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.
Senior Drama:
Do you follow the news? (You should -- you will soon be an adult, if you are not one already, and should care about what happens in the world.). Throughout the history of the theatre, artists have commented on issues that are important to them through their work. Think of Shakespeare and "The Taming of the Shrew" or "Julius Caesar", Beethovan and the Eroica symphony or Fidelio, or Picasso and Guernica. What is an important issue facing us today? Humour can help explore serious matters and can bring people together with a lighter touch than something very serious. This is what the artists of commedia del'arte did. Write a paragraph about how you could address a serious issue through comedy. (Think of "Saturday Night Live", "The Daily Show" or a stand-up comedian you like.)
