Choices

Switching up the genre of an existing play can be a lot of fun. Take Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet — there have been lots of theatrical and film adaptations of that play, such as West Side Story (musical adaptation), & Juliet (musical POV adaptation), Gnomeo & Juliet (animated), Warm Bodies (zombie rom com), Romeo Must Die (martial arts film), Rosaline (alternate character POV film), and Football Romeo (modern high school adaptation). In this choice board activity, students do just that: take an existing play and switch up the genre. Set it in outer space. Set it on a cruise ship. Set a modern play in the past, or modernize a historical play. If all else fails, add zombies. (For inspiration, check out Theatrefolk’s Hamlet, Zombie Killer of Denmark. Each student will explain their concept, then complete various tasks of their choosing to expand it. Instructions:EVERYONE: • Choose an existing play and read it. • Switch the genre and write a synopsis of how you’d change it. Length: 1 page. • Write an outline/timeline of the major moments of the play, according to your changes. Length: 1 page. CHOOSE 3 TO SUPPORT YOUR GENRE SWITCH: • Create a comparison chart of a changed/altered/adjusted character. • Create a character sketch for a new character you’re adding to the play, and describe what existing character(s) they interact with and how they affect those characters. • Write a monologue for a character. Length: ½–1 page. • Write a new scene. Minimum length: 2 pages. • Write a song for a musical adaptation (you may use an existing song as the melody/structure, or create an original song). • Create an inspiration collage or mood board featuring colours, textures, sketches, photographs, or cutouts that illustrate the concept. (Minimum size: 12 inches by 12 inches) • Create a new set design. Explain how it supports your adaptation. • Create a costume design for one character. Explain how it supports your adaptation. BONUS: For extra credit, students may complete and submit up to two additional choices from the list. Extension Opportunity: If you’d like to expand this activity into a larger scale (such as an ISP or end-of-term project), you can have students create an elevator pitch for their adaptation, or do a complete show design for the production. Additional Resources: Costume Challenge: Modernizing a Classic Character’s Ensemble Connecting the Past to the Present: Modernizing a Scene Playwriting Exercise: Exploring Adaptation Be sure to check out Theatrefolk’s catalogue of classical adaptation plays for inspiration.

Choice boards are a great way to give students some independence and autonomy over their assignments, and “gamifying” their choice board makes it more fun. A simple way to mix up your choice board assignment is to format it like a Bingo board. This gives students a choice in terms of what tasks to complete, while challenging them to try tasks outside their comfort zone to complete the assigned shape. Instructions1. Create a 5x5 Bingo grid. 2. Select various tasks (you’ll need 25, or 24 plus a free centre square) and put one task in each square. The tasks could be all performance-related, all playwriting-related, all tech-related, or a smorgasbord of everything. Some tasks may be individual; some may be pairs or group work. Try to group tasks on the board so there are some easier and harder ones in the same scoring zone. You could also format the assignment as a written report or visual presentation, with each square being a question or prompt that needs to be answered to add up to one large written project. 3. Print off enough bingo cards for each student. 4. Determine how many squares students will need to select to complete the assignment. Some shapes may have one fewer square if you choose to have a free centre square. Shapes you could select include: • 1 line going any direction — vertical, horizontal, or diagonal (4 or 5 squares, depending on if there is a free centre square) • Y or rotating Y* (6 or 7 squares) • 2 lines (7 to 10 squares, depending on if the lines cross and/or if there is a free centre square) • T or rotating T* (8 or 9 squares) • L or rotating L* (9 squares) • Checkerboard* (12 or 13 squares, depending on which alternating squares the student chooses) • Any miscellaneous combination of squares adding up to a certain number of squares (for example, “complete any 10 squares.”) Other options may include four corners, X, outer circle*, or full card, but there are fewer choices for those shapes (meaning, all students would complete the same tasks, versus having more options with the other shapes). *See the giveaway below for visual examples of rotating Y, T, L, Chessboard, and Outer Circle shapes. 5. Students will complete their assigned tasks within the time frame assigned (in-class, assigned as homework, or a combination of both). They will cross off or shade in their completed squares to indicate which tasks they completed, then submit all assigned written and practical work, as well as the bingo sheet, for evaluation. For the performance tasks, students may have the option of performing live in class or filming their performance and submitting the video to the teacher. 6. Bonus: You may wish to offer students extra credit for completing additional squares outside of the assigned shape. Additional Resources: All About Choice Boards Choice Board Exercise: Portraying Emotions First Week Activity: Get To Know You Bingo Drama Fun & Games: Technology Bingo

