Creation!

 Drama 8:  How do you think the world was created?  Could you make a play out of it?  Explain your answer.  What character are you playing in "The Creation of the World"?  How does it fit into the story?

Senior Drama:  Create an advertisement for our Hallowe'en show.  It can be a flier, or an announcement or even a "campaign" on social media or in real life!  (For example, several years ago, we posted slogans on the bulletin boards around the school, saying "you're next", or we had ghouls walk into people's classrooms and I've told you about leaving photographs around the school of one of the kids in the play with his eyes gouged out!  You can see a poster a student did a couple of years ago for "Blood Wedding" in the glass display case outside the theatre and here is last year's poster for the "Cursed Carnival of Chaos":

Journal for October 3 -- Critical thinking

 Senior Drama:  Which "Jennifer and the Wasps" show was your favourite?  Explain why you liked it.  Assess the success of your own presentation.  What went well?  What needed improvement?

Drama 8:  What fairy tale did you choose to do?  Who are you playing?  How did you make your character believable?  What went well in your performance?  What could you have improved?  Which of the other performances did you like the most?  Explain why.

What's going on? (Journal #3 for Grade 8 and #4 for Senior Drama)

 Senior Drama:  What is your role in the Jennifer scenes?  (If you are an actor, describe your character and include the name, the personality, the voice, etc.  If you are doing production, are you running the light and sound? what music would evoke the mood you want the audience to feel?  what costumes do you need to find?  what will your set look like?) Give a brief outline of the plot.

Drama 8:  Angela lives in a blue house with her mom and her dad and her little dog, Percy.  Terry lives next door in a green house.  Terry's family doesn't like Percy, because he comes over to their yard and does his "business".  Terry's family hired Clifton to build a fence around their property to keep Percy out.  Percy dug a hole under the fence and got in Terry's yard anyway and not only did he do his business, but he dug up all Terry's mom's prize-winning roses.  Terry's mom was very upset and she even cried because she loved her roses.

The next day, Terry's dad came home with a very large dog.  The family put the large dog in the yard,  When Percy dug under the fence, the large dog was waiting for him and barked viciously and snapped at Percy.  Percy ran home and never dug under the fence again.

Answer these questions about the story:

1) Who is the main character ("the protagonist")?  Why do you think so?

2) What is the conflict?  What are two examples of rising action? 

3) What is the climax of the story?

4) What is the denouement?

5) If you were going to be in a play based on this story, who would you want to play?  Why? Write one of the lines you would say.

Journal #3 -- Senior Drama only!

 There is NO journal for Grade 8's since they have been on Adventure Days this week.

SENIOR DRAMA:

You can do this with your group -- write a script for your "Jennifer" play.  Include lighting ideas, sound effects and music and dialogue.  Use the source material to create your script.  Try to make it scary.  Think of the variety of ways of presenting material that we reviewed at the start of the course (tableaus, mime and choral speaking).

Journal #2 -- BUZZ!

 Drama 8:

On a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being great and 1 being not at all great, how would you rate yourself at working in a group?  Explain why you rate yourself that way.  What skills can you bring to group work?  How can you improve?  (We all have skills and we can all improve.) Would you say you are a good leader?  Explain.  Write about a time you worked in a group and what you learned from it.

Senior Drama:

Jennifer wakes up in her room.  It is completely dark.  She hears a loud buzzing noise.  She turns on a light.  Describe what happens next.  (At least four sentences.)

First Journal of 2025-2026!

 All classes:

What does Ms. Kosar need to know about you?  Include if you have experience in Drama (outside classes, elementary school, improv stuff, whatever).  Do you have stage fright?  Is it very bad?  (Don't worry, we'll help you along.) What do you expect to get out of Drama?  What are your pronouns?  You can include anything else that you want to tell me.

Senior Drama ONLY:  Write about something scary that happened to you.  (Details help.)

Journal for June 6 - "Gaps of Sunlight"

 Grade 9's

For your "classic film" scenes, answer the following questions:

What will your set look like?  (you can draw it)

What is your relationship with the other character?  What does each character want?

What is your costume like?  How does it represent the character's inner thoughts and feelings?

Grade 8

You have seen "Gaps of Sunlight".  Write about the play?  What happens in the story?  Who was your favourite character?  Why?  What did you like about the play (remember, Ms. Kosar was involved, so don't say that it sucked and you hated it, or you will hurt her feelings)?  What are two things you learned about the 1980's from watching the play?

Matinees of "Gaps of Sunlight"

 If you are in B or D Block, don't forget that we are seeing "Gaps of Sunlight" (the school play) at 1:15 p.m.  The play deals with mature subject matter and has some swearing.  Tickets are $5.00, but if you can't afford it, don't worry -- just let me know.  If you are in A Block, come to one of the evening performances at 7 p.m. on June 3, 5 or 6.

Journal for May 30, 2025 -- Art for Life

 Drama 8

What is a lesson you think you need to learn?  (For me, I think I should learn to worry less about things I can't do anything about.) If you were going to create a story to teach the lesson, what would it be?  (If I was going to tell a story about not worrying, I would have a girl worrying about really silly things like "what if an alien invasion took place?" or "what if I turned into a werewolf?" -- she worries so much about the impossible things, that she forgets something important (like her best friend's birthday or something like that).  At the end, the best friend could say, "Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday".

