, you must include:

1)  a spoof of popular culture

2) a spoof of current events

3) stock characters (including the costumes that characterize the character, like red pants for Pantalone)

4) physical comedy

5) love and money plot

6) 20 jokes

7) a lazzi for each character (the lazzi should be funny)

You should be working on that monologue from the tv show, "Seinfeld", that I gave you a while back -- choose either Mary Contardi or George and memorize the lines and deliver the monologue with lots of energy.

The above photo is from the show -- Liz Sheridan as Jerry's mom, Barney Martin as Jerry's dad, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine and Jerry as himself.  In this scene, Elaine is under the influence of painkillers she is taking for a bad back and she keeps imitating the great Marlon Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire" in which he yells "Stella!"

Food Drive

 Drama 9 - A Block!

Could someone bring a cardboard box to Drama class on Monday morning?  Also, the school is moving the food drive to classrooms, so please bring any non-perishable food to class to donate!!  Pass it on to others in the class!

Drama 8:  Learn your lines for Aesop's Fables!

How you doin'?

 Journals!  

Drama 9:  How did your love/money play go?  What went well?  What could have been improved?  Did the performance surprise you in any way?  (Did people think certain parts were funny or not funny?  Did the story somehow change as you performed?)  Which character did you play?  What was your lazzi?  Will you change it at all when you create your final performance?

Drama 8:  Which of the lessons taught in the Aesop's fables should you learn?  Explain why.  Which story did you like the best?  Say why.  (I like "The Wolf and the Lamb" best because I like the dramatic contrast between the two animals and how the lamb tries to defend itself even though it knows that the wolf will kill it.)

Remember that we are holding a food drive to help the Richmond Food Bank.  Imagine what it would be like not to have enough food and not know if you were going to be able to get any.  We should share our good fortune with others -- if we have extra, we should make sure no one goes without.

The International Issues club is having a blanket drive.  Donate your clean blankets and give someone a bit of warmth in these cold, wet days.

Next week is Spirit Week!  Let's have some fun!  Use your imagination!

Monday - Winter Wonderland

Tuesday - Toque Tuesday

Wednesday - Ugly Sweater Day

Thursday - Holiday Headgear

Friday - Pajama Day!

Stock Characters

 Drama 9: 

Make sure you include some of the following characters in your love/money scene:

Pantalone (the "pants") --  usually wears red pants; old, loves money, wants a trophy bride or husband

Capitano (the Captain) -- puts on a brave, blustering front, but is a snivelling coward underneath (wears brown)

Dottore (the Brain) -- uses big words, likes the sound of their own voice, thinks of self as very intelligent but is actually not very bright (wears black and white)

Pulchinella (little rooster) -- two faced, takes the side of the winner (wears baggy white clothes and always a hat)

La Signora (the lady) -- very materialistic, greedy for everything -- money, food, riches, popularity -- overdressed and overly made-up

clever servants (Columbina or Arlecchino) -- much smarter than their employers, witty, conniving - wear hand-me-downs

innamorata and innamorato -- the young lovers -- naive, sincere, witty -- we want them to succeed in getting together against the machinations of the other characters -- fashionable clothes

You each need a lazzi, a comic bit that we associate with your character.

Drama 8:

Learn your lines for "Creation of the World".  You need to stage the story so that we can all see everyone.  Plan exits and entrances, where you will stand on stage, interesting stage pictures throughout.  You must each wear a costume that represents your character -- use your imagination on this.  You need at least one of the following:  mime, tableau and choral speaking.  You need to write your plans for lighting on the story itself.  You will have time to run the play with lights before you perform.

Improv Day!

 Good work on the improvs today, everyone!  I know improv is scary, because you have no idea what is going to happen, but that's why it's fun, too.  Remember when you used to pretend, you didn't worry about what people thought -- improv is the same thing.  If you are having fun, we will have fun, too.  Today, we saw one scene in Drama 9 in which a caterpillar tried to eat a couple of people.  The group broke every rule, but it was very entertaining, nevertheless.  We won't remember what the rules were or what the particular game was, but we'll probably remember how much fun we had watching it.

We are so lucky to have our three classroom helpers in our drama classes.  Make sure you tell them how much you appreciate their efforts.  Having them in class to encourage us makes the day that much more pleasant.  Thanks a lot, girls!

Drama 8:  You should think of an appropriate costume for the character you are playing in Creation of the World.  Use your imagination!  (It's too bad we can't use our props and costumes in the theatre, but we can't because of the COVID rules -- so be creative with your own wardrobe!)

Drama 9:  Think of something you might be able to use as a lazzi (a comic bit).  It could be a catch phrase (like Joey always says "how you doin'?" on "Friends"), or it could be an action, like a special handshake or a gesture that you often use.

Spoon River cast!  Please read Taylor's emails carefully.  We are getting to the end of filming and you need to come to your appointment for your scene with the proper costume and with your speech ready to go.  Crew:  I would like to have a crew meeting next week -- it looks like we'll be editing over the holidays and it would be good to touch base before we stop classes for the year 2020.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

If it bleeds, it leads -- Journals for December 4

 That's an old saying in the world of newspapers, that suggests that stories about violence and mayhem should be on the front page, to attract readers!

Drama 9:  Why is violence so popular in dramatic presentations? (Give an explanation.)  Way back in the Greek theatre, people wanted to see plays about people in extreme circumstances (although they did not show violent acts on stage).  Shakespeare starts "Romeo and Juliet" with a brawl in the streets.  Quentin Tarantino is a very popular director of films now and he loves frequent gory violence (have you seen "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" or "The Hateful Eight"?) Do you like to see violence in films or on stage?  Explain your answer.  What would provoke you to get in a fight?  Do you think you would "win"?  Have you ever been in a fight?  Describe it as if it was a scene in a play.

We will see your "fight" scenes today in class.

Drama 8:  Which fairy tale mime was your favourite (not your own)?  Explain why.  What was the best thing about your own fairy tale mime?  What needed improvement?  Explain how your group functioned.  Was anyone a leader?  Did anyone hinder the progress of the group?

How do you think the world was created?

We will be working on "The Creation of the World" in class today -- I think you'll be ready to perform on Tuesday.

Remember!  If you want to redo your Shakespeare recitation, try to practice with my feedback in mind and present your new and improved version on Monday!

Recitation Time

 Be prepared to recite your Shakespeare passage tomorrow in class.  The best way to prepare is to speak it out loud and perhaps present it to someone you trust and ask for their feedback.  Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and speak as clearly and strongly as you can.  Be sure you understand what you're saying and use expression in your voice.  DON'T MIME IT!   

Grade 8's -- you should have incidental (instrumental) music for your fairy tale mimes.

Grade 9's -- make sure you know your lines for your current events scene.  You should have a clear idea what the set looks like and create stage business (natural activities) that makes your scene seem real.  Try to think about what your character would act, sound and dress like.  Do you need lighting?  Tell Tima what you want.  If you need sound effects, she will be able to create simple sound for you.

Journals are due today.  Don't let this part of the course slide!