Acting Course Profile

This course requires students to experiment individually and collaboratively with forms and conventions of both drama and theatre from various cultures and time periods. Students will interpret dramatic literature and other text and media sources while learning about various theories of directing and acting. Students will examine the significance of dramatic arts in various cultures, and will analyze how the knowledge and skills developed in drama are related to their personal skills, social awareness, and goals beyond secondary school.

This focus course on acting explores acting theory through various sources: self-created, classical and contemporary works. 

Course Overview

ADG 4M challenges the student actor to develop his or her acting skills through the examination of self-created, classical and modern works, both individually and collaboratively. This examination is supported through the study of acting styles and theories. 

UNIT I. The Actor

The teacher chooses sources to generate discussion, activities, and experiences to create a safe, inclusive environment for all students to be able to take performance risks.  Within this unit, students will study the evolution of the actor and will gain an understanding of an actor's role and his/her professional responsibilities and the interpersonal skills required to be an effective cast member. Students will also explore various warm up activities that will help them relax, focus, and warm up their vocal chords and body for performance.

UNIT II.  The Classics

Students will explore classical acting through the works of classical playwrights. These could include include any of the works from: the Ancient Greeks (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides), Renaissance English Theatre (Christopher Marlowe, Ben Johnson, William Shakespeare), French Renaissance Theatre (Pierre Corneille, Jean Racine, Moliere) and English Restoration Theatre (Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Oliver Goldsmith).  Other global playwrights and theatre styles could also be researched, such as Goethe of Germany. Students will research the historical context of these plays and the style in which they were performed.  Students will create a presentation for their peers on the historical context, conventions and acting styles from the source of their scene study. Students will try to re-create the period's performance environment e.g. performing a scene from Electra in an ancient Athenian Theatre style and perform using the time period's performance conventions e.g. the use of a chorus, mask, etc.

UNIT III. The Role

Students begin by exploring their own body language through their posture, how they stand and sit, and the mannerisms and gestures they use so that they can better understand when they are being themselves and when they are acting as someone else. They will then examine other people, exploring different ways of walking, standing and sitting, and different ways of portraying emotions through a variety of gestures, mannerisms, and facial expressions. Students will then study and explore acting teachers such as Stanislavski, Strasberg, Uta Hagen, Meisner, etc. and their methods.

Unit IV. The Script

Students explore the script as actors telling a story. They will explore finding the given circumstances in a script and creating the backstory for the characters they are playing. Students learn about objectives, intention, playing conflict and subtext.  They will make physical choices that will help tell the story and reveal what the character is thinking and feeling. They will learn about listening and reacting and working as an ensemble so that they can play moment to moment, making adjustments according to what their fellow actors are giving them.

UNIT V.  Applying Your Knowledge: The 10 Minute Play Festival

In this unit, students will perform a 10 minute play.  To prepare for their performance, they will apply the script analysis skills they have gained in previous units, as well as, character creation through previously learned acting theory.  These 10 minute plays should be issues based (e.g: Social Justice, Environmental Themes, and/or First Nations, Inuit and Metis). In order to gain an understanding of the issue students will explore in the 10 minute play, they will also research the issue and submit a research assignment in their Actor's Journal.

UNIT VI.  The Culminating Activity:  The Audition: Preparing for a Future in Acting

Students research the requirements of and prepare an audition for an agent or post-secondary theatre school.

Students will research the requirement of and prepare an audition for an agent or post-secondary theatre school.  This usually includes creating an acting resume (with black and white 8x12 photo), and two contrasting monologues; one classical and one contemporary. Students will be put into pairs (or groups depending on the class dynamics) and work together as acting coaches for each other's work.  They will provide peer feedback as each student prepares their culminating performance. Students will perform their audition pieces, submit their script analysis and their final reflection on the skills they have gained through their dramatic arts education.

Guiding Questions:

Stage 1:  Preparation for Project

• If you wanted to become an actor after high school, what would be your next step?
• Where might you want to look for further training?

