Unit: Guideposts
Application: Duet Acting
Students will spend a week applying the second of Michael Shurtleff's Guidpost: Conflicts to their duet scenes.
After the completion of this week of study, students present their final duet performances with the emphasis of mastering both of the first two guideposts (relationship and conflicts). It is my philosophy that we are all a work in progress. Students will be assessed based on the growth they achieve throughout the learning process.
The final grade/assessment will be made based on evidence of the two guideposts in their duet scene.
The class critiques that students make on their edmodo web page identifiying the relationship and conflicts of their classmates scenes.
The guide post packet that students will turn in. (packet details listed below)
Overview
Objective:
-The student will discuss the second of Michael Shurtleff's 12 Guideposts.
-The student will be able to analyze their duet script and identify keys to discovering the conflict in their scene. What are they fighting for? What are the stakes?
-The student will apply the understanding of the second guidepost to their duet scene rehearsal and performance.
-The student will observe their classmates performances and be able to clearly identify the evidence of the clearly established conflict (high stakes) in their classmates scenes by using the online reflective web site edmodo.
TEKS: 117.64 Theatre 1(c) (1) a, b, d (2) a,b,c (3) e,f (5) a,b,c
Population:
-Theatre 1 High School Students (10th-12th graders)
Materials:
-Text Audition: Everything an Actor Needs to Know to get the Part
by Michael Shurtleff
-I-Pad cart
-Student's theatre binders
-Internet Access
-Prezi presentation
-Student's Duet Script
-highlighter and pencil
Pre work:
Students will come to class having already read the chapter on Guidepost 2: conflict. From the reading, students will select three pearls (key points that stood out to them) from each reading to share with the class in discussion. They will type a one page paper including the three pearls.
Additionally please note, this lesson will take place two weeks after students have had adequate time to select a duet scene and begin learning the lines and only after completing a week studying the first guide post.
Warm Up:
The student will write a reflection on a conflict that they have experienced or observed. Students should be able to elaborate on every aspect of the conflict. What does it look like? What does it sound like? Students will use the ipads to find the definition of a conflict. Addtionally, students will use the ipads to search images that best symbolize the relationship with their duet partner. Students will be provided access to the prezi presentation web page created by the teacher with the lesson outline. Students are encouraged to edit the prezi by adding additional thoughts and comments.
Lesson: PLEASE NOTE THAT STUDENTS HAVE HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO PRACTICE SAFETY AND ENSEMBLE, THEREFORE, I FELT THIS WOULD BE A SAFE EXCERCISE TO USE WITH MY CLASS.
Energizer
The teacher will place a chair in the center of the room and ask one of the students to sit in it. The teacher will instruct another classmate to do whatever they can to get inside that chair. Because I know my students, I have carefully pre selected which students I feel would be best suited for this excercise. It is important to be prepared to coach your students and work to raise the stakes. The purpose of this excercise is to create a natural conflict between the two students and work to raise the stakes for them to recognize what they are fighting for....both students want to get their chair back.
Introduction
The teacher and students will discuss the second guideposts and the reading. The teacher will discuss with the class the importance of identifying the conflict between the characters in a scene. The students will use their notes from the pearls that they gathered in order to bring up questions and comments on the importance of applying the guidposts to the work. Because students had studied the Glass Menagerie in English class, it is especially benefitial for this group of students to go over the portion of the chapter where Shurtleff interviews the character playing Laura. The class should do a read aloud and read the dialouge between MS and Laura.
Application:
Building on the work completed in the previous guidpepost, the teacher will ask the student to pull out their script and identify all of the conflicts stated by the dialogue and those conflicts inferred. The student will be asked to identify external conflicts as well as internal conflicts. The most important aspect of this excercise is to identify the main conflict (similar to identify the main idea in an English excerpt).
The teacher will give five minutes of class time for students to sit with their partners and their scripts and analyze the dialogue. Students will use their laptops or ipads to create a spread sheet and begin to notate the data. The conflict analysis will be due at the next class period. The teacher will actively moniter the class by walking around to each group and checking for understanding.
Additionally, students will create a set of questions similar to the questions in the Michael Shurtleff chapter on Conflicts.
Rehearsal:
Students will spend time rehearsing with the partners after they have had the opportunity to identify what they are fighting for. The teacher will walk around and offer guidance to the actors are they are identifying what they are fighting for. Students will use the prompt questions that they created after the class discussion to help coach their duet partner.
Wrap Up: Kitty Wants a Corner
The students will form a circle and one actor will get in the center and she is the Kitty! The Kitty has to go up to different actors in the circle and ask "Kitty wants a corner?" The other actors in the circle will say "Talk to my neighbor." While the Kitty is looking for a place to take in the circle the other actors around the circle are making eye contact and switching places in the circle. While the actors are switching places, the Kitty tries to jump in the circle. The purpose of this wrap up activity is to continue the building of ensemble and to leave the class thinking about how they have to fight for what they want. Because it is a game of strategy, they have to carefully plan their tactics to either get the corner or keep their corner.
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After the lesson:
Students will spend an entire week in class applying the guidepost of the conflict. As in the previous lesson cycle, students will be given ample opportunity to share their duet performances with their classmates and to "coach" one another on establishing the conflict.
Post Work:
Students will turn in a packet including the pearls on the guidepost 2, the journal entry on conflict, images that they have gathered that represent the conflict of their character with their scene partner, an illustration that they have created representing the conflict. When students perform their duets, they will be critiqued by their classmates on the emphasis placed on establishing relationship in their scene. Please see attached evidence of work below.
Duet Scenes