Unit
Abstract Scene Performance
Created by Annie Dragoo
In this unit, students will create and perform an abstract theatre scene. Abstract is a genre that does not rely on realism and deliberately breaks the rules of a given form. In the case of theatre, this refers to the commonly presented rules of performance, acting, and the relationship with the audience. Movement is often stylized and symbolic. Ideas and themes are expressed visually and aurally with little dialogue using music, lights, costumes, and props.
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The overview lays out the objective, pacing, lesson structure, and assessment strategy for the unit.
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1Lesson 1What is Abstract Theatre?In this unit, students will create and perform an abstract theatre scene. Abstract is a genre that does not rely on realism and deliberately breaks the rules of a given form. In the case of theatre, this refers to the commonly presented rules of performance, acting, and the relationship with the audience. Movement is often stylized and symbolic. Ideas and themes are expressed visually and aurally with little dialogue using music, lights, costumes, and props.
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2Lesson 2Using Movement to Convey an IdeaIn this lesson, students will participate in several activities that will help them devise, create, and rehearse movement that can be used in abstract scenes. They will practice and demonstrate their understanding of blocking and physicality by being able to add and execute movement in their abstract scene.
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3Lesson 3Rehearsal and Movement PracticeIn this lesson, students will spend time rehearsing their abstract scenes. They will also practice and demonstrate movement skills such as facial expression, posture, gesture control, and balance.
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4Lesson 4Peer Review RehearsalIn this lesson, students will spend time rehearsing their abstract scenes. They will have an opportunity to both perform for their peers and to evaluate another group’s abstract scene using the performance rubric.
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5Lesson 5Abstract Scene PerformancesStudents will perform their abstract scenes for classes who have been invited to observe.
Standards Addressed
Grade 6 - Creating
- TA6.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.<br/>a. Identify artistic choices, utilize theatre vocabulary, and demonstrate non-verbal communication skills in the rehearsal process.<br/>b. Interpret a character’s motivation by understanding the relationship between their background and their behavior.<br/>c. Identify the variety of relationships between characters.<br/>d. Identify, define, and classify character traits.<br/>e. Recognize and demonstrate the roles, responsibilities, and skills associated with collaborative performance.<br/>f. Use resources to identify and create technical elements of theatre.
- TA6.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.<br/>a. Identify the elements of a story.<br/>b. Identify the theme and structure of a play.<br/>c. Articulate creative ideas in oral and written forms.<br/>d. Use the dramatic writing process to generate a script.<br/>e. Demonstrate the conventions of dialogue and stage directions.
Grade 7 - Creating
- TA7.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.<br/>a. Identify and rehearse effective communication skills.<br/>b. Compare and contrast character types and relationships by analyzing character motivations, objectives, and goals.<br/>c. Compare the physical, emotional, vocal, and social dimensions of a character.<br/>d. Investigate the role and responsibility of the cast and crew.<br/>e. Identify and model ensemble skills in the rehearsal process.<br/>f. Utilize staging and blocking choices to enhance the performance.<br/>g. Compare, contrast, and design elements of technical theatre.<br/>h. Utilize theatre vocabulary throughout the rehearsal process.
- TA7.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.<br/>a. Create ideas for stories.<br/>b. Analyze the theme and structure of a play.<br/>c. Use the dramatic writing process to generate a script.<br/>d. Utilize dramatic conventions in the scriptwriting process (e.g. stage directions, dialogue, scenes).
Grade 7 - Performing
- TA7.PR.1 Act by communicating and sustaining roles in formal and informal environments.<br/>a. Execute effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills in performance (e.g. rate, pitch, volume, inflection, posture, facial expression, physical movement).<br/>b. Participate in a variety of acting exercises and techniques that can be applied in a rehearsal or theatre performance.<br/>c. Engage in various performance styles.
- TA7.PR.2 Execute artistic and technical elements of theatre.<br/>a. Select a variety of technical elements that can be applied to a theatrical work.<br/>b. Incorporate artistic and technical elements into a theatre performance.
Grades 9-12 - ACTING LEVELS I-IV - Responding
Grades 9-12 - ADVANCED DRAMA LEVELS I-IV -Creating
Grades 9-12 - ADVANCED DRAMA LEVELS I-IV -Responding
Grades 9-12 - FUNDAMENTALS OF THEATRE LEVELS I-IV - Creating
- TAHSFT.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.<br/>a. Recognize and/or employ realistic and conventional speech patterns within dialogue or dramatic verse.<br/>b. Incorporate dramatic elements through improvisation.<br/>c. Recognize and interpret artistic choices in performance.
- TAHSFT.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.<br/>a. Differentiate between dramatic and traditional literary writing and utilize common steps of the playwriting process.<br/>b. Assess the need for script analysis, concept development, and directorial and technical concerns of a theatrical script.<br/>c. Construct and critique elements of dramatic structure, character, and dialogue.<br/>d. Create and perform scenes for audiences.
Grades 9-12 - FUNDAMENTALS OF THEATRE LEVELS I-IV - Responding
Grades 9-12 - MUSICAL THEATRE LEVELS I-IV - Responding
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