KRISTA D. PRICE

Important topics/terms are in RED.

Google Classroom assignments are in BLUE.

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If ABSENT you are REQUIRED to read / understand / do all activities posted for that day, even if it's not an "assignment". 

Ms. Price provides ALL learning for absent students in a self-directed format below.

Day 1: Finish Script / Character Clues in a Script (intro to Monologue)

1.)  Reviewed:  Plot terms & definitions (inciting incident, exposition, conflict, build, crisis, climax, denouement)  If absent, watch Plot video HERE.

• Inciting Incident = the event/incident that happens BEFORE the play/story/plot starts that incites the "telling" of the story.  (the reason for the story being told)

• Exposition = the beginning of the play where we learn about the characters and their relationships to eachother

• Conflict = the first "significant event" in a story that "unlocks the plot"  (there will be MANY conflicts in most stories, but the first significant one typically is introduced as the main conflict that needs to be resolved before the story ends

• Build = the "rising action" of the play (in theatre, this rising action in a scene or story is called "build")

• Crisis = a turning point in the plot (often characters shift/change after the crisis)

• Climax = the highest point of intensity in the story

• Denouement = the "falling action" - should happen relatively quickly in order to keep audience's attention

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2.) Finished the play Lost in Yonkers by Neil Simon as a class. (If you missed any days last week, be sure to catch up on script reading you missed - see last week's agenda/links)

• Act II, Scene 1-2, pgs 64-95 (Build) - Today we started where we left off last week on pg 90 and read through end of show.

• Act II, Scene 2, pgs 96-103 (Crisis) 

• Act II, Scene 3, pgs 104-112 (Build After Crisis / Climax / Denouement)

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3.) Discussed:  How do actors/directors MAKE CHOICES about HOW to portray/play a character on stage?

• They must first iNTERPRET the character to understand WHO the character is.

• What a character SAYS (the actor's lines from the SCRIPT) are the first CLUES to understanding who a character is.  All character interpretation starts with the script!

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4.) Learned: How does an actor know how to "play" a character from a script? 

• There are 3 main ways we learn about our characters from a script:

  • What the playwright tells us about our character (Example:  ​"she's as warm and congenial as she is emotionally arrested")

  • What other characters say about our character (Example:  "She'd come out of that door with a limp and a cane and look like she was going to kill you.")

  • What a character says about him/herself (Example:  "Sometimes I get so confused I think I should carry an alarm clock")

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5.)  Completed a Monologue "Pre-Test" survey (if absent, go to Google Classroom and complete the survey)  ​

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DAY 2:  Character Analysis (Mining a Script for Character Clues)

 

1.) Reviewed: How does an actor know how to "play" a character from a script? 

• There are 3 main ways we learn about our characters from a script:

  • What the playwright tells us about our character 

  • What other characters say about our character 

  • What a character says about him/herself 

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2.) Participated in a small group activity (Label Activity)

• students (in groups) were given every line/description from the script, Lost in Yonkers, in which a character was described by the playwright, by themselves, or by others. 

• Students analyzed each, and put each line (label) in the correct column (playwright/self/others) and for the correct character (who the line/description was ABOUT)

• When done, actors will now have a complete list of every description from the script about the character they will be playing.  (If absent, this is an assignment you do NOT need to do/make up.)

 

3.) Discussed as a class (from Label Activity): 

• Which character talks about themselves the most?

• Which character is talked about the most?

• Etc.

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4.) Ms. Price introduced our next acting project:  Perform a Character Monologue (IB Rubric:  Developing Skills)

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5.) Students chose a character to "work with" for our upcoming monologue assignment/performance. 

• Each student/actor must choose one of the following characters from Lost in Yonkers:  Bella, Grandma, Eddie, Louie, Jay 

• You must choose your OWN gender (or your own gender identity) for this assignment, although girls are allowed to choose Jay if desired.

• If absent, be sure to choose which character you'd like to work with, and Ms. Price will provide you with a monologue for that character next class (online).

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6.) Ms. Price passed out monologues based on students' character choices. ​

• If absent , be sure to choose which character/monologue you'd like to work with from the list below:

  • Bella (2 options)

  • Grandma (2 options)

  • Jay (1 option)

  • Louie (2 options)

  • Eddie (3 options)

  • Note: You must choose your OWN gender/gender identity for this assignment, although girls are allowed to choose Jay if desired.

