Learning Activity

Subtext Exploration

Subject Area

Arts Education

Grade(s)

9, 10, 11, 12

Overview

Advanced Theatre students will determine subtext to explore the inner thoughts of their character.

This activity was created as a result of the Arts COS Resource Development Summit.

Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 09-12 - Theatre

AE17.TH.ADV.7

Synthesize ideas from research, script analysis, and context to create a performance that is believable, authentic, and relevant in a drama/theatre work.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.TH.ADV.7

Vocabulary

Research
  • synthesizing research to adapt to the play or theater space
  • Using research to support design choices in the production meetings
Analysis
  • 9 questions
  • 7 steps to heaven
Vocal
  • Students lead warm ups
  • Students analyze the accent or vocal needs themselves
Movement
  • How does the body denote character and emotion
Characterization
  • Uta Hagen's 9 steps to creating character
  • Action Verbs for character work
  • Animal Work
Directing
  • Creating the ensemble
  • warm up exercises for your actors
  • table reads
  • walking the grid
Design
  • Unified vision
  • Scale Design
  • Transitioning from page to stage
Theatrical production
  • production concept
  • style
  • subtext

Essential Questions

EU: Theatre artists refine their work and practice their craft through rehearsal.
EQ: How do theatre artists transform and edit their initial ideas?

Skills Examples

  • Students will work together to design a play for performance. They will use their knowledge in lighting, sound design, scenic design and costuming to create visuals that work as a unified vision for the production.
  • Students will design a soundscape of a play. They will create drafts, plots, cue sheets, sound effects, pre- and post-show music and wireless microphone schedules for the chosen play. They will pitch their design and work to the class, and one design will be chosen as the best design of the class.
  • Students will study the technique of Uta Hagen. They will use her acting technique to refine their rehearsal work. They will use her 9 Questions format to create strong characters for performance in class scenes or a play.
  • Students will study I Never Saw Another Butterfly. They will research the Holocaust and characters of the play. Students will use historical research and cultural contexts to rehearse and perform the play.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 3: Refine and complete artistic work.
Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 09-12 - Theatre

AE17.TH.ADV.11

Collect and use a variety of acting exercises from reliable resources to prepare a believable and sustainable performance.

Unpacked Content

UP:AE17.TH.ADV.11

Vocabulary

Research
  • using information from research and the text to guide the production
Analysis
  • Picturization
  • Dramaturgical analysis for directing
Vocal
  • comedic timing
  • realistic vocal work
Movement
  • Using Viewpoints to use movement to create character
  • Using technique to create specific movement motivated by text, and character
Characterization
  • By learning multiple acting techniques
Design
  • How does the audience, theatre space and or style of the play influence design
Theatrical production
  • Theatrical genres have a profound impact on the entire production and the success of the production

Essential Questions

EU: Theatre artists develop personal processes and skills for a performance or design.
EQ: What can I do to fully prepare a performance or technical design?

Skills Examples

  • Students will learn directing technique through lecture and classroom exercises. Students will identify the spectrum of an evolutionary director versus a director that is totally planned.
  • Students will study Viewpoints in class. Use exercises in class to show different benefits of the process. Students will use these techniques for scene work. They will have a class performance and will have oral critique and written critique.
  • Students will, after studying Viewpoints, Strasburg, Stanislavski, Uta Hagen, use these techniques for a class play. They will audition, rehearse and perform their play.
  • Students will create a children's play. They will write, rehearse and perform this show for the students in grades 3-5 in other schools.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 5: Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.

Phase

Before/Engage
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to interpret the script in multiple ways.

Students will be able to analyze the script to determine character choices. 

Students will be able to analyze the script to write character thoughts. 

Students will be able to apply the acting exercise to their performance.

Activity Details

Students will select a monologue, duo scene, group scene, or song. On the solid lines of the attached document, students will write the character's given lines or lyrics, word for word, directly from the script. This is the text, what the character says. 

Students will then analyze the scene in context and determine the relationship to the other character's lines. Students will then imagine what the character thinks as the character says each line. What runs through their mind? What memories emerge? What feelings arise? What would they say if they could? This is the subtext, or internal monologue, what the character thinks.

Students will write character subtext on the dotted lines. Remind students that there are no right or wrong answers, but their subtext should be supported by the given lines, prior character analysis, and the scene in context with the rest of the play. 

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

Students may self-assess the effectiveness of their subtext interpretation according to the following criteria:

      Believable? Would this character believably think these thoughts? 

      Authentic? Does this subtext create authenticity or dimension to the character? 

      Relevant? Is this subtext supported by the given text?

The teacher may evaluate the subtext using the same questions in a teacher-created rubric. 

Students may share their created subtext with other students to discuss and evaluate its effectiveness. 

Students may compare and contrast their subtext interpretation with other students' written subtext of the same scene.

Students may create alternate subtext interpretations of the same scene, then compare the two interpretations to determine the most effective. 

Students may rehearse their scenes in front of their peers to demonstrate how the subtext affects their characterization, physicality, and voice (see variation tips).

 

Variation Tips

They may rehearse their scene by saying only the lines they are given by the playwright. After the scene is over, they rehearse the scene by saying everything that they wrote on the paper--the given lines and the subtext. Discuss how saying the subtext aloud affected their characterization, physicality, and voice. Then rehearse the scene a third time by saying the lines and thinking the subtext. Discuss how thinking the subtext silently affected their characterization, physicality, and voice. Discuss how they can use this technique in performance to make moments believable.

Students may revise their subtext during rehearsal or further discussions. Some rehearsals may even be devoted to exploring subtext. When the subtext changes, what changes in the scene and in the actor's physicality and voice?

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

The teacher may model the process by writing subtext for a scene from a movie. Give out copies of the scene's script with space between the lines to write subtext. Watch the scene together and discuss choices that the actors made to indicated things the characters may have been thinking, even though they never said them out loud.

Once you have gone through this process together, students will be more prepared to create subtext for their own individual scenes.   

The teacher will need to make available an assortment of monologues, duo scenes, group scenes or songs. 

The teacher will need to copy enough worksheets for each student. 

Digital Tools / Resources

Subtext Exploration
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ExgVArJAnvqYBt4jmD7i8mK2oxFybMF4_Wi30L0vB1A…

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

appatel
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