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Introduction to Drama

Drama:

Introductory Scheme of Work

Focus:

Responding to instructionsWorking effectively as a group

Building confidenceIntroducing new drama skills:

limiting dialogue

facial expression

body language

group work

use of levels

status

abstract drama

use of a basic script

mime & gesture

dramatic sculpting

freeze - frames

settings

addressing the audience

Contents:

1. Lesson 1 Conversation lesson and extension activity Conversation for photocopying

2. Lesson 2 Addressing the audience (exam. theme)

3. Lesson 3 Universal gestures

4. Lesson 4 Physical theatre/Mime work, showing emotions

5. Lessons 5 & 6 Status levels (2 lessons with extension activities)

6. Lessons 7 & 8 Fireworks drama (2 lessons)

7. Lessons 9 & 10 Persuasion (2 lessons)

8. Lessons 11 & 12 Script work (2 lessons with extension activity)

© 2004 www.teachit.co.uk document.docx of 13


Lesson 1 – Conversation lesson

Aim of lesson: to develop simple sketch & show effect of dialogue & how it can be overrated!

Warm–up:

From circle, arrange selves in:

Height order Order of eye colour, darkest to lightest Birthday order Alphabetical by first name

Divide into teams to form letters, numbers, shapes

Come back into circle.

Brainstorm important things to remember in Drama. Select best 5 & discuss.

Task:

Hand out conversation sheets. Read in pairs. Hear some.

Now act out, see some.

Develop scene in pairs with time limit. See some.

Now re-enact, but only able to speak own name. Does meaning still come across? How? What is important?

Plenary:

What have we learned about Drama today? Is dialogue as important as you thought?

Extension activities / possible follow-on lesson

To teach effect of different expressions / moods, use same conversation but look at effect of different mood / tone of voice

Use different strategies – freeze frame, pause, additional character, mime etc. Comment on effect.

Give different settings to pairs, group have to guess setting.



Hello.

Hello.

How are you?

Fine.

Have you been waiting long?

About ten minutes.

Oh.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello.

Hello.

How are you?

Fine.

Have you been waiting long?

About ten minutes.

Oh.Lesson 2 –Addressing the audience Aim of lesson: to introduce ways of addressing the audience whilst developing dramatic expression.

Warm-up:



Facing out of the circle, practise showing various emotions facially, and then using whole body. Now face inwards and show to group. How does body change between, say, happiness (open expression, upward motion) and fear (closed, protective stance, probably looking down)?

Walk around the room, changing expression/body language as teacher shouts out different moods.

Task 1:

Discuss different thoughts/emotions that pupils experience in exams. These cannot be expressed, as everyone in the room is silent. Discuss how a drama scene might show these emotions.

E.g. In groups of 4, set scene for exam room and one by one, come out of the mime to express true thoughts and feelings.

Show to the group.

Task 2: In the restaurant

Showing a character’s true thoughts and feelings

In pairs, in a restaurant setting, one of them is having a lovely time, the other is having an awful time but pretending to enjoy themself. How could they show their true feelings to the audience?

Freeze action and address audience Voices in head Phone call in toilets Facial expression

These scenes can be serious or comical and can use as many ways of addressing the audience as possible.

Plenary:

In what ways can a character address the audience? Why is this effective?



Lesson 3

Aim of lesson: to introduce the concept of universal gesture and mime

Warm up: The gesture game

(a useful and fun warm up for future lessons!)

Standing in a circle, teacher introduces use of gesture by indicating in mime that a pupil should:

Come hereStopTurn aroundGo away

Discuss how the pupil knew what to do, and how and why gestures might be used in every day life.

Now go around the circle, each pupil choosing and showing a gesture which is familiar to everyone. This gesture now belongs to them. Show gestures once more before beginning the game.

The aim of the game is to ‘send’ gestures around the circle. One pupil begins by making their gesture, then choosing someone else’s gesture and doing that. The person whose gesture was chosen must repeat it before choosing someone else’s and so on. When someone makes a mistake, they are out and must sit down. When the game gets down to 3 or 4, they win.

Rules: No hesitationDon’t return a gesture which was sent to youAlways make your own gesture before choosing one to ‘send’Don’t make the gesture of someone who is out!Teacher’s decision is final!

This game can be played in two circles with three finalists from each circle meeting in a final.It can be a good idea to hold the final at the end of the lesson.

