TEACHING SHAKESPEARE: Romeo and Juliet scheme of work and Twelfth Night workshop

Transcription

1 TEACHING SHAKESPEARE: Romeo and Juliet scheme of work and Twelfth Night workshop by John Cotgrave Extracted from Scene March Issue 3

2 TEACHINg SHAkESPEARE Romeo and Juliet scheme of work and Twelfth Night workshop By John Cotgrave The following schemes of work have been inspired by the RSC Tool Kit. Romeo and Juliet scheme of work for year 9 and Objectives 1. To provide pupils of low ability easy access to Shakespeare s Romeo and Juliet 2. To offer activities of a varied nature which will foster enjoyment of the text 3. To develop pupils skills in responding to the text and offering opinions 4. To develop pupils abilities as listeners, viewers and speakers through a variety of activities which incorporate the opportunity to work individually, in pairs and as part of a group 5. To provide a scheme of work which will foster enjoyment of Shakespeare. 6. To further pupils use of the dramatic conventions narration / thought tracking / tableaux/ hot seating / cross cutting in preparation for GCSE Drama 7. To continue further development of listening and speaking skills 8. To develop a deeper dramatic understanding of the themes, plots and characters to support the work in English and SATs preparation. 9. To further pupils use of Physical Theatre 10. To explore moral and social issues historical and cultural context 11. To explore story theatre 12. To explore Empathy what would I feel like if 13. To include literacy Poetry and Prose (Use extracts from the play) 14. To further teamwork 15. To further skills in creating dramatic tension 16. To include the use of lights and music to tell a story and create atmosphere, mood and tension 17. To assess students on their ability to discuss, prepare, rehearse and perform the script 18. To enable students to evaluate their work and set targets Shakespeare Made Easy Script Prologue and Friar s Speech The Sound Track from the Film Images and Photos Smart Board Starter and Plenary support Lighting, Music and Costumes AN OVERVIEW OF THE LESSONS Lesson 1 Introduction to R & J. Mind map of themes, characters, quotes. Looking at the prologue and discussing the sonnet and the exposition of it. Then in groups mark four/fi ve moments from the prologue using tableaux. Narration of the prologue to support tableaux. Lighting / music to help create atmosphere and to encourage them to think about using the mediums of drama. The wheel. (Group activity using the swear words of the day and images of gang war which is to be fully developed in Lesson 3) Lesson 2 Improvisation work looking at feuding families transposing them to modern day situations that they can relate to. Cross Cutting. Lesson Introduction of stage fi ghting and using movement, physical theatre and text/ language. Cross cutting. Lesson 5 Improvisation looking at parents, teenagers, arranged marriage and forbidden love. Hot seating. Lesson 6 Exploring Friar Lawrence s speech that concludes the tale of R&J. In groups and using work from previous lessons including using physical theatre, choral speaking, improvisation, tableaux, cross cutting etc create a short improvisation which acts out the speech. Pupils will have a freedom to achieve this. Lesson 7 Rehearsal of the Friar s speech including the use of the mediums of drama to support their work. Lesson 8 Performance of the prepared piece of theatre. (There could be a ninth lesson at the end to allow further preparation of the Friar s speech) LESSON 1 (&2) 1. Introduce the scheme of work and some of the aims and objectives. 2. Consider GCSE Drama. 3. Formalising the dramatic convention of tableau(x). 4. Consolidating the themes, characters and plot of Romeo and Juliet. 5. Explore Elizabethan swear words cultural and historical. 6. To further pupils use of Physical Theatre. Smart Board White Board with various Elizabethan swear words (cards if in Y10 Common Room) electronic or photocopied extract of the Prologue 1: 90/60/30 sec. Freeze Frame Exercise in groups (5) ask them to create a frozen image depicting various Street Images (gangs / a party / two teenagers in love / forbidden love / angry parents). Evaluate and mark it out of ten and record marks on the board. Emphasise focus!!! 2: Either using the smart board or white board create a concise mind map covering as much of the plot, themes and characters as possible. 3: The Prologue. Discuss the Prologue and its role. For the low ability members of the class use the copy from Shakespeare Made Easy that translates it to standard English. Discuss how this could be dramatised with the focus on tableaux and narration. 4: In small groups choose 4 / 5 moments from the Prologue and mark these moments using tableaux. Watch evaluate praise. 5: Choral Speaking in groups to highlight the tension between the Capulets and Montagues. Taffeta Punk Scurvy Lord Threadbare Juggler False Caterpillar Mad-headed Ape Red-tailed Bumble Bee Scolding Chuff Blood sucker of sleeping men Discuss the swear words above and consider historical and cultural differences and change. Ask for a volunteer to choose one and then say it in a really nice way Scene Issue March 13