If you would like to request a certain person to work with in the final project, make sure you add their name here.  Example -- "Mary would like to work with John."

Drama 9

What do you think is the biggest problem facing the world today?  Pitch a story that you could use to put your ideas into a dramatic context.  (I worry a lot about climate change, so I might have a story about a mother orangutan and her baby in the rainforest of Borneo.  Their lives are idyllic until a logging company comes to cut down their forest.  Maybe one of the loggers encounters the mother and baby and it makes him realize that the natural world is more important than making money.)

Journal for May 23 -- Emotional Truth

 Drama 8:

How do you think the world was created?  Could you make a play about it?  If not, why not?  If you could, what would you do?

Who are you playing in the Creation of the World?  What should your character look like?  (You can draw it.)

Draw a simple picture of a face that is angry, then another face that is sad, then another face that is scared.  (Label them.)

Drama 9:

What makes you angry?  Have you ever been so mad that you felt like you could hit someone?  Describe how you felt (like the sensations you experienced).  Did you actually have a physical fight?  If you did, what did that feel like?  (You felt satisfied, or disappointed in yourself, or you got beaten up and were hurt.) If you didn't, what stopped you from lashing out?

(Actors use a technique called "emotional memory" where the actor remembers how they felt in certain circumstances (like being very angry) in order to make their performance believable.)

Journal for Friday, May 9 -- Group Work

 Drama 8:

How would you rate yourself at working in a group (give yourself a rating between 1 and 5 with 5 meaning terrific and 1 meaning not very good)?  Explain why you rate yourself that way.  (Maybe you're good at listening, but shy about saying what you think.  Maybe you have lots of ideas but feel impatient with people who don't jump on board right away.) Are you a good leader?  Explain.  Write about a time you worked in a group and what you learned from it?  (It doesn't have to be a good experience.)

What fairy tale did you choose for your mime?  Who are you playing?

Drama 9:

Describe how the Shakespeare plot project is going.  What have you accomplished?  What still needs to be done?

Write a brief scene based on your group's rehearsal. 

Example:

Jean:  Okay, who wants to play the king?

John:  Me!  I do!

Joan:  John, I think it should be somebody else.  Last time, you never practised and when we performed, you didn't know what to do.

John:  I'll be different this time.

Jerry:  I want to be the king.

Jean:  Let's let Jerry do it.

John:  Then I don't want to do it at all.

Joan:  Fine.  Tell Ms. Kosar you won't do anything.

John:  Why do you hate me, Joan?

Something like that.

Journal #2 for Grade 9's (no journal for Grade 8's)

Do you like to see fighting in movies or plays?  Explain why or why not.  We often say that drama is about "kissing and killing", meaning people like romance and violence.  Why do you think people like to see violent movies and read violent stories?  Do you think fighting can solve a problem?  Explain your answer.

Journal -- First Journal for New Grade 8's! First Journal for the new term!

 Grade 8:

What should Ms. Kosar know about you?  Have you ever done Drama before?  Explain what.  Have you ever done anything that would require you to perform (like public speaking, dance, sports, playing the piano)?  Do you have stage fright? (Lots of people do.)  Describe how you feel when you have to perform or get up in front of an audience.   What do you hope to get out of Drama class this term?  What pronouns do you prefer?  You can share anything else that you think will help me teach you.

Grade 9:

What were your impressions of Fine Arts Night?  Was that the first time you performed in front of an audience (not just your class)?  Assess your own performance.  What did you do well?  What could you have improved?  What do you think was the purpose of the event?

In one sentence each, what is happening in each of the Shakespeare scenes? 

What can you learn?

Drama 8:  Which of the Aesop's Fables morals do you need to learn?  Using your own experiences, write a paragraph about why that lesson is valuable to you.

Drama 9:  No journal this week. 

March came in like a lamb! (March 7)

 Drama 9:

Write a brief scene based on one of your group's heritage stories.  Name the characters, make the setting clear and fit the story in to the plot line we have discussed.

How is your group doing?  Discuss positives and negatives.  Have you finished working on the second story?  Why or why not?

Drama 8:

How do you think the world was created?  Could you make a play about it?  Why or why not?  Explain what you might be able to do.  How has your rehearsal gone?  Who is the leader?  (How can you tell?) Is anyone holding the group back?  Explain how.

Whose "Creation of the World" presentation did you think was the best?  Explain why.

***********

On April 15, from 6 - 8, we will be presenting Fine Arts Night.  You must arrange to attend and be ready to present your projects to an audience of friends, family and staff.  I will send a message to your families and there will be an announcement posted in the WAAG.

Pink Shirt Day

Everyone:

On Wednesday, we observed "pink shirt day" which is a day set aside for us to resolve to demonstrate kindness and empathy for others.  Write a brief scene that could be used for a public service commercial about bullying and why we should stand up against it.

