Standards in Drama and Theatre Arts
The three standards of drama and theatre arts are:
1. Create
The creation of drama and theatre is a demonstration of learned skills in forming new theatrical works, interpreting theatrical works for performance and design, and developing characters and analyzing roles.
2. Perform
The theatre process is a product of the knowledge and essential skills gained in the study of theatre toward the expression of the human experience in story, movement, speech, and staging for an intended audience.
3. Critically Respond
An informed literacy, thoughtful critique, and cultural research are key aspects of theatre arts study. Responding focuses on the artistic and scientific knowledge of conventions, cultures, styles, genres, theories, and technologies needed to know better choices and best practices.
1. Character development in improvised and scripted works
a. Master fundamental vocal techniques, and demonstrate knowledge of
dialects and accents, International Phonetic Alphabet, increased range and
control, intonation, and connotation
b. Master fundamental movement techniques, and show increased poise
and flexibility
c. Demonstrate fundamental motivation knowledge, and employ several
strategies to discover what the character wants
d. Demonstrate several ways to overcome the character's obstacle
e. Identify and employ numerous tactics to get what the character wants
f. Connect internal and external work to fully realize the character
2. Technical design and application of technical elements
a. Analyze, research, and design scenery, lighting, makeup, costumes, stage
properties, sound, film, and cinema or electronic media
b. Employ a publicity campaign for a given production
c. Describe and demonstrate artistic choices in the use of technology pertaining to technical elements of production
d. Develop theatrical production concepts through collaboration with directors, designers, and actors
e. Employ a variety of dramatic forms, performance styles, dramatic techniques, theatrical conventions, and technologies to create dramatic meaning
3. Ideas and creative concepts in improvisation and play building
a. Create an interdisciplinary project involving drama and theatre, which can be integrated to enhance school wide curriculum
b. Use correct form and structure independently to write a one-act play that includes full character development, believable dialogue, and logical plot outcomes
c. Use improvisation to create extended theatrical pieces
d. Participate in virtual playwriting and virtual society using contemporary Internet technology
4. Creation, appreciation, and interpretation of scripted works
a. Select a one-act play for public performance, and write a director's concept
statement for the interpretation of the work
b. Develop a plan for the audition casting process, and create and implement a
complete rehearsal production schedule
c. Prepare a director’s promptbook to record blocking and other notation, while maintaining a journal of approaches to coaching actors and solving artistic problems
5. Creative process in character development and script improvisation
a. Apply these vocal techniques: Breath control, diction, projection, inflection,
rhythm, and pace
b. Employ these movement techniques: body alignment, control of isolated body parts, and rhythms
c. Demonstrate knowledge of motivation (what the character wants) through the recall of emotional experience, blocking, and observations of the external world
d. Recognize and work against the obstacle – what's in the character's way
e. Identify and employ several tactics to get what the character wants
f. Connect feelings to thought process when creating a character
6. Technical elements of theatre in improvised and scripted works
a. Demonstrate how to run a soundboard and light board
b. Show how to build simple pieces of scenery, and apply several different painting techniques
c. Apply basic makeup techniques for the stage
d. Identify appropriate stage properties and costumes for a given production
e. Create a publicity campaign for a given production
f. Understand and use technology to enhance activities and dramatizations
g. Create a project that uses electronic media to present a dramatic form in a new or enhanced way
h. Practice safety procedures for working with tools, paints, electrical equipment, and scene-shifting equipment
7. Expression, imagination, and appreciation in group dynamics
a. Create scenes and narrative structures to convey a dramatic
b. Develop improvisation skills through games, and make, accept, and extend offers in improvisation
c. Use improvisation as a form and a key technique to develop play building
8. Interpretation of drama using scripted material
a. Select a scene from literature, original, or scripted material, and contribute to
the direction of a scene as a member of an ensemble
b. Articulate the rationale for all artistic choices concerning historical periods, genres, and relevant playwrights
c. Determine casting, staging, and technical requirements
1. Drama and theatre techniques, dramatic forms, performance styles, and theatrical conventions that engage audiences
a. Portray a believable character in situations from scripted and improvised plots
b. Master the fundamental requirements, and demonstrate the ability to rehearse and exhibit the following forms and skills:
1. Original works, scripted plays, scenes and monologues
2. Ensemble works
3. Improvisation and purposeful movement
4. Vocal control
5. Design and media
6. Public speaking
c. Demonstrate the ability to utilize the fundamental conventions and the following styles:
Non-realism, commedia dell arte, Shakespeare, absurdism, mask work, improvisation, environmental drama, and theatre arts
d. Create an interdisciplinary project involving drama or theatre that can be integrated to enhance school wide curriculum
