Scene & Song Analysis Using Emojis

Japanese artist Shigetaka Kurita invented modern-day emojis in 1999, and they’ve found their place in our world as a unique visual language. Emojis can be used as a way to express ourselves when tone isn’t evident in writing. And they’re a lot of fun too! There are many ways that you can use emojis for warm-up games in drama class. In this article, we’ll share ways for students to use emojis to express themselves non-verbally, using their bodies and faces. These warm-up exercises are great for any grade level and can also be done online in a virtual classroom setting, with cameras on. You can use these in the drama classroom or as a physical rehearsal warm-up. To start, you might wish to print out flashcards of different emojis or project them onto the wall. Students will then physicalize the emojis using their bodies and faces in different ways. Here are 11 prompts to get them started: • Hold up a flashcard or project an emoji onto the wall so everyone can see it. Using their bodies and faces, students must imitate the emojis as precisely as possible in a frozen pose. • Imitate emojis as precisely as possible using only their faces. This is easy for the face emojis, but harder for the full-body or inanimate object emojis. For example, how would students use only their faces to imitate a checkered flag or the scissors emoji? • Using only their bodies, students must imitate the emojis as precisely as possible, while their faces must remain in a neutral expression. This may be easier for the full-body emojis but harder for the face emojis. (If you have access to plain neutral masks, they might be a helpful tool for students to use so they don’t have to think about keeping their faces expressionless while focusing on their bodies. However, they aren’t a necessity.) • Have students imitate emojis from memory — no visual prompts. • Have students form groups of three to recreate the emojis. Each student must be included somehow. • Create a unique walk or movement for an emoji. • Have students form two lines. Give each student a different emoji. Starting at the front of each line, have two emojis meet in the middle of the room and improvise a conversation. • Have students form two lines. Give each student a different emoji. Starting at the front of each line, have two emojis meet in the middle of the room and mime a conversation — no voices allowed. • Have a student draw a flashcard of an emoji and act it out. The rest of the students have to guess what emoji they are portraying. • Ask students a series of questions. They can only respond silently, using their bodies and faces to imitate emojis. Guess which emojis they’re portraying. • Play Giants, Elves, and Wizards using emojis. How will students determine which emoji beats which? Repeat these exercises as many times as you wish! Related Articles: Scene & Song Analysis Using Emojis Exercise: Mimed Relationships Physical Warm-Up Game: Doodles

Taylor Swift famously described categorizing her songs as having "fountain pen," "quill pen," or "glitter gel pen" lyrics, referring to how the songs were written and the feelings they were meant to evoke. According to Taylor, fountain pen songs are modern, emotional, and deeply personal. Quill pen songs are old-fashioned-sounding, historical, and finely detailed. Glitter gel pen songs are upbeat, light, and youthful. Her songs are always written and performed in her unique voice, but the tone, structure, and artistic approach are different. It makes for an interesting writing challenge, but also creates a sense of variety and fun from song to song. Let's take that concept and apply it to writing a scene for performance. In this exercise, students will come up with a premise featuring one or two characters, to be the basis of a short scene or monologue. The scene or monologue will be between half a page to one page in length. Students will write the scene three different ways, using Taylor’s three song categories as the basis for tone, style, and word choice. Start by coming up with a premise for the scene. Some ideas might be: • Someone preparing a favourite meal • Someone cleaning their room and finding a long-lost item • A parent and child going shopping for a particular item • A baseball player about to go up to bat • Someone sharing a secret with a friend Create a brief outline for the scene, decide on the name(s) of the character(s), and note any pertinent personality traits or necessary details. The outline can be as simple as “Susan (parent) and Demi (child, age 13) need to get a new pair of pants for Demi.” Then, students will write the scene three different ways: fountain pen style, quill pen style, and glitter gel pen style. As a reminder: fountain pen songs are modern, emotional, and personal; quill pen songs are old fashioned, historical, and detailed; and glitter gel pen songs are upbeat, light, and youthful. So for example, in the scene about the clothing store, in a fountain pen scene, Susan and Demi might disagree about what pants to get, and Demi has a monologue about how their parent doesn’t understand how the pants they want to wear represent their personality and how they’re viewed in the world. In the quill pen scene, Susan and Demi might have to purchase the materials and notions and sew the pants themselves, and have deep conversations while they work together to make the pants for Demi. In the glitter gel pen scene, Demi might break into song about all the different pants and how surprised they are to discover that they’re actually having fun with Susan, trying on the pants. In all three scenes, Demi is getting a pair of pants, but each scene is totally different in tone and structure. Now you may have students saying, “Three different ways? I can barely write a scene one way!” Not to worry, we have lots of ways to help students figure out how to approach the different styles of writing. Have students consider the following when they’re planning their writing: • Perspective: Think of writing from the perspective of an adult, an elderly person, or a child. • Time period: Write from the time of the present, the past, or the future. • Slang words or phrases: How would words like rizz, groovy, awesome, balderdash, or forsooth affect the scene? • Cultural references: Do the characters communicate using telephones, letters, or social media? Are they fans of lute music, The Who, or robo-trance music of the year 2347? • Amount of words used: “Why yes, of course mother” has a much different tone than “Yeah ma,” as does “Alas, I wish to possess that item” versus “I want that.” • Contractions: “Do not” versus “don't” sounds very different. • Types of words used: Think about simple words and phrasing versus complex language, and who is using the words. For example, a five year old wouldn't likely use the word "conversely" when they’re talking. • Amount of details you include, and which details. • Style of scene: dramatic, comedic, historical, musical… Once students have completed their writing, have them read their scenes aloud to a partner or small group (or have other group members read the scenes aloud to them). Listen for things like consistent details, tone differences, anachronisms, and whether or not the scenes flow well. If any edits or revisions are needed, students should make those changes, then submit their three scenes to the teacher. Alternate Exercise: If students are overwhelmed by the thought of writing one story three different ways, have them work in groups of three. The groups will come up with one scene premise, and each student in the group will write the scene in one of the three styles (fountain pen, quill pen, or glitter gel pen style). Groups must ensure that the details of all the scenes are consistent between group members; only the style of writing will change. Groups will submit all three scenes together as a package.

