Black History Month Notes

Rehearse Monday, Wednesday, Friday during 5th and 6th periods
Rehearse after school Monday, Wednesday, Thursday from 3:30 to 5.

Construct a structure
Select the material: Music, dance, poems, speeches
Cast

Time Line:

Open with Martin Luther King or excerpt from the video

Dance Guard

Goldschein

Final Song from HAIRSPRAY

Close with Barack Obama

Students come out on stage with one piece of historical fact:
Another student comes out with song, dance, poem or speech commenting on fact

Frederick Douglass

Harriet Tubman - The Underground RailRoad

Sojourner Truth - Ain't I a Woman?

W.E.B. Dubois

The Harlem Renaissance
Langston Hughes


Malcolm X

Martin Luther King

Barbara Jordan

Maya Angelou "And Still I Rise"

Toni Morrisson

Oprah Winfrey

Barak Obama
Should include  Booker T. Washington - Spelman  and George Washington Carver - peanuts and agriculture

Structure of Presentation:

Music Up

Lights Fade

Video of Martin Luther King’s “I had a dream” 

Segue to the 1830’s with Frederick Douglass

Photo of Douglass

Brief biographical blurb about him

Short one minute speech from an excerpt of Douglass' writings
Transitional music with dance
Segue to Harriet Tubman
Photo of Harriet Tubman
Brief biographical blurb about Tubman
Short quotation from or about Harriet Tubman
Transitional music with dance
Transition to Sojourner Truth
Singer - Go Down, Moses or Sweet Chariot
Photo of Sojourner Truth
Brief biographical blurb about Sojourner Truth
Actor playing Sojourner Truth does "Ain't I a Woman?"
Transitional music with dance
Photo of George Washington Carver
Brief biographical blurb on Carver: importance, significance
Photo of Booker T. Washington
Brief biographical blurb on Washington
Transitional music with dance
Photo of W.E.B. Dubois
Brief biographical blurb on W.E.B. Dubois: importance, significance
Quotations
Transitional music with dance - Duke Ellington
"Harlem Renaissance" - brief information about what it was, significance
Shots of some of the art from the Harlem Renaissance
Photo of Langston Hughes
Brief biographical blurb on Langston Hughes
Poem - Mother to Son (?)
Two actors act it out
The Negro Speaks of Rivers - one person reads it during dance and music
Segue to Duke Ellington
Music and photo: brief biographical info
One person sings Ellington song during dance
Segue to Tuskegee Airmen
Photo and brief biographical blurb on Tuskegee Airmen
Segue to Bebop: Miles Davis, John Coltrane
Photos, brief biographical blurb on importance, significance
Music: "A Love Supreme" - John Coltrane
Kinda Blue - Miles Davis
Segue to Malcolm X
Photo, brief biographical sketch - importance, significance
Actor gives brief speech from Malcolm X
Segue to Martin Luther King
Photo, brief biographical sketch
"I had a dream" video
Transitional music
Brief biographical blurbs on Barbara Jordan, Thurgood Marshall
Segue to Alvin Ailey and Judith Jamison
Photo and brief biographical sketch on Ailey and Jamison: significance
Music/Dance
Music - segue to Maya Angelou
Brief biographical info about Maya Angelou
"And Still I Rise" - someone reads it while another dances to music
Song
Segue to Toni Morrison
Brief biographical info about Toni Morrison
Quotation
Segue to Spike Lee
Brief biographical info about Spike Lee
Film Stills  and maybe film clip
Segue to Neil Degrasse Tyson
Photo of the cosmos - dissolve to photo of Neil Degrasse Tyson
Brief biographical info about Tyson
Brief film clip of Tyson speaking about cosmos
Music segue to film clip of celebration after Obama's win of 2008 election
Dissolve to inauguration and then dissolve to clip to 2013 inauguration
Brief speech to Obama
Final, rousing song

Music segue - 

February 1, 2016 - February 5, 2016 Weekly Assignment for Acting Class

Monday, February 1st:
Read through of scenes
Go through script analysis:
Objectives
Beats

Acting Exercise: the Pivotal Moment

PIVOTAL MOMENT:

In every scene there is conflict of some kind. What significant moment in your character’s life made your character choose a particular course of action (which is shown in your scene)?

