KRISTA D. PRICE
Acting: Week 13
(April 24-28, 2023)
Day 1:
(Anyone who has not yet performed their monologue did so. If you were absent, be sure to be ready to perform FIRST THING NEXT class.)
1.) Completed a Monologue Reflection in Google Classroom (if absent, be sure to do so after your monologue is performed).
2.) Ms. Price introduced students of the details of our final acting project: preparing and performing a SCRIPTED scene with a partner. (To read/explore/choose a scripted scene, click HERE scroll to the bottom of this webpage. Scenes & partners must be chosen by Wed, April 26.) If absent, you must still choose a scene and partner by Wednesday. Be sure to read the scenes at the bottom of this webpage.
Day 2:
1.) Discussed: How can you build believable interactions on stage with other actors? Discussed how we're moving from building individual characters (monologues) TO building believable scenes (acting with others).
-
Participated in an introductory activity: Wordless scenes (focus: listening & reacting)
2.) Learned about subtext (the unspoken meaning beneath the lines/text) and how important it is to developing a believable scene by participating in a Subtext acting activity.
3.) Analyzed the subtext in the scene from the play, To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (If absent, be sure to read the play synopsis below before reading the linked scene above. You MUSTto read/understand this scene for future activities in class.
A brief synopsis of the play, To Gillian...:
David loves his wife, Gillian. Unfortunately, she died two years prior (to this scene) in a boating accident. David deals with his overwhelming grief by continuing his romance with Gillian during nightly walks on a beach with her "ghost". While David lives in the past, other family problems crop up in the present/real world. Esther and Paul (David's sister-in-law & brother-in law) come for a visit to try to help Rachel (David's daughter), as David's neglect of his daughter and preoccupation with his late wife grows. Rachel has lost her mother and needs her father to snap back into the real world to help her through her own loss and grief. (Source)
4.) Discussed/Reviewed final acting project: Scene Work (you and a partner will perform a full scene as your final project). You must have your scene and your partner chosen by NEXT class.
5.) Learned about Scene Studies and how we will be using them for scene work instruction/guidance in class during this unit.
Day 3:
1.) Signed up for your chosen partner & scene.
2.) Learned about the W's of script analysis:
If absent, read/understand the following for To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday
Step #1: Analyze WHAT is going on (on the surface and beneath the surface - subtext)
Step #2: Analyze WHY the scene is happening (What's important to show the audience about the RELATIONSHIP?)
Step #3: Analyze WHERE the scene is taking place? (What is the "set"? You can't block a scene without knowing what your set is.)
Step #4: Analyze how you can show the WANTS of the scene. In acting, we determine a character's intentions/motivations/wants by assigning a VERB to what our character is trying to do TO another character with his/her words. ("My character wants to ___________ him/her" with this line.)
3.) Discussed/Analyzed the W's (see above) of To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday
4.) Discussed/Decided on the "set" for To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday
5.) Reviewed where to go to find/print a scene (see below). You must bring your PRINTED SCENE to next class!
6.) Determined beats & blocking in the scene To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday by discussing and exploring the ACTION of chosen VERBS for each character. (Also learned how to "name" beats to interpret the progress of the scene.)
Read if absent: A beat is a "chunk" of a scene's action that has a specific intention. Ms. Price taught the above concepts live in class - however, if you were ABSENT, watch Scoring a Scene (Scene Analysis) (7:15) for a better understanding of these concepts (required).
Day 4:
1.) Signed up for your chosen partner & scene (if you haven't already).
2.) Reviewed about the W's of script analysis: (see yesterday's lesson above)
3.) Reviewed the beats chosen from last class in the scene To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday and Seniors were chosen to participate in a Scene Study to help teach the class about going from interpretation (of a scene) to action (in the scene). Ms. Price guided the process while teaching about how to choose and show strong actable verbs.
4.) Students were given time to with their chosen scene partners to complete the following...
-
Read your scene with your partner OUT LOUD (NO acting yet - just seek to understand)
-
Discuss: What is going on? (both on the surface AND beneath the surface)
-
Discuss: Why is this happening? (What part(s) of the relationship do you think would be important to show in your scene?
-
Get curious: RESEARCH what you don't know about the overall story, characters, why/when your scene happens in the play (from which it comes), WHO these characters really are, etc. Complete the RESEARCH assignment in Goo
FINAL PERFORMANCE SCENES:
(You will be required to choose a partner & a scene - read descriptions of the play the scene comes from HERE)
Scenes with 1 male & 1 female:
-
scene from Rabbit Hole (dramatic)
-
scene from Of Mice & Men (dramatic/difficult)
-
scene from The Crucible (dramatic)
-
scene from Proof (dramatic)
-
scene from The Diary of Anne Frank (option #1)
-
scene from The Diary of Anne Frank (option #2)
-
scene from Fools (comedic)
-
scene from Rumors (comedic timing)
-
scene from Whose Life is it Anyway?
-
scene from Wit
Scenes with 2 females:
-
scene from Ascension Day
-
scene from Proof (dramatic)
-
scene from Steel Magnolias (dramatic)
Scenes with 2 males:
-
scene from Of Mice & Men (dramatic but light)
-
scene from Duck Hunter Shoots Angel (comedic)
-
scene from The Odd Couple (option #1 - comedic)
-
scene from The Odd Couple (option #2 - comedic)
-
scene from The Odd Couple (option #3 - comedic)
-
scene from The Odd Couple (option #4 - comedic)
-
scene from The Odd Couple (option #5 - comedic)
-
scene from 1984 (dramatic/intense)
Important topics/terms/instructions are in RED.
Google Classroom assignments are in BLUE.
Ms. Price provides ALL learning for absent students in a self-directed format.
If absent, read & understand/complete each of the day's activities below. You are EXPECTED to do so BEFORE returning to class.