Students will demonstrate their understanding of Greek theatre practices and style by participating in various exercises and culminating in a performance in the Greek style.
National Core Arts Theatre Standards:
TH:Cn11.1.HSI a. Explore how cultural, global, and historic belief systems affect creative choices in a drama/theatre work.
TH:Cn11.2.HSI a. Research how other theatre artists apply creative processes to tell stories in a devised or scripted drama/theatre work, using theatre research methods.
TH:Re9.1.HSI a. Examine a drama/ theatre work using supporting evidence and criteria, while considering art forms, history, culture, and other disciplines.
TH:Re7.1.HSI a. Respond to what is seen, felt, and heard in a drama/theatre work to develop criteria for artistic choices.
TH:Pr6.1.HSI a. Perform a scripted drama/theatre work for a specific audience.
TH:Cr3.1.HSI a. Practice and revise a devised or scripted drama/theatre work using theatrical staging conventions.
Class Level:
Beginning Theatre; lessons prepared for daily 47-minute instruction periods
Prior Experience:
None needed
Lesson Outline:
Lesson 1 –Myths and the Festival Dionysus EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE: Students will gain a basic knowledge of the cultural context surrounding the Greek theatre and the festival of Dionysus by creating their own myths.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to identify the different parts of the Greek amphitheatre and their purposes by assessing the pros and cons of the Greek amphitheatre.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to identify and explain the Aristotelian plot structure by performing a scene which is missing a plot element.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE: Students will show their mastery of the Aristotelian plot structure through performing a fairy tale with a missing plot element. (This lesson is a continuation of the lesson from the day before because time ran out.)
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to explain the techniques involved in presentational Greek acting by discussing examples and practicing gestures, exaggerated movement, exaggerated speech, and Greek chorus techniques as a class.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE: Students will show their mastery of the viewpoint of gesture and shape by performing a brief exercise in the manner of the Greek chorus.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE: Students will show their grasp of the basic understanding of the plots of three Greek tragedies by creating the stories with their bodies.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE: Students will demonstrate their ability to cry realistically on stage by applying crying techniques to their final assessment scenes.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE: Students will review the ideas of shape, gesture, and exaggerated voice in relation to acting as the Greek Chorus by practicing and applying these elements to their final assessment scenes.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVE: Students will prepare for their final assessment by practicing in their groups and taking turns workshopping their scene in front of the teacher.
