High School Lesson Plan

Grade Level: 10-12

National Arts Education Standards:

Theatre: 3c, 3g, 4a, 5a, 5b, 6c, 7b, 7d

Arizona Theatre Standards:
Strand 1—Create. Concept 5—Directing. PO 403—Develop multiple interpretations and production choices and choose those that are most interesting and feasible. 

Strand 1—Create. Concept 3—Theatre Technology and Design.  PO 210—Develop technical designs based on design concepts (musical and visual art principles) that meet the requirements of the dramatic work, film/video, and electronic media production.

Strand 3—Evaluate. Concept 3—Theatre Technology and Design.  PO 307—Evaluate the technical design elements for formal and informal theatre, film/video, and electronic media productions based on concept and collaboration with the director.

Materials:

*Copies of the NEWCOMER by Jane Thomas, Anchorage Press (The play is about a Vietnamese refugee in an American high school and features characters of Chinese, Hispanic, Filipino and Vietnamese descent in contemporary society.)

*Other scripts could be used; select something that will challenge students to research other periods and/or cultures.

Preparation:

*Read the play as a class or individually.

Procedure:
*The teacher/facilitator serves as the director of the play and the students become the design team.

*Divide the class into six small groups: scenery, properties, costumes, makeup, lighting, and sound.

*Each design team is responsible for exploring a variety of sources to research the cultural and historical backgrounds of the characters' lives and, incorporating that knowledge in their group designs

*Student will make thumbnail sketches. The point is to get student to think beyond the library for design research.

• For example, the group responsible for scenery might examine visual art, photographs and old videos for sources of cultural motifs to incorporate in a backdrop design.
• The costume designers might explore a variety of sources such as old mail- order catalogues or advertisements in newspapers and magazines, visit vintage clothing stores.
• The property crew can visit world museums online, visit local antique shops, talk with relatives.
• The make-up designers might look at cosmetic catalogues and makeup design texts to discover the proper cosmetic palates for Asian and Hispanic actors.
• The group responsible for lighting details might contact area lighting houses or theaters as well as lighting texts to discover how bomb explosions can be simulated on stage.

*After several days of work, have each team present its research and preliminary designs at a simulated production meeting.

*As director, respond to your design staff on the appropriateness of their artistic choices.

*Have the class collectively evaluate these choices for cultural (period) authenticity, production validity and practicality.

*Discuss strategies to unify the six visual and aural design elements for the productions.

*Have the students redesign their portion of the production and make a final presentation.

Based on a lesson plan by Johnny Saldana, ASU

Copyright © 2002 by Arizona State University and the Arizona Board of Regents.