Incorporating Theatre History into the Theatre I Curriculum

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Incorporating Theatre History into the Theatre I
Curriculum

• Sara Ranzau - Center Point HS - Center Point ISD
• Amy Moeller - Stevens HS - Northside ISD

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Why incorporate?

• Theatre history is often hard for teachers to
  teach
• Students tend to dislike theatre history because
  it reminds them too much of regular history class
• How do you get kids interested in all male
  actors, theatre run by the church and politics
  thrown into the theatrical mix?
• Who and what do Theatre I students really need to
  know anyway?

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TEKS involved

• All of Them!

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Year Long Curriculum OutlineBased on 6 week
breakdown

• Greeks and Roman - Oedipus Rex - Sophocles
• Medieval - Everyman
• Renaissance - Faustus - Marlowe Macbeth -
  Shakespeare
• Commedia del Arte/Resoration - The Misanthrope -
  Moliere The Imaginary Invalid - Moliere
• Absurdist/Post-Modern - Rhinoceros - Eugene
  Ionesco End Game - Samuel Beckett Caucasian
  Chalk Circle - Bertholdt Brecht The Lesson -
  Eugene Ionesco
• Early American - Vaudeville, Musicals Silent Film

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Unit added to existing curriculumBased on 6 week
breakdown

• Greek/Roman - Oedipus - Sophocles
• Renaissance - Faustus - Marlowe Midsummer
  Nights Dream - Shakespeare (or any comedy)
• 19th - early 20th Century (Absurdist Realism
  Early American) - The Importance of Being Earnest
  - Oscar Wilde A Dolls House - Henrik Ibsen
  Waiting for Godot - Samuel Beckett

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Incorporated as a Unit
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In One 6 or 9 Week Period!

• Read two plays
• Have students create research projects in groups
• Have students complete one MAJOR activity

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The Research Projects!These are the same for
year long

• Students will choose groups and one period to
  research
• You can keep track of their research on a wiki or
  traditional paper and print outs
• Each group can either choose a section of their
  chosen period or can research all

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The Research Projects!

• Suggested Research Topics - students may present
  in any way they like, but must provide a handout
  for you and their peers
• Costuming
• Purpose of Theatre
• Staging
• Who to Know (give them a starting point)
• Politics/Life
• Student Choice

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The Activities!

• Students get some great choice here -
  Differentiated Instruction at its best!
• Group - Scene(s) from the play in appropriate
  style and costume
• Group - write a script
• Individual - build a scale set or full costume
• Individual - career connection (great for those
  who are super shy)
• Anything else you can think up!

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Year Long Curriculum

• 1st 6 Weeks
• Greek/Roman (Ancient Theatre)
• Read a play from the period
• Group research projects, break into sections
  (costumes, purpose of theatre, etc)
• Create a theatrical poster for the play read
• Perform scenes in appropriate costumes and with
  appropriate style

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Year Long Curriculum

• 2nd 6 Weeks
• Medieval Theatre (Religious Theatre)
• Read a play from the period
• Group research projects, break into sections
• Create a theatrical poster for the play read
• Build a model pageant wagon
• Perform scenes from play read OR create and
  perform a modern morality play

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Year Long Curriculum

• 3rd 6 Weeks
• Renaissance Theatre (Elizabethan)
• Read a play from the period
• Group research projects, break into sections
• Create a theatrical poster for the play read
• Perform scenes from the play OR
  soliloquies/monologues
• Speaking in verse

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Year Long Curriculum

• 4th 6 Weeks
• Commedia del Arte/Restoration
• Read a play from the period
• Group research projects, break into sections
• Improv
• Mask making (character
• representation symbolism)
• Create a Commedia script

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Year Long Curriculum

• 5th 6 weeks
• Absurdist/Post-Modern
• Read a play from the period (fairy
• tale plays are good too!)
• Group research projects, break into sections
• Politics of the period
• Create a backdrop/costume/makeup design for the
  play OR childrens play (fairy tales again!)

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Year Long Curriculum

• 6th 6 Weeks
• Early American Theatre
• Group research projects, break into sections (add
  choreography, composers, etc.)
• Watch a silent film OR musical
• Cartoons and story telling - have students bring
  in a cartoon that has retold a classic
• tale
• Career Connections
• Musical Revue

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People to Know

• Ancient Greeks/Roman - Thespis, Sophocles,
  Aristotle, Plautus (Roman), Terrance (Roman),
  Dionysus, Eurpidies, Aristophanes
• Reniassance - William Shakespeare, Christopher
  Marlowe, Queen Elizabeth I, Richard Burbage, Lord
  Chamberlains Men, Ben Jonson
• Commedia del Arte/Restoration - King Charles II
  (England) Moliere Commedia Characters
  (Pantalone, Il Dottore, Harlequin, Columbina, Il
  Capitano, Punchinello)
• Absurdist/ Post-Modern - Eugene Ionesco, Samuel
  Beckett, Bertholdt Brecht
• Early American - George M. Cohan Rogers and
  Hammerstein Leonard Bernstein George Ira
  Gershwin David Garrick

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Career Connections

• Students need to connect with people in the field
  of theatre (not just you!)
• Students create an article about a chosen theatre
  career (design, stage management, directing,
  playwright, acting, lighting/sound, teacher,
  etc.)
• Have students research and actually talk to
  someone in the field
• Contact people you know and as if they will allow
  you to give your email to students to contact
  (see a list of some we suggest on your CD)

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Medieval Lesson Example

• Direct Teach focusing on historical accuracy
• Social discussion of church and government
  expectations
• Students adapt a morality tale and create their
  own version of a modern morality play
• Create Pageant wagon model

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Absurdist Lesson Example

• Read a play and have students create absurdist
  designs for the play.
• Discuss and evaluate absurdist play and the
  politics behind the story

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On Your CD

• This PowerPoint
• Musical Theatre Lecture PowerPoint
• Medieval Lecture PowerPoint
• Greek/Roman Lecture PowerPoint
• Absurdist Lesson Outline
• Medieval Lesson Outline
• Career Connections Lesson Outline with Expert
  contacts
• Vaudeville Filmstrip
• Burlesque Filmstrip
• Minstrel Show Filmstrip

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Resources

• www.theatrehistory.com
• http//www.crystalinks.com/greektheater.html
• www.historyforkids.org
• http//www.win.net/kudzu/history.html - Dr.
  Brocketts site
• www.luminarium.com - Anthology of English
  Literature
• www.ibdb.com
• www.broadway.com
• http//www.artslynx.org/Theatre/thechron.htm

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Contact Us!

• Sara Ranzau - Center Point High School - Center
  Point ISD - ranzau_at_cpisd.net
• Amy Moeller - Stevens High School - Northside ISD
  - amy.moeller_at_nisd.net