Students will demonstrate how to apply viewpoints to rehearsing their scene by creating an expressive movement of their scene and beginning to block the final product.
Materials:
• The Viewpoints Book by Anne Bogart(source of activities and exercises) • Big open space
Hook:
Write the question on the board: How is Viewpoints going to help me as an actor? Why do we take time to do it? Have the students take a moment to reflect on this question. After, have a discussion with the students about their thoughts on the question. Ask a follow up question to the students of, “Who thinks that Viewpoints has been beneficial for them as an actor?” have the students raise their hands. Then ask those that are struggling with it, what they are struggling with and have the class help resolve their concerns with it. Keep these concerns in mind as you continue with today’s lesson and really help the students to engage in what is going on.
Step 1:
Warm up: Have the students spread out around the room. Today we are going to start with gesture. Have the students begin walking around the room. Instruct the students that we are going to review what an expressive gesture is. Remind the students that a gesture has a beginning, middle and end. Then begin calling out emotions or ideas and having them respond immediately by creating a gesture. Apply the challenge that for each word I say, they must use a different part of their body to express their gesture. If the first one is with the arm then the second should be with the head. Then the third could be with the leg. Push them to think outside of the box.
Step 2:
Transition: Now that their bodies have warmed up, have them transition into behavioral gestures. Behavioral gestures really add color and depth to our characters and who we are. Have the students pick an idiosyncrasies (a physical quirk) of someone that they know they know. Have them move around that space being aware of that idiosyncrasy. Have them choose someone completely different that they know and use that idiosyncrasy. Now have the students pause and close their eyes. Have them think of their character and what idiosyncrasy their character has. Once they know it, they may begin moving around the space using it. Now put those characters in different weather environments. Have the student choose the environment that they are in their scene. How do the characters react to those environments? Have the students try new ways of reacting to the weather than they normally would.
Step 3:
Have the students read through their script again, this time with their partner. This will give them a moment to refresh their minds on their story.
Step 4:
Application: Have each of the students meet up with their scene partner. Have each partnership create a sequence of movement that expresses the following: 1. The blocks of action in their scene This exercise is meant to be expressive and not literal. Look at the deeper meaning behind what is going on. What is the feeling and mood of the piece? Divide your scene into 3 different sections. All of these sections will be performed in a way that focuses on the 3 different blocks of action. What is the beginning of the story, the middle of the story and the ending?
Step 5:
Performance: have the students perform these movement pieces of their scenes to their peers. Divide the class in groups of 4 so two scenes will be performed in each group.
Step 6:
Rehearsal: Give the students the rest of the period to rehearse and block their scene. Side coach and help them with their scenes. Assessment: The students will be assessed through their participation in the exercises and their rehearsal time.
