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SPECIAL
PROGRAM IN
THE ARTS

Theater Arts 8
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
Analysis and production of
established, original and
realistic plays on environment
and heritage
SPA Theater Arts – Grade 8
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 1 – Module 1: Analysis and production of Realistic plays on Environment and
Heritage
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education

Secretary: Leonor Magtolis Briones
Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio

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Theater Arts
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the SPA THEATER ARTS Grade 8 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM)
Module on Analysis and production of Realistic plays on Environment and Heritage.
This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by educators
both from public and private institutions to assist you, the teacher or facilitator in
helping the learners meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while
overcoming their personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help
learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration
their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of
the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies
that will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module.
You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist
the learners as they do the tasks included in the module.

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For the learner:

Welcome to the Analysis and production of Realistic plays on Environment and

Heritage.

Realism is a developed set of dramatic and theatrical conventions with the aim of
bringing a greater fidelity of real life to texts and performances. Its a movement to
replace the artificial romantic style with accurate depictions of ordinary people in
plausible situations.

A focus on ‘real life’

The theater of Realism investigated and spoke about real people in everyday
situations, dealing with common problems. It was, and is, a theater that takes an
unflinching look at the way things really are in the world. Writers of Realist Theater
in their works desire to present life as it really happens to people. Their intention is
to illuminate humankind’s struggles and concerns in a straightforward way.

An emphasis on behavior and tough decisions

The theater of Realism focuses on human behavior – what people do and why in the
context of their particular situations. The theater of Realism is a mirror held up
and reflected back to the audience to show them that what is taking place on stage
is a representation of what they (the audience) experience in their respective lives.

This type of theater – grounded in the stark reality of everyday-ness – shows the
true constitution of individuals when confronted with challenges and difficulties in
life.

Believable dialogue

The theater of Realism dispenses with asides and soliloquies, and such. It presents
everyday conversation in a precise and direct way. It features plainness of speech
revealing of character.

What I Need to Know This will give you an idea of the skills or
competencies you are expected to learn in
the module.

What I Know This part includes an activity that aims to

check what you already know about the
lesson to take. If you get all the answers
correct (100%), you may decide to skip this
module.

What’s In This is a brief drill or review to help you link

the current lesson with the previous one.

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 What is It This section provides a brief discussion of
the lesson. This aims to help you discover
and understand new concepts and skills.

What’s More This comprises activities for independent

practice to solidify your understanding and
skills of the topic. You may check the
answers to the exercises using the Answer
Key at the end of the module.

What I Have Learned This includes questions or blank

sentence/paragraph to be filled in to
process what you learned from the lesson.

What I Can Do This section provides an activity which will

help you transfer your new knowledge or
skill into real life situations or concerns.

Assessment This is a task which aims to evaluate your

level of mastery in achieving the learning
competency.

Additional Activities In this portion, another activity will be given

to you to enrich your knowledge or skill of
the lesson learned. This also tends retention
of learned concepts.

Answer Key This contains answers to all activities in the

module.

At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in

developing this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of
the module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your
answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.

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 6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are
not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning
and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

What I Need to Know

Realism
▪ characters are believable, everyday types
▪ costumes are authentic
▪ stage settings (locations) and props are often indoors and believable
▪ the ‘box set’ is normally used for realistic dramas on stage, consisting of
three walls and an invisible ‘fourth wall’ facing the audience
▪ settings for realistic plays are often bland (deliberately ordinary), dialogue is
not heightened for effect, but that of everyday speech (vernacular)
▪ the drama is typically psychologically driven, where the plot is secondary
and primary focus is placed on the interior lives of characters, their motives,
the reactions of others etc.
▪ realistic plays often see the protagonist (main character) rise up against the
odds to assert him/herself against an injustice of some kind (eg. Nora in
Ibsen’s A Doll’s House)
▪ realistic dramas quickly gained popularity because the everyday person in
the audience could identify with the situations and characters on stage
▪ Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler) is
considered the father of modern realism in the theatre

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 What I Know

Guess What? Choose only the letter from the options below. Write your answer on
a 1/2 crosswise sheet of paper.

