D Block Drama: Write about what you contributed to Charlie's Funhouse. Describe your experience during the event. What went well? What could have been improved? How did the "guests" respond? Was it gratifying? Did you enjoy the project? Explain why or why not.
Grade 8 Drama: What did you choose to speak about for "show and tell"? Why did you choose it? How did your speech go? Whose speech was most memorable? Explain why.
Thursday 29 October 2015
Sunday 25 October 2015
Belonging
I went to the Writers Festival at Granville Island on the professional day. This is my favourite of the professional days because the writers you see discussing their books are so inspiring and compelling, it carries you through the rest of the school year with thought provoking ideas and ways of looking at what we do and how we live
The session on "belonging" was great. All of us want to belong and most of the time, we question whether we do or not. Most of us feel "weird", like we don't really fit in. But, in fact, no matter how "weird" we are, we share more with other people than the things that separate us. All the writers (Brian Brett, Michael V. Smith, Camilla Gibb and Charlie Demers) felt that they were the "other", especially when they were young people -- but the experiences they describe in their books (and this is why books are so great) make you realize that we all share these experiences, especially the feeling of being outside looking in.
Brian Brett spoke about his most recent book, Tuco, which is about his 25 year relationship with an African grey parrot named Tuco. I bought the book, but haven't read it yet (and I'm always nervous about reading a book about an animal, because they are often terribly heart-wrenching and I don't need my heart wrenched, especially not now.) He talked about how Tuco taught him lessons about how we "other" the natural world, the landscape and wild creatures and we do it at our peril, because we live in the natural world and if we don't realize we're part of it, then we will destroy it.
I just finished a book called The Theory of Clouds and part of it focused on a Victorian scientist who travelled to Borneo ostensibly to study cloud formations and weather patterns. He felt frustrated because the world was so different there and the jungle was so oppressive and unrelenting. He was left alone by his companions who were big game hunters and encountered a female orang-utan with her baby at a stream. She looked with curiosity at him and he returned her gaze and they had one of those moments of unity, where you realize that these connections are real -- that we share a great deal more with other living creatures than we are "other". Then the hunters crash out of the jungle and kill her and her baby and celebrate their victory over the dangerous creatures of nature. It seems to embody those two ways of seeing -- that we are all part of a great whole . . . or that what's not with us is against us. I wasn't crazy about a lot of the book, but this particular event will stay with me.
As far as school goes, the theatre is going to be a scary place on Thursday and Friday. Instead of its usual friendly atmosphere, it will be decked out as Charlie's Frightful Funhouse. A group of children is lost and the last time they were seen, they were going into Charlie's Funhouse -- come in and see if you can locate them!
The session on "belonging" was great. All of us want to belong and most of the time, we question whether we do or not. Most of us feel "weird", like we don't really fit in. But, in fact, no matter how "weird" we are, we share more with other people than the things that separate us. All the writers (Brian Brett, Michael V. Smith, Camilla Gibb and Charlie Demers) felt that they were the "other", especially when they were young people -- but the experiences they describe in their books (and this is why books are so great) make you realize that we all share these experiences, especially the feeling of being outside looking in.
Brian Brett spoke about his most recent book, Tuco, which is about his 25 year relationship with an African grey parrot named Tuco. I bought the book, but haven't read it yet (and I'm always nervous about reading a book about an animal, because they are often terribly heart-wrenching and I don't need my heart wrenched, especially not now.) He talked about how Tuco taught him lessons about how we "other" the natural world, the landscape and wild creatures and we do it at our peril, because we live in the natural world and if we don't realize we're part of it, then we will destroy it.
I just finished a book called The Theory of Clouds and part of it focused on a Victorian scientist who travelled to Borneo ostensibly to study cloud formations and weather patterns. He felt frustrated because the world was so different there and the jungle was so oppressive and unrelenting. He was left alone by his companions who were big game hunters and encountered a female orang-utan with her baby at a stream. She looked with curiosity at him and he returned her gaze and they had one of those moments of unity, where you realize that these connections are real -- that we share a great deal more with other living creatures than we are "other". Then the hunters crash out of the jungle and kill her and her baby and celebrate their victory over the dangerous creatures of nature. It seems to embody those two ways of seeing -- that we are all part of a great whole . . . or that what's not with us is against us. I wasn't crazy about a lot of the book, but this particular event will stay with me.
As far as school goes, the theatre is going to be a scary place on Thursday and Friday. Instead of its usual friendly atmosphere, it will be decked out as Charlie's Frightful Funhouse. A group of children is lost and the last time they were seen, they were going into Charlie's Funhouse -- come in and see if you can locate them!
Friday 16 October 2015
Scary, kids!
Write a script for a brief scary scene based on one of the titles from today(one page or less). Create character names and use the atmosphere of mystery and suspense in your scene.