3 discuss. How could it then be used as an insult take direction from them and have a volunteer deliver the line using appropriate voice / facial expression and body language discuss. 6: Ask them each to choose one of the words and keep it a secret. Move into pairs and stand back to back. Label themselves A or B. Consider and choose the appropriate scenario A invited B to their house but saw B kicking their puppy when they thought A was out of the room. B leant A their homework and A was caught copying it but said that B copied them and B a detention. Face each other and deliver your swear word at each other and deliver it as many ways as you can using different face / voice and body language. Discuss. 7: Try saying these swear words smiling / sneering / whispering / shouting / speaking. Discuss 8: All A s move to one side of the room and all B s to the other and each group stands in a single line facing the other group. All A s are Capulets and B s are Montagues. In their new groups they are to devise a piece of choral speaking where they move in a line towards the other family shouting out Down with the Capulets! Montagues are Bloodsuckers! As a group they must decide how to say each insult and create a movement to go with each line. Once decided they must move forwards each time they speak and do their movement. It must all be at the same time!! The end result should be a choreographed piece where each group speaks in turn and where they end up facing each other in the centre of the room. 9: Use the smart board to conclude the lesson with a little test / AFL. LESSON 2 1. To explore moral and social issues historical and cultural context. 2. To explore story theatre. 3. To explore empathy what would I feel like if 4. To further skills in creating dramatic tension. 5. To use the dramatic convention of cross cutting. 1: Walk around the room without interacting with anyone. Teacher will shout various emotions and each time pupils are to freeze and adopt the emotion using appropriate facial expressions and body language. 2: The Wheel. Get the pupils into pairs. Create one inner circle looking out and one outer circle facing in. The inner circle is a lump of clay and the outer circle are the sculptors. The outer circle must shape and form the clay into a frozen image of Romeo. When completed ask the outer circle to walk around the circle evaluating other peoples work. Change round and have them create an image of Juliet. Evaluate. Other characters include The Nurse / Tybalt / Mercutio / Friar Lawrence / Lady Capulet. 3: Discuss why two families might feud with each other. Can they think of any examples? In groups of 5/6 create an improvisation showing some members of two modern day feuding families meeting in a supermarket. Watch evaluate praise. 4: In the same groups create a further improvisation showing two of the people involved in the supermarket incident have returning home and impart their experience at the supermarket to other (new) members of the family. Show the reaction of other family members. Use cross cutting to jump from one household to the other. 5: Watch evaluate praise. 6: Thinking about the family feud each family will choose one member to narrate a piece of mime that imparts the reason why this feud started between the two families. Each family will have a similar story but it will differ due to their point of view. 7: Watch evaluate praise. LESSONS 3 & 4 1. To further pupils use of Physical Theatre. 2. To create a safe working environment where pupils build trust for each other. 3. To further teamwork. 4. To further skills in creating dramatic tension. 5. Learn basic choreographed moves. 6. To use slow motion as a dramatic technique. 7. Use the DVD camcorder to help pupils asses their own work. Cards with various pairs from R+J e.g. Romeo and Juliet / Capulet and Montague / Tybalt and Mercutio / Nurse and Friar Lawrence / Lady Capulet and Lady Montague Music to accompany the movement part of the workshop DVD Camcorder Lighting 1: 90/60/30 Freeze Frame Exercise in groups ask them to create a frozen image depicting a moment from a film or a landmark or a piece of machinery (suspension bridge/an arched bridge/a tree/ a dome/a temple/the London Eye/Harry Potter/Jurassic Park). Evaluate and mark it out of ten and record marks on the board. Emphasise focus!!! 