Students will demonstrate their understanding of Uta Hagen’s History exercise by performing a historically-accurate “simple task”.
Materials Needed
· A 10-15 music clips from a variety of genres (i.e. Latin, Hip-hop, Classical, Country, etc.) · Sufficient space to create a catwalk
Lesson Directions
Anticipatory Set/Hook
If possible, arrange the room to create a catwalk. Have students line up in two lines. Students will then have to walk down the catwalk (think of fashion models), modifying their walk to reflect the specific song that is being played. Encourage students to explore different pace, movement, height, etc. based on the song. Switch to a different song every 30 seconds or so.
Instruction
Step 1:
· At the conclusion of the hook, ask students to connect their experience to the discussions and assignments from last class period Desired answers: Student’s “history” with each song results in unique walk; History of time period influences music; Specific song invokes specific movement, etc.
Step 2: · At the conclusion of the discussion, emphasize the power of “history” · Then proceed to have each student perform their simple task · At the conclusion of their performance, have them introduce who they were, what time period they were coming from, and the three facts that influenced the way in which they performed their task · Collect the written portion once they have completed their presentation
CLOSURE:
· Once everyone has performed, discuss their process in doing this exercise (Possible questions: what did this exercise do for you? How did it help you? How do you think it can help the performance overall?, etc.)
Assessment
Participation: 10pts Implementation of Exercise: 5pts Write up: 5 pt Total possible points: 20 pts
Implementation of Exercise POINT VALUE Description of Qualifying Standard Points Barely understands the exercise and its application to improving one’s acting ability 1 Sufficiently understands the exercise and its application to improving one’s acting ability 3 Understands the exercise and successfully applies it to improve one’s acting ability 5
