| Teacher Resources |
Lesson plan 2 - Hut Hut! How is Theater like Football? Grade level: 4- 6 Producing a play takes many people with different skill sets. If you look at the jobs that make up a football team, you will find a coach, a quarterback, regular players and special teams. Players set aside many hours of practice to prepare for the big game. Theater is not so very different. Look at the pairs of jobs below then draw a line from the football jobs to the theater job that most closely match. Coach/Director A football coach can be compared to the director of a play. The coach plans the strategy, picks players and calls the plays during the game. The director in a Theatrical production selects the play to be performed; she picks the actors and directs them throughout the rehearsal period. Quarterback/Lead Actor In football, the quarterback is the lead team member. He sets the example for the entire team and carries the game through his quick wits and knowledge of the opposition. The Lead Actor in a play carries the weight of having the most lines and usually carrying the largest emotional or physical burden of the play. Football players/Actors Members of a football team follow the coach’s directions; memorize plays and practice in order to hone their football skills. They occasionally study ballet or yoga to build stamina and flexibility. Actors in a play take direction from the director. They memorize their lines and learn their blocking (which movements go with which lines in the play) they learn new skills like Fencing, dance, singing and foreign accents. Special Teams/Technical Crew Special teams in the game of Football such as kick off teams, punt return and the field goal teams all have very specialized jobs. They must be practiced and ready to go at a moment’s notice. In a play, the Technical Crew is made up of the Sound, Lighting, Construction, Costume and Hair/Make-up crews. Each crew learns specialized jobs and a play cannot be performed without these crews working in unison with the actors and the director. Referee/Producer The referee’s job is to make sure that the game goes according to the rules of the game. Referees need to learn the complex rules of the game and enforce them without playing favorites. A Theatrical Producer’s job is to make sure that the play is following the budget set up for the play. A budget is the amount of money set aside to pay for everything from the actor’s pay, the costumes, theater rental, and technical staff. The producer needs to make sure that the entire cast and crew follow the rules of the budget so that the play makes money. Draw a line from the Football job to the matching Theater job. Football Theater Coach Producer Punt Return Lead Actor Quarterback Actors Referee Director Football Players Sound Director |
| Designing the set |
| VOCABULARY WORDS: THE TAMING OF THE SHREW |
| Advanced Students Questions about the set: MACBETH Activity: Why do you think the Director chose to put two water elements on the stage? What scenes in Macbeth are about water? What is the only color on the stage? Why? Look at the initial stage design above. How is the initial design different than the actual stage design? List three elements that are different than the initial design List three elements that are the same as the initial design. The waterfall is falling from approximately 20 feet into a pit in the stage deck. Come up with an idea to muffle the noise of the water as it hits the ground from 20 feet in the air. After seeing the production, spend some time to Design your own set for the play. |
Creative Writing
| Lesson Plan 1: Creative Writing Grade levels 7-12 Why say it simply when you can jazz it up, Shakespeare Style? Shakespeare never took the easy way out when he wrote. He tried to make even the most commonplace statements elegant and poetical. Read the quotes from the plays below and try to figure out the simple meaning of the lines. 1. The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Act v. Sc. 1. _______________________________________________________________________ 2. A goodly apple rotten at the heart: O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath! The Merchant of Venice. Act i. Sc. 3. _______________________________________________________________________ 3. And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night, And pay no worship to the garish sun. Romeo and Juliet. Act iii. Sc. 2. ________________________________________________________________________ 4. Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain-tops. Romeo and Juliet. Act iii. Sc. 5. ________________________________________________________________________ Write your own Shakespearean version of the statements below: 1. It is very cold outside. ________________________________________________________________________ 2. The night was dark and stormy. ________________________________________________________________________ 3. The dog would not stop barking at the cat. |
William Shakespeare contributed considerably to the English language and his plays contain many words and phrases seen for the first time in print. Many academics are quick to point out that it is difficult to say for certain whether he invented these words or phrases or if he was the first to use them in print. Despite this caution, most academics agree that quite a number of words and turns of phrase are indeed "original," insomuch as they are documented in the written record only as far back as Shakespeare. Phrases still in use today: • Eaten out of house and home • Pomp and circumstance • Foregone conclusion • Full circle • The makings of • Method in the madness • Neither rhyme nor reason • One fell swoop • Seen better days • It smells to heaven • A sorry sight • A spotless reputation • Strange bedfellows • The world's (my) oyster |
| VOCABULARY WORDS: THE TAMING OF THE SHREW |
| Adverbs: importantly instinctively threateningly tightly trippingly unaware Nouns: accused addiction alligator amazement anchovies assassination backing bandit bedroom courtship critic dawn design discontent eyeball fixture glow gust hint investments leapfrog luggage manager mimic ode outbreak pageantry questioning reinforcement retirement savagery tardiness urging watchdog wormhole zany |
| Verbs: besmirch bet blanket cake cater champion compromise denote dialogue dislocate divest drug dwindle elbow enmesh gossip grovel hobnob humour hurry impedes jet jig label lapse lower misquote negotiate numb pander partner petition puke rant reword secure submerge swagger torture unclog |
| WORDS WORDS WORDS Some people say they don't understand Shakespeare's Words! Go on line to www.dictionary.com and try to figure out the best definition of the following words in The Taming of the Shrew. abjure accouterments askance argosy bandy banns bauble brazen carouse cavil chafe chattels conserves coxcomb dainty denier dotard drudge ducat encounter enthrall fain fray gamut haggard homage hose ingenious kindred lusty ordinance pantaloon pate prodigy quaff reverence savor trencher usurp vantage |
A mock up of the initial stage design is to the right. Using the theme of water, the stage's original design featured a 20' infinity waterfall. The simple design had red fabric columns topped by propane torches. A center platform slides over the 'river' to be used as a bed, a banquet table and a platform for the throne. The river to be used by the Witches as their cauldron, for battle scene drownings and of course, for Lady M's famous hand-washing scene. The main stage is bare, permitting free movement of the actors and plenty of room to swing those broadswords. Our stage is low to the ground to accommodate audience members at ground level. The Intermediate Design is at the top of this page on the right. Now look at the interim model made by architecture student, Demetrius Carter. What elements have changed? Why do you think the director changed the designs? Final Design Below is the final version of the stage. The one that was used in performance. What are the differences in the concept, model and final version? Which do you prefer? Which do you think is easier for the actors to perform on? |
| Set Design The Director and Designer Make Choices |
MODEL FOR THE STAGE OF MACBETH
| Words Coined by William Shakespeare |
Lesson Plans
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