Create a scene of a pivotal moment (important, crucial moment) in your character’s past in which your character decides to take a particular course of action.

In the scene, “The Witness”, it could be seeing someone brutally murdered in front of you in the past which propels you to become a detective or a cop, or it could be seeing someone murdered in front of you (in the recent past) and you decide not to come forward as a witness.

In “DMV Tyrant”, it could be something as trivial as being pulled over by a rude traffic cop who notices that your driver’s license has expired and you have to get it renewed. If you are the DMV clerk, it could be too many instances of too many rude, dumb people annoying you for too many years.

Your pivotal moment will be determined by your scene’s character. The pivotal moment should be based on your character and your character’s past. It should be a minimum of three minutes long and can include dialogue. You may use other people in the scene with you.

Script Analysis for Actors

Script Analysis for Actors - Five Steps to Building Your Foundation Script Analysis for Actors - Five Steps to Building Your Foundation You’ve got the part! Congratulations. Your script is all clean and pretty. What’s the first thing you should do? Read the script, of course! But what about after that? How about some script analysis? Script analysis gives you a foundation to build on for character development. Follow these steps and you can begin rehearsal with confidence, ready to take on whatever challenge comes your way. Get familiar with your character, get familiar with the text.

It’s time to explore. Grab a pencil! Let’s make your script messy! Why a pencil? Because nothing we ever do with script analysis should be set in stone. We change our minds, we rethink things over and over as we familiarize ourselves with the material. And once we get into rehearsal our work will have to mesh with the director’s vision and every other actor’s work. Think of script analysis as a place to begin! Our examples will be monologues but you can do the exact same work with dialogue.

Step One: Cross out any stage directions. Stage directions in a script can come from a hodgepodge of places. Sometimes they’re added by the playwright to give you a sense of his or her intentions, sometimes they’re based on the blocking of the original production or are purely technical. Other times they’re added by the publisher/editor to help clarify something for the reader. I’d never tell you to ignore them completely but for the purposes of script analysis, cross ‘em out. You can always restore them after you’ve done this work. (You are using a pencil, right?) © 2013 Craig Mason. Download the latest version of this document here: http://tfolk.me/sa1 1 Script Analysis for Actors - Five Steps to Building Your Foundation

Step Two: Mark any significant changes/shifts in tone or character development. I like to use two forward slashes for this (i.e. //). These go any place in the text where there is a change. A change in mood, a change in language, a change in tactic. We’ll call these changes beats. Here’s a totally contrived example to illustrate:

 FRANK: I can’t believe you keyed my car. Why would you do something like that? Becomes FRANK: I can’t believe you keyed my car. // Why would you do something like that? Do you see the beat? Frank goes from reflecting on the damage to the car to a demand for information. First he’s in disbelief. Now he wants answers. The reason for the change will be explored in rehearsal, but at this point we just want to note the beat.

If you haven’t done this sort of work before, you might struggle to find these. Here’s a quick tip to finding them. Pick a random pair of sentences and put the marks between them. Ask yourself, “What shift, what change, does the character make between these two sentences?” If you can come up with a clear answer, they stay. If not, they go. There’s no right or wrong when doing this kind of work. This isn’t science, it’s art. I might mark my script up completely differently than another actor preparing the same role. Who’s right? We both are. We are bringing our own interpretation to the role. When you eventually stage the piece, these markings will serve as guideposts. They may be times where you sit, stand, or move. You may speak louder or softer, faster or slower, or pause. You get the idea. These markings will help make your character dynamic. They will lead you toward an interesting well­rounded performance. © 2013 Craig Mason. Download the latest version of this document here: http://tfolk.me/sa1 2 Script Analysis for Actors - Five Steps to Building Your Foundation

 Step Three: Mark significant words. What are the most important words in the speech? I like to mark these words with a “>” on top. I’ve borrowed this from the accent mark used in music. These are the power words of your speech. They’re the framework everything else is built on. These are the words you want to make sure are heard. By the audience. By the other characters. When you’re done with this step, read the words you’ve marked in order. They should give you a rough idea of what the piece is about.

