Acting/Projects & Assessments

Choral Reading

• Project – Divide the class into small groups and have each group select a poem from a given list.  The students will apply vocal techniques (rate, pitch, volume, enunciation, projection, etc) to stage the poem in a choral reading.  Each group must analyze their poem and use techniques that emphasize the atmosphere created by the text.  In addition to vocal techniques, the students can manipulate the text using repetition, multiple or single speakers, song, etc.  Each group will perform their choral reading for the class.
• Assessment – Performance of choral reading.

Pantomime

• Project – The students will work in small groups to create short pantomimed scenes (focus on the movement, no vocalizations).  Each scene must have a beginning, middle and end, resolve a conflict and clearly communicate each character through movement.  Give each group a specific scenario or let them choose their own.  These scenes can be performed to music to set the mood, but the emphasis should be on the body language and stage movement.
• Assessment – Performance of a pantomimed scene.

Recite a Storybook

• Project – Have every student choose a short children’s book.  They will need to memorize the text, implement blocking strategies (e.g., sitting, standing, kneeling, crossing) and incorporate vocal techniques in order to create a performance.  Each student will perform her book for the class (book in hand, but not reading from it).
• Assessment – Performance of book incorporating all necessary elements.

Student Led Improv Games

• Project – As an ongoing project, have the students take turns leading improv games for the class.  This is a good way to incorporate the rules of improvisation and the comedic improv that appeals to students of all ages.  Give the students a list of resources to locate improv games and require that they get approval for games before leading them in class.
• Assessment – Facilitation of an improv game.

Monologue as Character Analysis

• Project – After teaching the students how to locate possible monologues and supplying them with a list of possibilities, demonstrate how to score a script.  When scoring a script, the students should write their characters’ wants (and how they try to satisfy them), thoughts, reactions and stage blocking.  Conduct several lessons in which the students apply animal work, vocal work, movement work and textual analysis to flesh out the characters in their monologues.  Give the students time to process all this work and apply what they want to their monologues.
• Assessment – Scored monologue including analysis and blocking.  Performance of the monologue demonstrating the application of the character analysis techniques.

Subtext

• Project – Working with either scenes or monologues, ask the students to consider multiple subtextual analyses for their characters.  Each student will perform her monologue/scene twice, applying two different subtexts to the same character.  (For example, Oberon’s speech (2.2.33-40) from a Midsummer Night’s Dream can be read with different subtexts: one with revenge in mind; the other with the idea that it’s going to be a very funny joke.)
• Assessment – Two performances of a monologue/scene with different subtext.

Masks

• Project – Either bring a variety of masks or have the students create their own.  The purpose of this project is to expose students to the movement possibilities in mask work.  Each student will work with a specific mask and create a character informed by the mask itself.  The emphasis is on the physicalization so each student will perform a simple physical task wearing her mask to demonstrate the developed character.
• Assessment – Development and performance of a character based on a mask.

Actor’s Journal

• Project – This is a tool for students to record ideas, observations or interesting thoughts that might come in useful in creating a character or staging a scene.  For example, a student might see someone walking down the street, take notice of what the walk communicates and write it down in her journal for later use.  A student might notice how the dynamics of conversation change with physical distance as they observe a couple talking. If necessary provide prompts to guide student writing.  Give them the option to ask you not to read their entries, just glance to make sure they’ve written.  If students do not want you to read a page or two, they could fold it over to keep it private.
• Assessment – Bi-weekly checks to make sure students are writing useful entries. 

Acting Method Scenes

• Project – After teaching the students how to locate scenes and supplying them with a list of possible scenes, give them a list of major Western and non-Western acting methods (e.g., Stanislavski, the method, Kabuki).  For this project, the students must research one of these schools of acting and apply the techniques to their scene in both the staging and character development.  They will perform their scenes for the class and discuss how they incorporated their method.  In addition, students could write a research paper on the method and further explain how their scene demonstrates these ideas.  (Be certain to explain that this is just an introduction and actors spend years working to master each approach.)
• Assessment – Performance of scene incorporating a specific method.  Written or oral explanation of the technique(s).