Welcome to the Theater
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Welcome to the Theater
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Research Scenario Applause thunders in the movie theater, the hero's theme song plays, the credits roll, the crowd jumps up from their seats, buzzing with excitement. "That explosion was awesome; it seemed so real!" exclaims a member of the audience. "Didn't you love the part where she finally found her little brother? It almost made me cry," says another. What is it about a movie or play that reaches an audience? What excites us? What makes us laugh or cry? Telling stories has always been important to people. When we go to the movie theater or to see a play, we get a chance to see what life is like in Australia, or in Hawaii, or even in the year 3000. We imagine other worlds and have the opportunity to compare them to our own. But who creates these worlds and the people living within them? And how do they do it? How do they tell us a story that leaves us buzzing with excitement? In this unit, we will be writing, producing, performing, and evaluating plays. In order to make sure that our original plays are successful, we need to understand the work that goes into producing a play and who accomplishes that work. To critique a theatrical production, it is important to understand how each element of the play contributes to the end performance. Our research will help us to understand what makes a dramatic performance one that will be rewarded with “thunderous applause” as the curtains close.
First, you will need to build some background knowledge about this topic. Review the Narrative Elements by viewing this slide show. Read a critical review of the movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Then, answer the multiple choice questions. After you answer the questions, you can either print your work, or save your work in your teacher's folder on your school's server. Be sure to add your name to the file name when you save your work.
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Task and Product Many different types of artists work together to produce a play. You will be using resources to discover who these artists are and what they do. You will choose one type of artist to investigate further to learn how his or her art contributes to a play. After researching, you will present your findings to the class. You will either present information to your class verbally or through a gallery walk. You may present your information to the class through one of the following media. |
Assessments The following scoring tools may be used or adapted by your teacher to evaluate your research process and your final product and presentation.
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Questions Essential Question:
Subsidiary Questions:
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Gather and Sort Use a variety of sources from the Student Resources page to gather information about your topic. Sort your research findings using note cards, a learning log, or a research log. Be sure to avoid plagiarism and remember to cite your sources. |
Organize Take notes on note cards as you search or use a learning log or research log. Analyze your research notes to determine if you have enough information to answer the essential question. Read over your research notes and highlight information that will help you to answer the essential question. Synthesize your research findings. Review your notes and decide:
Prepare your presentation. Develop a multi-media or dramatic presentation about a theater artist who helps to develop the narrative elements in a play. Use information from the research you have conducted. Your presentation may take the form of any of the following products, and it should meet the requirements outlined in the presentation rubric.
Remember that the goal is to explain how the theater artist contributes to the development of the narrative elements of a play. Think about how the theater artist that you researched contributes to the characterization, plot, setting, and theme of a play. Also, think about how s/he contributes to the development of the mood and tone of the play. Evaluate the effectiveness of your research and your finished product. Does your finished product provide an answer to the essential question? Is that answer supported with facts from your research? Use the rubric and checklist to evaluate your finished product. Overall, how successful was your research? |
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Conclusion Presentation: Share your multi-media or dramatic presentation with your class. As you watch other class members' presentations, think about your response to the essential question and how it changes and grows. Complete the presentation reflection or the peer review as you view presentations and learn from your peers.
You may complete a journal entry answering the reflection questions, or you may participate in a class discussion.
Extension Activity 2: If you were a producer, you would have to consider all of the workers and materials needed to organize, rehearse, and market a production. Use your information searching skills to create a budget for your play. How much money would you be willing to spend, and how would you organize and allocate that money? Create a table or matrix to display your budget. Consider set, costumes, lighting, sound, actors, and actresses, promotions, etc. as you create your budget.
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