Stage 2:  Preparation for Culminating Performance

• If you were going to audition for a post-secondary acting program, how would you know what to prepare for the audition?
• What are your strengths as an actor, and how would you choose material to demonstrate those strengths?
• As an acting coach, what should you be looking for in the actor's performances?

Stage 3:  Post Culminating Performance

• After performing your audition pieces, would you say that you choose the best monologues for your performance?
• What would your audition say to a post-secondary acting program or agent? 
• How has this course prepared you for this culminating activity?  What skills have you gained throughout the semester?

Sample Reflection Questions: 

• Why should all Ontario high school students study Dramatic Arts?  
• What are five life skills that are developed through a Dramatic Arts Education?  
• What are three ways in which you will personally benefit from your Dramatic Arts Education in your future career plans?  

Book Resources

Boal, Augusto.  Games for Actors and Non-Actors.  London: Routledge, 1992. ISBN:  0-415-26708-0

Benedetti, Robert. The Actor At Work. ISBN: 0-205-26139-6

Brestoff, Richard. The Great Acting Teachers and Their Methods.  ISBN: 1-57525-012-8

Cameron, Ron. Acting Skills for Life ISBN:  0-88924-195-3

Cohen, Robert. Acting One. ISBN: 978-0-07-351416-1

Hagen, Uta. Respect for Acting ISBN: 0-02547390-5

Hajidiacos, Demetra. Acting Alone: A Drama Teacher's Monologue Survival Kit.  ISBN:  1-897289-00-6

Houseman, Barbara. Finding Your Voice: A step by step guide for actors.  ISBN: 0-87830-167-4

Miller, Bruce. The Actor As Storyteller: An Introduction to Acting. ISBN: 978-0-7674-0605-5

Shurtleff, Michael. Audition ISBN:  0-553-27295-0

Websites

Kennedy Centre Website.

Theatre Ontario.

Theatre Museum Canada.

Laban Institute International.

Complete guide to the Alexander Technique.

The Meisner Acting Technique.

Useful background reading on the Stanislavki system.

Website of Robert Benedetti, author of The Actor At Work.

Information on the film Stanislavsky and the Russian Theatre.

Activity Based: presentation, rehearsal

Co-operative Learning: group collaboration, think-pair-share, conflict resolution, peer feedback, conflict resolution, text reformulation

Direct Instruction: demonstration, directed reading-thinking activities, guided reading, guided writing, read along, read aloud, Socratic dialogue, task cards and handouts

Independent Learning: independent study, learning log/journal (Actor's Journal), reflection, cognitive skills-model, decision-making models,

Inquiry and Research: research, creative process, script analysis

Organizational: organization tools (production calendars, props lists)

Technology/Media Based: media production, media presentation

Thinking Skills: brainstorming, problem solving, analysis, think-aloud, issue-based analysis

Beat: a section of the script in which a character has the same goal.  A new beat begins when a character either achieves the goal, or must change the goal due to changing circumstances e.g the entrance of a new character.

Expectation: what a character expects to happen.

Given Circumstances: what has happened to the character before the play or scene starts which has led the character to where they are now.  Given Circumstances also influence a character's reactions due to past experiences and/or their upbringing.

Goal or Objective: what a character wants. The character's objective expresses what he/she wants.

Greek Theatre: theatre created by the Ancient Greeks which flourished from 550 to 220 B.C.E.

Indicating: Showing how a character feels, or what kind of character they are, rather than doing what the character does. This often results in insincere or "over" acting.

Inside-out: an approach to building character based on psychological understanding of the character and the actor's identification with personal experiences or emotions.

Monologue: a lengthy speech given by a character.

Naturalistic Acting: attempting to show the character as a complete, complex person with depth (not a stereotype).

Obstacle: anyone or anything in the way of the character achieving the goal.

Renaissance English Theatre:  sometimes called "Elizabethan Theatre," this period in theatre history takes place between the mid 1500's to the closure of the theatres is 1642.

