Lesson Objective:Students will demonstrate an ability to prepare for an audition as a director or actor by engaging in preview performances or collaborative textual interpretation.
Levels of Understanding:apply, interpret, self-knowledge, explain, empathize
National Standards:
TH:Pr5.1.8.a. Use a variety of acting techniques to increase skills in a rehearsal or drama/theatre performance.
TH:Re9.1.8. a. Respond to a drama/ theatre work using supporting evidence, personal aesthetics, and artistic criteria.
Introduction (Overall Step One):Half the class will prepare for their audition today, receiving feedback from peers and teachers. The other half will prepare to cast. Next class, they will switch. Tell the students which of them are doing what.
55 min
Preparing for Auditions
Step One: The student teacher and mentor teacher will each coach nine actors for six minutes each (with two minutes given for monologue delivery, this leaves four minutes for feedback and working). As they coach, they use the monologue rubric as a guide, writing feedback on the monologue sheet.
Step Two:When students are not being coached by a teacher, they are completing the following activities:
Students create colored illustrations of their characters
Students practice both monologues three times for three different people, each person checking for memorization, then writing one suggestion for improvement and one note on excellence. On the feedback sheets, students write whether they agree with each piece of feedback with a justification as to why.
Preparing for Casting
Step One:Students are divided into creative teams of three. This should equate to twelve groups. Each creative team has a different play they will be casting for a summer stock season. Teachers should select a variety of straight plays for students to use: comedies, tragicomedies, children’s theatre, classics, contemporary works.
Step Two:Each creative team reads their play and comes up with character descriptions for each character, even minor characters. They may create these descriptions in any way on paper that they choose: images, words, etc. These character descriptions are due at the end of class.
Step Three: At the end of class, each creative team must also turn in a one-paragraph synopsis of their play.
5 min
Overall Step Two:Call the class back together. Have each student write down one thing they learned from today on their pass-off sheet.
Remind the students that for the next two classes, auditions will be held for the plays they’ve been prepping! Students should dress in appropriate attire. They do not need to bring a headshot and resume. Students will know who is auditioning on which day, based on schedules the teachers have hung up outside the class door while students have worked.
10 min
Overall Step Three:Play improv games with the remainder of class to blow off steam.
