one two to four five-six seven eight nine to ten eleven to twelve thirteen fourteen-fifteen sixteen to twenty-four twenty-five to fourtynine

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2 one two to four five-six seven eight nine to ten eleven to twelve thirteen fourteen-fifteen sixteen to twenty-four twenty-five to fourtynine

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4 two anything which suggests ideas for a piece of Drama a picture, text, a prop, a phrase, music, sound, location etc what works best dramatically Overall style play, pantomime, tragedy, comedy, monologue, movement, docu-drama, forum theatre Linear chronological or non-linear using Cross cutting (flashbacks and flashforwards) and split stage (two stories being told at once) continued next page

5 three flashback, flashforward, freeze frame, frozen picture, mime, monologue, movement, slow motion, narration, voice over, aside, soliloquy, tableau Staging (End on, Proscenium arch, Theatre in the round, Thrust, Avenue, Promenade) and using rostrum (rostra), levels, split stage, set, entrances and exits, pieces of material ) In Role-play you represent a point of view to explore attitudes and beliefs. Characterisation (A character must have individual physical (body) and vocal (voice) characteristics and you can explore the character s emotions, attitudes and motivation (what drives them in each scene or in the performance as a whole). Develop your character by using character cards, improvisation, role-play, hot-seating, voices in the head, writing in role, thought tracking, thought tunnel. Think about: a) relationships with other characters in the drama, b) portrayal in terms of language, voice and movement, c) status, and changes in status, d) Social (Are they well educated? Do they have a good job? From a good or a bad background?) Economic (do they have much money?) and Cultural (beliefs and values) background of the character. Rehearsal techniques to develop character- hot seating, forum theatre, using numbers, role swap. Evaluating and Improving Acting Skills (Language voice, pause, silence, accent, pace, volume, clarity, emphasis, pause, pitch, tone, articulation, fluency, intonation, register, Movement - physical contact, contrast, positioning (proxemics), timing. Naturalistic movement, as in characterisation, involves: body language, facial expression, gesture, eye contact, posture, use of space. Stylised movement, as in expressing abstract ideas, involves: balance, speed, timing, positioning, use of levels, use of space, rhythm, stance, use of direction Mime is a stylised form of movement which creates an illusion of reality. To be effective, mimed movement should be: - simple - precise - exaggerated - clear slow. Eye contact (with other actors rather than audience unless for effect) Mood and Atmosphere (Dramatic Tension, Relationships and Status (silence and conflict), Proxemics (space between people) Conventions (flashback, flashforward, freeze frame, frozen picture, mime, monologue, movement, slow motion, narration, voice over, aside, soliloquy, tableau (credit term for frozen picture) continued next page

6 four Lighting LFX (Blackout, Slow fade to, Fast fade to, Snap to Blackout, Crossfade To change from one lighting cue to another with no blackout in between, Fade up/down To brighten or dim the lighting, Flood Lantern giving a wide spread of light, Gel Film placed in front of a lantern to change the colour of the beam, Spotlight Beam of light created by a lantern for a person or place on the acting area, Focussing Positioning the lanterns to get the desired lighting, Follow spot Powerful profile used to follow actors around the acting area, Fresnel spot Lantern giving a soft edged beam of light, Lighting Desk Control board for lighting, Profile spot Lantern giving a hard edged beam of light, Wash The whole acting area is evenly lit, Barndoors Adjustable metal flaps attached to the front of a fresnel spotlight for shaping the beam of light, G-clamp Clamp used to secure lantern to lighting bar or stand, Gobo Thin metal plate cut out in a pattern and placed in a lantern to project pattern or shape into the acting area, Pyrotechnics Stage fireworks, Safety chain Used to attach a lantern to the lighting bar for safety, Special effects Used to create a mood or atmosphere), Sound SFX (recorded, music, sound effects, soundtracking), Costume (costume, hats, jewelry, wigs, period costume) Make Up (Fake Blood, Foundation, Liner - used to create lines, bruises, shading, highlighting, Pencils, Stipple sponge -used to create an unshaven look or the appearance of cracked veins, Tooth varnish - blacking out teeth, Crepe hair - form eyebrows, moustaches and beards, Highlighting - make face areas stand out, Shading - make facial areas look shrunken, Spirit gum - Glue hair to the face, Latex - liquid rubber which can be used to make skull cap moulds and false noses, Nose putty - clay nose or chin and/or making warts and wounds, Skull cap) Props (properties, personal props, set props, prop table) Focus and Concentration, Sustaining a Role (Language and Movement, Characterisation), Visual and Oral Communication (Language and Movement, Impact on Audience, Audience Reaction, Impact of Theatre Arts Reflecting, reviewing and target-setting. Evaluation can be as you are creating or after a performance and can be of self or of others. Individual reflection (thinking), group discussion, teacher input, video/audio review, written tasks, taped responses, outlining the work undertaken/seen, giving opinions on effectiveness, justifying these opinions, proposing improvements

7 five Starting to create your own piece of theatre As a group, discuss the themes that you want to explore in the performance. Brainstorm stories that involve the characters experiencing each theme. Start by creating the characters. Too many devised pieces fail because the characters have not been carefully thought out. Name each character and talk about their personality and relationships. Create freeze frames that depict crucial moments in the character s life. These can then be incorporated into your performance later on. Find a piece of music that represents your theme, either lyrically or through the dynamics or texture. Use the music to create a movement sequence that shows the mood of a character. continued next page

8 six Starting to create your own piece of theatre Create a flow chart of the story and highlight the key scenes. Experimenting with the structure may help you create a more imaginative and original performance. Improvise a scene in every rehearsal. Don t just talk thing through. Try to improvise a scene using different styles. A scene may work better as a comedy even though it was originally a drama. In a group, think of one word each that describes your character. Then on your own, use the list of words (in the order they were said) to write a monologue for your character. At the end of a rehearsal, reflect on what you have done next. Set aims and assign jobs for the next session. Create a rehearsal schedule and stick to it.

