Mise en scene 2024

• Drama
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 1

Mise en scene
Lesson 1

This lesson

- Introduction to mise-en-scene. 
- Exercise 'balance the space'
- Assignment in pairs. 

- Perform
- Feedback

Mise en scene

A French term
meaning:  

the arrangement of the scenery 

(props, actors, decor etc.) 

on the stage of a theatrical production. (compositie van alle elementen van een theatervoorstelling) 

We can also find mise-en-scene in a museum. Explain?

Mise en scene - why?

Why is it important to pay attention to the mise-en-scene of your performance?

Balance the space

Ask the students to walk around the space but maintain a balanced level of space around them and around the room at the same time. 

Assignment

In pairs. 
Everyone works with a 'scene starter', given by the teacher.
Start four steps away from each other. 
- If you say something loving, kind, affectionate:
step forward 
- If you say something shy, reserved, unkind or modest:
take a step back.

Let the scene play out, moving backwards and forwards according to their lines.

If the two characters want the same thing, then they will end the scene pretty close together. If the characters want different things (one wants an argument but the other doesn’t) then the distance will remain the same or be even further apart. The distance between the two characters has now started to communicate some of the relationship between them.

Print & cut

Feedback after performing

What does the distance between two characters tell us about:
- their relationship?

- the scene?

Why is it important to think about this while creating a piece of drama?

Mise en scene

This part

- Exercise mise-en-scene
- Assignment Madlibs in (different) pairs. 

- Perform
- Feedback

Most attention/least attention

Half of the group (or ten people at least) divide themselfs on stage. They can do whatever they want to draw the attention of the audience (within moral limits :D). Every member of the audience points towards the person they believe is attracting the most attention. Round 2 is about trying not to attract any attention. Still the audience is pointing towards the person attracting the most attention (which means he/she has to change something, because in this round you don't want people to look at you)

Is focus always about making lots of noise? Or about your position on stage?

Mad libs

In pairs

Fill in the words in the gaps

Rehearse your script

Show it to the class...

Sheets madlibs printen

Mad libs

While creating your performance experiment with:

- distance between characters
- work with attention and focus; how can you give
   or take away focus?

Feedback

What does the distance between two characters tell us about:

- their relationship?

- the scene?

How did they work with focus/attention in space?