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Unit in Musical Theatre Curriculum

Character Work in Musical Theatre

Created by Drama Teacher Academy

3 lessons

In this unit, students will incorporate character development into their musical theatre preparation. Students will explore internal and external tools that they can use to express emotion in their singing. Students will then take everything they have learned and apply it to a song which they will then perform (solo or in groups).

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The overview lays out the objectives for the unit, outlines the lessons, and explains assessment strategy and pacing.
  1. 1
    Lesson 1
    Character Analysis: Musical Theatre Version
    As we begin our character development work in connection to musical theatre, students will watch a musical and use a variety of character development techniques to study a character within that musical. They will identify a plot diagram for the musical, identify key characters and relationships, identify the social conditions, create a visual character profile for a specific character, identify specific emotions for that character, and complete an interpretation statement.
  2. 2
    Lesson 2
    Song Interpretation: Internal and External Tools
    Singing is acting. And at the crux of any performance, whether it be singing or acting, is emotion. There are many different tools for an actor to communicate their character’s emotions as an actor. The key is finding out which tools also work in a singing context. Students will determine effective ways of communicating the character’s emotions in a way that will not hinder their use of proper posture and breathing.
  3. 3
    Lesson 3
    Apply Knowledge
    Students are going to take everything they’ve learned (internal and external tools, interpretation statements, and textual analysis) and apply it to a new song. Students will choose a song, complete an analysis of that song, and perform it. Students will be assessed on how well they incorporate what they have learned into their performances.

Standards Addressed

Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation - Grade 6

Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation - Grade 8

Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation - Grade HS Proficient

Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation - Grade HS Accomplished

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