Students will demonstrate their ability to incorporate Japanese theatrical elements into an American realism monologue by performing for the class.
Materials Needed:
none
Hook: (5 minutes)
We are doing the same activity as yesterday FOR A REASON. Remember what it’s like to repeat the same movement and keep it just as exaggerated as the time before.
Have students stand up and push all their chairs away. Using the entire classroom, students need to run around the room at slow motion for three minutes as if they are running through molasses. Side Coaching: How taunt are each of your muscles? How much energy does it take to push through? Your body should be getting very tired. How far away from your body do you need to extend your arms to pull yourself through the goo?
Keep your movements just as big in your performances!!!
Performance: (45 minutes)
Set up four chairs at the front of the room to be the four pillars around which students should center their blocking. When students get up, they should hold up the picture of their makeup design and give their slate. Then students can set down their makeup design on one of the chairs and begin their performance. Make sure to say thank you at the end so we know you’re finished.
Discussion:
Discuss with students the different aspects of Japanese theatre and get their opinions on how they think they did in communicating those ideas. A lot of the “stylized movements” we saw were actually incredibly close to realism. What does that tell us? While we may think big movements are crazy looking, they actually look very natural. Be bigger in your every day performances of American Realism!