2: Give out the character cards randomly. Pupils must find their partner. Once in their pairs they stand back to back. Think about the work done in Lesson 1 and revisit the point about why people / families fall out? They must consider the things that can cause people to fall out. Imagine your partner has done something to make you really angry. 3: Stage Fighting Once they have decided they must stand 1 metre apart, facing each other. They must then use facial expressions to show how they feel about the person standing opposite. The following actions should be really exaggerated and quite dance like. A suggestion could be to use slow motion to help exaggerate the moves. Music could be used here too. A throws a punch at B ( it will not touch B if the couple are standing 1m apart) B counts to 5 in his/her head then reacts, according to where the punch would have landed. A counts to 5 then throws another punch, B reacts in the same way. A counts again and punches / kicks, B reacts. Now swap. B is the fighter, A the reactor. Watch evaluate praise. 4: Now, using the whole body but keeping the 1 metre distance, they come up with three moves each. 5: Watch evaluate praise. 6: Now move into groups of four. Devise a sketch where two people are fighting at the opening of the scene and the other two, who are passing, join in. This should be used following the same technique that they have just used. 7: Watch evaluate praise 8: With the group sitting on the steps, discuss the logistics of the fight scene in Act 1 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet: two Capulet servants walking in a public place; two Montague servants come along; one of the Capulets bites his thumb at the Montagues; they start to fight; Benvolio comes along and tries to keep the peace; Tybalt arrives on the scene declares that he hates peace and all Montagues and fights with Benvolio; others get involved in the fighting; officers of the watch try unsuccessfully to stop the fighting; The Prince arrives and eventually stops the fighting. Split the class into two halves. With reference to the running order, pupils should improvise this action and the choreographed fight should continue, in mime, until the teacher (in role as the Prince) stops the fight. Music and lighting must be used to help create the appropriate atmosphere for their work. As this is a group activity then it could be recorded so they can watch it and evaluate their own work. 9: Watch evaluate praise. LESSON 5 1. To explore moral and social issues historical and cultural context. 2. To explore story theatre. 3. To explore Empathy what would I feel like if 4. To further pupils use of the dramatic conventions narration / thought tracking / tableaux/ hot seating / cross cutting in preparation for GCSE Drama. 14 Issue March Scene

4 1: 90/60/30 Freeze Frame Exercise in groups ask them to create a frozen image depicting images based on situations that they might find themselves in. Examples include a teenager comes home late and parents are waiting / a scene from a party / out shopping with your friends / with your friends and you see someone that you fancy / your friends asking someone out for you - emphasise focus!!! 2: Group Discussion Why do parents try to control their children s lives? Think of situations where this might happen. What sanctions and consequences do parents have when their child breaks the rules? When it comes to marriage, why might parents think that an arranged marriage is best? (family support, parents wisdom, money, status, family friend, same culture). Why might the teenager think that it is better to choose their own partner? (love, personal choice, physical attraction, parents may be wrong, freedom of choice). 3: Arranged Marriage In pairs (could be a three if stuck with an odd number) you will create a short scene in which a father is pleased with himself because he has arranged a marriage for his son / daughter. He assumes that he / she will be pleased as he sees him / her as being his property until she is passed over to a husband or wife. The son/daughter is dismayed at the news, but is also a little afraid of his/ her father. They must show this through body language and facial expressions. Pupils will probably have realised that this is the scene between Capulet and Juliet and she cannot marry Paris because she is already married to Romeo. Watch evaluate praise 4: Hot Seating Explain what hot seating is and teacher in role to briefly demonstrate how the technique works. Invite pairs top come up again, perform (or part of) their scene. When it s finished invite the characters to be hot seated. 5: Evaluate and praise conclude lesson. LESSONS 6, 7 & 8 1. To include literacy poetry and prose (use extracts from the play). 2. To further pupils use of the dramatic conventions narration/thought tracking/tableaux/ hot seating / cross cutting in preparation for GCSE Drama. 3. To continue further development of listening and speaking skills. 