1. Realism in theatre means what?

A. Explore psychology C. Portray life as it is
B. Symbolically join disillusioned generations D. Provide accounts of soldier
in the civil war

2. What did Realism emphasized?

A. Social issues, the ordinary, nature C. Accuracy, the ordinary,
irony
B. Accuracy, the ordinary, irony D. Symbolism, life as it is,
pragmatism

3. What did Naturalist writers NOT believe?

A. We are subject to the laws of the universe C. using irony and

foreshadow
B. Being instinctive and crude D. nature is a source of
comfort and inspiration

4. Which is NOT an extension of Realism?

A. Writing as an art of the common people C. Writing as an art of God

and Nature
B. Regionalism D. Naturalism

5. What does Regionalism refer to:

A. Stories about a particular religious belief C. the exploration of the

human mind
B. Subject to forces beyond our control D. Stories about a particular
geographical area

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 What’s In

Realism in the theater was a general movement that began in

the 19th-century theater, around the 1870s, and remained present
through much of the 20th century. It developed a set of dramatic and
theatrical conventions with the aim of bringing a greater fidelity of
real life to texts and performances. These conventions occur in the
text, (set, costume, sound, and lighting) design, performance style,
and narrative structure.

19th-century realism is closely connected to the development of

modern drama, which, as Martin Harrison explains, "is usually said
to have begun in the early 1870s" with the "middle-period" work of
the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. Ibsen's realistic drama in prose has been
"enormously influential. Henrik Ibsen

Henrik Johan Ibsen (/ˈɪbsən/;[1] Norwegian: [ˈhɛ̀nrɪk ˈɪp̀ sn̩]; 20 March 1828 – 23
May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders
of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and
one of the most influential playwrights of his time.[2] His major works
include Brand, Peer Gynt, An Enemy of the People, Emperor and Galilean, A Doll's
House, Hedda Gabler, Ghosts, The Wild Duck, When We Dead
Awaken, Rosmersholm, and The Master Builder. He is the most frequently
performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare,[3][4] and A Doll's House was the
world's most performed play in 2006.[5]
Realism continues through the plays of Anton Chekhov, George Bernard Shaw,
Eugene O'Neill, and Tennessee Williams to the present day.

The overriding concept in realism is verisimilitude, which is the truthful and

believable representation of reality within a theatrical frame of reference.

Stage settings (often indoors) are realistic, generally consisting of three walls of a
room and an imaginary "fourth wall" through which the audiences watches the
action of the play. Props are real, and costumes are accurate to the character, time,
and place of the drama.

The dialogue of the characters is natural, everyday speech. It is not heightened or

exaggerated for dramatic or "actorly" effect.

The dramatic conflict of a play arises from within the characters and the
environment in which the events of the play occur, rather than from some outside
source or influence imposed on the characters. The conflict is usually
psychologically-driven rather than event-driven, and the plot is often secondary to
the internal lives of the characters.

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Realistic plays afford the playwright an opportunity to address social issues.
The protagonist of the play often asserts themselves against an injustice that
affects them personally and/or a segment of society that the protagonist
represents. Nora, in Ibsen's A Doll's House, rebels against the infantilizing
treatment she receives from her husband as his doll-child in the doll house he
maintains for her and confines her, and she rebels against the way the patriarchal
society she lives in treats women generally.

The process of playwriting, whether the dramatist is writing a realistic play or not,
requires a certain selection process. The events of A Doll's House, for example, are
presented on stage in a little more than two hours, not counting intermission.
However, the actual events of the play occur over a period of about 48 hours. They
take place from the afternoon of Christmas Eve when Nora Helmer returns from her
Christmas shopping until the evening of December 26 when Nora closes the front
door behind her. In that moment, she abandons her husband, children, and
overwhelmingly repressive way of life.

This winnowing makes the play no less realistic. It heightens the realism by
condensing the time in which the events of the play occur. The compressed time
also intensifies the conflict and resolution of the characters with each other and
within themselves.

Please visit the following links below for deeper understanding on Realism
videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptJsY5Mhrl8&t=20s realism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHMQEsiaMZI&t=120s

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 What is It

http://www.pcmc.gov.ph/images/transeal/small-2015.pdf

“Of all the arts, drama involves the participant the most fully: intellectually,
emotionally, physically, verbally, and socially. As players, children assume
the roles of others, and they learn about becoming more sensitive to the
problems and values of persons different from themselves. At the same time,
they are learning to work cooperatively, for drama is a communal art; each
person is necessary to the whole.” Source: Wikipedia

"The show must go on." The very nature of our current situation have been affected
by the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic have forced the government
to lock down our community, suspend classes and all public gatherings. From a
public health perspective, the move was necessary. It means that almost all live
performance has ceased globally. For someone who believes strongly in the power
of live performance to create community, this is a painful reality. With theater
closed, some artists have turned to digital or virtual platforms to continue to
engage with audiences. There have been a number of live staged plays and
musicals through platforms like Zoom, YouTube and Facebook videos.