Critical Thinking!
Write a review of one of the fairy tale mimes you saw (not your own). Give your review a catchy title and write your impressions (both good and bad) of the performance. Focus on one particular aspect of the presentation (for example, one person's performance or the selections of music, the costumes, whatever you noticed particularly. Conclude your review with whether the audience would want to see the performance again.
Wednesday 7 October 2015
"Bums" in the seats
Theatre Production 11/12
Your journal for this week: How will you get "bums in the seats" (that's an old theatre saying that means you have to get audience members for your show) for the Hallowe'en Scary Place project? Think of traditional ways to attract attention and inspire interest and also untraditional ways! Write actual copy for an ad we could run on the announcements.
Drama 9/10:
Your journal for this week: What is going well in your heritage project rehearsals? What is presenting difficulties? How do you propose to build on the positive and solve the challenges in putting the thing together?
Where and when does your particular story take place? What kinds of clothes would the characters wear? What songs/music should set the atmosphere for your part of the presentation? (You might need to do a bit of research.)
When completing your journals, make sure you answer all the questions!
Your journal for this week: How will you get "bums in the seats" (that's an old theatre saying that means you have to get audience members for your show) for the Hallowe'en Scary Place project? Think of traditional ways to attract attention and inspire interest and also untraditional ways! Write actual copy for an ad we could run on the announcements.
Drama 9/10:
Your journal for this week: What is going well in your heritage project rehearsals? What is presenting difficulties? How do you propose to build on the positive and solve the challenges in putting the thing together?
Where and when does your particular story take place? What kinds of clothes would the characters wear? What songs/music should set the atmosphere for your part of the presentation? (You might need to do a bit of research.)
When completing your journals, make sure you answer all the questions!
Practice makes perfect
Grade 8's: This is your journal for Friday, October 9. Write about what you contributed to your fairy tale mime group. Which ideas did you come up with? Which role did you play? How did you create the character? (Write about costume, facial expression, body language, how you related to other characters, what you did in the scene.) Did the group work well together? Did anyone do anything special to make the play great? (Explain what that person did.) Did anyone hinder the progress of the group? I try to observe your rehearsal process, but it is helpful if you can answer these questions as specifically as possible to provide me with insight into the inner workings of your group.
Thursday 1 October 2015
Seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness
That's from a lovely poem by John Keats called "Ode to Autumn". Doesn't it just express what fall is? I hope some of you were able to take in the lunar eclipse on Sunday. We couldn't see the red beginnings because the moon was too low on the horizon but we watched the earth's shadow march across the surface of the moon. All the neighbours were out to watch as well. It's nice when people can get together on something like that.
We have cast the play, which we're calling "Old Glory" now, in honour of the American flag. Rehearsals will start in earnest next week. If you are going to help with the play, either on stage or behind the scenes, please make sure to do your part. It is wonderful to be part of a theatrical effort, but it does require a lot of work.
Grade 8's: Your journal topic for Friday is: Are you good at working with other people? What skills and abilities do you have that make you a good team player? Do you have any shortcomings you need to work on? (Everyone can improve, so think of something.) Write about an experience you had working in a group -- it can be either a positive or a negative experience. Are you a good leader? Why or why not?
Your show and tell speeches will happen at the end of October. You might want to start thinking about your speech now.
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.
Grade 9/10's: Which heritage story is the best in your group? Why do you think so? What role are you going to play in the acting of the story? Describe how you will create a character. (Provide details.)
Theatre Production 11/12: What literary tie-in have you thought of for your scary place project? How will you incorporate it into your plans? What part of the scary place project will you be putting together? Give details.
We have started rehearsals for "Old Glory", the fall play. Pop in to the theatre at lunch or after school any day next week to see what's happening.
We have cast the play, which we're calling "Old Glory" now, in honour of the American flag. Rehearsals will start in earnest next week. If you are going to help with the play, either on stage or behind the scenes, please make sure to do your part. It is wonderful to be part of a theatrical effort, but it does require a lot of work.
Grade 8's: Your journal topic for Friday is: Are you good at working with other people? What skills and abilities do you have that make you a good team player? Do you have any shortcomings you need to work on? (Everyone can improve, so think of something.) Write about an experience you had working in a group -- it can be either a positive or a negative experience. Are you a good leader? Why or why not?
Your show and tell speeches will happen at the end of October. You might want to start thinking about your speech now.
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.
Grade 9/10's: Which heritage story is the best in your group? Why do you think so? What role are you going to play in the acting of the story? Describe how you will create a character. (Provide details.)
Theatre Production 11/12: What literary tie-in have you thought of for your scary place project? How will you incorporate it into your plans? What part of the scary place project will you be putting together? Give details.
We have started rehearsals for "Old Glory", the fall play. Pop in to the theatre at lunch or after school any day next week to see what's happening.
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