Scene Work: Part 2, Student Self Staging

Created by Lindsay Price

In Part 2 of Scene Work, students take everything they learned in Part 1 and apply it to the staging of a scene.
Students work independently to block, build character, experiment and rehearse a scene. You can continue the scene work process from Part 1, or if your students have a grounding with scene work basics, perhaps they just do Part 2 of this unit.

scene work

Overview

The overview lays out the objectives, materials, and general outline for the unit.

Additional Attachments

Handouts

1: Session 1: Script Analysis - The Basics

Students will begin their staging journey by compiling the basics. They will read the scene and identify some general knowledge that will help them play the scene.

Attachments

Session 1 Slide Deck

2: Session 2: Script Analysis - Close Reading

When analyzing a script, you want students to do a close reading, multiple times, and mine the text for as much information as possible. It’s important to know who your character is, why they act the way they do, and, most importantly, how you can physicalize all your newfound knowledge. At the end of each read, students identify possible staging ideas for their character and for the plot.

Attachments

Session 2 Slide Deck

3: Session 3: Script Analysis - Scoring

The last script analysis step is scoring. To score a scene means to divide the dialogue into beats and then add action words for each beat. Scoring gives students a roadmap for staging.

Attachments

Session 3 Slide Deck

4: Session 4: Staging the Scene - Beats and Action Words

Students will take their script analysis work with beats and action words and apply it to their scene. Students will also start to think about how they will have to adapt staging to a virtual environment.

Attachments

Session 4 Slide Deck

5: Session 5: Staging the Scene - Character Physicalization

Students will continue working on staging techniques by exploring character physicality.

Attachments

Session 5 Slide Deck

6: Session 6: Staging the Scene - Adapting Blocking Notation

Students will solidify blocking notation that can be used in a virtual environment.

Attachments

Session 6 Slide Deck

7: Session 7: Memorization Techniques

The sooner students memorize their lines, the more fun they are going to be able to have with the scene. It’s hard to become a character, fully realize blocking, and make the scene one’s own with a script in hand. Acting begins when lines are memorized. This session will focus on practicing a variety of memorization techniques. They will be applied to Section 1 of the scene.

Attachments

Session 7 Slide Deck

8: Session 8: Staging the Scene - Character Physicality (2)

Students will revisit character physicality choices and solidify that they are a part of their staging. Additionally, there are some exercises to further explore character physicality. Encourage students to continue to visualize and practice bringing characters to life as they work on their scene.

Attachments

Session 8 Slide Deck

9: Session 9: Purposeful Action

Students have been through their scene multiple times with specific blocking choices. They have been working on memorization and character physicality. In their rehearsal today, students will review their blocking choices with a specific objective of making every action in the scene purposeful and theatrical.

Attachments

Session 9 Slide Deck

10: Session 10: Removing Actor-Driven Movement

The rehearsal period is coming to a close, and it’s almost time to present. In this rehearsal, students will share their scene with another group with the specific focus of examining it for actor-driven movement rather than character-driven movement: shuffling your weight back and forth between your feet, playing with your hair, vaguely gesturing with your hands, etc.

Attachments

Session 10 Slide Deck

11: Session 11: Final Rehearsal

This is it! The final rehearsal before students perform. Students focus on getting those last few lines word perfect, reflect on where they are, and do final run throughs.

12: Session 12: Performing the Scene

Students perform their scene and complete a post-performance reflection.