Here’s a choice board exercise that’s all about emotions. You can use this list for students to complete single tasks (just have students select one assignment out of the many advertised below), or have students complete several tasks as a larger cumulative assignment. All the choices are focused on having students portray the selected emotion in different mediums. This can help students to think creatively, explore different ways of portraying emotions, and solve problems through quick thinking. If you wish for students to use these choices as a cumulative exercise, they must select one task from each category (List, Playwriting, Tech, and Performance) to complete and submit. Tasks from the Tech category and a few from the Performance category have the option of working with a partner, but most tasks are for one student to complete. For the Performance category, students must complete one solo task AND one pair/trio task. 1. Start by selecting an emotion for the entire class to study. Use our collection of Emotion Prompts if you’d like options beyond happy, sad, or angry. 2. Use the following categories and lists for students to select their tasks. List Tasks (choose one) • List 10 songs (preferably from musical theatre) that evoke the chosen emotion. • List 10 plays and/or musicals that feature or focus on the selected emotion. Note a specific moment (act and scene) from each play where the emotion is present. • List 10 quotes from plays or musicals in which the character demonstrates the selected emotion. Playwriting Tasks (choose one) • Write a monologue that evokes the chosen emotion. (Length: ½ page minimum) • Write a two-person scene in which one character expresses the selected emotion. (Length: 1 page minimum) • Write a two-person scene in which both characters express the selected emotion, and something happens at the end of the scene to change the mood. (Length: 1 page minimum) • Write a three-person scene in which one character expresses the chosen emotion, and the other characters try to change their mood. (Length: 1 ½ page minimum) Tech Tasks (choose one — can be done with a partner if students wish) • Create a lighting design that evokes the selected emotion. • Create a set model (for example, in a shoebox) that helps maintain the mood of the chosen emotion. • Select a character from a play that expresses the selected emotion, and create a costume design (full-colour sketch or live creation) that develops that emotion further. • Build a prop that would cause a character onstage to feel the selected emotion. Performing Tasks (choose one solo and one pair/trio task) • Solo: Choose and perform a monologue from an existing play that evokes that emotion. (Please submit a copy of the monologue.) • Solo: Write and perform an original monologue that evokes that emotion. (Students must submit their original script as well.) • Pair/Trio: Create a series of three tableau scenes that evokes the selected emotion. • Pair/Trio: Create a mimed scene in which one of the characters expresses the chosen emotion. • Pair/Trio: Choose and perform a scene from an existing play that portrays the emotion. Each student must have lines. 3. After the students have performed, they will submit all written and practical work, as well as an individual reflection response (found below). 4. Bonus: Students may select and complete one additional task from the Tech, Playwriting, or Performance categories for up to five additional bonus points.

The following is a choice boardexercise about making tough decisions, within a theatrical context. Students will select one of the six activities below to complete. Some of the options are written and some are performance based. There are individual, partner, and small group options as well. It’s all about choice! Ask students to consider the following when they are working on their creation: • What is the decision your character has to make? Is it clear? • How can you raise the stakes of the decision? • Are there any consequences for making the decision? • How does the character make their choice? • How can you show all of that and stick within the word/time limit? Feel free to adjust or omit options as appropriate for your students. You can put them in a grid, in choice board fashion, or present them in a list. Students will write and submit a reflection afterwards (found at the link at the bottom of the article). Here are the options: • Write a monologue (half a page or approximately 250 words) where the character has to make a tough decision. • Create and perform an individual mimed scene (one minute) showing a character making a tough decision. • Find, memorize, and perform a monologue from a play or musical (one minute) where the character is making a tough decision. • Read the following scenarios. Choose one and write a one-page response about how you would solve the problem: • You are the stage manager for a show that will be performed that evening at 7 pm. At 10 am, you receive a text from the lead actor, who tells you that they (literally) broke their leg last night. What would you do? • You are running the soundboard for a show and doing your pre-show check of your equipment. For some reason, the soundboard will not turn on. What would you do? • You are the assistant director for a show and are helping with casting. The director wants to cast your best friend as one of the leads in the show, but also wants to cast your friend’s ex-partner as the other lead. What would you do? • With a partner, create and perform a series of five tableau scenes, showing one character making a tough choice and the other character reacting to it (either positively or negatively). • In a group of four, write and perform a scene with four or more characters (maximum two pages) where two of the characters are presented with a tough choice. One character makes a choice and the other character makes the opposite choice. Use the other characters as appropriate.