In “Drama Class ABCs,” students work together as a class to create a children’s alphabet book of important theatre-related words and phrases. This project can be done in person or virtually. It challenges students to select and define 26 important theatrical vocabulary words and phrases, and explain those words and phrases in simple language that young children or non-drama students would understand. Materials Needed:• If you’re making a physical book, you’ll need: • 26 pieces of paper (one for each letter of the alphabet) • 13 page protectors (two letters per protector) • Art supplies – pens, markers, paint, magazines, printer, etc. • A binder, duotang, scrapbook, or access to a binding service • If you’re making an ebook/PowerPoint presentation/video, you’ll need: • Computers or Chromebooks with appropriate design or editing software Step 1: Word ChoiceAs a class, go through your drama and theatre vocabulary and choose one word or phrase for each letter of the alphabet. This part will be done as a group to avoid coming up with words or phrases that are too similar, and for students to help each other out when they get to more challenging letters. Here are some examples: • “A” is for Actor, or Audience, or Assistant Stage Manager • “B” is for Backstage • “C” is for Cheat Out, or Costumes, or Cables, or Characters • “D” is for Downstage, or Dressing Room, or Dress Rehearsal • “E” is for Entrances and Exits, or Ensemble Students will need to form a consensus on what word or phrase is most important to include and why. If your class is more specialized, you may wish to relate your words and phrases to that topic (e.g., musical theatre, dance and movement, famous playwrights, technical theatre). Some letters might be more difficult — what might your students choose for letters like Q, X, or Z? Step 2: Simple DefinitionsOnce students have selected a word or phrase for each letter of the alphabet, assign each student a letter (or more, depending on the number of students in your class). For each word or phrase, students will create a brief sentence using the word. For example, if your word for the letter C is Costumes, students might write, “Costumes are clothes worn by actors onstage to show their character.” Focus on keeping definitions clear and easy to understand. Alternatively, you might wish to challenge your students to create rhyming definitions, write the definitions in iambic pentameter, or use alliteration (“Creative Costumes keep Characters looking Cool”). Step 3: Design the PagesStudents will then design and illustrate their assigned letter page. They can draw, paint, use magazine tear outs, create a collage — whatever is creative and colourful and appropriate for the letter, word, and sentence. Students must include the letter, word, and sentence in the design in a way that is clear and easy to read. If your class is creating a physical book, choose a consistent size of paper that is easy to bind together using page protectors (such as 8.5 x 11” notebook-sized paper, or 12 x 12” scrapbook paper). If your class is creating an ebook, PowerPoint presentation, or video, give students layout and size proportions in advance so you don’t have to edit the images down and risk cutting off a portion of the design or skewing the size. Students will submit their completed page(s) as well as a response to the exit slip question below. Once your book is amassed, you can gift it to a local elementary school drama class, or keep it in your classroom as both a reference material and a memento of your current class. Be sure to note the year and the students’ names somewhere in the document. You may also want to enlist a student to design a cover image, perhaps for extra credit.