Formats

Module Play Review

Download Format


School Project

Download Format

I.                 INTRODUCTION

   "I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage. A man walks across this empty space whilst someone else is watching him, and this is all that is needed for an act of theatre to be engaged."

                                                               The Empty Space; Peter Brook

 When most Mexican teenagers nowadays hear the word theatre, the first thing that comes to their minds is a Broadway musical, a play written by Shakespeare, performed by actors wearing tights  in an English that doesn’t sound like the English they know, or an ancient, boring form of art surpassed by television, movies, or rock concerts. It is surprising to find out the enormous amount of people in our country who have never read a play or been to a theatre to watch a play. Our community at Colegio Williams is very lucky. Since we have preserved the tradition of reading plays, attending important productions, and producing our own theatre and theatrical events, we know theatre is more than that. That is why we have created this course for you. We think that it is important that you learn where this form of art comes from and which have been the most important stages that theatre has gone through. It is important to realize that theatre is a revealing social and psychological phenomenon in our society, other societies, in other times and places. We also believe it will be fascinating to learn about all the people involved in a play: the playwright, the director, the technicians, the designers, the producers, and the actors, specially because eventually we will become one of them. Finally we are sure that analyzing written plays, researching about authors, periods, styles and themes, watching recorded shows, attending the theatre to see a play, and finding yourself, your society, your beliefs, concerns, and conflicts reflected and represented in a play will give you plenty of things to talk and write about. It will be a great starting point to reach our main objective: awaken our analytical, critical and creative thinking, to express our individuality, through a common language that is simultaneously acquired and created by our community, in accordance to our community, group, and individual needs.  

Like our “Lets Go to the Movies” program, covered two years ago, this is an appreciation course, which means that its main aim is to give you, students, elements to understand in depth a given phenomenon, in this case theatre. Because we will be visiting two kinds of stages, its name uses the two meanings for the word stage: a) scenery and b) a specific moment in a progressive process. We will visit as many types of scenery as possible, starting with the ancient Greek amphitheatres till we get to the contemporary and alternative postmodern theatres. Simultaneously we will research, discuss and analyze, some times as audience, sometimes as readers, some time as inquirers,  sometimes as critics and sometimes even as archeologists, looking into at least ten exciting moments of the history of this form of art.

Visiting Stages is divided into four units, modules or stages each one covering at least two moments in the history of theatre. In each module or stage you will research and learn about  two specific roles in theatre and a genre. During each module a complete play will be read. Each module you must also go to the theatre to see a live play and in class a recorded one, plus a musical that will be screened. Our four modules for this program are:
 

Apart FROM the content above mentioned, each module is divided into several components:

A.   FINAL OBJECTIVES (for the whole year and for each module)

B.   COMMUNITY LINES OF INQUIRY (given by Coordination)

C.  GROUP LINES OF INQUIRY (developed by each group)

D.  INDIVIDUAL LINES OF INQUIRY (developed by each student)

E.   MODULE ASSESSMENT

1.   Word Bank. (notions, terms, concepts, student’s definition or meaning, and an example in the context of the theme covered)

2.   Mental map draft (integrating notions, concepts, and words on a double letter sized sheet.)

                 Note: creative version is optional

3.   One Response for each screened movie (free writing, review, project etc)

4.   One responding card or report of each nonfiction selection

5.   One formal review for the play students attended.

6.   One Comparative Paper (comparing the written play with its actual production, two genres, two plays with same theme, two authors)

7.   One oral capsule. (individual or collective)

8.   Theme exam.

               Note: all these elements should be                                          

                          filed in the portfolio.       

F.   NONFICTION (ELEMENTS FOR THEATRE APPRECIATION AND HISTORY OF THEATRE)

G.  PLAYS TO READ

H.   PLAYS TO WATCH (SCREENING)

1.   A play at the theatre

2.   A play adapted for the screen

3.   A musical Movie Version

I.       PORTFOLIO

J.    LECTURES

K.   PROJECTS

L.    ACTIVITIES DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE PROGRAM

M. SCHOOL ACTIVITIES