Friday 26 October 2018

Journal day!

Grade 8's:  Remember to compose your 2 minute show and tell speech!

Your journal:  What was the prompt for your myth?  How did you propose that the event or the phenomena happened?  Write a brief scene (as if it was a play) about how your group worked together.  Include at least one line for each person in the group.

Grade 9/10's:  What is your current event for your comedy dell'arte play?   What do you know about it?  How will it fit into your play?  What is your lazzi?

Friday 12 October 2018

Once again, it's Friday!

Senior Drama

Okay, time to put up or shut up (an old saying -- I don't want you to shut up, of course).  We've done all sorts of things to get into the Space/Alien thing.  Now, how will we provide an audience with a scary experience for Hallowe'en?  Think of the dance drama, improv and scripted scenes we've looked at.  Include anything you think will work.

Drama 9/10

Describe a funny character you find entertaining.  It can be a stand-up comedian, a tv or movie character, even a cartoon character.  What does the character look like?  What does it do that is funny?

Image result for woody allen in sleeper

This is Woody Allen playing one of my favourite movie characters, Miles Monroe, in "Sleeper" from 1973.  The movie was written and directed by Woody Allen, and stars Diane Keaton and Woody himself.

Drama 8

Write a review of one of the fairy tale mimes.  Give it a catchy title (example -- "Glass Slipper Shatters Expectations").  Comment on the plot, one actor's (any gender) performance, costumes, staging, the music and the best moment in the play.

Thursday 4 October 2018

To boldly go where no one has gone before!

Related image

We're entering the situation many of you fear!  Journal writing!  Do not despair . . . you have until Wednesday (since we have a long weekend) to complete your assignment!

Grade 8's:  What fairy tale have you chosen?  How did you choose a cast (who plays which role)?  What is the climax of the story?  Why did you choose that point of the plot?  Are you making good progress?  (Explain using examples.)  Who is leading the group?  Is anyone causing the group difficulty?  Explain.

Make sure you find music for your group's performance, which will actually be on Wednesday rather than Tuesday, since we get Monday off.

Grade 9's:  What is the funniest movie/tv show/play you've ever seen? (Give me the name of the show and either the director or the lead actor or the writer.)  Summarize the plot.  Describe one scene or funny bit in detail.   Explain why it was funny.  Don't say you don't know why.  Try to figure it out.

Senior Drama:
Everyone:  Which scary scene was the scariest?  Explain why you think so.
Theatre Production:  What people wear on stage or in films isn't random (or it shouldn't be).  The colour, cut and style of a costume says a lot about the character's personality.  Obviously, the time and place they live is also very important.  Choose one of the following characters and draw a sketch of what they would wear:
a)  a young woman living in the countryside in 1820 England -- she is lively and intelligent and not afraid to stand out in a crowd
b)  a bold, amoral young man in 1820 England -- he doesn't have much money and what money he does have, he spends quickly -- he is always on the lookout for people he can take advantage of
c)  the captain of a space ship in 2235 -- he wears a uniform of some sort.  He is comfortable in his uniform, but he always remembers that everyone on the ship is depending on him and so he doesn't appear "relaxed" but rather vigilant
d)  the alien life form that takes over the ship -- use your imagination

Use colour!

Directors:  Write a brief (1 or 2 pages) scene based on one of the following situations:
a) the 1st mate of the space ship greets the new crew members and welcomes them on the voyage to Betelgeuse in the Kalixicon nebula
b) one of the crew members has a meltdown during a crisis on the ship
c)  the ship must be evacuated after all life support begins to mysteriously shut down
d)  two crew members believe that the captain has been possessed by an alien being

Actors:
Actors are told to "play the opposites".  That gives depth to performances.  What it means is that you
need to think of more than one thing going on inside your character at one time.  Here's an example:  you love your parents, but you become enraged because they won't let you go to a special party that you really want to attend.  You feel like you HATE them because they don't understand you.  You know that you love them, but you don't feel it.
Choose a character from one of the situations described above and write about the conflict the character would be dealing with.  How would you present these "opposites" on stage?

Independent studies:  Choose one of the above journals!

EVERYONE!  Be sure to think about what you have to be thankful for this weekend.  Gratitude is good for the soul.