Renaissance French Theatre:  French theatre which took place in the 16th Century.
 

Restoration English Theatre:  English Theatre which took place between 1660 to 1800.

Safe Space: an environment in which everyone shares the belief that creative risk-taking should be encouraged and celebrated

Substitution: replacing the feelings that a character is experiencing with ones that an actor has actually felt e.g. if the character's parents are divorcing, the actor will remember a recent break-up with a boyfriend or girlfriend or his/her own parents' divorce.

Subtext: what the character is thinking or feeling but does not say.  This analysis helps actors to decide how to deliver their lines.

Tactic: what a character does to get what he/she wants.

Unit 1: The Actor

Lesson: Establishing a Safe Space

In this lesson students collaboratively create a positive environment to support student learning and experimentation. 

Unit 3: The Role

Lesson: Beginning to Explore Character

In this lesson students begin to explore taking on a role.  This performance challenges students to create multiple characters through character creation theory of inside-out or outside-in; as well as deepening their character creation through the use of subtext.

Unit 3: The Role

Lesson:  Laban Efforts and Physical Characters

Students will apply Rudolph Laban's movement analysis to help them devise characters based on their physicality.

Unit 4: The Script

The Stanislavski System: Objectives, Obstacles, Tactics and Given Circumstances

In this lesson, students learn important concepts from Stanislavki's approach to acting and apply these to character creation and script work.

In this lesson, students will explore the transition skills required for playing multiple characters and performing work inspired from their life experiences. Students will be given the chance to share life experiences and transform them into a work of stage art, culminating in a performance of their own one-person play. Students will also explore the use of physicality when creating characters, and how they can use their own personal experiences to create emotions on stage.

 

How can our personal experiences help us to create believable emotion on stage? 

What are the experiences in life that work best as source material for exploring performance ideas?

How do we transform work from ideas to written text to physical performance?

What value will this work have for an artist's growth?

A.1. use the creative process and a variety of sources and forms, both individually and collaboratively, to design and develop drama works.

A2.1. use the elements of drama to achieve specific purposes in drama works.

B1.1. use the critical analysis process to reflect on and justify or revise decisions in creating drama works.

C3.2. demonstrate an understanding of the tasks and responsibilities involved in producing drama works.

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Reflect on personal experiences and apply that reflection to their own creative work
• Recognize the value of working through the creative process
• Create a performance document for future work and development
• Perform their work in front of an audience of peers (classmates and teacher), and receive feedback that will help them develop their work

Readiness

Students need to be comfortable performing a monologue in front of the group. Students have read scripts and now understand the basic elements of a play (e.g., tension, plot, character, rising action, etc.).
Students also need to have an understanding of substitution.

Terminology:

Concept
Inside-out
Monologue 
Substitution

Materials

Relaxation music

Pencil and paper,

a class set of script samples from any plays involving 3 or more characters and intended for one actor.

DVD:  I, Claudia, by Chris Abraham and Kristen Thomson

Selected exerpt from The Shape of a Girl, by Joan Macleod

BLM #3 "The Conversation" Assignment Handout copies for each student

Whole Class > Solo Shows

Choose a scene from the play: The Shape of a Girl, by Joan Macleod.  Read with the class and discuss the fact that this is a solo performance piece. Discuss challenges that an actor might face performing this play and the characters involved.

Watch a selected scene from the DVD  I, Claudia, by Chris Abraham and Kristen Thomson focusing on the actor playing multiple characters. Prompts: What does the actor do to help portray the different characters? Encourage students to focus on body language.

Whole Class > Meditation

Have students place paper and pencil beside them before they begin the meditation.

Dim the lights and use relaxing music without words. Play softly in the background. Have students sit comfortably or lie on the floor with eyes closed.  Have students create and repeat the following breathing pattern: breathe in through your nose to a count of four and out to a count of four. 

Instruct students to tense their feet when breathing in and to relax when breathing out. Move to the calves, then the thighs and so on up to the head and face.

