Drama Sensory Series: Bringing All The Senses Together

This month, we’ve used the five senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch) as the basis for exercises and theatre games. For our final week, we’re taking all five senses and bringing them together to create a full theatrical sensory experience. As a recap, check out our previous sense-based posts:

• Sight-based games & exercises
• Games & exercises focused on hearing and listening
• Storytelling inspired by taste & smell
• Movement & physicality-based exercises (touch)

Final Activity: Director’s Vision Choice Board

• Students will select a play or musical to create their director’s vision for.
• Students will decide on their overall concept/vision for the play or musical.
• Students will complete various tasks for each of the senses, demonstrating how their choices contribute to their overall vision for the show.

See below for student task ideas. Feel free to add additional choices or alter the ones suggested.

This project can be completed individually or in pairs.

Instructions

1. Describe your overall vision for the show in one phrase. For example: “Shrek the Musical in outer space,” or “a gritty Mafia-style Romeo & Juliet.” If students would prefer to just do the show as written, that’s fine too.
2. For each sense section, select two tasks to complete. For advanced students or for a larger project, complete all three tasks per sense.
3. Complete and submit all work, including a detailed list of different mediums used (video links, links to Spotify or Apple Music playlists, physical vs. digital mood boards, shoebox-sized dioramas, etc.).
4. If any choices require a live performance, you’ll need to book a time block to perform your piece(s) for the class and teacher. (Teachers: Be sure to block off class dates/times for performances, and provide students with a list of available dates and times so they can complete their tasks.)
5. Respond to the reflection questions (include this with your full submission) found in the giveaway below.

Sight

• Create a visual timeline of the show from beginning to end, using a long roll of newsprint. Include instances that occurred prior to the show that trigger the situations within the show. Find or draw images to add to the timeline and use appropriate fonts in the style of your director’s vision.
• Create a connections board showing how all the characters in the show are related to each other: marriages, family members, friendships, work colleagues, and so on. Create or find images of each character in the style of your director’s vision and attach them to a bulletin board or poster board, use yarn or string to connect the characters, or create a digital version. Do not omit any characters; if someone isn’t connected to anyone, note that on the board. Include broken connections, such as former friends, exes, or enemies. Use a different colour of yarn to illustrate those connections.
• Rehearse and perform a brief (five-minute maximum) selection from the play or musical. A live performance or video performance is acceptable. You may perform by yourself or have additional students assist you as needed. You can wear rehearsal blacks, use costumes/clothing from your own closet that support your vision of the show, or use one item to identify each character. The teacher will decide whether you may perform with script in hand or must have it memorized.

Sound

• Write a song for a musical adaptation of a play, or a new song for a musical (you may use an existing song as the melody/structure, or create an original song). For bonus points, record yourself performing the song (audio only or video/audio is acceptable) and submit it with your lyrics.
• Create a playlist of music to play during pre-show, intermission, and post-show. Choose a minimum of 10 songs that demonstrate and complement your vision of the show. Include a write-up of why you selected each song. Note: If any version of the show has an existing soundtrack, none of those songs may be included in your playlist.
• Create a soundscape of at least five sound effects and three pieces of incidental (background) music that support your concept of the show. Include a list of where each sound effect/piece of music is included in the script (act, scene, line/cue).

Touch

• Create a shoebox-sized 3D model or diorama of your set. Include small cutout figures of at least two characters, as well as models or cutouts of any moving aspects of the set. Include notes about any important transitions and scene changes and how they would work.
• Create a texture design board/scrapbook for your show. Include tactile materials such as fabric swatches, trims and buttons for costumes, wallpaper samples or carpet samples for sets, or small hand props (any props must fit in a shoebox-sized container). Submit at least five textures/items, and include a write-up explaining the purpose of each item.
• Create a hairstyle and makeup look for a character on yourself, another student, or a mannequin that supports your vision of the show. Include close-up photographs of the front, both sides, and the back of the face and head, and/or a time-lapsed video of you creating the look.

Scent & Taste

• Look through your script and note any references to food or drinks. This could include any scenes that are set somewhere people might eat and would require food props onstage, such as a wedding, BBQ, banquet, or picnic. Make a list of those items and estimate the quantities of what you’d need for a weekend run of four performances. For bonus points, look up or create a recipe for one of the food items.
  • Or, if there are no food references in the script… What types of food were served in the geographic area or time period your show is set in? Create a sample menu of what people would commonly consume. Consider factors such as the economic status of the characters; for example, royalty would dine better than peasants.
• Create a signature drink and snack that could be sold at the concession stand for the show. For example: “Queen of Hearts’ cherry lemonade” or “Mad Hatter’s sweet iced tea,” and “March Hare’s tea biscuits” for a production of Alice in Wonderland. Include a design for how you’d style the price list and/or the actual snacks/drinks. For example, you might include “eat me” and “drink me” tags on the snacks and drinks for the Alice suggestion.
• Create a written “scent tour” of the scenes in the play, using descriptive language. What does the world of your play smell like? For example, if the show is set in a carnival, describe in detail the scent of crisp fall air, the pungent odor of gasoline from the rides, and the various smells of the food vendors such as cotton candy, candy apples, popcorn, and French fries. Note any scent changes from scene to scene.