Minds On
Warm up
Let’s begin with a deep breathing activity!
Don’t forget to do your safety check!
Warm Up
Breathing activity
Find a comfortable position. Focus your attention on one part of the body at a time.
How does that part of your body feel? If possible, take a deep breath and allow your lungs to expand.
Focus your attention on one part of your body.
Allow that part to relax before moving on to the next. As you scan through your body, keep breathing deeply. Once you have completed the scan, take a moment to stretch.
Access the following audio recording “Body Part Breathing Activity” to follow this exercise.
Body Part Breathing Activity
Drama game
Explore this video entitled “Environments” to play a game. In this video, the actors are imagining themselves in different environments. They pretend by using body movements, facial expressions, and vocal cues. Try following the actors and create your own actions.
You might try this game with a partner or small group and create your own environments. To end the game, either of you can use the words “end scene.”Let’s get started
When a play or musical comes to a theatre or a festival, theatre critics critique the performance. Here is a small video clip of Iain who has just seen the musical Come From Away.
Come From Away is a musical that tells the story of the planes that landed in Gander, Newfoundland on September 11, 2001.
Student Success
Think-Pair-Share
When a theatre critic posts their critique of a particular play or musical, what information do you think they share in their critique?
Create a list of what might appear in a theatre critic’s critique in a method of your choice.
Share your list with a partner, if possible.
Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.
Action
The theatre critic
A theatre critic analyzes a work of drama in written or oral form. In their critique of the performance, they share their interpretation of the work and help to build an awareness of this play or musical. A critic needs to be honest and fair, knowledgeable, entertaining, and informative.
Some of these elements that the critic discusses include:
- the vision of the playwright when writing the script
- the vision of the director and how well they succeeded in communicating this vision
- how the show relates to the culture of the times
- an assessment of the show’s performances and designs including costume, lighting, projection, and sound and the impact on the audience
- an assessment of the elements of drama
Elements of drama
What are the elements of drama that the theatre critic must consider in their assessment?
Press the following tabs to explore the elements of drama.
Considering motivations of characters; considering various sides of multidimensional characters; revealing the character through the use of props and movement/blocking; maintaining commitment to role.
The theatre critic would analyze and discuss the quality of the performances of the actors, whether they believed their performances, and how effectively they used their voice, body, and face to communicate their message.
Developing and analysing multidimensional relationships in the drama.
The theatre critic would analyze and discuss the quality of the chemistry between the actors and how believable their relationships were portrayed.
Improvising with and adapting available materials to establish setting; using blocking (e.g., when and where to move) and stage areas (e.g., upstage right, downstage centre) in planning and performance.
The theatre critic would analyze and discuss the props, costumes and scenic design independently for their historical or cultural accuracy, how effectively each element helped to create the atmosphere the director was trying to create and would point out anything that stood out, either positively or negatively.
Using sound, lighting, technology, and stage effects to heighten tension; using foreshadowing to create suspense.
The theatre critic would analyze and discuss the sound, lighting, and projection design choices for their effectiveness in creating the tone, mood, and audience reactions the director intended.
Using a range of devices and effects to highlight specific aspects of the performance for the audience.
The theatre critic would analyze and discuss the artistic choices and whether they added to or distracted from the intentions of the director.
Brainstorm
Brainstorm
How do these elements come together to communicate the meaning of the production?
Press ‘Let’s Check’ to access a possible answer.
Behind the scenes, the sound, lighting, technology, and stage bring to life the vision of the story set by the director. The actors and their ability to portray multidimensional relationships allow the audience to feel this vision through their emotional attachment to the characters.
Which element of drama would this theatre critic be analyzing?
Learning check!
Select the correct answer, then press ‘Check Answer’ to how you did.
Go!
Two forms of theatre that theatre critics critique often are plays and musicals.
Imagine you are writing a critique of these two types of theatre. Using the elements of drama as your guide, form your critique discussing how effectively this production uses these elements of drama.
Critique #1: Play
The clip provided here is a portion of the play Little Women. You can choose to critique this segment of the production or you can choose a play of your own to critique.
As you are creating your notes as a theatre critic, consider the following question.
How well do the elements work together to convey the main message?
Little Women is the story of the four March sisters living in New York City in the 1860s.
In this scene, Jo, one of the older sisters, meets the neighbour, Theodore Lawrence (Laurie), for the first time at a neighbourhood party.
Complete the Learner’s Play Critique Organizer in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. You can also use another method of your choice to record your ideas.
Consider adding your work to your drama portfolio.
| Element of drama | Notes for critique |
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Character |
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Relationship |
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Time & place |
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Tension |
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Focus & emphasis |
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How effectively does it all come together? |
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Learner’s Play Critique Organizer.
Critique #2: Musical
The clip provided here is a portion of the musical, The Wizard of Oz. You can choose to critique this segment of the production or you can choose a musical of your own to critique.
As you are creating your notes as a theatre critic, consider the following question.
How well do the elements work together to convey the main message?
The Wizard of Oz is the story of Dorothy Gale and her dog, Toto, who are swept away from their home in Kansas to the magical land of Oz. With her three new friends, Dorothy goes on a quest to see the Wizard of Oz, who can bring her back home.
Complete the Learner’s Play Critique Organizer in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document. You can also use another method of your choice to record your ideas.
Consider adding your work to your drama portfolio.
| Element of drama | Notes for critique |
|---|---|
|
Character |
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Relationship |
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Time & place |
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Tension |
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Focus & emphasis |
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How effectively does it all come together? |
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Learner’s Play Critique Organizer.
Consolidation
The final critique
You have critiqued two types of theatre as a theatre critic. Review both of your critiques and choose one of your two critiques to finalize.
Be sure to include the following in your final critique. Use the check list to guide you.
My final critique includes…
Once completed, you can present your theatre critique using a method of your choice.
Portfolio
Journal reflection
Reflect on the learning tasks. This reflection is a space for you to express your feelings, ask questions about what you have just done, and connect thoughts together with specific activities or exercises.
Use 2-4 of the journal prompts from the Reflection Starters list and create a written, audio, or video reflection.
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Prompts to Start a Reflection on Drama Class Note: The following prompts begin an entire thought and can be used to develop your thoughts and ideas. Note: Try to utilize two to four of the prompts provided. If there is something else you wish to share, continue to build on your ideas. Note: Explore your thoughts and feelings with direct reference to what you learned and explored within the lesson. I really liked it when I did____________, because… I really want to know more about ___________, because… If I were to sum up my experience in this lesson in one word it would be ____________, because… When I think about what I accomplished in this task, I think about… I can’t wait for the next task like this, because… When I learned about __________, it made me feel ____________, because… |
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Reflection Starters.
Reflection
As you read the following descriptions, select the one that best describes your current understanding of the learning in this activity. Press the corresponding button once you have made your choice.
I feel…
Now, expand on your ideas by recording your thoughts using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.
When you review your notes on this learning activity later, reflect on whether you would select a different description based on your further review of the material in this learning activity.