Nichols Upper School Curriculum
Course: Sophomore Foundation of the Arts: Acting in Shakespeare
Grade level: Form IV
Trimester: 2
Teacher: Kristen Tripp Kelley
Overview:
You’ve read him on the page but have you lived him on the stage? William Shakespeare wrote human beings meant to be interpreted by actors. What may seem like a foreign language will begin to make sense as you speak the words with the meaning and intent of a real person (no funny accents required). We will learn about Elizabethan England through films, games, and improvisation, but we will always work to make sure to connect his plays to our lives. We will do our best to interpret his rich verse so that it is active immediate as well as poetic. By the end of the trimester you will perform a Sonnet as well as a scene from one of Shakespeare’s plays.
Objectives for the Students:
To gain an appreciation for the historical and social significance of theatre.
To learn how Shakespeare’s verse holds the key to an actor’s performance.
To explore physical and verbal communication.
To learn the importance of text analysis in the rehearsal process.
To learn about the many facets of a theatrical production.
To develop social skills of trust, cooperation, and creative problem solving.
Standards:
Students must participate in all classroom activities and assignments. Students must strive to keep an open mind to all exercises, trusting that the unknown and uncomfortable have the power to teach us about ourselves as human beings and performers. Students must be respectful of classmates, and refrain from negatively judging the work of others.
Assignments:
Scansion exercises, Shakespearean Open Scene, Sonnet Project, Shakespearean Scripted Scene.
Method of Evaluation:
Commitment to and completion of all assignments (50%), Daily Participation and Attitude (50%).
Materials:
Spiral for note-taking, folder for hand-outs.
| 