4. To include the use of lights and music to tell a story and create atmosphere, mood and tension. 5. To assess students on their ability to discuss, prepare, rehearse and perform the script. 6. To provide pupils of low ability easy access to Shakespeare s Romeo and Juliet. Copies of The Friar s Speech, Act 5 Scene 3 / both middle and standard English Music Lighting and Costume 1: Teacher in Role: Perform the scene. Afterwards discuss what the speech is about. Beg the question What are the possibilities for staging this speech if you were in a group of five. Remind them of the work and dramatic conventions used so far. 2: Sitting in a circle, read one line each, round the group. Explain the text to them so that they have a good idea of meaning. (Ensure they know about Paris death as this is not in the film which they have watched in English). 3: In groups of 4/5 devise a narration of Friar Lawrence s speech where one person narrates/acts out the speech while others mime the action being described. 4: They will have two lessons on the preparation of this (inclusive of this one). 5: Groups must use lighting, music and costume in their presentation. They are to produce a polished piece of theatre that will be presented to the class and will be assessed. FINAL LESSON 1: Groups will perform their work to an audience. 2: After each group evaluate and praise. 3: Teacher to assess each group. 4: Review targets. Twelfth Night workshop: Building Ensemble Warm up Boal Handshakes players shake hands with another player. They keep hold of the first player s hand until; they have met another player. Players stand in a circle. Teacher demonstrates. Hello my name is right and left hand shake. Your intention is to meet everyone in the room. Your obstacle is you only have 30 secs to achieve it and you must observe the left hand right hand rule. Name game Players stand in a circle, one volunteer stands in the middle, the object of the game is to get out of the middle and cause another player to give you their place in the circle, leaving the second player in the middle. The player in the middle chooses someone in the circle and says their name very quickly 3 times. The player whose name is spoken must say their own name before the 3 repeats are finished; if they fail they must assume the middle of the circle. Walking work whole group Your intention is to walk into space. Your obstacle is all the other people in the room. Build tempo (if the spectrum is 1 5 with 1 the slowest and 5 fastest etc ) Walk / instructions Nose to nose groups of Back to back groups of Other variations Finish with the whole group lying on floor heads to tummies 90/60/30 freeze frame game In groups they have 90 seconds to create a tableau depicting a Ship Wreck. At the end of 90 secs count down and then they must freeze. Give each group a mark out of ten (criteria includes facial expressions body language use of levels use of space use of imagination). Evaluate each group and mark it out of ten and record marks on the board. Emphasise focus!!! Repeat exercise but they have 60 secs and this time it is a tableau based on True Love. Repeat for a third time but they have 30 secs and it s a tableau based on Mistaken Identity. Should you have a tie then do a fourth round but give them 15 secs and base the tableau on Reading a forged Love Letter. Huggies / make me a tableau of A Duke and his subjects (Duke Orsino of Illyria) A Family (The Twins) A Family torn apart (the shipwreck splitting the twins up) Unrequited Love (Orsino in love with Olivia) Grief (Olivia mourning the death of her father and brother) Drinking Pals (Toby and Aguecheek) Love triangle (Orsino / Olivia / Viola) Cross Dressing and disguise (Viola / Cesario) Loud and Lewd drunken behaviour Playing Practical jokes on a person you don t like (Toby/Andrew/ Malvolio) Having Enemies (Antonio) Reflection The last exercise was related to the characters and themes of Twelfth Night. What are your initial thoughts so far? What characters are involved in the story? What themes? Exposition. Create a tableau based on a shipwreck. Characters include Viola, Sebastian, Sea-captain and sailors. Create a sound collage of the shipwreck followed by being washed up onto the shore. What sounds would there be? How will they be created? Using the voice of musical instruments? Then combine the tableau with the sound collage. Tableau of being washed up on a beach, followed by the extracts of text from Act I scene 2: Viola: What country, friends, is this? Captain: Viola: This is Illyria, lady. And what should I do in Illyria? My brother he is in Elysium: Perchance he is not drowned; what think you, sailors? Scene Issue March 15