e. Use correct form and structure independently to write a one-act play that includes fully developed characters, believable dialogue, and logical plot outcomes
f. Determine through problem spotting if another actor’s or one’s own performance is believable and truthful
2. Technology reinforces, enhances, and/or alters a theatrical performance
a. Lead a technical crew in a production
b. Implement a major design element, scenic light, sound, or makeup while using complex technologies to enhance theatrical productions
c. Assume responsibility for the coordination of all aspects of a production by stage managing a theatrical event
d. Apply technical knowledge of safety procedures and practices in the use of theatre equipment, tools, and raw materials
3. Direction or design of a theatrical performance for an intended audience
a. Direct a theatrical text, including interpretation of the text and facilitation of acting coaching
b. Arrange the performance space, and coordinate the technical elements of the production
c. Manage the rehearsal process while creating a productive ensemble
d. Fully realize a director’s vision
4. Communicate meaning to engage an audience
a. Rehearse and perform a scripted or improvised scene
b. Use previously acquired skills to demonstrate the ability to rehearse and exhibit the following:
1. Original works, scripted plays, scenes, and monologues
2. Ensemble works
3. Improvisation and purposeful movement
4. Vocal control
5. Design and media
6. Public speaking
c. Demonstrate the ability to utilize the conventions of the following styles:
Realism, mime, vaudeville, puppetry, clowning, comedy, tragedy, improvisation, and melodrama
5. Technology reinforces, enhances, and/or alters a theatrical performance
a. Participate as a member of a technical crew and management team for a production
b. Inform the design of sets, costumes, sound, and lighting for a theatrical production
c. Exhibit an understanding of the interrelationship among the technical aspects of production, onstage performers, and audiences
d. Apply technical knowledge of safety procedures and practices in the theatre environment
6. Directing as an art form
a. Select and use performance spaces, drama and theatre conventions, and production elements appropriate to an audience
b. Generate audience response
c. Facilitate the rehearsal process
d. Bring a vision to fruition
1. Contemporary and historical context of drama
a. Select an area of production process for independent study
b. Research, evaluate, and synthesize cultural and historical information to support artistic choices
c. Demonstrate a basic understanding of theatre history through the study of playwrights, theatrical styles, and historical periods
2. Elements of drama, dramatic forms, performance styles, and dramatic techniques and conventions
a. Identify and compare the lives, works, and influences of representative theatre artists from various cultures and historical periods
b. Compare and contrast plays of several different dramatic forms
c. Reflect and revise critical choices pertaining to dramatic texts and performances while articulating, justifying, and applying personal criteria
d. Script, film, or edit a documentary or satirical analysis on current events in school, community, or national or international news
e. Describe the functions, meanings, contributions, and significance of theatrical works within various cultures throughout history
f. Use problem spotting to make an informed decision about the quality of a theatrical production
3. Respect for theatre professions, cultural relationships, and legal responsibilities
a. Investigate and explain the knowledge, skills, training, and self discipline needed to pursue careers and vocational opportunities in theatre
b. Document and reflect on one’s own work created over several years, and identify successful approaches that could be applied in the development of future work
c. Create a personal code of theatre etiquette and ethics
d. Demonstrate awareness of professional ethics as an audience, cast, or crew member
e. Demonstrate how to secure rights and royalties for a production
4. Analysis and evaluation of theatrical works
a. Research the ways in which other artists have used self reflection to document and refine their work
b. Identify and describe orally and in writing the influence of other artists on the development of their own artistic work
c. Demonstrate knowledge of conventional theatre vocabulary
d. Research the cultural and historical background of a specific play
e. Communicate individual research to a collaborative team
5. Evaluation of elements of drama, dramatic techniques, and theatrical conventions
a. Critique and evaluate artistic choices and personal reactions to dramatic presentations using guidelines for evaluating a theatrical production
b. Investigate and compare common themes among theatre, various art forms, and content areas
c. Compare and contrast practices and methods of performance with the practices and methods of film, cinema, television, and electronic media
d. Perform improvised scenes reflecting content, character and plot from representational dramatic literature
6. Respect for theatre, its practitioners, and conventions
a. Attend live performances of extended length and complexity, and demonstrate an understanding of the protocol of audience behavior appropriate to the style of the performance
b. Use group-generated criteria to assess one’s own work and the work of others
c. Demonstrate objectivity in assessing one’s personal abilities in creative endeavors and ability to receive and act upon coaching feedback and constructive criticism
d. Devise specific methods for documenting and assessing one’s own artistic development throughout participation in a drama or theatre project
e. Demonstrate a respect for copyright laws
f. Address the importance of timelines and personal responsibility as a member of a production ensemble