Minds On
Let’s warm up!
Don’t forget to do your safety check!
Warm Up
Warm up
Think of a flower. You may pretend to hold an imaginary flower by its stem. Hold the flower to your face and breathe in deeply. While you do that, breathe in for a count of three. Then, exhale through your mouth for a count of four. Repeat two more times.
Access the following audio recording entitled “Flower” to follow this exercise.
Flower
Drama game
Time to act! We will try to do this by using body movements and changing the expression on our face without making a sound. This is called mime.
Access the following video to explore an example of a mime using body movements and facial expressions to show they are pulling an imaginary rope.
Explore the following prompts and act them out without saying a word or making a noise. You can do it!
- Prompt 1: How can you mime “a big furry bear moving through the forest”?
- Prompt 2: How can you mime “feeling sleepy”?
- Prompt 3: How can you mime “a person driving a car”?
Let’s get started
Explore the next video of a drama performance of Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White and consider the following questions:
- What do you notice about the performance? Do you like it? Why or why not?
Create a list using the following t-chart provided or using another method of your choice.
Complete the Charlotte’s Web T-Chart in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts. Consider adding your work to your drama portfolio.
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Charlotte’s Web T-chart.
Action
Get ready, get set…
Theatre critics are people who go experience drama plays and musicals and assess them.
Theatre critics review things like the following:
- story
- music
- costumes
- props
- acting
- scenery
How do you do the job of a theatre critic? It’s not just about whether you liked something or not. You have to think about if others will like it too.
The following are some questions you should ask yourself.
- Was the acting convincing?
- Did elements like lighting, music, and sound effects help create a mood?
- Did the costumes help the audience believe the actor was the character?
- Did the dialogue and/or songs make sense and add to the plot?
Press the following tabs to access a description of the elements in a play and critic questions for each element.
Story is what happens in the play. An exciting story keeps audience members engaged and interested.
Critic questions: Would the story interest the audience? What is the intended audience of this play?
Press ‘Definition’ to access a description of intended audience.
Intended audience: If a play is written for an intended audience, it means that the playwright wrote it thinking about what that group of people might enjoy.
Music is used in a play or musical to set the mood. In a play, it could be used as background music. In a musical, the music is an important part of the story.
Critic questions: Does the music create the right mood? Does the music help to engage the audience?
Costumes are a way of giving the audience clues about a character. If a character is in a suit and tie, maybe they are a businessperson.
Critic questions: Do the costumes help you understand who the characters are? Do the costumes make the characters feel real?
Props are used by actors to enhance their characters as well as to show what is happening in the play. If a character puts a scarf and hat on, the audience might assume that it’s cold out.
Critic question: Do the props help make the characters feel more real?
Actors use their body, face, and voice to determine how their character would act and speak. An actor can make you believe that they are the character they are playing.
Critic question: Are the actors believable?
Scenery is a great way to show what the setting of the play is, whether it’s at a train station or inside a rocket ship.
Critic questions: Does the scenery show the setting? Is it believable?
Go!
Now that you have learned more about elements in a play and examined critic questions for each element, explore the next video of a performance of Peter Pan and focus on two of the elements in the play. You can choose between the elements of story, music, costumes, props, acting, and scenery.
Complete the Critique Organizer in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. Focus on two elements in the play and explain in your own words your critic question, what you noticed, what you liked and why, and areas for improvement. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts. Consider adding your work to your drama portfolio.
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Critique Organizer.
Student Tips
Be respectful and supportive
When you are reviewing something as a critic, you still need to be respectful and supportive. Even if you didn’t enjoy something, you should still be kind in your review.
Consolidation
Putting it all together
In drama plays, when you are doing a review, it’s important to think about the production as a whole as well as the individual elements. Each of these pieces come together to make a production.
You as a theatre critic need to think about what kind of suggestions you have to make the production better.
Explore the video of the Peter Pan play once more and think about the production as a whole.
After the video, complete the Theatre Review Organizer in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. If you would like, you can use speech-to-text or audio recording tools to record your thoughts. Consider adding your work to your drama portfolio.
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Theatre Review Organizer.
Portfolio
Drama portfolio
Consider adding the answers to the following reflection prompts/questions to your drama portfolio.
- Describe your experience being a theatre critic.
- Why is it important to understand the different parts of a drama performance when providing a review of a play?
- Do you have a better idea of things you like and don’t like in theatre?
Reflection
How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel…
Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.