Step Four: Understand the words. It’s dictionary time! If you’re doing Shakespeare, this will be a very long step. Go through the text and make sure you understand every word you speak. Look up all unfamiliar words (or words you don’t often use in your personal life) in the dictionary. Make sure you fully grasp what the character is trying to say. Jot the definitions in the margins of your script. If you’re confident you already know them all, pick a few of the words that you marked with a > and look them up. Even simple words can have many meanings. And many words can be used to mean the same thing. Try and understand why the playwright chose those words in particular. © 2013 Craig Mason. Download the latest version of this document here: http://tfolk.me/sa1 3 Script Analysis for Actors - Five Steps to Building Your Foundation

Step Five: Ask questions. This is the last step and it’s not to be missed because it will lead you to all sorts of fantastic exploration in rehearsal.. Read through your text and ask questions about your character. I tend to keep my questions simple: “How?” or “Why?” or “Is this true?” are powerful questions.They are the questions you’ll answer through the course of rehearsal. You might discuss some of them with the director, you might not. You may still not have an answer for these questions on closing night. That’s the beauty of theatre ­ there’s always more to explore.

For Example: I’ve attached two monologues from the Theatrefolk Free Resource page, one for a guy and one for a girl. On one page is the monologue as it is and the other page has my own markings to show you how I would tackle the script. And remember, acting is about interpretation. This not a “correct” version of how these monologues should be mark. Do the exercise yourself: how would you mark the script?

© 2013 Craig Mason. Download the latest version of this document here: http://tfolk.me/sa1 4 The Fine Print PO Box 1064 Crystal Beach, ON, L0S 1B0, Canada 1-866-245-9138 www.theatrefolk.com Get more free stuff at: theatrefolk.com/free by Lindsay Price Copyright © 2010 by Lindsay Price, All Rights Reserved You may freely copy and share this document, as long as the document is distributed in its entirety, including this notice. Please forward corrections and/or comments to the author. Performances for an audience (whether paying or not) are subject to a royalty. Contact us for details. The text may be performed without royalty for auditions, in-class work, and Thespian IEs.

Monologue – Darcy from Moving Play Moving by Lindsay Price Stats Serio-comedy – Simple Set – 25 minutes Casting 5W Description Darcy is preparing for a date with her best friends. Her friends are shocked when the truth comes about her date’s age–ten years older! Darcy explodes, telling her friends exactly what she thinks. Get the Play www.theatrefolk.com

Maybe I’m special, ever think of that? Huh? Maybe he likes me. Me. Maybe we connected and he’s got crap parents too and he knows what crap parents can do to you when they try and run your life till you can’t see straight. Maybe that’s why he’s going out with me. Maybe age has nothing to do with it. You think I’m moving too fast? You have no idea what you’re talking about or what any of it means. Maybe I should be sitting on the front porch sucking on a popsicle and holding hands with some cutie who blushes when you say his name and never looks you in the eye. Moving too fast? You bet I am. If I could move faster I would. I’d fly right out of here. You wouldn’t see my feet. I’d be gone. The less time I have to spend in this house, this place, this town, this stupid sixteen-year-old body, the better. The sooner I get out from everyone’s thumb, everybody’s expectations, the better. And you can sure as hell believe I won’t look over my shoulder. Not once. I’ll be gone and I won’t look back. I don’t know. What about you? You’re not moving fast enough. None of you.

 ❧ Use this monologue for your next IE! Theatrefolk Original Playscripts The Fine Print PO Box 1064 Crystal Beach, ON, L0S 1B0, Canada 1-866-245-9138 www.theatrefolk.com Get more free stuff at: theatrefolk.com/free by Lindsay Price Copyright © 2010 by Lindsay Price, All Rights Reserved You may freely copy and share this document, as long as the document is distributed in its entirety, including this notice. Please forward corrections and/or comments to the author. Performances for an audience (whether paying or not) are subject to a royalty. Contact us for details.