5 Captain: It is perchance that you yourself were saved Viola: O, my poor brother! And so perchance may he be. Have a go at changing the way the text is spoken. Deliver the lines as if you were all spies / at a funeral / at a party / sing the lines as if in an opera. Play around with status / use of space / props and costumes. (Introduce the idea that the language of Shakespeare is flexible and needs a great deal of imagination to help bring it off the page. Encourage outside the box thinking). Look at how the punctuation can enhance comedy. After 10 mins of preparing the brief scene including learning the lines share the work and evaluate the different ways this scene could be played. Jeremy Kyle Special The Love Triangle In groups improvise an episode of The Jeremy Kyle Show. The characters in the episode are: 1. Jeremy Presenter 2. Orsino The Duke (very powerful and influential man) of Illyria 3. Olivia A rich countess 4. Viola (disguised as Cesario works in Orsino s court) Additional characters can include Sir Toby, Olivia s Uncle The problem is: The Duke Orsino a very powerful man would like to marry and for some time now he has attempted to court Olivia a rich and beautiful countess in Illyria Olivia has recently lost her father and brother (reasons unsure you decide) and has decided to have a seven-year mourning period. This has made Orsino love Olivia even more. He spends all his time with a heavy heart for Olivia. Olivia, however, is in love with Cesario (Viola disguised as a man). Viola is brought on (dressed as Cesario) she is in love Orsino. Trisha has to resolve all issues. Exploring the Story: Whoosh The curtain rises on a wild sea upon which a fragile vessel is being tossed to and fro. Tremendous waves pound its sides, as if to smash it like an eggshell; tiny figures fling themselves over the sides and strike out desperately for land. Beyond its wild sea coast, Illyria is a green and pleasant land. In Illyria, the Duke of Illyria, Orsino states he is sick in love with Olivia. Valentine reports to him, however, that she will not see him or any other man for seven years while she mourns the death of her father and brother (both died within the last six months). But the tide of Orsino s love beats in vain against the walls of her house. She will have nothing to do with him. Olivia is in mourning for her dead father and brother and had vowed to admit no thoughts of love for seven long years. But though above stairs the Countess holds a court of sober melancholy, down below, like a stormy stomach below a calm face, riot ferments and bubbles in the person of her uncle, Sir Toby Belch. On the seacoast, Viola and her ship s captain, come ashore after their ship sinks. Viola fears her twin brother Sebastian is drowned, but the captain thinks he saved himself by holding onto the floating mast. Upon learning that she is in Illyria, governed by the powerful Duke Orsino, she convinces the captain to help disguise her as a male so that she may become a servant to Orsino, and it seems, perhaps try to win his love. At Olivia s house, her uncle, Sir Toby Belch, comes home late, drunk as usual, while Olivia s lady-in-waiting Maria lets him in. Soon, Toby s drinking buddy Sir Andrew Aguecheek shows up. Andrew tells Toby he ll head for home the next day, since Olivia won t let him woo her, but Toby convinces him to stay with them another month and promises to try harder to get Olivia to like him (Andrew). Back at the Duke s palace, he asks Viola (pretending to be a male servant named Cesario) to approach Olivia and woo her on his behalf. Viola (as Cesario) promises to do so, but privately reveals she will not try hard, since she desires Orsino. At Olivia s house, Olivia and her servant Feste (aka Clown) trade witticisms when Maria and Toby (drunk as usual) tell her Viola (as Cesario) is at the door. Learning Viola is come from Orsino, Olivia tells her steward Malvolio to send him away. Finally, though, she agrees to see Viola. Viola speaks to Olivia about Orsino and actually tries to tell her how to distance herself from him. While Viola speaks, Olivia actually starts to fall in love with her (as Cesario). When Olivia makes a pass at Viola, she quickly shuns Olivia off. After Viola leaves, Olivia even has Malvolio send her ring after her (as Cesario). When Viola receives the ring from Malvolio, she realizes Olivia s new love for her and wonders how things will work out now that Orsino loves Olivia, Olivia loves Viola (as Cesario), and Viola loves Orsino. At the seacoast, Sebastian tells Antonio (the captain that rescued Sebastian, but not Viola) of his fears that Viola is drowned. Sebastian heads to Orsino s court, and, though Antonio knows he has enemies there, he follows Sebastian out of pity for his plight. At Olivia s house, Toby and Andrew drink into the night, while the clown entertains them. Maria appears and Toby starts flirting with her. Malvolio, though, shows up and tries to spoil the fun. After he leaves, Maria tells Toby, Andrew, and the Clown how she plans to trick