Here's mine:

Jordie is at his locker.  Andy, Carol and Fee approach him, laughing in a sneering way.

Andy:  Oh, Jordie, where'd you get that shirt?  Value Village?  I think my dad donated it because it was too unfashionable even for him.

Carol:  Yeah, Jordie.  What's wrong with you?  Did you even glance in a mirror before you came to school?

Fee:  You're such a loser, Jordie.

They laugh at him.

Killian comes up to the group.

Killian:  Fee, if you want to see a loser, maybe you should take a look in a mirror.

Andy and Fee:  Whoa!

Carol:  What, are you friends with this guy, Killian?  Want to catch the loser virus?

Killian:  Look, guys, you all need to grow up.  Who cares what somebody wears?  It's really none of your business.  

Carol:  Who do you think you are?

Killian:  I know who I am.  Who are you?

Carol has no answer.  Her friends look stupefied.

Killian:  Let's get going, Jordie.  We're going to be late for Band.

Jordie:  Yeah, don't want to be late.  (Killian and Jordie leave, while Carol, Andy and Fee stand there looking stupid.) 

Song plays -- Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping" and a slogan appears on the screen.  "Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.  Right is right even if no one is doing it."  - St. Augustine

Fairy Tale Mimes and Heritage Stories

 Grade 8:

Which fairy tale did your group choose to perform?  How did you make the decision?  What is the climax of the story?  Who are you playing?  What will you do to make your character believable?  (Think of costumes, facial expressions, gestures, actions, etc.)

Grade 9:

Remember, you need to talk to your family members about a story you can share about the family history.  (You are a part of your family, of course, so you can use something that happened to you as a story, if you want.) We have looked at a variety of stories that people have done in the past -- your story can be like any of those.

You will get a chance to write your story down in your journal on Tuesday in class.

MDI Survey -- D Block -- Thursday, February 20

 Please bring your device, if possible, to Drama class tomorrow!  You will be asked to fill out the MDI survey during D Block class.  If you do not have a device, you will be able to go to the library to fill out the survey.

Working Together

 Drama 8:

 On a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being excellent and 1 being terrible,  how would you rate yourself at working with a group?  What aspect of group work are you good at?  Explain.  How could you improve?  Would you say you are a good leader?  Explain.  Tell about a time you worked with a group and what you learned from the experience.  (It doesn't have to be a good experience.)

Drama 9:

This week, I read about a rescue at sea off the Canary Islands.  A small dinghy (inflatable boat) packed with people was in distress, adrift off the coast of a place called Lanzarote.  On board was a pregnant woman who was about to give birth.  Domingo Trujillo, the captain of a search and rescue boat, and his crew were dispatched to help.  By the time they arrived, the baby had been born.  Write a brief monologue as if you were one of the people involved in the story (the woman, another passenger in the dinghy, Captain Trujillo, the baby (a girl -- you can imagine she is telling the story after she grows up).  You can read the article which Ms. Kosar has posted on the theatre bulletin board, or by going to this link:  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/10/spanish-captain-rescue-woman-gave-birth-baby-inflatable-boat-canary-islands#:~:text=In%20the%20early%20hours%20of,themselves%20as%20best%20they%20can.

First journal of Semester Two

 Grade 8's:  What should Ms. Kosar know about you?  Have you had any experience in Drama at all (elementary school play, public speaking lessons, improv classes, etc.)?    Do you do any activity which requires you to perform (sports, music, dance, etc.)?  Do you have stage fright?  (Most people have at least a little bit.)  What pronouns do you prefer?  You can share anything else you would like that will help me teach you.  

Grade 9's:   If you haven't been in my class before, please answer the above.  Thanks!

Our first project is going to be "heritage drama" in which we share stories from our family history.  Most of us in Canada have come from somewhere else (unless we are indigenous).  Where did your family come from?  Do you know when they first arrived in Canada?  Do you know anything about their first experiences here?  Here is an example of what you might tell me.

My father's family came from Ukraine at the end of the 19th century.  My grandparents came in a boat with their five oldest children (my dad wasn't born yet).  They travelled across Canada in a train and arrived at a place called "Tiny" in Saskatchewan.  (It was very tiny.)  They lived in a "sod house" at first -- that is basically a building made of cubes of earth.  (There are very few trees in Saskatchewan so they couldn't build a log cabin.)  My grandfather was a very hard man, but he had to be -- he had to make sure they got a crop to grow before the winter, or the family would have starved.  It must have been very difficult for them in Ukraine to have gone through such hardships to come to Canada.

If you don't know anything -- you can find out.  You could ask family members or you could even go online and find out about your home country.

Journal for January 10, 2025!

 Senior Drama

Directors/Theatre Production:  Pitch your idea for your upcoming project (film or sound and light show).  Provide the rationale for the importance of your ideas.

Actors:  Write a five or six sentence description of a student you have observed in a classroom setting.  Don't use the student's real name!  (Make up a name for them.)

Grade 8 Drama

How do you think the world was created?  Could you make a play about it?  (Explain how or why not.). Who are you playing in The Creation of the World?  What will you do to create the character?  How are rehearsals going?