The text may be performed without royalty for auditions, in-class work, and Thespian IEs. Monologue – Henry from Hall Pass Play Hall Pass / Ten Minute Play Series: Be Challenged by Lindsay Price Stats Drama – Simple Set – 10 Minutes Casting 2M Description A confrontation between hall monitor and slacker. Get the Play www.theatrefolk.com

HENRY: You go ahead and try. You’ll find I’m pretty much unhurtable, Brady Cutter. You couldn’t hurt me if you left me a bleeding heap on the floor. You gonna hurt me so bad? Is that what you’re gonna do? You go right ahead. You think you’re different, OLD friend? You think you can swing your way by with an easy wave and get what you want? You can’t. And the sooner you learn that message baby, the better. I’ve met you a million times before in a million different empty-headed losers who love calling me dude. You go ahead and hurt me, it’s happened before and it’ll happen again. All you’ll do is prove you’re the same kind of monster I meet every day. You’re no different. You’re the same empty dusty shell of a human being and all you have ahead of you is a wasted life of nothing. You’re nothing, Brady. You’re no one and you’re no one I would ever want to know. You’re no friend of mine. Got it? Cat got your tongue, dude? Got nothing to say to me now, do you? Do you?! Say something!

❧ Use this monologue for your next IE! Theatrefolk Original Playscripts

January 25, 2016 - January 29, 2016 Weekly Agenda

Monday, January 25th: 

Read “The Story of Hope” and “Where It Went”

Had students write down the roles they were interested in reading. 

Students paired up with partners and rehearsed in preparation for the auditions.

Whitney Akujobi – “Where It Went”, “Getting It Back’

Elizabeth Alvarez – “This Hurts”, “Where It Went”

Emily Ayala – “This Hurts”, “Where It Went”

Ariana Cavarrubias – “Sad and Glad”, “The Story of Hope”, “Her Heart”

Jazzmyn Clark  - “Sad and Glad”

Elizabeth DiMuro -  “Prologue”, “Getting It Back”, Story of Hope

Franklin Franco – “Prologue”, “Sad and Glad”, “Where It Went”

Tanny Garcia -  “Getting It Back!” “Sad and Glad”

Karla Gutierrez – “Where It Went”, Sad and Glad”, “Seeing the Thing”

Luiza Hovhannisyan – “Sad and Glad”, “Getting It Back”, “Story of Hope”

Pamela Lara – “Sad and Glad”, “Where It Went”, “Story of Hope”

Kimberly Lowe – “Sad and Glad”, “Her Heart”

Akili Nkosi – “Her Heart”, “Getting It Back”

Justin Pivaral – “They Fell”, “Where It Went”, “Story of Hope”

Katia Ramos – “Where It Went”, “Sad and Glad”, “Seeing the Thing”

Augusto Rodriguez – “They Fell”, “Where It Went”, “Prologue”

Marine Trtryan – “Sad and Glad”, “The Story of Hope’

Chynna Tumalad – “Her Heart”, “Getting It Back”, “Where It Went”

Tuesday, January 26th: 

Auditions:

“They Fell”

Justin – Chad

            Ricardo – helper

“Getting It Back"

Mariam – Gayle

Elizabeth – Lendall

Wednesday, January 27th: 

Auditions:

Getting It Back

Mariam

Elizabeth

Sad and Glad

Franklin

Luiza

Jasmine – waitress

Where It Went

Ivett

Gus

Have them come back for another reading

Where It Went

Katia

Pamela

Thursday, January 28th: 

Auditions continue!

Sad and Glad

Ariana

Gus – good reaction when she tells him she is getting married

Marine – waitress

Gus wants to do “Sad and Glad” tomorrow

Where It Went

Akili – good moment when he was wishing upon a “star”

Chynna – good

This Hurts

Elizabeth Alvarez – good

Emily

Sad and Glad

Tanny

Tania

Kimberly

Friday, January 29th: 

Auditions:

“Prologue”

Sarena

Jazzmyn

“The Story of Hope”

Pamela

Justin

“Her Heart”

Katia

Karla

Acting Beats

Beat:

A group of lines or simple actions all related to the same idea, subject, activity or line of thought. It may contain

several actions and several tactics. Breaking up a scene into beats clarifies what an actor/character is pursuing

from moment to moment. It also helps create clarity, variety, movement, pace, rhythm, and tension.