Malvolio into thinking Olivia is in love with him by penning love letters to him in Olivia s hand. Separately, Andrew tells Toby he is running out of money while he tries to win Olivia, and if he fails, he ll blame Toby. At the Duke s palace, the clown sings songs of love, while Viola and Orsino discuss the qualities of love. Orsino bids Viola approach Olivia again with his greeting, even though Viola insists Olivia will not be moved. In Olivia s garden, Toby, Andrew, Olivia s servant Fabian, and Maria hide and listen to Malvolio pompously dream of his impending marriage to Olivia, the idea placed in his mind by Maria s deceptive letters. Viola comes back to Olivia s house to talk to her for Orsino, but Olivia declares to Viola that she loves her (as Cesario). Andrew again announces he s leaving, but Toby and Fabian again convince him to stay, convincing him he should duel Viola (as Cesario) to impress Olivia to love him. Separately, Toby admits to Fabian he only keeps Andrew around to use his money for alcohol. Sebastian and Antonio arrive in Illyria and Sebastian decides to tour the town, then meet Antonio at the Elephant Inn. At Olivia s house, Malvolio approaches Olivia and makes advances to her, but she thinks him mad. When Toby, Maria, and Fabian appear, Malvolio treats them like they are base and he is royal, causing them to laugh uproariously behind his back. Andrew appears with his outrageously stupidly worded challenge to Viola (as Cesario) and Toby promises to deliver it. Toby comes to Viola (who had been speaking with Olivia) and tells her (as Cesario) that Andrew, a most fierce and dreaded knight, has a quarrel with her and will duel her. This greatly fears Viola, but Fabian promises to try to calm Andrew. Separately, Toby tells Andrew that Viola is fierce and unstoppable. Toby gets the two to duel, both fearing the other, when Antonio appears and breaks it up, thinking Viola to be Sebastian. Officers of the Duke then appear and arrest Antonio by order of Orsino. Antonio, thinking Viola to be Sebastian, asks for the money back that he lent Sebastian earlier. Viola, not knowing what he means, denies she knows him (though offers him money on loan), angering him and calling her disloyal. The officers lead him away while Viola realizes the confusion and finds new hope that Sebastian is alive. After Viola leaves, Toby and Fabian egg Andrew on further to once again duel Viola (as Cesario). Outside Olivia s house, the clown follows Sebastian around (thinking him Viola) insisting his name is Cesario and that Olivia desires to see him. This annoys Sebastian and he bids the clown to leave. Andrew then appears and strikes Sebastian (thinking him Viola/Cesario), but Sebastian strikes back at Andrew, scaring him. Toby, trying to keep Sebastian from Andrew himself duels Sebastian, until Olivia breaks it up. Sebastian immediately falls in love with her and they depart into her house together. In another part of the house, Malvolio is kept prisoner in a cell in the basement by Toby and Maria. The clown pretends to be a priest and visits him, but will not help him, and, rather, makes fun of him and calls him mad. In Olivia s garden, Sebastian ponders the amazement of the finding of his new love Olivia, then she and he go with a priest to the church to be married. At Olivia s house, the Duke arrives and entreats the clown to let him see Olivia. 16 Issue March Scene

6 While waiting, Antonio shows up with the offi cers and explains how he rescued Sebastian from the sea then helped him (actually Viola) in the duel. Orsino tells Antonio he is a pirate and not to be trusted since he helped steal one of Illyria s greatest battleships in the past. Olivia arrives and immediately starts doting on Viola (as Cesario), eventually calling her husband, shocking Viola and enraging the Duke. The Priest arrives and confi rms the marriage between Olivia and Cesario (actually Sebastian). Andrew then appears and swears Cesario struck Toby alongside the head, wounding him, but Viola denies it. Toby appears, mad at Viola (thinking her Sebastian), but leaves to be bandaged. Finally, Sebastian appears and greets all, while both twins (he and Viola) are amazed and delighted that the other is living. Sebastian promises to keep his marriage to Olivia, and the Duke vows to marry Viola. Malvolio is brought forth from the cell and all learn of the trick played on him. Fabian and the Clown admit they, Toby, and Maria did it all in jest, and in return for Maria s help, Toby married her. However, Malvolio vows to be revenged on them all. The Duke calls his servants to calm Malvolio, and all depart happily. [use extract here of Act II Scene 3] Each group prepares an extract from the scene to show the class. Watch, evaluate and praise Refl ection Discuss the workshop what have they learnt? What did they like / dislike? What