Once students are relaxed and quiet, ask students to think of a person in their life that they had an important conversation with.  Encourage them to recall the person's physicality.  Prompts: What did their hair look like?  What did their eyes look like?  What kind of clothes were they wearing? How did they stand? What were their mannerisms? 

Instruct students to now focus on the conversation itself. Prompts: Who was involved in the conversation?  How did the conversation make you feel? Did you feel loved and encouraged? Did you feel hurt or ashamed? What was said? Why?

Remind students of their breathing (in for four counts, out for four counts).  Encourage them listen to the noise in the classroom around them, the floor or chair beneath them.  Have students remain silent and continue to breathe on the four count as they open their eyes.  As students to look around the classroom.

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

While students study the solo plays, check for understanding of the challenges involved in playing multiple characters.  

Assessment as Learning (AaL)

Ask students to consider what dramatic skills they are using to create their characters.

Differentiation (DI)

Students choose the topic, the character to portray and the maximum length o the piece.

Students may use a tape recorder or video camera to assist with the writing process. Some may collaborate using google docs or other collaborative software. Editing buddies can be assigned to support students who find writing more challenging.

Open and frequent discussions about progress are essential to determine whether or not more time on script work or performance development will best enhance student learning on this unit.

Quick Tips 

Teachers may provide examples of multiple character-one person plays which would meet the needs of a variety of students in their class.

The teacher may decide to film the physical creation of characters to support student learning through observation and to analyze student successes and areas of improvement.

During the creation of character physicalization, the teacher should give students verb instruction to help students fully realize the character's physicalization. 

Individual > Writing Recall

Without speaking, have students write their conversations on the paper beside them. Encourage them to fill in the details as much as they can. Explain to the students that they will be performing a dramatization of the conversation and will therefore have an opportunity to edit the conversation later. Tell students that the amount of fiction and non-fiction included in the performance is up to the student.

Individual > Creating Physicality

Have students choose a part of the classroom where they can work in isolation.  Ask students to explore the emotion through body language they felt in the conversation they had recalled.  Prompts: How did you feel when the conversation started? Did this change during the course of the conversation?  How did that emotion affect your body?  How did you hold your head?  Shoulders?  Were your hands clenched or unclenched? Were you standing or sitting? Did you maintain eye contact or look away?

As students to return to a neutral stance, once they have created their own physicality. 

Ask students to now explore the other person's physicality. Use the same prompts as above to get them started. Encourage students to walk like the person. Prompts: Do they walk fast or slow? Are their heads up or down? Do they lead from the hips or chest? Do they swing their arms?  

Recall how the other person was feeling at the time of the conversation.  Ask students to adapt their character physically to include the other person's emotional state.

As students walk around the space, ask the students to switch between each characters' physicality.  Ask students to stop walking if they feel that the two characters are blending into each other.  Watch students as they do this to make sure that you see a difference in their physicality.  Support students by providing feedback and perhaps showing successful student demonstrations.

Ask students to create a set of their conversation's location e.g. chair, desk. Instruct students to create a silent version of their conversation lasting one minute. Encourage the use of body language and facial expressions.

Whole Class > Sharing

Have students around the classroom share their work sequentially. Ask students as audience members to provide written feedback in the Actor's Notebook. 

Prompts:  

1. Which of your classmates portrayed a strong difference between each character's physicality?  Describe the differences and why the performance was so successful.
2. Which of your classmates' performances allowed you to have a clear understanding of how each character was feeling in the conversation?
3. How can creating unique character physicality help an actor develop their character?

Discuss as a class and offer individual feedback. Instruct students that they are to edit their work at home and be ready to present in the future. Provide students with a copy of BLM #3 "The Conversation" Assignment Handout for guidelines for their work.

A1: use the creative process and a variety of sources and forms both individually and collaboratively, to design and develop drama works;

A1.1: develop interpretations of drama texts from a variety of Western and non-Western dramatic traditions, past and present, as a basis for their own drama works.

