Theatre History Project instructions

THEATRE HISTORY PROJECT – THEATRE PRODUCTION 11/12

It is important for a theatre producer to be aware of theatrical styles from the past and from other cultures.  It provides the theatre artist a palette from which he or she can draw when creating the mis en scene for any production and helps communicate a variety of unspoken messages to one’s audience.

Here are a few types of theatre you might be interested in investigating: 

Greek theatre -  the origin of Western theatre

Kabuki theatre – classical Japanese dance-drama

Noh theatre – the oldest existing form of theatre – Japanese musical theatre

Shakespeare’s theatre – no explanation needed here!

Shadow puppetry – Pekingese or Cantonese or Wayang kulit (Indonesian)

Comedia del’Arte – Italian improvisational comedy of the Renaissance

Expressionism – a highly metaphorical form of theatre popular in the 1920’s (such playwrights as Eugene O’Neill and Elmer Rice)

First Nations theatre  - from “before contact” to the present day

Naturalism – the attempt to create “reality” on stage, most popular in the late 19^th and early 20^th century (playwrights like Ibsen, Checkov, George Bernard Shaw)

Poetic realism – popular in the 20^th century (and to this day), it is theatre that appears to be realistic, but that makes extensive use of poetic imagery (Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Sam Shepard, Lilian Hellman)

If you are interested in another form of theatre, let me know.

What am I supposed to do?

 1.Choose a type of theatre that interests you.  Find out all about it.  (Become an expert.)   Be ready to share at least ten “fun facts” about the form of theatre you chose.  (For example, that in Shakespeare’s theatre, no women were allowed to act, so all those great roles for women – like Cleopatra, Lady Macbeth, Titania, and Viola were played by teenage boys! . . . or in Greek theatre, all the actors wore masks which helped amplify their voices for the huge crowds that came out to watch.)

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2.  Create a model of the type of stage this theatre would use.  (A shoebox is a great start for something like this.)    The model should be a three dimensional picture of the type of stage on which performances would be presented. )

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3.  Create a representation of one actor dressed in a costume that would be used in your theatre style. (You can create a life-sized costume {which would be great!} or you can dress a cardboard or plastic doll.  Feel free to use costumes or fabric that we already have in the drama room.)

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For #2 and #3, you should be prepared to explain what your represenations show us.  You will want to label your model clearly.

4.  Find a play/playwright that makes use of your type of theatre.  (If it’s Shakespearean, you already know lots of plays that fit this description and you know the author – that’s why Shakespeare is so phenomenal – his name identified a whole genre!  If you choose a more traditional period, it might be harder to find an actual script or playwright, in which case, you can find out a plot or actor or even a modern play which exemplifies qualities of the theatrical style you choose, for example – Tomson Highway is a modern Canadian playwright who uses lots of First People’s imagery in his plays).  Find a passage from the play that tells us something about that style of theatre and explain why you chose it.  You can write this down, but be prepared to share it with the class.

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Wow!

Congratulations to all of you for a very successful Fine Arts Night!  It looked and sounded great (even though we should have used the band music as our background music for all the plays since we could hear it so well!)  I am so proud of all of you -- you put on a terrific show!  Thanks so much to everyone for doing such a great job!

The journal this week is the same for all of you -- write about your experience on Fine Arts night.  How did it go for you?  Have you ever performed before?  If not, what was that like?  (I know lots of you were very nervous -- I was, too!  I always want it to be good and for everyone to have a great experience.)  Write about your own performance, anyone's else's performance that you noticed, and what you thought of the whole thing.

Want to get a hold of some Canadian Art?

This is a painting by Alex Colville, one of Canada's most respected artists.  It's called "Swimming Dog and Canoe".  Apparently, a lot of great Canadian art is going on sale on May 25 at the Heffel Gallery at 2247 Granville Street and you can pop in and see it before people with $300,000+ buy it and put it away in their rec rooms or whatever rich people have in place of rec rooms.

Do you know who the Group of Seven is?  If you don't, you should.  They are some of the most famous of all Canadian visual artists and they were revolutionary painters.  If you don't know, look them up!  They are fascinating and inspirational artists and we should know them as well as we know the names of explorers, hockey players and American basketball stars!  (If you don't know their names, they are Lawren Harris, A. Y. Jackson, J.E.H. MacDonald,  Arthur Lismer, Frederick Varley, Frank Carmichael, and Frank Johnston.)  Another famous painter of that time period is Tom Thompson who disappeared on a painting expedition in Algonquin Park long ago.

