Creating with Words: I think the "Resume Rational" activity would be a great one for a characterization project. In my own theatre classes my teachers would have me write a background story on m character but I always found it difficult because I didn't know where to start. I feel like this activity has many of the same outcomes but narrows the field a little making it easier for students to make decisions. I also have a half baked idea with the "Blackout Poetry" activity. I think it could be fun to create a new text using an existing text fro a play. I feel like this can be used with subtext and maybe having students decide what the characters might really be saying in a conversation. Or using it as a playwriting exercise to help students get rolling with their script. Like I said, it's a half baked idea so I'm not really sure where I would be going with it.
Creating with Images: The "Color Palette" activity would be a great one to use when working on costume design. I often feel like it is easy to get caught up in the traditional meanings of colors (green=knowledge & growth, purple= royalty, blue= calm & peace, etc) but this way students can identify more with the color and discover the meaning it represents. They can then use the colors to help represent a three dimensional character. The "Mondrian-ify" activity can help make this a little deeper as we add shapes to the assignment. The shapes of a costume can also add to the way the audience may view the character.
Creating with Sound: The "Audio Landscape" activity is a great one to use when teaching sound design. For me sound design that is often something that is forgotten because it isn't as visual as all the other design elements. But by giving students explore how sounds can transport you the will begin to have a better understanding of the need for sound designers.
Creating with Body: The "Dallowinian Party" would be a great exercise to use to explore objectives and tactics. Students could use characters from the show they are currently working on or improved characters. By giving them an objective throughout the scene they can explore using different tactics to try an achieve their objective.
Creating with Stuff: "Metaphorical Architecture" would be a wonderful activity to use to teach set design. It can help students think more deeply and critically about how the set can affect the story line. The house is not just a house but it is filled with clutter to show how the character is always a jumbled mess, hopping from one thing to the next. The elements of the structure are not just presentational but representational of what is happening within the scene.
Creating with Social Media: "GIF Story" is a great way to get students more involved in playwriting. When you say playwriting students will automatically start thinking about writing down conversations between people but you can get them started in telling a story by using this activity. By starting off a playwriting unit they may become more engaged with the stories they are trying to tell.
Things to explore more:
Director's Concepts
Faux Media accounts- What a character would be feeling in that moment.
Two Images One Word- Help focus research and descriptions.
Emily, I find your ideas for Creating with Words really interesting and great! I am particularly drawn into your ideas with "Blackout Poetry". Using it as a means to focus on the heart of the lines, characters, or script as a whole is powerful and requires the students to grapple with the relationship between the original text and their own creation.
ReplyDeleteI also really like the idea of the Blackout Poetry! It could be fun to do a unit where students have to create a play from something pre-existing. You could have some students do the Blackout Poetry and some students do the activity where you listen to other people's conversations or just observe people outside and have them create a play from their gatherings. It would be interesting to see what students create.
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