A1.3: create and interpret a wide range of characters using a variety of acting approaches. 

A3.1:  demonstrate an understanding of how different acting and staging techniques reflect and support different purposes in drama. 

A3.2: use different acting approaches to explore and depict character in a variety of situations. 

C1: demonstrate an understanding of the nature and functions of drama forms, elements, conventions, and techniques, including the correct terminology for the various components;

C1.2: use correct terminology for the styles, components, processes and techniques of drama in creating and critiquing drama works and theatre performances. 

C2.1: demonstrate an understanding of the theatre traditions of a variety of historical periods and cultures.

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to

• identify and explain the concepts of objectives, obstacles, tactics and given circumstances
• use these concepts in the creation of characters, both created and scripted
• reflect on how Stanislavki techniques can assist the actor in creating believable characters 

Readiness

Students should have some experiencing in creating character through improvisation and some familiarity with script work. This lesson could serve as an introduction to a unit focused on acting techniques such as the Stanislavski system, Laban, Meisner, etc. This lesson could also be used as part of an ongoing script study in which students are assigned various scenes from Naturalistic plays, such as Ibsen, Chekhov, etc. to study and perform.

Terminology:

Beat:  A section of the script in which a character has the same goal.  A new beat begins when a character either achieves the goal, or must change the goal due to changing circumstances (i.e. the entrance of a new character) 

Given Circumstances:  What has happened to the character before the play or scene starts which has led the character to where they are now.  Given Circumstances also influences a character's reactions due to past experiences and/or their upbringing.

Indicating: Showing how a character feels, or what kind of character they are, rather than doing what the character does. This often results in insincere or "over" acting.

Objective:  What a character wants.  The character's goal expressing what he/she wants.

Naturalistic Acting:   Attempting to show the character as a complete, complex person with depth (not a stereotype)

Obstacle:  Anyone or anything in the way of the character achieving the goal.

Tactic:  What a character does to get what he/she want.

Materials

Journals

BLM#5 Definitions of Acting Terms

BLM #6 Sample Script - Romeo and Juliet

BLM #7 Character Chart

Scripted Scenes from various Naturalistic plays

Individual > Journal Response to Stanislavski Quotation

Post one or more of the following quotations from Constantin Stanislavki and ask students to choose one and respond in a short written journal. Prompts: What do you think Stanislavski means by this statement? Do you agree or disagree? Have you yourself felt this sensation when acting?

"When we are on stage, we are in the here and now."

"All action on the stage must have an inner justification, be logical, coherent, and real."

"The actor must believe in everything that takes place on the stage - and most of all - in what he himself is doing - and one can only believe in the truth."

Whole Class > Discussion

Invite students to share their responses with the class. Consider giving more background information on Stanislavski to augment students' understanding of Stanislavski's emphasis on naturalism and believability in acting (see Hyperlinks). 

Define the learning goals of the lesson and post the following terms on an anchor chart for the class: Indicating, Objective, Obstacle, Tactic and Given Circumstances. Define indicating for the class and post the definition on the anchor chart.  

Small Group > A Simple Task

Divide students into small groups of 3-4 students. Ask one volunteer from the group to undertake a simple physical activity that requires concentration, such as building a sandcastle or balancing a book on one's head. Tell the students watching that they must decide on a signal, such as a sound or verbal cue, to use when they feel the actor is indicating. Have students continue this activity until each person in the group has had a turn.

Whole Class > Debrief Discussion

Ask students for their feedback on the activity using the following questions.

Key Questions for Discussion:

How did you know when an actor was indicating?
What is the difference in watching an actor indicate versus watching them simply "do"?Did you realize when you were indicating as an actor? 
How strong is your impulse to "show" rather than "do"? How does this activity connect to the quotations from Stanislavski?
How is indicating when acting not real or truthful?
What are the challenges of portraying a characters in a way that is truthful?

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Use the anchor chart to solidify students' understanding of the terminology used in the lesson. Circulate and offer feedback to students as they engage in the simple task and paired improvisation exercises. 