A Beat Change:

This is a shift to a new idea, activity, line of thought, or subject. Usually a beat change is marked by a physical

or vocal shift by one or many actors, it also may represent a tactical shift or a shift in the

Action/Intention/Objective/Tactic being played by the actor. Not all of the actors agree on where the beat

changes, this contributes to making scenes more alive.

THE HALLWAY by Sil Wheatley

Alden is waiting, nervously.

Nan enters. She sees him, but he doesn’t see her.

She crosses past him quickly. He sees her and calls out to her.

ALDEN: Nan! Nan wait!

NAN: I have to go.

ALDEN: Please. I need to talk to you.

NAN: I’m late for class.

(turns to go)

ALDEN: Wait!

(she doesn’t)

I spoke to Bonnie.

NAN: Are you stalking me now!?

ALDEN: No. Of course not. I was just worried.

NAN: About what?

ALDEN: About you! About us.

NAN: There is no us.

ALDEN: She told me that you been to the doctor and-

NAN: Ugh, I’ll kill her!

ALDEN: Nan please tell me if it’s true.

NAN: If what’s true?

ALDEN: Are you…? Or did you-?

NAN: It’s none of your business! It’s my body and my life!

ALDEN: It’s my responsibility!

(Silence)

NAN: I have to go.

ALDEN: Please.

NAN: Leave me alone.

ALDEN: I can’t.

NAN: (exiting)

Why not!

(She exits.)

ALDEN: (Alone)

Because I love you.

January 19, 2016 - January 22, 2016 Weekly Agenda

Tuesday, January 19th: 

Discussion of Black History Presentation

Read “Getting It Back” – Akili and Whitney

Wednesday, January 20th: 

Freeze – Tag

Everyone participated

Read “They Fell” - Gus and Justin

Thursday, January 21st: 

Theatre Game:

Murder

Chynna, Akili, Miriam, Franklin, Justin

Read “Seeing the Thing” – Justin and Elizabeth

Friday, January 22nd: 

Warm-ups:

Ninja

Lights Up! Lights Down!

Tableaux: Four actors create three tableaux which show a story. The actors say “lights down” – audience closes their eyes. Actors get into place. Then the actors say

“lights up” – and the audience opens their eyes. Repeat for each scene or tableau.

Passed out scripts, pair up, and begin reading and rehearsing for auditions on Monday.

Acting Class: Lessons in Creating a Character

Preparations for Character Work:
"I am! I feel! I want!
 Students stand in a circle. Someone steps

2016 Spring Syllabus for Intermediate Acting Class

 Welcome to Intermediate Acting,  the purpose of which is to introduce you to the world of theatre, and to the exciting process of rehearsing and performing in a production. I hope the acting class will be fun, educational, and exciting for you. In this class you will be introduced to the art and craft of acting, where you will learn about character development, script analysis, theatrical terms, and conventions. You will also learn about proper theatre protocol in terms of working with other actors and with the director, and appropriate behavior both as an actor, a theatre technician, and as an audience member. 

We will work on your character’s relationships with the other characters, and the character's objectives or motivations. We will also borrow from the great acting masters, such as Sanford Meisner, Stella Adler, Uta Hagen, and of course, Constantin Stanislavski.

The class will start with some vocal, relaxation and/or acting exercises and some theatre games, IN WHICH EVERYONE IS EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE.  Then I will work with one or two groups per class session on blocking, script analysis and character development, and acting exercises. After two or three rehearsals with me, you will then perform the scene, which will be taped before the class. During the final performance of the scene, you must have the scene memorized exactly the way it is written, you must perform the blocking and the direction as we rehearsed, and you must use props. You will watch the tape and write a reflection on your work, following a format which will be provided for you.

You are expected to work on at least one of the following: 

On the spring musical, HAIRSPRAY, either as a performer or as a stage technician, such as a member of the floor crew, light crew, prop crew, or costume crew, or as the light or sound operator during the show. 

