Introduction to Drama in the Classroom

The Guidebook
Use of drama in classrooms T&L Shows enormous potential as a learning tool Improve students interest in using English Not training actors and actresses Explore human conditions, stimulating students to better understand themselves and the world Not prescriptive but ideas to share Teacher decides Photocopiable handouts or task sheets

 Friendly, useful, adaptable Fun learning to suit teaching environment and students Your students gulping and gasping for more!

Suggested Activities
Part 1 Part 2
Part 3

: Warm-ups : Pre-production
: Production

What is Drama?
Performances where actors work together to represent stories by impersonating the actions and speech of imaginary characters Usually performed on stage for the audience

Why Drama?
A social art where no one person can produce a play by himself. A collective effort and product of many relationships: writers, director, actors, a group of people who design and build the stage, props, costumes etc. Gives opportunity to seek knowledge, create a presentation, be someone or something, explore a situation and to work and learn together with friends and strangers. "Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will understand."

Chinese Proverb

Drama or Play?
Generally, the terms are interchangeable. A play: A literary work written for performance on the stage; a drama and the performance of such a work. A drama: A prose or verse composition, especially one telling a serious story, that is intended for representation by actors impersonating the characters and performing the dialogue and action. Source: Baldick, C. (2004) The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, OUP

Elements of Drama
Character Person who appears in the play Basic part of playwright's work Conventions of period and author's personal vision affect treatment of character. Major and minor characters Explanation and development of major characters is essential Useful distinction between; -heroes (or heroines) and villains -good and bad guys -virtue and vice

Plot
Describes the structure of a story Shows arrangement of events and actions Structured with acts and scenes.

middle

climax
rising action beginning falling action end

exposition

resolution

Theme
Plot is the body Theme is the soul Conflict between individuals, man and society, man and some superior force or man and himself. Events from conflict make up the plot Able to state it in general terms and in a single sentence

Dialogue
Provides the substance Each word contributes to its overall effect DECORUM established, i.e. what is said is appropriate to the role and situation of a character Exposition of the play: - often falls on the dialogue - establishes the relationships, tensions or conflicts

Design in Drama Production

Set Design
Students assigned as set designers The visual environment in which a play is performed Suggests time and place and create proper mood or atmosphere Can be devoid of any setting like some contemporary or Japanese drama

Stage Facilities
Determine the use and movement of scenery Classroom furniture as props School hall offer sophisticated equipment Backdrop: a drawing on whiteboard or elaborate painted scenery.

Lighting Design
Illuminates the stage and the performers Creates mood and control focus Direct source: the sun or a lamp Indirect source: employing reflected light or general illumination

Costume Design
On performer's body Clothing and accessories including wigs, masks, and makeup Convey information about character Set the tone or mood Actual or re-created Suggestive or abstract Simple identity tags or pieces of costume (hats, scarves, glasses, etc.) for class production Authentic costumes for serious production

Mask
Prevent use of face for expression and communication Puppet-like: depends solely on voice and gesture Expression unchanging Shifts focus from actor to character Indicate symbolically significant aspects of character Aid shy students

Makeup
Exaggerates and distorts facial features Emphasizes and reinforces facial features Alter signs of age, skin tone, or nose shape None for simple classroom plays

Technical Production
Preproduction and Production stage Supervised by technical director with designers Set arranged on stage (eg. backdrop and other paraphernalia) Props are properties or objects used Sets, props, and costumes made by crew.

Sound and Sound Effects

Recorded during preproduction Most common sound effect; the wind, rain, thunder, and animal noises Any sound cannot be created by performer considered as sound effect For realistic effect (e.g., train or city sound) Create mood or rhythm Accompanied by music produced by live musicians or recorded music

Props
Objects handled by actors, placed or carried on the set (not costumes or scenery) From papier-mch or plastic for lightness Exaggerated in size, irregularly shaped Capable of being rolled, collapsed, or folded Person in charge : props master or mistress

INTRODUCTION TO GULP AND GASP

Name

The Writer

: John Townsend

Occupation: Past teacher (25 years) Present full time writer

Works Other titles : Fiction, non-fiction and plays for young people. : Incredible Creature Series, Raintree Series, True Crime Series, and Painful Histories Series. : Reading

Interest

Synopsis
Lord Septic is determined to find the long lost Gatsby

Gold own by Lady Gatsby who was brutally murdered.

He buys a railway line where he believes the Gatsby Gold is hidden. He will do anything to get his hand on

the gold and he will kill those who get in his way.
Meanwhile, Rose, a blind girl, turns up at the station to sell flowers to support her ailing mother.

Acting on the instruction of Lord Septic, Crouch tries to get her to leave the station. He throws her flowers onto the railway track. Percy, the dashing young orphan, comes to her rescue only to be knocked unconscious by Lord Septic. Both he and Crouch tie Rose to a

railway track in an attempt to get rid of her. She finds out about Percys true identity and the secret of the Gatsby Gold.

The approaching train can mark the end of Rose and resolved Lord Septics problem. Is the fate of these people fall in the hands of Percy? Will Percy able to save Rose and finds the truth about his identity? Or will this be the end of him?

Plot
Rose is tied to the track with train approaching. Percy saves Rose.

Conflict between Crouch and Rose, between Crouch and Percy and between Lord Septic and Rose lead to Percys conflict with Lord Septic

Lord Septic and Crouch are tied up. Percy finds out that he is Lady Gatsbys son. He searches for the Gatsby Gold.

Lord Septic is a rich man who wants power and is looking for the Gatsby Gold. Rose is blind and poor. Percy is a poor orphan.

Percy finds the Gatsby Gold. He proposes to Rose. Lord Septic and Crouch are caught by the police.

Setting
Place
Empty railway station Rural England

Time

Foggy and cold night Early twentieth century (the industrial revolution period)

Setting
People
Aristocrats rich and influential. Working Class poor. Mostly servants or workers in the factories.

Culture

The rich leads a luxurious life - deemed to be more cultured than the poor. The poor looked down by the rich.

Characters

Nasty boss of the railways Mayor to be Cruel and evil villain

Lord Septic
Is married to Clora Septic Greedy

Lord Septics loyal servant

Described as dim-wit

Subservient to Lord Septics orders

Crouch
Slimy
Bully

A poor flower seller

Enterprising

Blind

Rose
A filial daughter Young and pretty

Orphan

Brave and intelligent

The real heir to Gatsby Gold

Percy
Handsome
Gentleman

Themes
Greed and Materialism Unconditional Love
Justice Prevails
Lord Septic wants to be the richest man in the world. Lord Septic and his father killed Lady Gatsby for the Gatsby Gold. Percy loves poor and blind Rose the same even when he finds out that he is Lord Percy. Rose sells flowers in order to support her ailing mother.

Lord Septic and Crouch are finally brought to justice. The Gatsby Gold is returned to the rightful owner; Percy.

Values
Kindness
Lord Septic and Crouch are unkind to Rose. They try to chase her out of the railway station. Percy is kind to Rose. He helps her to pick up the flowers thrown away by Crouch.

Responsibility

Lord Septic is an irresponsible employer. He did not pay the salary of his workers at the match factory. Rose is a responsible daughter. Despite her visual disability, she sells flowers to help her mother.

Respect

Lord Septic looks down on Crouch. For example, he calls Crouch with negative words like fool, half-wit, dim-wit, dim, daft, dopey, dozey and dippy.