Scenes Are Here!

Your project for 2nd quarter will be to study, rehearse, and perform 2-person scenes

What: duet or trio acting
(there are a couple 3-person scenes)

Why: to practice analyzing a script,
pushing character objectives,
and creating distinct yet believable characters

When: 2 workshops in November
performances in December (8th/9th)

Who: I'd like you to perform the Narnia scenes for the 3/4th graders;
the middle school (6th-8th) will watch all the scenes


Choosing Scenes & Partners
I'll pass out a form at school on Monday where you'll tell me what scenes & characters you like best and whom you want to work with.

I'll take a look at ALL of the forms and try to fit everyone into roles you will enjoy (hopefully something high on your list).

Every group will do a different scene. So if you hear 5 other people talking about doing a particular scene, think about choosing something else.

I need at least 2 or 3 all-female scenes (because there are almost twice as many girls in the class as guys).

Mr. Ramey and I are willing to act in scenes if we are needed (for example, he can provide one more guy for a male/female scene).

I want to post the scene assignments by Friday so you can start anaylzing the scripts. That means you need to look at the scene list ASAP (below)...


Rehearsal
Your homework this quarter is to work on analyzing and rehearsing your scene with your partner. 95% of your rehearsal time will occur outside of class. And you need to rehearse regularly -- not just once a week.

Think carefully about your lifestyle -- if you can't stay after school to work on a scene, will you rehearse during recess?

Should you partner with someone who lives near you so it's easier to practice?

. . . something to think about . . .


Grading
I will grade the workshops for memorization and progress.
Your final performance will be graded for characterization.


Scene List
On the Drama Page at my English website are scripts for the scenes

What's available . . .
Dissatisfied with all the junk available in the books of drama scenes for students, Mr. Ramey and I put our heads together and created a list of awesome scenes from literature that you're probably familiar with.

You'll find a heavy dose of C S Lewis . . . because the Narnia books offer a number of outstanding scenes between richly developed characters. Most of you are familiar with the stories, so you won't have to struggle with character research.

. . . Several opportunities for ladies to play the deliciously evil White Witch of Narnia
. . . An intense 3-person scene where the captive of the Silver Chair begs to be released from the grip of a horrible enchantment
. . . The famous dialogue between Scrooge & the ghost of Marley in Scrooge's sitting room
. . . The chilling encounter between General Zaroff and Rainsford from "The Most Dangerous Game" where Rainsford realizes that Zaroff doesn't hunt big game, he hunts men
. . . A modern version of an old Greek play
. . . And for you who cannot live without the Bard, a sampling of Shakespeare scenes to peruse


I was able to post the text of most of the scenes (except Shakespeare) online so you can read through them before making up your mind.



I'm really excited about this next unit.
I think you'll enjoy the challenge of bringing to life fascinating characters from great literature.
And I know I'm going to enjoy helping you do that!

Woot!