are your expectations for tomorrow? Has the workshop helped you gain a better understanding of Twelfth Night? The street where I live. Huddersfi eld is/was the largest town in England not sure if we can still boast that. It accommodates many diverse communities with a vibrant town centre. My favourite place in Huddersfi eld is the Lawrence Batley Theatre. This is a small scale venue with an exciting mix of Theatre, Dance and Music. I like this place because it s where my theatre company is based and several times a year I provide our audience of Huddersfi eld the opportunity for a cracking night out. New! New! New! Category 3 training in Devising Next opportunity for this training will be in Stratford upon Avon in October 2012 > > TaPS PLEASE NOTE OuR CATEgORY 3 WORkSHOPS ARE OPEN TO ALL TEACHERS REgARDLESS OF WHETHER YOu TEACH THE IB COuRSE. IF YOu ARE INTERESTED IN 3 DAYS OF OuTSTANDINg PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN DEVISINg YOu ARE INVITED TO BOOk! WORkSHOP OVERVIEW This workshop represents an in-depth exploration into the process of devising. Throughout the workshop, teachers will develop their understanding of devised theatre as learners and theatre makers and will leave with a tool kit for subsequent practice in the classroom. Devising is a collective form of making theatre and the workshop looks at strategies for establishing, developing and equipping the ensemble to create original pieces of theatre. The participants become an ensemble that embarks on making a piece of theatre. Different stimuli and starting points are used, categorised and examined as starting points for the creation of theatre and the workshop looks at the characteristics of an effective stimulus and the way this can determine and shape the nature of the piece being created. Devising requires a sophisticated understanding of the art form and this workshop provides an in depth look at form, structuring and staging the material explored. Different approaches to devising are examined with reference to contemporary practice and research. ADDED VALuE! The teachers are also offered the experience of seeing two productions in the place where the workshop is being offered. Where this is not possible external productions are brought in by ISTA. DEVISED THEATRE Devised theatre is a contemporary theatre practice that refl ects culture and society. At the heart of devising is play, creativity and experimentation with the form of theatre. It develops a sophisticated understanding of the art form of theatre and considers key questions regarding why theatre is made and the impact that this has on an audience. Devised theatre is continuously addressing new theatrical forms and makes original contributions to the fi eld of theatre. The ensemble is an essential aspect of devised work but it also requires participants to be active, refl ective and to function as artists. It develops each individual as educator, artist and theatre practitioner. This is an opportunity for educators to engage with theatre, its purpose and the role of creativity and play in the programme. Devised work also engages participants with questions regarding how live performance is recorded and documented. This workshop also examines the relationship of the individual to the group and provides strategies for assessing the individual who is working within a collective context. Many educators who are unfamiliar with collective creation fi nd devising complex and would welcome a workshop which is specifi cally focussed on this area and looks at it in depth. The workshop also provides teachers with the opportunity to see two productions and enables teachers to encounter external productions which they may not have access to and develop strategies on how external productions can be used in the classroom and how they can engage students with them. DEVISED THEATRE AND THE IB THEATRE COURSE Devising sits at the heart of the IB Theatre course; it underpins much of the practice. It is prominent in all the components and in three of the four assessment tasks. Devising is one of the options of the Independent Project (Option A) and is the focus of the Practical Performance Proposal where the candidates describe the process of using a stimulus to create a directorial concept. It is also an area that features in the Theatre Performance and Production Presentation as it deals with the role of the ensemble, documentation and self evaluation and refl ection. Devising is a collective process and therefore part of its process is the development of the ensemble which is key to the philosophy of the theatre programme. Because devising is the making and performing of theatre, it develops many of the skills required to succeed in the programme but also engages participants with theatre and the presentation of theatre. Scene Issue March 17