Grade 8's: You should be preparing your "show and tell" speeches! Practice your speech OUT LOUD and make sure you have two minutes of material! This is very important. It should not be more than two minutes (more is not better) and it should not be less than two minutes.
You will stand centre stage and not fidget! You will appear to be confident. You may use cue cards, or even have your whole speech written out, but you must make eye contact with the audience. You must speak clearly and make sure I can hear you and understand you from the back of the theatre. Think about communicating to the audience. Tell them a story that features your item. Showing the item is not enough!
You may speak about anything you like, but if it is not allowed at school, you will have to show a photo or picture of it.
You MUST not start the speech with "so" or end it with "yeah". Think of a joke or a quotation or a question to start things out and then at the end come to a conclusion -- "this is what I learned", "this is why this thing is so important to me", "as you can see, it is important to 'look before you leap'. Something like that.
Use something that inspires a story to tell. Just describing the item will not engage your audience. That's the basis of theatre - a good story. We've talked at length about how the plot line works -- that will help you here. If you are interested in the story, we will be, too, so choose something that inspires a good story.
This is a chance for you to demonstrate that you are a good public speaker! Make sure you have TWO MINUTES of material. Don't speak too fast!
Write a review of one of the Creation of the World performances. Give your review a catchy title -- not "Creation of the World" review. The first paragraph should describe details about the performance -- who played the different characters, where the story came from, etc. The second paragraph should say what you liked best and what you think should be improved and describe both in detail. The third paragraph should say whether it was worth seeing and say why.
Grade 9/10:
Imagine yourself as one of the characters in one of the stories you're performing (not your own story). What motivates that character? What emotions does the character feel? Have you ever felt any similar emotions? Describe what it felt like (for example, your character is furious -- you remember a time when you felt angry -- you were sweating, your fists clenched, you couldn't speak in sentences). Actors use a technique called "emotional memory" where they try to remember a time they felt a similar emotion to the one their character is feeling -- that helps them play their scene truthfully.
Senior Drama:
Actors: Which character have you been assigned to play? Describe the character. Give them a back story. What challenges will you face in playing the character? Why do you think the directors chose you to play that character?
Theatre production:
Choose one scene from the play. How do you think it should be played (describe in detail)? How will light and sound help the audience respond to the play? What are your lighting and sound ideas for this scene?
Directors: Choose one of the characters -- why did you assign the actor you chose to that role?
Was it easy to agree on who played which character? How did you settle disagreements?
What is the biggest challenge for you with this play now? It is rather static at this point. How will you "jazz it up"?
Grade 8's: We are starting work on the Ugandan myth called "The Creation of the World". How do you think the world was created? Could you make a play out of your ideas? Explain how. Where, in the story, is a good place for a tableau? A mime? A choral speech? Which part would you like to play? Explain why.
Grade 9/10: Which heritage story so far is your favourite? Explain why. What genre do you like best? Give an example of the type of drama you like and explain how it fits into your choice of genre.
Senior Drama:
Many of you have said you would like to write a scene for the trial play. Choose one of the scenarios below and write a scene for it (one page or so). (You can research the actual story if you like.)
a) Bridget Sullivan (the maid) testifies about when Lizzie told her that Andrew Borden was dead;
b) Lizzie and Emma discuss the trial in Lizzie's cell in the jail;
c) the neighbour tells a police officer about Lizzie's relationship with Abby;
d) a little boy in the neighbourhood tells about finding a bloody ax in his backyard;
e) the defence attorneys discuss strategies to get Lizzie out of trouble.
Well, it didn't help me much -- I have been sick all week and today I just collapsed! I woke up and felt achy all over and my cough was really bad, so I stayed in bed the entire day and slept and I feel better today, although I still have the cough. I hope on the weekend, I'll spend two days of solid sleep and relaxation and that I'll be 100% on Monday. I hope you all had a great day today.
Grade 8's -- I want to see your fairy tale mimes AT LAST. Your journal is about them.
How did your fairy tale mime performance go? What went well? What needed improvement? Did anyone act as a leader for the group? Did anyone hinder the progress of the group? What did you do to help?
Which performance was your favourite? Explain why.
Grade 9/10's -- Write your heritage story. Include details, like where it takes place and when. Use the people's names.
Senior Drama -- What are your thoughts about the interactive Hallowe'en performance? What do you think of my idea about a murder trial? We will need actors, writers, lighting and sound technicians, costumes, hair and makeup, a set. Which job is suitable for you to do?