It's going to be a rainy day, so a trip to an art gallery might be just the way to spend your Victoria Day.  Don't forget that Fine Arts Night is on Thursday, May 26 from 7 - 9 p.m.  We'll see our own future artists, musicians, actors, theatre technicians and directors strut their stuff.  (Can you believe that I was able to put this picture in my blog!)

The Power of Stories

"Wizard Mode" is a documentary film (which was shown last week at the DOXA Film Festival here in Vancouver and can be seen through Vimeo on Demand) about a guy named Robert Ganyo, who is a legend in the world of pinball (obviously reminiscent of the Who's "rock opera", "Tommy", but Robert isn't a "deaf, dumb and blind kid" like Tommy was -- he has autism and when he was a child, his parents were told that he would never speak, or read or write).   I confess I haven't yet seen the film; I just read about it on the CBC web page, but it does sound like a great story.  If you are interested in getting insights into the world of autism, there is a great movie about Temple Grandin (called "Temple Grandin"!), who also has autism, and is a famous scientist whose work with farm animals is particularly of note.  I was reluctant to watch the movie, because one of the foci of her work is creating more humane slaughterhouses, but although it is awful to think of animals being killed to be eaten, it is a fact of life (I eat meat, although not nearly as much as I used to) and her philosophy is that if we are going to eat meat, it is incumbent on us to treat the animals we eat as kindly and sensitively as we can.  It is a funny, sad and engaging movie.

Telling these stories helps us see the world in a different way.  We learn to walk through the world in another person's shoes.  We learn empathy.  We learn how to listen.  That's one reason why theatre is so important.  It gives us a chance to see the world through the eyes of other people.  Lately, I have read a number of books that touch on the time of Richard III and Henry VIII of England.  Of course, we can't know that what we are told in these stories is "true" -- "based on a true story" is a very loose description of some films, books and plays.  But we are seeing someone's truth (maybe the writer's, maybe the actor's, maybe a combination of many people's visions).  But seeing the stories acted out makes us ask the questions.  What would I do in that circumstance?  Why does she do what she does?

I stayed up late last night to watch "Anne of the Thousand Days" about Anne Boleyn.  If you don't know the story, here is a very short synopsis.  Anne Boleyn was Henry VIII's second wife.  He was married to Catherine of Aragon when he was a teenager, but their 20 year marriage produced no male heirs (just the woman later known as "Bloody Mary", Queen Mary I) and he became infatuated with the young, vivacious Anne who was a lady-in-waiting for Catherine.  He wanted a divorce from Catherine and when the Pope refused to grant it, Henry took England out of the Catholic church and declared himself the head of the "Anglican" church.  And he married Anne.  Poor Anne gave him a daughter as well (later Queen Elizabeth I) but miscarried the son that he wanted so badly.  So a thousand days after he wedded her, he had her executed on trumped up charges of adultery.  It is a shocking story and Henry continued his shocking ways, executing his fifth wife for adultery as well, annulling his marriage to Anne of Cleves, because he didn't like the way she looked and having people like Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell executed because they wouldn't or couldn't do his bidding.  He fancied himself a true "Renaissance man", and played a number of musical instruments and wrote poetry and music, and loved sports.  I read that they think perhaps a concussion he received after a fall while jousting might have been responsible for his erratic behaviour and violent tendencies.  Of course, that didn't help any of the victims of his rage and disappointment.

Anyway, this focus on stories is one of the aspects of our new curriculum -- certainly a focal point of First Peoples' Principles of Learning.  We already understand the value of sharing experiences -- that's why we tell stories at the beginning of drama class and why we act out stories in a variety of ways throughout the drama program from grades 8 through 12.  I just finished Thomas King's The Inconvenient Indian which tells the history of the first people of North America from contact to the present day (Thomas King is a very entertaining writer, and although he is angry about all the wrongs perpetrated against indigenous people, he still writes in a way that is very lively and even sometimes, funny) and am now reading Wab Kinew's The Reason You Walk which is the story of his dysfunctional relationship with his own father.  Both books were recommended in the workshops we've attended recently to help us come to grips with the new curriculum.  It's cloudy and cool today -- perhaps a perfect time to sit down with a good book!

Share your thoughts!

Don't forget to tell your friends and family about Fine Arts Night on May 26.  I expect all of you to attend!  If you absolutely cannot (you will be out of the country, or something like that), you need to come and see me and discuss it with me.  Here are your journals for the week:

Senior Drama (Acting 11 and 12, Directing/Scriptwriting 12, Theatre Production 11/12):  What is your responsibility as a student?  Provide details!

Drama 9/10:  How is "readers' theatre" different from performing a regular script or doing improv?  What are you going to do to make your performance interesting?  (Think of at least five things.)

