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Close reading is a text-dependent analysis tool that allows students to read a text for in-depth comprehension. Students focus on the text to understand what’s being said, how it’s being said, and why. In this lesson, students will use this analysis technique on a monologue. They will go through the process on a model and then apply what they have learned in a culminating activity.

Close reading is a text-dependent analysis tool that allows students to read a text for in-depth comprehension. Students focus on the text to understand what’s being said, how it’s being said, and why. This tool can be an excellent method for getting students to connect to Shakespeare. Where students take a left turn with understanding Shakespeare is that they can’t see past the language. They can’t see using the same tools analyzing a Shakespeare play as they would a modern play. So use close reading to break the language down, move past it, and treat Shakespeare like a modern text.

This lesson introduces the idea of “Objective/Goal, Obstacle, and Action/Tactic” as a powerful building block for actors and to introduce the concept of working with verbs as tactics.

This lesson introduces the idea of “Objective/Goal, Obstacle, and Action/Tactic” to simple scenes by scoring those scenes and playing the scored text.

This lesson incorporates physicality into stage relationships and learn to use stage position as an element of blocking that can show the dynamics of and changes in power in a scene.

This lesson combines the work done in Lesson 2 (scoring scenes by beats) with the physical work done in Lesson 3 (creating dynamically staged scenes by connecting choices in blocking/staging to the underlying structural elements in a scene).

Students will work in pairs to create and perform two-minute scenes focused on clear objectives, clear obstacles, multiple tactics – and they will learn to give focused feedback.

3 Posters designed for the drama classroom, to support the Ensemble Building and Class Norms objectives.

7 posters for the drama classroom, designed to support the objectives of the building improvised scenes unit.

8 posters for the drama classroom, to support the objectives of the Improvisation Basics unit.

Students will research a tech theatre organization and apply their knowledge by creating a marketing brochure.

Students explore the design concepts of line and shape and how they can be used by a designer to affect an audience.

Students continue to explore design through the effects of colour and apply their knowledge.

Students will research and apply knowledge on the effect of colour.

Students explore the effect scenic design can have on storytelling using designed environments from known TV shows and movies.

Students explore the process of scenic design so they: • Have a guided path for work that they might create. • Understand what information designers need in order to create.

Students analyze a script to determine scenic needs. They utilize thumbnail sketches to explore potential designs for a play.

Students explore an element of scenic design and apply their knowledge in a drafting exercise. They will use this information when they create a ground plan as part of their scenic design.

Students apply their knowledge by creating a ground plan.

Students explore an element of scenic design and apply their knowledge to create a rendering.