Unit
in Theatre History Curriculum
Unit 9: Romanticism
Created by Drama Teacher Academy
4 lessons
theatre history
Romanticism broke away from the strictures of the neoclassical era preferring instead the Medieval/Gothic periods. The Romantic notion of finding beauty and humanity in the ugly is epitomized by Quasimodo in Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The movement rejected Enlightenment, scientific rationalism, and the Industrial Revolution; rather, it embraced intuition and emotion over reason. On one hand, the tail end of neoclassicism led to the well-made play. On the other hand, the emphasis on emotion led to melodrama and an artificial declamatory acting style.
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The overview lays out the objective, pacing, lesson structure, and assessment strategy for the unit.
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1Lesson 1Set the Stage for RomanticismIn this lesson, students will be introduced to the 19th century and the Romantic period. They will complete a research project on the sociopolitical and cultural background of the era to set the stage for Romanticism.
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2Lesson 2RomanticismIn this lesson, students will be introduced to the characteristics of Romanticism in literature, painting, and music. For each category, students will analyze samples and discuss how these pieces illustrate the characteristics of Romanticism. Finally, students will create a theatrical moment that applies the characteristics of Romanticism.
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3Lesson 3Romantic TheatreIn this lesson, students will be introduced to the elements of Romantic theatre, examine what makes a “well-made” play, apply Goethe’s three questions of art criticism, practice a couple of Delsarte’s emotional gestures, and use those gestures to create their own modern melodrama.
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4Lesson 4Culminating ActivityDecide how students will demonstrate their knowledge of the unit. A variety of activities are provided. You can choose to have all your students do the same activity, or allow students to choose how they demonstrate their knowledge. Rubrics are provided for each activity.
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 - Creating
- TAHSA.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.<br/>a. Use script analysis in the development and presentation of formal and informal theatre performances.<br/>b. Examine various theories of dramatic structure.<br/>c. Engage in and apply meaningful cultural, literary, and historical research to create acting choices or directorial concepts.
- TAHSA.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.<br/>a. Examine theatre practices regarding the development, structure, layout, and format of scripts.<br/>b. Use improvisation, personal experiences, heritage, imagination, literature, and history to develop scripts.<br/>c. Perform formal and informal monologues and scenes based on published and original scripts.
Grades 9-12 - ACTING LEVELS I-IV - Responding
- TAHSA.RE.1 Engage actively and appropriately as an audience member.<br/>a. Examine and reflect on the relationship between actor and live audience in historical and contemporary performances.
- TAHSA.RE.2 Critique various aspects of theatre and other media using appropriate supporting evidence.<br/>a. Develop and utilize meaningful, structured criteria for assessing the work of an actor.
Grades 9-12 - ACTING LEVELS I-IV - Connecting
- TAHSA.CN.1 Explore how theatre connects to life experience, careers, and other content.<br/>a. Examine multiple facets of the business of theatre.<br/>b. Examine the methods of pursuing various acting careers, including demonstrating audition etiquette and techniques.
- TAHSA.CN.2 Examine the role of theatre in a societal, cultural, and historical context.<br/>a. Examine and apply theatrical theories, performances, and conventions from a variety of theatrical literature, historical periods, and cultures.
Grades 9-12 - ADVANCED DRAMA LEVELS I-IV -Creating
- TAHSAD.CR.1 Organize, design, and refine theatrical work.<br/>a. Examine various theories of dramatic structure.<br/>b. Engage in and apply meaningful cultural, literary, and historical research to create acting choices or directorial concepts.
- TAHSAD.CR.2 Develop scripts through theatrical techniques.<br/>a. Utilize theatrical conventions to produce scripts based on personal experiences, imagination, literature, and history.
Grades 9-12 - ADVANCED DRAMA LEVELS I-IV -Performing
Grades 9-12 - ADVANCED DRAMA LEVELS I-IV -Responding
Grades 9-12 - ADVANCED DRAMA LEVELS I-IV -Connecting
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
- TAHSFT.RE.1 Engage actively and appropriately as an audience member.<br/>a. Articulate why the relationship between the audience and performers is critical to the success of the production and demonstrate appropriate audience behavior.<br/>b. State and support aesthetic judgments through experience in diverse styles and genres of theatre.
- TAHSFT.RE.2 Critique various aspects of theatre and other media using appropriate supporting evidence.<br/>a. Generate and use terminology for critiquing theatre presentations.<br/>b. Analyze performance and utilize various effective forms of criticism to respond to and/or improve performance.
Grades 9-12 - FUNDAMENTALS OF THEATRE LEVELS I-IV - Connecting
- TAHSFT.CN.1 Explore how theatre connects to life experiences, careers, and other content.<br/>a. Examine how theatre reflects real life.<br/>b. Analyze how theatre employs aspects of other art forms and disciplines to effectively communicate with a live audience.<br/>c. Demonstrate awareness of the discipline, knowledge, skills, and education required for careers in theatre.<br/>d. Explore various careers in the theatre arts (e.g. performance, design, production, administrative, education, promotion).
- TAHSFT.CN.2 Examine the role of theatre in a societal, cultural, and historical context.<br/>a. Identify and analyze plays and dramas from a variety of historical periods and cultures.<br/>b. Explore the works of milestone playwrights and plays, and the relevance of historical theatre.<br/>c. Recognize historical events that have influenced the role of theatre and how theatrical events have impacted cultural development.<br/>d. Interpret cultural and historical research for use in a production.
Grades 9-12 - MUSICAL THEATRE LEVELS I-IV - Creating
Grades 9-12 - MUSICAL THEATRE LEVELS I-IV - Performing
- TAHSMT.PR.1 Act and direct by communicating and sustaining roles within a variety of situations and environments.<br/>a. Examine and implement the skills and tasks associated with acting, singing, and dancing, incorporating vocal and movement technique, observation, and imagination to create characters for formal and informal performances.<br/>b. Identify and examine the responsibilities and tasks of an actor in relation to directors, designers, choreographers, technical crew, and production staff.<br/>c. Use the skills and tools of a director to develop a presentation of formal and informal musical theatre performances.<br/>d. Conduct rehearsals to present a musical theatre performance for a live audience.
- TAHSMT.PR.2 Execute artistic and technical elements of theatre.<br/>a. Engage as a creative team in script analysis to plan and create technical elements of a theatre production, including sets, props, costumes, makeup, lighting, and sound.
Grades 9-12 - MUSICAL THEATRE LEVELS I-IV - Responding
Grades 9-12 - MUSICAL THEATRE LEVELS I-IV - Connecting
Grades 9-12 - THEATRE HISTORY AND LITERATURE I AND II - Creating
Grades 9-12 - THEATRE HISTORY AND LITERATURE I AND II - Performing
Grades 9-12 - THEATRE HISTORY AND LITERATURE I AND II - Responding
Grades 9-12 - THEATRE HISTORY AND LITERATURE I AND II - Connecting
Grades 9-12 - THEATRE MANAGEMENT - Creating
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