Drama 8:  Which fairy tale did you choose?  Why did your group choose it?  Which character(s) will you be playing?  How will you perform your character?  (Describe actions you will do, facial expressions, your costume, blocking, anything else that will help you create a character that is not yourself.)

"A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary." — Dorothy Canfield Fisher

A big shout out to all you moms out there!  I hope you have a lovely peaceful day with lots of time to spend with the people you love most.  Apparently, that's what moms want.  Not the flowers or the candy or the gym membership (which is apparently what they want LEAST).

Daisy (who was a mom when she was very young -- we often wonder if she remembers that at all -- she was abandoned in a dumpster and was pregnant and about a year old -- she gave birth to her  thirteen puppies at the SPCA and they were all adopted and then poor Daisy was adopted twice and returned both times.  When we adopted her, the SPCA lady was very anxious that we were sure we could accept a dog with so many issues and we thought, "we're dog people" and felt confident that we could and now five years later, our girl is an integral part of the family -- whew! that's a long parentheses!) and I saw three goose families at Rocky Point park this morning, which was a great start to Mothers' Day.

There is a nice array of pictures on the CBC website of animal mothers and babies (here is the link, I hope -- as you all know, I'm not good with these things -- http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/mothers-day-by-the-numbers-1.3568796 -- the pictures are at the bottom of the article) and they are so charming and touching.  I especially like the orang-utan because the baby looks completely blissed out!  (But all the animals are sweet.)

Of course, I always think of my own little mother on this day.  I've written about her before, but she was a dear, dear person with many enthusiasms and a kind, gentle heart and a curious mind and an indomitable will.  She is probably the biggest influence on the woman I became and I often hear her voice (not really, but in my mind, her favourite phrases often chime in -- especially "count your blessings") when I'm being petulant or pessimistic or defeated.  She wasn't all sweetness and light, but I think she taught me how to be happy and what a gift that is.  I am grateful to her every day for teaching me the joy of reading and loving nature and caring about people.

Speaking about caring about people, I am sure some of you have seen the horrible photos of the wildfire in Fort MacMurray.  My friend from Calgary knows lots of people from the area and has said if you want to help, it is best to send money to the Red Cross.  I did that -- it is very easy -- you just go on the Canadian Red Cross site and follow the links.  The Canadian government has said it will match any funds donated, so your gift goes twice as far.

Itsy, Bitsy Spider!

I am sitting here in my living room getting ready to write your journal topics and what do I see across the room from me but, not an itsy, bitsy spider, a huge one.  I approached to make sure that was what it was, and it disappeared silently into the space between the wall unit and the wall.  Now it's back there somewhere, lurking, waiting for me to cross the living room floor in the dark, so it can run across my foot!  I'm not really scared of spiders, but I don't want one crawling across my foot in the middle of the night (or really, at any time of day!)

Firstly, Fine Arts Night is on May 26.  That's a Thursday.  It's from 7 to 9.  It is free and you should invite your family and friends to come and see what you're up to at school.  There will be music, art, workshops, drama performances (as you know), prizes and snacks!  It should be a great evening.  I will send home a note closer to the date, but you should let your parents know that it is coming up.  I expect all of you to participate!

Here are your journal topics:

Drama 8:  How would you rate yourself as a group member?  (Give yourself a score from 1 - 5 with one being a terrible group member (none of you are like that) and 5 being perfect -- are any of you perfect?)  Tell why you rate yourself the way you do.  What makes a good group member?  Would you say you were a good leader?  Explain why or why not.  (Remember, a good leader isn't necessarily bossy -- other qualities can make you a good leader.)

Drama 9/10:  Imagine someone in the class (not you) is a fictional character.  Write a character sketch of that person.  You can include things you actually know about them -- what they're good at, how they behave in class, things they've told you.   Try to include their personality traits, and use your imagination to describe their deepest thoughts and feelings.  Make up a name for them.  You don't have to tell me who they actually are.  Would you be able to play that character?  Why or why not?  (Don't concern yourself about gender.)

Theatre Production:  Make a sketch of your set for your sound and light show.  (It doesn't have to be elaborate, but you need a plan.  You should start writing out a detailed script.)

Acting 11/12:  See Drama 9/10!

Directing/Scriptwriting:  You should be working on your original play.  It should not be more than ten pages!!!  Write about what you know!!!  Don't set it in a milieu about which you know nothing.  Emily Bronte lived in a small village in the north of England, but she was able to make it fascinating in Wuthering Heights.  Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird is set in Maycomb, Georgia, where I am sure the locals think "nothing ever happens".  "Nineteen Scarlett Roses" is about an incident that happened in the Lower Mainland.  Write about something someone has talked about in the "question of the day".  Write about a person about whom you're curious who is a classmate (we've got lots of characters in this class).  It doesn't have to stick too closely to the truth.  You can start off with something small and while you're writing it, it will take on a life of its own.