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7.)  Watched a video of playwright Neil Simon's description of characters in Lost in Yonkers  (watch to 1:45 if absent)  and discussed the playwright's interpretation of his own characters.

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8.) Completed a journal entry in Google Classroom PROCESS Journal (Title: Character Clue Words) in which students listed all the character "clue" words (from the label activity) that got to the heart of WHO their character is.  (Example:  Louie = danger, never careless, etc.)

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DAY 3:  Interpreting a Character

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1.) Discussed:  How do actors/directors make choices about HOW to portray characters on stage?  (Answer:  They read and INTERPRET the script.)

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2.) Discussed:  ALL ACTING starts in the MIND of the actor (Interpretation), but all acting  is shown the BODY of the character (physical choices an actor makes to express the character's inner life).

• An audience can NOT see feelings of a character, so never seek to  express a "feeling".

• Every person expresses feelings differently.  It depends on who you are.  (For example, some people are very quiet when angry, and some are very loud/expressive, while some are violent, etc.) FEELINGS are not "actable", but what a character DOES with the feeling IS actable.  Interpret how YOUR character may react in various circumstances.

• It is the PHYSICAL expression of your character that you will be graded on for this monologue project.  Those are the SKILLS we will be working on in class.

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3.) Participated in teacher-led movement activities in order to explore and "try on" various types of movement.  (This helps in character development.)  The movement activities we explored are listed below.  If absent, find a place to be alone, and TRY altering your physical movement (while walking) as described below...

• "Leading Center" (the part of the body a character may "lead" with)

  • Lead with your chin...​ (What does this "feel" like?)

  • Lead with your hips...  (What does this "feel" like?)

  • Lead with the top of your head...  (What does this "feel" like?)

  • Lead with your nose...  (What does this "feel" like?)

  • Lead with your chest...  (What does this "feel" like?)

  • Lead with your hands...  (What does this "feel" like?)

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4.) Discussed/Chose:  What might your character's "Leading Center" be?

• If absent, be sure to write your Leading Center choice at the top of your monologue sheet (where indicated).

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5.) Ms. Price coached students through various monologue choices for actors' characters with teacher-led class activities.  (characters' expression of feelings, grounding characters in believable spaces, monologue focus points, chunking, verbing, etc.)

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DAY 4: Creating a Character PHYSICALLY

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1.) Reviewed "Leading Center" and made choices about what part of the body YOUR monologue character might "lead" with.  (Wrote down Leading Center choice for YOUR character at the top of your monologue.  If absent, be sure to do this on your own - see #4 under Day 3 if needed.)

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2.) Reviewed:  The physical choices an actor makes for a character are the most important for building a believable character.  (An audience can't see what you're thinking/feeling...only what you're DOING with what you're thinking/feeling.)

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3.) Participated in Laban Movement Activities, led by Ms Price:

• Laban Movement (the theory of human movement that analyzes the ​weight, direction, and speed of movement)  For visual handout click HERE.

  • Direct, Quick, Heavy movement ​ (What does this "feel" like?)  This type of movement is called a PUNCH.

  • Indirect, Quick, Heavy movement (What does this "feel" like?)  This type of movement is called a SLASH.

  • Direct, Quick, Light movement (What does this "feel" like?)  This type of movement is called a DAB.

  • Indirect, Quick, Light movement (What does this "feel" like?)  This type of movement is called a FLICK.

  • Direct, Sustained, Heavy movement (What does this "feel" like?)  This type of movement is called a PRESS.

  • Indirect, Sustained, Heavy movement (What does this "feel" like?)  This type of movement is called a WRING.

  • Direct, Sustained, Light movement (What does this "feel" like?)  This type of movement is called a GLIDE.

  • Indirect, Sustained, Light movement (What does this "feel" like?)  This type of movement is called a FLOAT.

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4.) Discussed/Chose:  What type of movement (from the above Laban Movement choices) might your character exhibit during your monologue (your character's present circumstance)?​ ​

• If absent, ALSO write your choice at the top of your monologue sheet (where indicated).

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5.) Ms. Price led students through guided rehearsal in order to determine (and rehearse with) your monologue choices for your character.  The guided rehearsal included coaching on:

• Laban Movement 

• Intention / Wants (What are you trying to do TO the other charcter with these words?

• Body posture (esp. at "intention shifts/changes")

• Focus Point(s)

• (and also how to "chunk" in order to more easily memorize)

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