Lesson 3: The Overheard Conversation

Critical Learning	Guiding Questions
In this lesson, students will revise and perform two versions of their Overheard Conversation Assignment from the previous lesson. Students will learn about and reflect on the revision process that may occur while creating Verbatim Theatre.	How does it feel to record other people's conversations? How can you record people in a way that feels responsible and ethical? Are overheard conversations dramatically interesting? Can overheard conversations be used as raw material or inspiration for a script? What editing choices can be made to improve a 'real life' script while maintaining its truthfulness? How can the writer help the actor to create a character from a script? How does the actor search for clues about the character in the script? Think about reality television: do you think those conversations get 'edited'? In what ways? Should it be called reality television when a lot of it is edited?
Curriculum Expectations	Learning Goals
B1.1 use the critical analysis process to reflect on and justify or revise decisions in creating drama works C3.1 identify and follow safe and ethical practices in all drama activities	Learning Goals At the end of this lesson, students will be able to: revise a Verbatim Theatre script create a staged reading of two Verbatim scripts reflect on the revision process for Verbatim Theatre
Instructional Components
Readiness Each student must have a script to work with based on the homework assignment from the previous lesson. Students should have some experience with editing and revising original scripts. Terminology Editing Writing in Role Inner Monologue Dialogue	Materials An 'overhead conversation' script for each student. Teacher will need to photocopy students' scripts.

Approximately 10 minutes Minds On	Pause and Ponder
Pairs > Sharing and Reflecting Invite students to work with a partner to share their thoughts and feelings about documenting someone else's conversation in their Overheard Conversation Assignment. Ask them to reflect on what was challenging about the assignment. What was interesting? What did you learn about writing dialogue? Invite the students to share some of their answers with the larger group.	Assessment for Learning (AfL) Use the scripts to gauge how much students understand the structure of writing plays. Collect them or conference with writers to offer formative feedback as they are editing. Use the Creative Process Observation Checklist to give students feedback on their rehearsal process during the staged reading. Assessment as Learning (AaL) By sharing and editing with partners and receiving feedback from the class, students can assess and refine their own abilities to create original scripts. Differentiation (DI) If a student feels uncomfortable 'eavesdropping' on conversations outside the classroom, give them an opportunity to record conversations that happen within the classroom. If students find the ten line script too limiting, be flexible about how much they need to edit. Quick Tip By passing their scripts to another group, students are interpreting the verbatim script with 'fresh' eyes and ears. The writer of the original script can impersonate the people overheard from memory. This way the writer can see how helpful the script was in allowing the actor to create a character from it that is close to the original speaker. Create an opportunity for students to share the Overheard Conversation monologue in the next lesson. Make the Overheard Conversation monologue in to a more in depth assignment by asking students to link the monologues to the scenes and create a performance The Overheard Conversation monologue could be an option for students when they do their polished performances in the final culminating task. Link and Layer Explain that many writers use the technique of eavesdropping to create characters and dialogue. For example, Judith Thompson borrowed a lot of her characters and dialogue from the work she did as a social worker.
Approximately 60 minutes Action!
Small Groups > Editing the Overheard Conversation Scripts Ask students to move into groups of two or three or four, depending on how many people were recorded in their overheard conversations. Ideally, most groups will be made up of 2 or 3 people. Have students read their Overheard Conversation scripts to each other and select one script to edit. Instruct students to write a new version of the script that is edited down to ten lines. They may add or omit words to make the ten lines coherent as a script. Instruct them to write one new line anywhere in the script that will help introduce a conflict or a reversal (change). Small groups > Rehearsing Overheard Conversation Scripts Give students photocopies of each group's scripts (the edited and the original) so that there are enough copies for each speaker in the scene. Then, instruct groups to pass the scripts on to another group to rehearse and perform. Give students time to rehearse their staged readings in their groups. Encourage them to work on their feet, adding some blocking to the scene even though they will still be reading from the script. Instruct students to recreate the original setting of the first Verbatim Theatre script but change the second (if possible) in the second edited script. Whole Class > Presenting Overheard Conversation Scripts Direct students to perform the two versions of the script for the class. After each presentation, invite students to comment on the verbatim and the revised scripts. Key Questions for Discussion: Which version was more compelling--the original or the edited version? Did the edits maintain the essence of the verbatim script or change it radically? How did the new setting impact the script? Ask the original writers to comment on what it was like to watch actors interpret the voices in the script. What new interpretations did the actors bring to the script? What did they miss in their interpretation? Explain that Verbatim Theatre, although it always aims for 'word for word' authenticity, is often edited or mediated to enhance or create new meaning. Ask students to brainstorm a list of ways that a Verbatim Theatre script might be edited. Record this list as an anchor chart on the board or on chart paper.
Approximately 15 minutes Consolidation
Individual > Writing in Role Ask students to imagine that they are one of the people in either their own or someone else's Overheard Conversation Script and write a monologue in role as that person. The inner monologue should explore their thoughts about the conversation recorded and can take place before or after the conversation. While writing, instruct students to keep the voice of the person in mind and to try to recreate the speech patterns in their writing.