September 29th - October 3rd
Weekly Schedule
for
Beginning Acting

Monday, September 29th:

Warm-ups:

Tongue Twisters

Greeting by Numbers

Coloring Your Words

Coloring Your Nursery Rhymes

Fiinish the individual pantomimes.



Tuesday, September 30th:

Roshashana! No school today!


Wednesday, October 1st:

Select someone whom you see on a fairly regular basis and “become that person” for about one minute. You should do an action that you see this character typically performing, and yes, you may speak. The imitated person can be anybody but should not be in this class, nor should you reveal the identity of this person to others in the class, and of course, the imitation should never be mean spirited. This is to be nonjudgmental and objective study of a human being. We will begin the “Person Study” on Friday.

One Word Situational Scenes:

A group of three or four performers choose a word or a phrase (for example, "sorry", or "thank you") and develop and perform three or four short scenes based on the word. Each scene should depict a different situation using the word in a different context; in each scene an actor says the word or phrase in a different way. The word or phrase is spoken at a high point in the scene, not thrown away in the first few lines.

Example: Given the word “welcome” three actors portray the following three scenes: saying welcome to a long awaited good friend; saying welcome to relatives they dislike and whom they only greet at their parents’ insistence, and saying welcome to visiting diplomats.

Suggested Word Phrases:

well so guess don’t
welcome good thank you sorry
never why oh, no really

Thursday, October 2nd:

Warm-ups: vocal and physical

Begin presenting the One Word-Three Situations Scenes.


Friday, October 3rd:

Finish up the One Word-Three Situations Scenes.

Begin presenting the “person study”.

September 22nd - 26th
Weekly Schedule
for
Beginning Acting

Monday, September 22nd:

Vocal warm-ups; relaxation
Sense memory exercises

Group Focus Pantomime:

Groups of four or five actors pantomime a scene in which they focus their attention on an imaginary offstage object, event or person. Titles are given to the scenes to identify what the actors are focusing on.

Using a sign or an announcement, actors give the title of their scene: “Burning Building”, “Car Accident”, etc. Two begin on stage, watching and reacting. Three others enter and join the group of onlookers; one finds a fire alarm and sounds it. The actors react individually - with horror, with fear, with fascination.


Tuesday, September 23rd:

Shortened day!

Fantastic Duet Pantomime!

Working in pairs, actors pantomime an ordinary situation that undergoes a fantastic or totally unexpected, illogical and imagination-defying twist. The more outrageous and bizarre the twist, the better.

Example:

A dentist tries to extract a tooth, but refuses to budge. Pliers, rope and then finally dynamite are used. The dentist walks away, disgusted and the tooth falls out by itself.

A mad scientist wires up a monster, which comes alive and kills the scientist. The monster puts the scientist’s body on the table and brings it back to life as another monster.


Wednesday, September 24th:

Warm-ups!
Vocal and physical warm-ups
Relaxation
Sense Memory

Finish up the “Fantastic Duet Pantomime!”



Thursday, September 25th:

Warm-ups:
Vocal and physcial warm-ups
Relaxation
Sense Memory

Cocktail Party!

Groups of four are at a dinner party eating various foods - some tasty, some not so much - and drinking various drinks - all nonalcoholic, of course. Through pantomime the actors convey their like or dislike of the foods and what kind of food they are eating.


Friday, September 26th:

Solo Pantomime

A single actor pantomimes an activity that has a beginning, a middle and an end. Before the scene s/he announces the title of the scene.

Example:

An actor pantomimes playing pinball. S/he walks in and begins playing the machine facing the audience. Through her/his body and face the actor communicates whether s/he is winning or losing. When the game is over the actor leaves the stage.

Weekly Schedule
for
Beginning Acting
September 15th - 19th

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH:

Vocal, physical warm-ups
Relaxation techniques

Group pantomime:

One actor goes up on stage and begins an activity (playing in a rock band, an orchestra, painting a wall, shoveling snow, etc.); then a second person, without speaking, joins the activity; then a third, and so on until the entire group is involved in the activity.

