The students will demonstrate their ability to focus by performing an improvised group scene.
Materials Needed
Large space to move around in
Lesson Directions
Anticipatory Set/Hook
Twin Interview Have the students get into groups of three and find a place on the floor to sit together. Have each group decide who in the group will be A, B, and C. Explain that they will be becoming characters in an improvised interview. One person will be the interviewer and the other two will be twins that are being interviewed. The interviewer will then decide what the twins are famous for and begin asking questions. The twins will respond to the question and say the exact same answer at the exact same time by speaking slowly and watching and listening to each other as they respond. Have A start as the interviewer with B and C as the twins. Rotate the roles after they have had a few minutes to practice.
Questions: What was your experience like with this activity? Was there typically a leader who would guide the responses? How did your group decide who was the leader in the responses? Did it ever switch mid-response?
Instruction
Transition: Have the students go back to their seats and take out their homework from the night before. Ask for a few students to share their experiences with their focus goal. If needed, talk about a few things that might help the students improve on their focusing abilities.
Step 1: Focus Quote Scenes
Write this quote up on the board: “Act the part and you will become the part.” – William James The students will now have 25 minutes to work in a group of 3 or 4 to put together a scene that demonstrates the meaning of this quote. The scene must be 2-4 minutes in length. Tell them that you will be specifically looking for how they demonstrate their ability to focus during the scene as well as a clear understanding of what they think is meant by the quote. Make sure to walk around and coach each group in their scene to keep them on task and to make their scene believable.
Step 2: Performance of Scenes
Bring the students back together to have each group get up and perform their scenes. Before the performances begin, facilitate a discussion about what it means to focus while being an audience member. Talk about audience etiquette. Be sure they are focusing on the performance and not on their neighbors or themselves. Make sure that they all clap for the group after the performance is over. Ask the students for any other ideas not mentioned that they think might be important to do as an audience member. Once the discussion is ended, begin the performances. Continue until all groups have performed.
Questions:
How was focus demonstrated in this scene? How was the meaning of the quote portrayed and what was the meaning of the quote as demonstrated by this group? Why is focusing important in the art of theatre?