Task 1:

Individually – imagine you are getting ready for bed. Mime all of your actions in detail.

Get into pairs and mirror each other getting up in the morning and having breakfast.

Still in pairs, A & B – A makes a drink for B in as much detail as possible. Feedback:

What drink was made for you? Was it hot or cold? Was it in a tall or short glass?

Now B makes a sandwich for A. Similar feedback.



Task 2:

Move into groups of 4. Devise a mimed scene, using as many gestures as they can think of, to show to the group. The winning group can be the one which uses the most gestures.

Optional scenes:Late for schoolFirst dateHoliday from hell

Plenary:

What have we learned about mime and gesture this lesson? Can Drama be successful without speech?

Extension activity:

In small groups, devise a scene entitled ‘The Broken Friendship’, using as many gestures as possible but making restrictions as to the words that can be spoken.

e.g. only 10 words in total, or number members of group 1-4 and that is the amount of words they can speak at a time.

Another option is to give each character a different emotion.



Lesson 4 – Physical theatre

Aim of lesson: to introduce physical theatre whilst developing character.

Warm up: alert walking

Walking around the room: fast, slow, happy, sad, saying hello…While they are walking keep freezing, changing direction, then walking again.

Now ask them to walk:

on tiptoeon heelson inside / outside of feetletting nose lead youleft hipright ear…

While they are doing this, get them to ‘wind up’ or exaggerate the walk, then bring it down again (give them a scale of 1-10).

Discussion:

How do different walking styles change mannerisms? E.g. nose leading, what type of character do you think of?

Task:

In groups of 4 or 5, devise a scene using universal gesture, where each person must show their character’s personality by using a particular walk and showing a particular emotion.

Plenary:

How can gestures be used effectively in our drama? In what ways can body language and mannerisms improve our acting?



Lesson 5 – An introduction to status levels.

Aim of lesson: to introduce concept of status and how levels can be used to show this.

In circle, ask for 2 volunteers to show a freeze of ‘bully and victim’.Make the tallest / biggest the victim. How can we still make the scene believable? Pupils can help to improve the freeze by ‘sculpting’ it.Repeat this activity, to show rich/poor and winner/loser.

Discussion – how is body language used here? Do the freezes show a powerful image, even without language? How are levels used? Focus on levels and how they can be used to show status (explain status), along with body language and facial expression.

Task:

In groups of 4, show the following tableaux, using levels to show power / status:

1. The classroom2. The awards ceremony3. In prison

Show to group.

Now choose one tableau to bring to life for one minute, using body language and levels to show emotions and status. Try to limit language and focus on expression. Begin and end in a freeze frame.

Show to group.

Plenary:

Choose one positive element from each sketch and comment. Ask pupils to contribute positive comments. How and why is status used in Drama?

Extension activities / possible follow-on lesson

This work may continue into the next lesson. Pupils can choose a different tableau to animate, using status cards; with time to develop a short storyline.

Another option is to allow pupils to choose their own setting which rest of group have to guess, as well as the status levels shown.



Lesson 6 – Status continued

Aim of lesson: to develop understanding of status and how it can be shown effectively in Drama. Also, to explore the ways in which status levels can change; and how this can be dramatised.

Warm – up:

Using status cards, numbered from 1 to 10 – take it in turns to leave room and come in showing status by the way they enter, where they stand and how they react to others etc.

Group have to guess what status they are. One volunteer can try to sequence them.

Again using status cards, small group to improvise a short scene in front of rest of group ‘in the Doctor’s waiting room’ or ‘at the museum’. Group to guess what status they are.

Task:

In groups of five, devise a scene set in a bank, clearly showing status levels. Discuss who might have highest / lowest status.

Show to group.

Now run the scene again, but show a change in power levels / status. E.g. perhaps the manager collapses and the cleaner is the only person who knows first aid…

Show to group.

Plenary:

Why and how do status levels change? Have we shown this effectively today? Why/why not?



Lessons 7 & 8 – Fireworks Drama (to be used when relevant!)

Aim of lessons: to think about the dangers of fireworks and to dramatise this. Also to explore how mime and choreographed response can help to improve drama.

Discuss the dangers of fireworks – most people think that warnings about being careful with fireworks don’t apply to them but think about how fireworks can be dangerous even for spectators. Pupils enjoy telling their stories of near-misses or minor injuries!