A choice board is a visual tool that teachers can use in their classrooms to allow students to… make choices! Choice boards consist of two or more options of activities for students to complete. The teacher specifies what choices are available, and the student selects what activity (or activities) they’ll do. Some choice boards are simple — choose one of two options listed. Some choice boards are more complex; for example, nine options are displayed in a grid and students will select and complete three of them. Choice boards are great because they give students the opportunity to choose how they engage with the material they’ve been studying and demonstrate what they’ve learned in their own way. Students can choose an activity that allows them to play to their own strengths or an option that’s new and challenging. They might wish to study a favourite topic in depth or explore a new topic. Choice boards are also great for accommodating different learning styles. For example, students may have more success submitting journal entries or reflections if they can choose whether to complete a written entry, a video entry, or an audio recorded entry. For a homework assignment, you might provide links to a written article, a video, and a podcast (all on a similar topic), have students read/watch/listen to one of them, and create a response to or answer questions about the content. Choice boards give students freedom within their learning, which also requires them to take responsibility for their choices. Letting students choose their own activities allows them to pick options that are interesting to them, or that they can connect to on a deeper level, which leads to more meaningful learning. Choice boards can be as simple as two options listed on a whiteboard or as fancy as grids, bingo cards, photos, pictures, or objects. They can be useful for remote or asynchronous learning, as they allow students to work at their own pace (within the allotted time frame). You can post choice boards in whatever digital classroom your school uses, and students can select and submit their assignments virtually, by the indicated deadline. Here are two sample choice board activities. (For other examples and activities, see the downloads at the bottom of this article!) For a performance-based choice board: • Students will select and rehearse a 30-second monologue of their choice. Students may either perform their monologue live in class on Friday or record a video of their performance and submit it by Thursday at 7 pm. Please submit the title of the monologue and your choice of performance style to Ms. Smith by the end of Tuesday’s class. For a playwriting choice board (choose one of the following): • Write a half-page monologue where the main character expresses a strong emotion. • Write a one-page scene where the main character interacts with one other family member. • Write a one-page scene where the main character does something for the first time with a group of people. • Write a one-page scene where two other characters talk about the main character. The following exercises also feature activities that you could use for choice boards: • Superhero Series: Final Performance • Playwriting Exercise: Advertisement Prompt • Costume Challenge: Modernizing a Classic Character’s Ensemble

In this article, we’re focusing on responsible decision making, which is one of the five areas of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). If the concept of SEL is new to you, check out this article for a basic overview: Social and Emotional Learning in the Drama Classroom: What Is It?. Decisions are often what drive the action in plays. Alice decides to follow the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole. Romeo decides to gatecrash the Capulets’ feast with Benvolio and Mercutio. Wednesday Addams decides to invite her new (and normal!) boyfriend and his parents to meet her creepy, kooky family. One major decision may affect a number of characters and situations within the play, and a really intriguing decision will keep the audience on the edge of their seats, waiting to know what the fallout will be. But what if the character makes a different choice than what happens within the text? The following exercise challenges students to first identify and analyze a big decision made within the text by a character, and then to think creatively about what the characters might have done differently. Have students respond to the following questions, either in class as a discussion, or as a written assignment. Students may work individually, in pairs, or in small groups. You may assign a particular scene or moment for students to analyze, or have students select their own play and choose the moment they are going to analyze. 1. What was the incident that occurred in the script that caused the decision? When did the incident occur? What characters were involved? 2. What were the options that the character had to consider? How many options were there? Use specific quotes from the text. 3. What were the known pros and cons of this choice, if any? 4. What did the character ultimately choose to do? Write down the choice as it appears in the text, or your best approximation. 5. Was it their choice to make? Did another character or situation influence their choice? Was the character forced into the choice, or did they make it on their own? 6. Was the choice the character made an ethical one? Why or why not? 7. What were some options that weren’t in the text that they could have considered instead? 8. What would have happened had the character made a different choice? Would the show have been the same, or would it have ended differently? You can even go further with this exercise and have students create and perform their own scenes in which the characters make a different choice than what appears in the text. It’s fascinating to see where your students’ imaginations take them!

