Course Syllabus

Grades 11-12

Essential Questions:

Concepts

Skills/Learning Goals

UNIT: 1

CLASSICS

REMIX OF SHAKESPEARE

&

COMEDY OF MANNERS

• What do older genres of plays tell us about the world?
• Why is it important to study plays of different eras?
• How do we make connections between the older works and our world today?

• It is important to study various genres of plays in order to have a better understanding of the past.
• It is fun to explore how to draw from elements  of our acting craft that we may not have tapped into

Students will be able to:

• Research and describe the history of Elizabethan Theatre and Comedy of Manners.
• Synthesize vocal and physical changes based on analysis of the texts
• Analyze scripts in order to find clues to character based on knowledge of these classical times and the play structure
• Synthesize rehearsal and personal work in order to create a fully realized classical theatre performance

MINI UNIT: 1.5

FILM SCENES

• How does stage acting and film acting differ in clarity?
• How do you create realism in imaginary circumstances?
• If it’s not on stage and different with each performance is film still the craft of acting?

• Both film and stage acting translate meaning effectively when executed correctly.
• Film requires different skills from stage acting

Students will be able to:

• Perform scenes from film
• Compare and contrast acting on camera vs. the stage
• Exhibit an understanding of when to use which presentation style
• Use te ability to be committed to and sustain a caracter within a role while meeting the demands of filming

UNIT- 2 

DIRECTING

• How do Directors mount a production?

• What are the qualities of a good director?

• How does a director cultivate a vision and communicate among a cast a crew?

• There are many necessary components to putting a production together.

(Set design, costuming, technical design and application, script analysis, audition possess, blocking, casting, rehearsal, critique) 

• A Director must be the bridge between the cast and crew.

• A Director must be able to share a vision and know what they want while allowing the actors room to explore and create as well. 

Students will be able to:

• Design the set, costuming and other tech for a one act play
• Research and anaylze a one act play for style, dominant dramatic value and casting
• Create blocking based on clues discovered in the play
• Create and maintain a professional director’s notebook
• Produce and then perform a play at the Acting 4 One Act festival
• Critique and discuss for peer feedback all the shows in the Senior One Act Festival

MINI UNIT -2.5

THEATRE FOR

SOCIAL JUSTICE

• What is social justice? And what does it mean to you?
• Through what lens can I look at an issue?
• What are the principals of collaborative theatre work?
• How might privilege be used to support/voice/bring awareness to an issue? a. Privilege. b. Equality vs Equity.
• What are the essentials of storytelling?

• Social justice theatre is theatre that provokes in the audience an empathetic response to characters suffering various forms of injustice.

• Theatre can be used as a vessel to educate an audience. 

• Social Justice Theatre is design to give the audience a lens upon which to see our world. 

Students will be able to:

• Choose topics that are important to them and examine how to dissect the topic in a dramatic way. 
• Research and discuss the problems that are present and create questions and brainstorm options for change.
• Work within the greater community to elicit questions and concerns to explore through theatre. 

UNIT- 3

CLASS PRODUCTION

• How is working on a production like being part of a team?
• How do we work together to choose content that we all want to explore.
• Can we work together to share the duties of producing a class performance?

• Putting it all together is a great end of the High School Acting experience Activity.
• Putting a show together is a culmination of all learned skills

Students will be able to:

• Collaborate to create a final project that they can all feel proud of.
• Work together to synthesize all of their cumulative skills .