Task 1:

In groups of 4, they decide to get hold of some fireworks. Not all want to do this but eventually some are obtained – show this scene to the group.

Task 2:

Now show the consequences – what happens when the fireworks are set off? Discuss skills needed when focus of the Drama is something like fireworks which cannot be seen. (e.g. facial expressions & reactions need to be simultaneous…)

Show this scene to the group.

Lesson 8

Last week, we worked on ‘fireworks’ drama. Following on from this, pupils can re-enact the scene to include a monologue / addressing the audience to show a character’s true thoughts and feelings about setting off fireworks.

Next, show what happens when the fireworks are set off.

Now fast-forward in time. What are the long-term repercussions?

If time, run all fireworks drama as one piece.

Plenary:

How many different drama skills have you used in this piece of drama? How and why were they effective?



Lessons 9 & 10 – Persuasion

Aim of lessons: to discuss and explore different persuasive techniques for dramatic effect.

Lesson 9

Sitting in circle, think of a time, recently, when you have had to persuade someone to do or go along with something. Hear examples. Were you successful? Why? Why not? (could be done as small group work)

Now think of any techniques you might use to persuade someone – verbal brainstorm

e.g. bribery crying threats reverse psychology flirtingsucking up lying compromise blackmail!

Now in groups of 3, devise a scene in which a Y8 pupil tries to persuade their parents to let them stay out overnight, using some of the above devices. (As an option, a sibling could replace a parent.) The parent is unwilling to allow this and offers to collect child at midnight. Who is successful?

Show scenes

In the same groups, devise a scene in which two Y8 pupils want to buy some chips, but they don’t have enough money. How might they persuade the shop keeper to sell them cheap chips?

An option could be to change the desired purchase!

Show scenes

Plenary:

What have we learned about persuasive techniques this lesson?

Lesson 10

Recap what we learned last lesson about persuasion.

Now in groups of 4, devise a scene in which a Y8 pupil is persuaded to either: smoke, drink alcohol or bunk school, by their peers.

End in a freeze – predictions? Second scene - sibling finds out! Third scene – How does the Y8 pupil persuade their sibling not to tell their

parents? Optional final scene – what happens next?

Plenary:

How have persuasive techniques been used in these scenes? Do they make the Drama more interesting for the audience?



Lessons 11 & 12 – An introduction to script work

Aim of lessons: to introduce script work, whilst trying to maintain good use of expression and body language.

In circle, two volunteers to show scene: adult strangers asked to wait in a room. How do they react?

Discussion:

How might two strangers might feel when they meet - shy, awkward etc. Why? How were these emotions shown in the drama?

Discuss situations where people might feel awkward.

Task 1:

In groups of 3 or 4, pupils show an awkward situation when a 15 year old meets parents of new girlfriend / boyfriend for first time. They have nothing in common and one parent seems to be making conversation difficult on purpose!

Use awkward silences, fidgeting etc. Aim to make audience squirm!

Now all have to imagine that they are seven. How might they act this age? Discuss differences in response to adults meeting and children meeting for first time. /why might children be more accepting and less nervous?

Task 2:

In 3s, two friends and one new pupil meet for first time in school playground. Show reactions, conversation.

Show to group.

Plenary:

What have we learned about today? What skills have we developed?

Lesson 12

Last lesson we thought about reactions to new / strange people. In the play ‘The terrible fate of Humpty Dumpty’, a new pupil is bullied by a gang and is eventually killed.

Explain that this lesson, they will be acting as twelve year olds and using a script. The aim is to maintain good body language and expression rather than burying their noses in the script.

Use extract from the very beginning of the play, where Terry dies. (Scenes one and two). Rehearse in groups of 8 or 9.

Each group to perform one section of the extract to the rest of the group.

Plenary:

What are the problems of working with a script and how can we learn to avoid them?



Extension activity / character development

During rehearsal of the above scenes, pupils sit down and focus on their character and how they would be feeling in the scene. Walk around room showing emotions through body language.

Now choose one short phrase from the script and learn it. This time, when walking around, repeat this phrase, showing appropriate emotion.

Now, in groups of 5 or 6, show ‘Sammy’s nightmare’, using exaggerated mannerisms and appropriate actions. This activity can be used to introduce the term ‘abstract drama’.

Options: Each person can only say their phraseUse sound effectsUse music


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