Cancelling a show is a difficult decision. There isn’t a “one answer fits all” solution – it must be handled on a case-by-case basis. As much as possible, I believe that “the show must go on.” But sometimes, that’s not possible! It’s important to keep calm and consider various solutions before deciding to cancel. Bring your cast, crew, volunteers and staff together to see if there’s a way that the show you have all worked on can go on as planned. Cancelling can mean disappointment for your students and staff. On top of that, you’ve already paid for the rights to the show and possibly sold tickets, so you must consider the financial loss as well. I have dealt with many issues that have threatened a performance, and the only two reasons in my 10+ years of working in theatre that a show has been cancelled were weather-related – heavy snow prevented us from either getting to or getting into the building. Fortunately, in both cases, it was only one performance that was cancelled, not the full run of the show. Let’s look at a few situations that have threatened to cancel a show, and what we did about them. Power OutageI have been part of at least three productions that have experienced power outages. In the case of a power outage, the first priority must be the safety of your students, staff, and audience members. In one situation, the power went out first thing in the morning, and we were unable to enter the building. We notified our audience via social media that the performance would definitely be delayed, and might be cancelled. Since it was a beautiful sunny day, our first solution was to present the performance outside, in front of the building, using a battery-operated boom box. Luckily, the power came back on, and once everyone’s safety was ensured, we performed the show in our theatre. We didn’t have to cancel, just postpone, and we only had to refund two tickets – not too bad! Illness and/or InjuryOver the years, I have had many students contact me before a show to tell me they were sick or hurt. We had to come up with creative solutions and adjustments, but each time we were able to avoid cancelling the show. Here are just a few of them: • A student with laryngitis and no voice lip-synced onstage while another student spoke and sang his lines on a microphone backstage. • An assistant stage manager went on with script-in-hand for a student who was hospitalized due to the flu. • A student with a leading role who broke her ankle in between performances went onstage on crutches, with minor changes to her blocking and choreography (as well as changing her character’s summer job from a lifeguard to a pro shop staff member). • A different student with a leading role who broke his ankle prior to performances stepped back and performed in the ensemble while an understudy learned the role in three days and went on in his place. • Many students have performed sick, and napped backstage in between scenes. • In a show that was double-cast, one student played the shared role for every performance to cover a student who was sick. UnpreparednessThis is absolutely not a reason to cancel a show, even though it’s incredibly frustrating. Having a student be so unprepared that the show is potentially compromised is disappointing and scary, as well as unfair to all the students and staff who have done their parts to make the show successful. Some of the adjustments I’ve witnessed to avoid cancellation include: • Running extra rehearsals on top of the regularly scheduled rehearsals • Switching students’ roles, or replacing an actor entirely • Cutting monologues or lines, and/or reassigning lines to other actors, while still ensuring the text makes sense • Hiding scripts in props (such as books or scrolls) • Having a prompter in the wings or backstage • Changing the direction of the show entirely, presenting it as a workshop with scripts in hand/reader’s theatre It’s not ideal to be forced to adjust your show to accommodate an unprepared student. However, if it comes down to cancelling entirely or making an adjustment, I would always err on the side of ensuring the show goes on. It’s a good lesson in humility for the unprepared student, and a cautionary lesson for the rest of the cast.