Dream Journey:

The actors break into groups of four and create a dream story line. Actor number one begins the dream sequence - without dialogue - then at a prearranged signal from the first actor, the second actor enters the dream and playing with the first actor continues the dream - again without dialogue. Then the third actor appears and continues the dream - without dialogue - and finally the fourth actor enters and continues the dream. Then in reverse order, the first actor exits, the second actor exits, the third actor exits, leaving the fourth actor alone on stage.


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH:

SHORTENED DAY!

Vocal, physical warm-ups
Relaxation techniques

Finish the Dream Journey.

Imaginative Journey #1.



WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH:

Vocal, physical warm-ups
Relaxation techniques

Imaginative Journey #2






Theatre Games:

Break into groups of three. Create a distinctive movement and sound that represents each person the group. Each group then moves around the room using the movements and the sounds. Try to win as many other groups to your sound and movement as possible.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH:

Vocal, physical warm-ups
Relaxation techniques

Imaginative Journey #3

Theatre Games:

Break into groups of three. One actor strikes a pose. The other two quickly say what the pose reminds them of (example: a baseball pitcher! A prancing horse!) Don’t think too long - you only have about one second to spit it out! Then one of the other two actors taps the “sculpture” and replaces her/him and strikes a pose which the other two have to quickly name.

Variation:

One actor poses the second actor into a sculpture which the third actor quickly names; the third actor then poses the first actor in a sculpture which the second actor names. Time is of the essence and you are not going to be given much time to think or ponder the pose or of what the sculpture reminds you.


FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH:

Vocal, physical warm-ups
Relaxation techniques

Living Patterns and Live Machines:

One actor makes a sound and a movement that a machine might make. A second actor joins her/him and becomes a second part of the machine; more actors join and become successive pieces and parts of the machine.


“The Bulgarian Game”:

One actor pretends that s/he is traveling through Bulgaria but of course, does not speak Bulgarian. S/he must buy an item from Bulgarians who do not speak English. They can only communicate with each other through pantomime. No talking is allowed.

Weekly Schedule
for
Beginning Acting
September 15th - 19th

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH:

Vocal, physical warm-ups
Relaxation techniques

Group pantomime:

One actor goes up on stage and begins an activity (playing in a rock band, an orchestra, painting a wall, shoveling snow, etc.); then a second person, without speaking, joins the activity; then a third, and so on until the entire group is involved in the activity.

Dream Journey:

The actors break into groups of four and create a dream story line. Actor number one begins the dream sequence - without dialogue - then at a prearranged signal from the first actor, the second actor enters the dream and playing with the first actor continues the dream - again without dialogue. Then the third actor appears and continues the dream - without dialogue - and finally the fourth actor enters and continues the dream. Then in reverse order, the first actor exits, the second actor exits, the third actor exits, leaving the fourth actor alone on stage.


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH:

SHORTENED DAY!

Vocal, physical warm-ups
Relaxation techniques

Finish the Dream Journey.

Imaginative Journey #1.



WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH:

Vocal, physical warm-ups
Relaxation techniques

Imaginative Journey #2






Theatre Games:

Break into groups of three. Create a distinctive movement and sound that represents each person the group. Each group then moves around the room using the movements and the sounds. Try to win as many other groups to your sound and movement as possible.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH:

Vocal, physical warm-ups
Relaxation techniques

Imaginative Journey #3

Theatre Games:

Break into groups of three. One actor strikes a pose. The other two quickly say what the pose reminds them of (example: a baseball pitcher! A prancing horse!) Don’t think too long - you only have about one second to spit it out! Then one of the other two actors taps the “sculpture” and replaces her/him and strikes a pose which the other two have to quickly name.

Variation:

One actor poses the second actor into a sculpture which the third actor quickly names; the third actor then poses the first actor in a sculpture which the second actor names. Time is of the essence and you are not going to be given much time to think or ponder the pose or of what the sculpture reminds you.


FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH:

Vocal, physical warm-ups
Relaxation techniques

Living Patterns and Live Machines:

One actor makes a sound and a movement that a machine might make. A second actor joins her/him and becomes a second part of the machine; more actors join and become successive pieces and parts of the machine.


“The Bulgarian Game”:

One actor pretends that s/he is traveling through Bulgaria but of course, does not speak Bulgarian. S/he must buy an item from Bulgarians who do not speak English. They can only communicate with each other through pantomime. No talking is allowed.