9 seven Structure is the way in which time, place and action are sequenced. In a linear, or a chronological, structure the action unfolds from beginning to end. In a non-linear structure the action unfolds through shifts in time (flashback/flashforward) and/or place. Non- linear is the series of events in the play which do not occur in chronological order...for example, events may include flashbacks, or the play might start at the end and gradually reveal information of earlier events which lead to the final scene. If it were Linear, then everything would happen in order of time... first event followed by second etc. This is most common. However, non-linear often makes things more interesting, and curious as you want to discover how things have turned out the way they are! Within these forms, each of which has features associated with it, there is the opportunity to experiment with both the structure of the drama and the conventions which may enhance it.

10 eight A STAGE PICTURE HELD WITHOUT MOVEMENT MOVEMENT PERFORMED AT SLOWED DOWN SPEED A SINGLE LENGTHY SPEECH, MADE WHEN NO OTHER CHARACTERS ARE ON STAGE THE ACTION IS FROZEN IN TIME A STAGE PICTURE HELD WITHOUT MOVEMENT A CHARACTER SPEAKS THEIR THOUGHTS ALOUD ACTING OUT AN EVENT FROM THE PAST ACTING OUT AN EVENT IN THE FUTURE PART OF THE DRAMA ARE TOLD AS A STORY BY A NARRATOR USE OF BODY AS A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION STYLISED FORM OF MOVEMENT WHICH CREATES AN ILLUSION OF REALITY RECORDED SPEECH PLAYED DURING A DRAMA

11 nine Improving your acting skills can help in any situation where there is an audience. Think about what you are trying to show and how you are trying to show it. Facial expressions are important in drama. They can convey emotions, develop the story and communicate the feelings and thoughts of the characters to the audience. Actors may use any combination of facial expression Gestures are small movements by the actor. These may involve the use of the hands, feet, arms or legs. Gestures can include pointing a finger at another character, waving, stroking your fingers through your hair, scratching an ear etc. Effective use of gesture often marks an average actor from a powerful one, as sometimes it is the subtleties in acting that make the difference in character believability. The audience has to engage with what the actors are saying. Make sure that you make it interesting for the audience. Speak clearly and loud so that the audience can hear and understand you. Use emphasis, pause, pitch rhythm and volume. continued next page

12 ten The way you hold your posture on stage will portray your character s age, personality and mood. Your character s stance may change according to what situation they are in. Use levels to help indicate status. One character may be on a higher piece of staging or platform, or it may simply be that one character is standing and another is sitting. It is usually easier to play the dominant, more powerful character if they are on a higher level. You have to understand what drives or motivates your character. Make sure you research the text, which will help you to identify the character s, feeling, emotions and thoughts. Having more of a deeper understanding of your character will make your performance more believable and realistic. You have to allow the audience to get a sense of your characters relationships with other characters. This can be shown using body language, facial expressions and hand gestures. How you move in the space and how you use these may determine who dominates the scene. Remember, the audience is always watching you so it is important to react to what is happening on stage by reacting to what the other characters are saying and doing. This can be achieved by use of body language and facial expressions.

13 eleven Most characters represent real people with believable personalities. Use the following ideas to help you portray characters onstage. These are clues about a character s personality and behaviour. You can find the given circumstances from: This helps build up a picture of how a character should be behaving on stage. Ask yourself:

14 twelve Most characters represent real people with believable personalities. Use the following ideas to help you portray characters on stage. Work out what you want to show the audience about your character s relationship with the others on stage. Use acting skills to portray the character s feelings, motivation and relationships You are portraying a specific character, don t just be yourself on stage

15 thirteen The acting area is that part of the available space occupied by the set and used by the actors when acting. Staging is the position of the acting area relative to the audience. Areas of the stage indicate the division of the acting area into nine sections. The allocation of left and right is taken from the point of view of the actor. The nine areas are, in either word or initial form USR Up Stage Right USC Up Stage Centre USL Up Stage Left CSR Centre Stage Right CS Centre Stage CSL Centre Stage Left DSR Down Stage Right DSC Down Stage Centre DSL Down Stage Left audience on 3 sides audience follow the action on foot, moving from one location to the other

16 fourteen Indicates the boundaries of the acting area. The conventional outline may be used or another outline which reflects the acting area used in individual centres or for individual dramas. This may be indicated simply by the word audience in the appropriate place(s). There is no need for drawings. These can be indicated by a door symbol where a door flat would actually be used or by arrows when walls/doors are imaginary or do not exist Sightlines must be considered, the set must allow actors to move around the acting area, entrances/exits must be clear and the audience must be able to see the action and actors Indicate the relative proportions of items on the set and the amount of acting area they occupy. NB. Exact measurements are not required

17 fifteen The following items should only be represented by the undernoted symbols. Symbols for any other items may be designed, and should be clearly explained in the key ~~~~~~~

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