Assessment as Learning (AaL):

Use the double-entry journal and subsequent discussion as a way for students to reflect on their own acting approaches, and to record their growth and understanding throughout the lesson. Consider collecting journals and offering feedback to students on this growth. 

Assessment of learning:  

The Extension Activity provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding of the learning goals by applying these terms to the study and performance of a scripted scene.

Differentiation (DI)

Consider using Powerpoint or a Smartboard to present background on the Stanislavski system for visual learners. Provide students for other ways to demonstrate their thinking in response to the quotations, such as drawing or performing their responses.

Quick Tip

Model examples of simple tasks and improvised scenes for the class before they create their own. Consider giving background reading or viewing a website or video related to Stanislavski to better ground students' knowledge of his approach to acting.

Link and Layer

Compare Stanislavski's approach to acting to other styles and approaches from different time periods, such as Melodrama; link the development of Stanislavki's approach and its influences on approaches such as Meisner, Method acting, etc.

Consult Robert Benedetti's The Actor at Work for more exercises related to Stanislavski; refer to Appendix B: An Action Checklist when doing script work with students.

Hyperlinks in the Lesson

Useful background reading on the Stanislavki system.

Website of Robert Benedetti, author of The Actor at Work.

Information on the film Stanislavsky and the Russian Theatre.

Whole Class > The Given Circumstances

Define the term given circumstances and post to the anchor chart. Prompt: How does what we know about a character reveal itself in action on stage? 

Small Group > A Simple Task with Given Circumstances

Ask students to re-form their small groups from the simple task exercise from the Minds On portion of the lesson. Have each person reflect on his or her task and create given circumstances for their character. This might include details such as the character's name, age, occupation, mood, personality, family background, etc.

Have students perform their simple task again at the same time, keeping in mind their character's given circumstances. Prompts: Why are they undertaking this task? What significance does it hold for them? What do they hope to gain by doing it?

Have students perform their tasks one at a time for the group and share with each other whether or not they were able to learn more about the character this time around. Prompts: Did it help you as an actor to know your given circumstances? Was it more interesting to watch as an audience member? Was the actor able to communicate the given circumstances without indicating?

Whole Class > Objectives, Obstacles and Tactics

Define the terms objective, obstacle and tactic with the class and post definitions to the anchor chart. Distribute BLM #5 Definitions of Acting Terms,  BLM #6 Sample Script - Romeo and Juliet and BLM #7 Character Chart to students and deconstruct a sample scene together.

Pairs > Improvised Scenarios with Objectives

Divide students into pairs and have them create a short scenario involving two characters. They must define their given circumstances and a clear objective or "want" for the scene. For example, they may decide they are rival sisters, and one sister wants the other to lend her an expensive pair of shoes to wear on a date; or, they may be a boss and employee, and the employee is asking for a raise.

Ask students to improvise their scenarios for a few minutes. Then, signal them to stop and to discuss how their objectives played out. Prompts: What tactics did you use to try to achieve your objective? What obstacles stood in your way? Did these roadblocks cause you to change your tactics?

Have students rehearse their scenes again, this time identifying a clear objective, obstacle and three tactics that will be used in the scene, phrased as I + verb statements (e.g. "I beg" or "I praise"). Consider having students complete BLM #7 Character Chart based on their created characters. If time permits, share improvised scenes with the class and ask students to identify the objectives, obstacles and tactics they saw play out on stage.

Individual > Double-Entry Journal Writing

Have students go back to the Stanislavski quotation they wrote about in the Minds On section of the lesson. Prompt: How has your understanding of the quotation changed or improved based on what they have learned in the lesson? Have students write a second response to the quotation explaining what further insights they have made through the exercises undertaken in class.

Extension Activity: Script Analysis of a Naturalistic Play

Have students apply their understanding of given circumstances, objective, obstacle and tactic to a sample scene from a Naturalistic play. Guide students through the creative process as they rehearse and polish these scenes for performance.