Introduction
Within the webquest, there are activities I have set up for you to utilise in creating characters and improvised pieces, which will help expand upon the knowledge you have already acquired in Year 8 and be using them further in developing strong characters.
These activities allow you to go deeper into the creative side of drama. Instead of looking primarily at scrpited texts, you will be getting creative and devising your own characters, roles and plays.
The idea is to get you to think about performance from the actors point of view in which they muct make a character their own from the basics given to them, how playwrites and directors look to create a play and how language, space and movement can help create dramatic tension.
Task
The tasks I will be getting you to perform will also help to contribute to the activities completed in class and some of the activities will be completed in class. If you have already completed a task, please bring it in and share with the rest of the class.
The idea of these activities is to get you to think about
Creating Your Own Foil http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/lessons/foil.shtml
This activity gets you to think about your personality traits and think about the opposites. Create a character from the opposites from your personality.
True Feelings http://www.accessone.com/~up/playbook/game/Emotional_Party.html
This activity get you to think about how you talk one way with their friends and another way in a group/formal setting? This is about learning expectation is to perform a scene and say what you really means through tone of voice and physical reality in an opposite manner.
Emotions http://www.accessone.com/%7eup/playbook/game/Emotions.html
This activity gets you to think about your emotions and what you may not wish to say out loud.
Point of View http://askeric.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Writing/WCP0204.html
This activity gets you to look at a characters point of view.
Dear Character http://askeric.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/LIT0006.html
This activity gets you to think about and imagine how a character feels about life and a way of understanding character traits.
Character Analysis http://www.geocities.com/Shalyndria13/music2.htm
This activity shows the basic concepts of how to analyse a character and how it can help you build upon your character.
Character Interpretation http://www.geocities.com/Shalyndria13/char.htm
This activity allows you to go deeper than just interpreting a few simple lines of a character and look at the symbolism within.
Emotional Party: Bus Driver
http://www.accessone.com/~up/playbook/game/Emotional_Party.html
This activity allows you yo express yourself if you find it difficult to express yourself in front of a group of people. The activity revolves around a "party scene." The learning expectation is for each player to get an emotion and change it when entering the party. As each person leaves, the emotion returns to the previous improvisors.
As I have stated above, these activities can be done outside of the classroom and within the classroom to help build upon improvisation skills and character creation.
Process
The objective is to get you thinking about how characters react in certain situations and how relationships can affect outcomes, responses and the course of a characters life. The process in which you need to under take is to think about your relationships with others and how this can often change if a situation.
Not only are you going to be looking at how a character can be affected, but also the characteristics that makes us who we are. How would an angry person respond to a heart warming situation? How would an argument end between a mother and their child or teo best friends? What would happen between two brothers lost in the woods? These are just ideas to get you think about how to create an improvisation and think about characters and their responses and personality traits.
Evaluation
The evalutions will be seen in how you respond and complete the tasks within the classroom. It is also important that if you are making notes to have them available to be viewed within the class as everyone is working upon their improvisations and their characters.
If there is any difficulty with the improvistion and the building of character, ask for assistance as there maybe ideas and suggestions that you may not have thought about. Remember that other students may also have a fountain of knowledge and understanding on the subject matter.
You will be bringing in an item that will help you to represent your character. Think about it purpose and its meaning in relation to the character. Also, be aware of how that item will help in an improvisation and how it can be utilised as a prop within the improvisation.
Conclusion
Below is a link to a YouTube clip in which Jennifer Rae talks about building characters. She asks questions about what type of character you have created. Think about what she is saying and ask yourself, have I built my character with these objectives in mind? Do you need to include any of these? Will this help you refine your character?
If your character is lacking in any area, think of ways in which to build upon the weaker areas. Try to make your character more well rounded if there are weak areas. If you are unsure, write down what you have already established about your character, then write the weaker areas down and build upon them from what you already have to work with. It may also help to be in character in order to build upon those areas, to really think about who they are and all thie traits that make them. Write these down with an idea of a setting, role or situation in mind.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g88qMH7kmGs]
I have also included an improvisation game to get you started with building your character if you are having difficulty. This task can be completed with fellow classmates, friends, siblings or parents to help. This activity will also be used in class to get you to think about how people respond with any information given.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe2a3ppacUk]