Monologues

Andy:

Okay, I’m deceitful and treacherous.  And you are provincial and old-fashioined, antiquated, unrealistic, unimaginative, unenlightened, uninformed, and unbelievably unable to understand anything that isn’t under water . . . Your big trouble in life is that you were born a hundred and fifty years too late.  You should have been at Bunker Hill loading muskets, raising flags and waiting for the British to show up with the whites of their eyes.  Well, you may be shocked to learn that this is 1966 and this country has a whole new set of problems.  But you wouldn’t know about that because I don’t think you’re a real person of flesh and blood with feelings and sensitivities.  I don’t think you could be capable of having a genuine emotional attachment for another human being unless it was first passed by Congress and amended to the Constitution and painted red, white and blue.  If you’ve been listening carefully, Miss Rauschmeyer, I have just made a point.

Catherine (from “Waiting for the Parade” by John Murrell)

He was so proud of himself!  One of the first to volunteer!  Smiling like the halfwit  boy who helped out on my uncle’s farm at harvest time.  “Canada’s finest – on parade!”  He saluted me.  Clicked his heels.  And kissed me.  I could’ve knocked him flat!    “You might’ve said something to me first,” I told him.  “You might’ve wondered if I can manage on my own.  If I need a little time to work things out!”  He just cuddled up to me.  Kept right on grinning.  He reached across and pulled my hair back from my face.  “Gee, you look like Ann Sheridan,” he said.  “And you know how I feel about Ann Sheridan.”  It’s not that I’m not proud of him.  He looked like a million in his uniform.  That terrible khaki didn’t turn him into a ghost, like it does most of them.  But somewhere inside a man’s big skull, along with the honour and the glory – and the charm – there ought to be some space for good sense and – a little mutual respect.  That’s all I’m saying.

The best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. - Theodore Roosevelt

Today is May Day, which is celebrated as the first day of the spring season with May poles to dance around, and  young people like Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius and Helena scampering off into the fairy forest to be tormented and tested by the amoral spirits of the natural world (that's Midsummer Night's Dream, if you didn't know).  But it is also a day observed around the world to honour working people.  In Canada, I guess we focus our attention on Labour Day, but in many other countries, there are parades, marches and protests on May Day as workers continue to fight for safe working conditions and fair standards of employment.

I was very gratified by many of you this past week who volunteered to "man" the displays for the Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the job.  This is such an important issue for kids, because often, when it's your first job, you might feel nervous about standing up for yourself, or even about asking questions.  You want your boss to like you and think you're a capable employee, and not a whiner or a complainer.  You will find lots of challenges when you make your first forays into the world of work and one of the things we all need to learn is how to advocate for ourselves in an assertive and respectful way.  Most employers want you to be safe and happy at work, because it isn't easy to get good employees.  But some bosses don't know the rules, don't consider the consequences of certain ways of doing things and don't have your best interests at heart.

I've had lots of crummy jobs (while I was a student and later, when I was trying to get work as an actor) and one I remember vividly was a real estate developers' business.  The boss was "not the brightest bulb in the box", you could say, and although he had a Masters' degree (apparently) in Urban Planning, he could not write a sentence to save his life.  He'd give me his "memos" and reports to type and I wouldn't have a clue what he was talking about because they were so poorly written and I would have to rewrite everything and hope it was what he intended (I wasn't sure he knew what he intended).  "Just put the periods in the right place," he'd say, as if that was the only writing challenge  he had.  The worst part of the place was the washroom situation.  You would go into the washroom and the light would come on -- there was no light switch.  The light would stay on for two minutes and then go off and the room would be left in pitch darkness!  It was to keep you from "wasting the company's time" by lingering in the washroom, but of course, sometimes it takes longer than two minutes and if you tried to wash your hands, you'd be stuck in a windowless room with no light. I made a joke of it at the time, but in retrospect, I think it must have broken some labour code, because I don't think it's healthy to rush people in those circumstances!

I am lucky now because I have a job that I really like and that I feel is worth doing.  Many people "lead lives of quiet desperation", working at jobs they hate and waiting for the weekends.  Of course, I like the weekends, but I don't dread Mondays (except "curriculum implementation Mondays"!) and I look forward to seeing all of your shining faces after a couple of days of down time.  Enjoy May Day and I'll see you "bright-eyed and bushy tailed",  ready to work hard when we get back to school on Tuesday.