Unpacked Content
Essential Questions
EU: Theatre artists' interpretations of drama/theatre work are influenced by personal experiences and aesthetics
EQ: How can the same work of art communicate different messages to different people?
EQ: How can the same work of art communicate different messages to different people?
Skills Examples
- Students will watch a live performance or film of a classic play that they study in their English classes. They will use their literary and theatrical knowledge to write a critique in class. They will cover multiple aspects of performance: design, acting technique and directing choices as well as their personal response to the play.
- Students will perform a scene with a partner. They will use their character analysis, play analysis, and period research to develop strong choices for their scene work. They will perform for the class.
- Students will perform for each other. They will have an open oral critique of each performance.
- Students will openly discuss what worked for each scene and what was challenging. Students will learn how to critique in a positive way.
- Students will pick a Shakespearean monologue to perform. They will use historical information, personal experiences, and cultural norms of the time to create and perform the monologue.
- Students will study theatre during the Elizabethan period. They will discuss Shakespeare and his contemporaries' technique of critiquing political policies in plays. Students and teacher will discuss modern examples of writers referencing current issues in their plays and films. Examples: The West Wing, 13 Reasons Why, Avengers were all created to comment on current popular cultural issues.
Vocabulary
Research
What defines a good performance?
What is a positive critique?
Performing iambic pentameter
Vocal
- Understanding the play
- Linklater
- Vowel Tree
- freeing the natural voice
- Shakespearean movement
- Characterization's impact on movement
- scenic painting from historical impact to techniques
- modernizing historical plays
- performing in historical plays
- The impact of language on the actor
Anchor Standards
Anchor Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
