Journals for May 26, 2023

 Drama 8

How do you think the world was created?  Could you make a play about it?  Explain.

What role are you playing in the Creation of the World story?  How do you learn lines? What will you wear?  What does the story explain?

Drama 9

What is the most dramatic thing that ever happened to you at school?  Describe it in as much detail as possible.

Senior Drama

Actors:  Who did you play in "The Good Doctor" scenes?  How did you approach the character?  Are there any similarities between yourself and the character?  (Look beyond the surface features.) How do you feel about your final performance?

Director:  In class, whose "Good Doctor" scene was the best?  Explain why you think so.

Theatre Production:  Pitch your idea for your sound and light show.  Make it sound exciting and make me want to see it! 

Theatre Production and High School Drama

 Come up with a sound and light show concept -- this is a chance for you to demonstrate you can use the sound and light equipment in the booth.   You could start with a song or a poem.  I have given you several examples of past shows.  Pitch your project to me on Tuesday.

Directing and Scriptwriting:  You are VERY familiar with the world of high school.  You have read the scenes from "Mr. Young" (in a science class, the CPR scene, the audition for the school play and then, Mr. Young at home) -- write four short scenes based on your experience of high school.  You can use real people, but make up names for them.   Try to make the scenes ring true (they sound like actual high school), they should have some comedy (even though lots of high school is hard and challenging and super serious and sad).  Choose four different venues and write recurring characters in the scenes (like Mr. Young, Ivy, Echo, Derby, etc.)

Journal for May 12, 2023

Many of you had the chance to see the play, "The Good Doctor".  Seeing a live play at your school, performed by your classmates, is a real privilege.  This is a celebrated play, by a great comic playwright named Neil Simon.  He based the script on short stories of Anton Chekhov.

If you saw the play, which story did you like the best?  Explain why.

Comment on how the script was constructed, with the Chekhov character narrating some of the stories.  Was that an interesting framework?  Explain.

Which performance was the best?  Explain why you think so.  (You should use both the actor's name and the character's name, although some of the characters are just called "man" or "woman".  If you aren't sure who played what, you can look in a program.)

Did any of the other aspects of the production stand out for you?  Explain.  (This could be music, costumes, setting, lighting, staging, etc.)

Make a guess.   Why did Ms. Kosar think this play was a good choice?  Do you think it was?

If you did not see the play, you still can.  There is one last performance tonight at 7 p.m.  If, for some reason, you absolutely cannot go to see it,  talk to someone who was in it.  Find out answers to the above questions.

Journals for May 5 -- Keep up with your journals!

 It's Mental Health Week!

Everyone:  What is something that stresses you?  How do you deal with it?  (Writing about things in your journal can help you deal with stress.)

Take the survey:

1.  How much exercise do you get every week?  What do you do?

2.  How much time do you spend outside every week?  Would you say you spend time in nature every week?

3.  How much sleep do you get every night?

4.  Do you feel angry a lot?  How do you deal with your anger?

The theatre can help people empathize with other people and can provide audiences with a cathartic experience.  (Catharsis is the relief or release from strong or repressed emotions.) What is the last dramatic presentation that provided you with a catharsis?  (It can be something that helped you release anger, sadness, fear, or any other strong emotion.)