CURRICULUM MAP: 19009.map

Introduction to Theatre (SCP) 162
Overview

TIME FRAME: 1 semester
GRADE: 9-12
CONTACT:

         MAP LEVEL: 4
01.3 THE ARTS - THEATRE

01.3.1.9.3 -- Students will construct imaginative scripts and collaborate with actors to refine scripts so that story and meaning are conveyed to an audience.

01.3.2.9.1 -- Students will analyze the physical emotional and social dimensions of characters found in dramatic texts from various genres and media

01.3.2.9.2 -- Students will compare and demonstrate acting techniques and methods from a variety of periods and styles; and

01.3.3.9.1 -- Students will explain the physical and chemical properties of the technical aspects of theatre, such as light, color, electricity, paint and makeup

01.3.3.9.2 -- Students will analyze a variety of dramatic texts from cultural and historical perspectives to determine production requirements

01.3.3.9.3 -- Students will develop designs that use visual and aural elements to convey environments that clearly support the text

01.3 THE ARTS - THEATRE

01.3.4.9.3 -- Students will effectively communicate directorial choices to a small ensemble for improvised or scripted scenes.

01.3.5.9.1 -- Students will identify and research cultural, historical and symbolic clues in dramatic texts, and evaluate the validity and practicality of the information to help make artistic choices for informal and formal productions.

01.3.6.9.1 -- Students will describe and compare the materials, elements and means of communicating in theatre, dance, music and the visual arts

01.3.7.9.2 -- Students will articulate and justify personal aesthetic criteria for critiquing dramatic texts and events by comparing artistic intent with the final performance.

01.3.7.9.3 -- Students will analyze and critique performances and constructively suggest alternative artistic choices

01.3 THE ARTS - THEATRE

01.3.7.9.4 -- Students will constructively evaluate their own and others' collaborative efforts in informal and formal productions.

01.3.8.9.1 -- Students will compare similar themes in drama from various cultures and historical periods, create informal and formal performances using these themes, and discuss how theatre can reveal universal concepts

01.3.8.9.2 -- Students will identify and compare the lives, works and influence of representative theatre artists in various cultures and historical periods

01.3.8.9.3 -- Students will identify cultural and historical sources of American theatre and musical theatre




What are the essential skills necessary for the performance and production of drama?
What techniques make oral and dramatic expression effective?
What are the creative choices which affect the quality of the theatre experience?






Introduction to Theatre is an survey-type course concerned with the fundamental understanding and appreciation of the live performance of drama, the improvement of oral expression and dramatic interpretation, and the development of skills in the critical evaluation of live presentations.

Instruction focuses upon three elements of the dramatic arts: theatre history, representative dramatic literature, and principles of theatre production. Students examine important influences in the development of the theatre, major forms and types of drama, and the range of creative choices required in stage production.

Course units cover:

-Theatre History (Greek, Medieval, Elizabethan, 19th/early 20th Century, Modern,
Non-European,)
-Principles of Acting (Blocking, Vocal Work, Memorization, Improvisation, Stage Movement, Development of Character)
-Production Elements (Costume, Set Design/Construction, Lighting)
-Reading and Responding to Dramatic Texts
-Constructing a Dramatic Script
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Students in Introduction to Theatre will display the ability to:

-- Identify the fundamental types of performance spaces and display their influence upon audience experience,
-- Identify and utilize fundamental stage areas and acting positions in independent presentations,
-- Utilize the principles of composition, picturization, and movement in scene blocking,
-- Constructively evaluate their own and others’ collaborative efforts in informal and formal productions,
-- Develop and justify multiple interpretations of visual and aural production choices,
-- Create theatre through improvising and enacting scripts,
-- Demonstrate an understanding of context by analyzing and comparing theatre in various cultures and historical periods,
-- Compare similar themes in drama from various cultures and historical periods,







All students in Introduction to Theatre will:

-- Read a variety of drama in various forms and styles,
-- Be provided with models of various types and forms of acting and theatre production elements,
-- Develop basic techniques and personal style for acting and directing,
-- Be instructed in blocking strategies,
-- Be given instruction on skills in the critical evaluation of a dramatic performance,
-- Be given opportunities to utilize research (traditional and electronic sources) to better understand theatre, its history, and its contemporary state.




Assessment of student performance will include such activities as journal entries, oral presentations, unit tests, individual and group performance, essays (rubric-based, test, research), student- and teacher-generated questioning, and analytical-based class work/homework assignments.




As time and resources allow, the teacher may arrange for a fieldtrip to see a live production.




Everything About Theatre! by Robert L.Lee




This class is an English elective, and does not satisfy the 4-year requirement for graduation.