Actors -- there will be large and small roles -- the defence and prosecuting attorneys, the accused, witnesses -- those are large roles; smaller roles would be the judge, the bailiff, the court stenographer, reporters. What sort of role would you like?
Theatre production -- make a sketch of a costume you think would be suitable for one of the characters -- say who the character is and why you choose the outfit you do. Make sure to include colour! Make a sketch of what you think the set should look like. Include colour!
Directed studies -- your course is really open to what you want to study. Let's have each of you write a brief scene (1 - 2 pages) of a courtroom drama you think could have some scary potential.
On Monday, we will observe Orange Day at SLSS. It is a day to show our solidarity with aboriginal people and acknowledge what happened to them as a result of residential schools. Can you imagine what it would be like to have government officials come and take you away from your family and place you in a school where you were not allowed to speak your language or see your parents? If you want to learn more, try reading Richard Wagamese's book - Indian Horse.
Wear something orange on Monday to show that you believe that every child is important and that we have learned that children must be supported, defended and respected.
Today is the climate strike. It is a time for all of us to think about how lucky we are to live on this beautiful blue (and green) planet and how wondrous it is to see birds and trees and oceans and the blue sky and how precious it all is. Nature is a powerful force but our thoughtless actions are changing the natural course of the planet's weather, the climate and the environment on land, at sea and in the air. Thanks to activists like Greta Thunberg, many of us are waking up to the dire consequences of the climate emergency and it does seem like we are finally thinking of what we can do to stop ourselves from consuming all the resources of the planet and despoiling the wild places and taking better care of the plants and animals that share the earth with us.
We are all responsible for taking care of our world and treating the land and the living things with respect.
Grade 9 - 12: You are working on public service announcements related to this topic. What is your theme? How are you approaching it? What techniques are you using to convince your audience of your point of view?
Are you worried about climate change? Explain your answer.
Grade 9's and 10's -- remember that you need a heritage story for Monday!
Grade 8's: Are you good at working with a group? Rate yourself from one to five with five being great and one being not good at all. What is one thing about group work that you are successful with? What is one way you can improve? Would you say you are a good leader? Could you explain your answer? Write about an experience you had with group work and what you learned from it.
Here are the D Block grade 8's on our climate march this afternoon. The quote says, "never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." As you know, Margaret Mead said that! Good work, guys!
That is something Greta Thunberg said. She is a young woman (around your age!) from Sweden who has done so much to create awareness and a badly needed sense of urgency about the climate emergency. Next Friday, there will be worldwide day of action for people to demonstrate their concern about the climate emergency and to stand up for our home here on Planet Earth. There is a lot of scary information out there, but there are some reasons to hope that we will be able to turn things around and protect our home if only we act now.
I tried to copy the banner from the Guardian which shows the last two hundred years on a graph and is a shocking visual of how quickly and how much the world is warming. We need to take drastic action now to ward off the tipping point. What can you do? Our fine and performing arts departments want to make "care and respect for the planet" the theme for this school year. If you can come up with some ideas about tangible things we can do, share them with us! Just worrying about it is not a solution.
If you are interested in attending the rally at the Vancouver Art Gallery on September 27, let Ms. Descary know. She is taking students from SLSS on a field trip to the rally to show that we care and want to contribute to the solution and not make things worse.
On a more prosaic note (maybe, or maybe it's a less scary note . . .) we finished auditions for "As You Like It" on Friday. Thank you to everyone for taking part. It is always hard to decide on a cast. Of course, your audition is part of it. If you do a dynamite job, you will get a bigger part. If you didn't memorize it, that might mean you won't get a big part, because we want to make sure the people who are most serious and dedicated get the giant roles. If you are in grade 8 or 9, you need to realize that you must make the most of the part you get. "There is no such thing as a small part, just small actors!" If you come to all the rehearsals, you might find yourself promoted! Sometimes people drop out or can't manage rehearsals, and if you're there, you might be "johnny on the spot".
In Drama 8, remember that you will be reciting on Monday. Practice out loud. That is the best way to memorize something. We will work on the incidental music tableaus on Monday.
In Drama 9/10, make sure you ask your families about stories from your family's life. Marriages, wars, new or unusual jobs, holidays, babies, immigration to Canada -- all of these are possible sources for good stories. Think of the kinds of stories we tell in the circle!
In Senior Drama, we will definitely see your scary plays on Monday. Be ready. If you haven't discussed costumes, think of what your character should wear. Colour can communicate a lot.
Have a great weekend. I hope all you sleep deprived kids were able to grab a few extra moments of rest today.
