Formalizing Tactics and Objectives
Lesson Seven: Formalizing Tactics and Objectives
Objective: Students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of character development by documenting and demonstrating tactics and objectives.
Assessment:
- Exit slip (20 points)
- Full points for 2 objectives and 4-8 tactics (both monologues)
- 10 points if they only have tactics or objectives for one monologue.
Facets: Interpretation, Application
Standards: TH.PR.4.HSI a. Research various character objectives and tactics in a theatrical work to overcome an obstacle.
Materials:
Whiteboard, markers, some kind of screen for the video, PPT: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1WaDx0GFlqjwcZmDIn3C__HsizZCvo-Z3BEUSlOfkRrU/edit?usp=sharing,
slips of paper with individual tactics,
handouts with lots of tactics (so many: http://texasartsproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/TacticList21.pdf,
or less: https://www.thepreparedperformer.com/tactics/)
Hook: (3 minutes)
We’re going to start with a short video today. As we watch this, think about what the main subject wants and howhe tries to get it. Show about the first minute of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsUgJlZCqT4. (The video is only a few minutes long, so you can show the whole thing. In this case, I would suggest having students write down what they see to make sure they stay focused.)
Discussion: (5 minutes)
Survey students and write their answers on the board. What are some things this kid wants? What is the main thing he probably wants? From whom does he want it? What are some ways he tries to get what he wants? How does he change how he talks to Linda in order to get what he wants? As answers are winding down, How do you think this could apply to the work we’re doing with our monologues?
Instruction: (3 minutes)
Today, we’re going to focus on two concepts: objectives and tactics.
An objective is what you want to get from the other character. For us, this should be your main goal during the entire monologue. So, for the scene we just watched, the little boy’s objective could be that he wants Linda to forgive him for his misbehavior. Linda could have an objective too. Maybe hers would be that she wants her son to apologize for trying to eat a cupcake for dinner.
An objective has three basic pieces: two characters and an action. Iwant youto do something. (Write down this formula on the board).Sometimes this is called “the fantasy ending.” If your monologue went entirely according to plan, what would the other person do at the end? (ex: I want you to fall to your knees and worship me, I want you to whisk me away into the sunset, I want you to slither away in shame.) What questions do you have about objectives?
Individual Activity:(5 minutes)
Pull out both of your monologues and find the things that your character wants from the person they’re speaking to. Which one is the strongest? Or which thing do they seem to want throughout the entire monologue? Write down an objective in the format that we wrote on the board (for each monologue), using whatever character names you know. When you’re finished, share with the person sitting next to you.
Discussion: (7 minutes)
As we come back together, ask if anyone would like to share. Discuss what makes those objectives strong.
Remind the students of the video we watched at the beginning. In theatre terms, we can now talk about the child’s objectives. Remember the other things we wrote on the board last time? The ways Mateo gets what he wants? In theatre, we call these actions or tactics. These are active verbs that help you accomplish your character’s objective. The best kind of tactics will work through your partner (“I can ____ my partner, but can I get my partner to feel ____ed?”), you should be able to use them in different circumstances, and you should be able to keep on using that tactic (sustainable). Finally, tactics should not be a state of being. Instead of using tactics like “to be angry” or “to be intense,” you could use “to frighten” or “to intimidate.”
What questions do you have about tactics so far?
Hand out tactics handout to each student (links in Materials). Remind students that they don’t need to restrict themselves to just this list, but that this is a good starting place.
Model: (3 minutes)
So now that you know these tactic tips, what tactics did you see Mateo use? How was he trying to get Linda to forgive or forget his misdeeds? What did he try to convince her to get the cupcakes? What other tactics could he have used? When did he change tactics? Refer back to the list we made on the board before — or remind them of things they saw in the video. As students list tactics, write them on the board to create a large list of tactics.
Practice Activity
We’re now going to do something a bit more active. We’re going to improvise and rehearse some short scenes, making use of these tactics. We’re going to split the class into groups, and each group will be able to choose from these three objectives to improvise: you want your friend to pay for something (food, a movie ticket, etc) for you, you want your sibling to let you borrow the car, or you want your parent to let you stay out later. Remember that each scenario has two characters, so each character has an objective. We’re only telling you one objective. You get to come up with the second one. Each character should use two different tactics to accomplish their objective. When we split up, I have a “hat” full of tactics you can draw from. We’ll give you one minute to discuss, and then you can have 5 minutes to rehearse. When we’re finished improvising, whoever would like to can perform their scene for the class. Questions?
Walk around and monitor students. Ask them questions about their choices. Encourage the ones that may be struggling.
Discussion: (2-5 minutes)
How were the scenarios different with different tactics? What made the scenes really work? What were some of the most interesting tactics? Were there some that were more effective? Why? Did you see any that would work really well for your monologue?
Partner Practice: (12 minutes)
Looking at this list, are there any you feel would fit into the context of your monologue? We naturally use tactics when we talk with other people. In order to see this, Partner up with someone you did not partner with last time. Say your comedic monologue out loud to your partner (don’t look at your paper!). As you are delivering your monologue, think about tactics you could use, and think about places where you can change tactics. When you are listening to your partner deliver their monologue, take note of what kinds of tactics you think they are using, or things that might make sense. Remember, this is just practice, so don’t feel pressure to have great tactics yet. We’ll work on this more in just a minute.
Discussion: (3 minutes)
What tactics did you see? Did you feel like you used tactics when you spoke to another person? Which ones felt effective? Did you notice tactic changes? What helped you notice when tactics changed?
Individual Work: (10 minutes)
Pull out your monologues, and look for places that the words make it sound like your character decides to change his or her approach. We marked beat changes together on the first monologue. Maybe your tactics change when the beat changes. If you’d like to mark beat changes in your second monologue, feel free to do that now as well. (Remember the little kid. He changed tactics when he found that he still wasn’t getting what he wanted.) You’re going to pick and write down two – four tactics you can use for each monologue. Remember, your monologues are supposed to contrast, so don’t choose the exact same tactics for both monologues. Before you leave today, you’ll need to turn in a piece of paper (an exit slip) with your two objectives and four – eight tactics (2-4 for each mono) written on it to get points for the day. If I were you, I would write these things out on your monologue paper as well.
Monitor students as they work. Ask them questions, and help them find good tactics. Collect exit slips as class ends.
Wrap-Up: (2-5 minutes)
Come back together and have students share some of their favorite tactics they found. If we never did theatre again, how could your new understanding of tactics and objectives be useful?
HOMEWORK: memorize their comedic monologues.