For students to apply the techniques of Realism in creative outputs that respond to
local issues on the environment this is how you do it.

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 DRAMA GAMES

“Words starting with….”

Day 1

When you are alone in your room and you have some free time, use this exercise as
a way to develop your skills in concentrating on details.

Choose the letters of your name “A, B, C, D, E ….” and by looking around try to
find objects in your room that start with that particular letter.

You will only have 10 minutes to do that and coming up with 50 objects is a very
good result, but whenever you find 100, then you are a real master of this game.

Write your answers one 1 whole sheet of paper.

The Man on the Street

Day2

This exercise is aimed to develop your imagination. Developing imagination is one

of the most important components of actor’s success. In order for the audience to
believe your acting, it’s you who has to believe first that the life of your character is
real. And to do that, you need to be able to build a small world of your character’s
life in your mind.

Even just for one scene, you have to come up with answers of why you are doing,
what you are doing, why is it that way, etc. That’s exactly what your imagination is
for. You should work on developing your imagination as often as possible. It is
useful for mastering acting skills, but also it is so much fun to live having a good
imagination!

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Description of the exercise: On your own house, you just need to go outside your
door, wear your masks and look at passers-by, people in the street, on a bus stop,
nearby store, etc. and start to make assumptions about them: guess their
profession, their hobbies, marital status and anything else.

Don’t try to guess, just fantasize! Take a picture and write a caption. Five pictures
will be best. Submit the pictures via SPA Theater Facebook Page.

Write your Story

Day3

Students Reflections – A Day in My Life: Living Under the COVID-19 Pandemic

Share your stories as you experience and live through these uncertain times.
DIRECTIONS:

In ~200 words (3-4 paragraphs), describe what your typical day has been like since
the outbreak of COVID-19. Here are some questions to consider:

• What is happening with the coronavirus crisis in your community?

• How have these changes impacted your daily routines?
• What have been the challenges from this situation (desolations)?
• What have been the gifts and graces from this situation (consolations)?
• How has that made you feel about the world we live in and the future that
lies ahead?
• What should our society learn from this crisis that has affected us globally?
• What are your concerns and hopes?

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 What’s More

Activity 1. One…Two…Three Action

Create a 3-5 minute video advocacy on how you can help stop spread
the corona virus pandemic. Submit the video via SPA Theater
Facebook Page.

What I Have Learned

1. Realism is the truthful and believable representation of reality within a

theatrical frame of reference.

2. Founder of Realism is Henrick Ibsen.

3. Realism continues through the plays of Anton Chekhov, George Bernard

Shaw, Eugene O'Neill, and Tennessee Williams to the present day.

4. Stage settings (often indoors) are realistic, generally consisting of three

walls of a room and an imaginary "fourth wall" through which the audiences
watches the action of the play. Props are real, and costumes are accurate to
the character, time, and place of the drama.

5. The dialogue of the characters is natural, everyday speech. It is not

heightened or exaggerated for dramatic or "actorly" effect.

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 Assessment
Answer in whole sheet of paper by following this format.

REALISM

Answer Key

5.
D
4.
B
3.
D
2.
C
1. B

What I Know

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References

Pictures:
1. gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/norwegian-playwright-henrik-ibsen-news-
photo/3248651?adppopup=true
2 .http://www.pcmc.gov.ph/images/transeal/small-2015.pdf

Google
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptJsY5Mhrl8&t=20s
2.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHMQEsiaMZI&t=120s
3.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realism_(theatre)#:~:text=Realism%20in%20the%
20theatre%20was,life%20to%20texts%20and%20performances.
4. https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/coronavirus-
resource-center

For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education - Bureau of Learning Resources (DepEd-BLR)

Ground Floor, Bonifacio Bldg., DepEd Complex

Meralco Avenue, Pasig City, Philippines 1600

Telefax: (632) 8634-1072; 8634-1054; 8631-4985

Email Address: blr.lrqad@deped.gov.ph * blr.lrpd@deped.gov.ph

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