Or in the spring production of ALMOST, MAINE, which is a series of eight scenes slated for performance on Thursday and Friday, April 7th and 8th in 503. 

Or work on scenes in the class which you will perform in Thursday Theatre. You must perform at least two scenes this semester in Thursday Theatre; the first performance must be before March 25th and the second performance must be before May 6th. 

You are also expected to either attend the magnet performances of ALMOST, MAINE; HAIRSPRAY; and the dance show, or to tech or usher the performances.  

Failure to meet at least one of the above requirements may result in a lower grade in this class. 

You are expected to keep a three-pronged light weight folder in which you are expected to keep all handouts, including this, and your scripts.  You will be given a copy of your script and you are expected to BRING IT EVERY DAY! If you do not, you will receive an "F" for that day; you will be loaned a copy of your script in exchange for some collateral property (cell phone, shoe, backpack). When you return the borrowed script, your property will be returned to you. If you lose your script, then you will have to copy the script out by hand.  Copies are at a premium and there is a very small quota per month to make copies.

There is NO EATING NOR DRINKING FROM CANS in class. We have had in the past a major infestation of rats and cockroaches from food left behind and sticky residue from spilt soft drinks. The custodial staff has been drastically cut and Room 503 is never swept, mopped nor cleaned, except when your teacher does it.  And it's a big room.

You will be graded on your participation.  You are expected to participate in all the acting and vocal exercises and theatre games at the beginning of the class, and in all of the assignments and rehearsals of the scenes.  Failure to participate in the exercises will result in a lowered grade in the class. When you are not rehearsing with me, then you must be in your assigned areas rehearsing with your fellow actors.  When you perform your scenes you must have your lines and blocking memorized and perform the scene to the best of your ability.  Failure to do so will result in a much lower grade and perhaps failing the class.

The class will only be as good as we all make it. Please be aware that you are working with other people and that your behavior and effort will affect them, their work and their grades.  Furthermore, it is imperative that we create an atmosphere of respect - respect for our fellow students, respect for the director, and respect for ourselves.  Please show respect by refraining from rude comments or actions, or talking or texting during class.  Please do not record other students' scenes.  Please remember that it is ILLEGAL and against district policy to record another student during school. Students can only do their best work when they feel safe and valued, so please give positive support during students' performances.

The grading scale is as follows:

90% - 100% = A

80% -   89% = B

70% -   79% = C

60% -   69% = D

Below 60%  = Fail

Participation: 30%

Scene Work: 40%

Group Work: 30%

I can best be reached by e-mail, either at jbridges@lausd.net or at jkatbridge@aol.com.

I look forward to working with you and helping you grow as a young adult, a student and as an artist.

________________________________________________________________________________

Student:

I have read and I understand the requirements of the class:

________________________________________________________________________________

Parent or Guardian:

I have read and I understand the requirements of the class:

__________________________________________________________

Phone number and/or e-mail where you can be reached.

January 11, 2016 - January 15, 2015 Weekly Schedule

Monday, January 11th:
Sign students in

Students wrote their schedules and conflicts and turned in.

Discussion of show(s) and rehearsals

Theatre games:

Sing-off!

Tuesday, January 12th: 
Shortened Day

Pass out and go over class syllabus
Organized scripts for reading

Wednesday, January 13th: 

Warm-ups

Freeze-Tag

Beginning ALMOST, MAINE

Prologue: Elizabeth, Franklin

“Her Heart”: Chynna, Akili

Thursday, January 14th: 

Akili and Chynna performed their Angels in America scene for Thursday Theatre 

Warm-ups:

Breathing

Tongue Twisters

Strike a Pose: How’re You Feelin’ Today?

Strike a Pose: Pretend the Opposite of What You’re Feeling!

Seethe, Boil, and Churn – walking

Stop and strike a pose of what you’re feeling

Stop and strike a pose showing the opposite of what you are feeling.

Tell the person next to you how you’re feeling

Read Almost, Maine

Read “Sad and Glad”