Greek theatre lesson 2

• Drama
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 1

Greek Theatre

IMYC

Theme!

Today

                  Aim: to create your own Greek chorus performance

Vocabulary last lesson

Unison: to do something at the same time.

Chorus: A group of performers who sing, speak, dance and move in unison.

Repetition The repeating of a word, phrase, movement or gesture.

Vocabulary this lesson

Canon: When a group of performers present the same movement, gesture or phrase one after another.

Exaggeration: Making something larger or greater than it is naturally.

Solo: to do something alone

Lets watch the film

Which parts of Greek chorus work do we see here?

Chorus exercises: move in unison

In a circle, teacher does a gesture everyone copies. Students offer new ideas for a gesture. Everyone does it in unison

Snake - groups of 4-6 through the room - arms on shoulders for distance

. Leader changing, tempo changing, walking/using whole body, start/stop

Taking arms away

Chorus exercises: move in unison

What things do you do every day?

Rituals?

For example: washing your face...

In a circle, teacher does a gesture everyone copies. Students offer new ideas for a gesture. Everyone does it in unison

Snake - groups of 4-6 through the room - arms on shoulders for distance

. Leader changing, tempo changing, walking/using whole body, start/stop

Taking arms away

Performance assignment

In your group:

Think of a daily activity - doing the dishes, brushing your teeth, eating dinner (for example)

Mime this activity in unison (together) 

Happy with it? Now write a 6-8 line story to go with it

Performance assignment

Experiment with:

• Choral moments: move as one/speak in unison
• Repetition - decide on a part to repeat 3/4 times
• Tempo fast/slow
• A surprising ending....

Time to shine!

Feedback

Comment on:

Which parts really worked - why?

What didn't work - why?

What you liked/disliked - why?

Warm up!

In the circle: teacher makes a movement - each student makes it bigger - exaggerating.

Walking round the room - leading with a body part. Exaggerating this movement.

Mirroring - pairs

Flocking - 4/5 students

Reflection 1

Reflect on: why you think people went to the theatre?

Today's assignment

Watch the prologue from Beauty & the Beast.
In small groups of three to six, create a short performance to the prologue from Beauty and the Beast with a focus on speaking and moving in chorus.

Experiment with:

• Choral moments (move as one/speak in unison)
• Gestures (movement of a part of the body to express an idea/feeling)
• Exaggerate some gestures- this makes it interesting to watch
• Solo: each person has one solo movement and/or text

Today's assignment

Watch the prologue from Beauty & the Beast.
In small groups of three to six, create a short performance to the prologue from Beauty and the Beast with a focus on speaking and moving in chorus.

Experiment with:

• Choral moments (move as one/speak in unison)
• Gestures (movement of a part of the body to express an idea/feeling)
• Exaggerate some gestures- this makes it interesting to watch
• Solo: each person has one solo movement and/or text
• write begin-middle-end of your story in the worksheet!

Feedback

Comment on:

Which parts really worked - why?

What didn't work - why?

What you liked/disliked - why?

 Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a

              shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired,

              the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one

              winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and

              offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter

              cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at

              the gift and turned the old woman away, but she warned him not

              to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within.

              And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness

              melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince

              tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that

              there was no love in his heart, and as punishment, she

              transformed him into a hideous beast, and placed a

              powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there.

              Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself

              inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to

              the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an

              enchanted rose, which would bloom until his twenty-first

              year. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in

              return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would

              be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for

              all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair, and lost

              all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast?