Poe Tour 2023 Lesson Plan

Mister E of Imagination Tales of Edgar Allan Poe
2023 Tour Lesson Plan

Octavia Biggs-Director of The Little Company
Objectives:
To introduce directing techniques, stylized theatre, and choral drama to participants.
To expose students to critical thinking, collaboration, creative thinking, and communication
techniques required in the world of theatre.
To develop a performance piece based on the specific techniques learned.
To establish an introduction to Augusto Boal, Tadashi Suzuki and Anne Bogart
Vocabulary:
Anne Bogart- Anne Bogart is the artistic director of SITI Company, an ensemble-based
theater that she cofounded in 1992. With SITI, Bogart has created new work, trained many young
theatrical artists, and nurtured international and interdisciplinary collaborations. Anne Bogart has
a particular way of directing theatre but her most famous theory is the six viewpoints. The idea is
it is related to Stanislavski's system. It involves ideas about space, shape, time, emotion,
movement, and story (the different elements of performance). The 9 Viewpoints (architecture,
topography, spatial relationships, gesture, shape, tempo, duration, repetition and
kinesthetic response) will facilitate moving through space freely and openly.
Creative Thinking-means looking at something in a new way. It is the very definition of
“thinking outside the box”. The ability to devise ways to carry out tasks, solve problems, and
meet challenges bringing fresh and sometimes unorthodox, perspective to their work.
Authenticity- the quality of being authentic; genuine and truthful.
Vulnerability-capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt; open to criticism, temptation;
assault. Requires an openness.
Bravery- brave spirit or conduct; courage, valor; fearlessness.
Brave Spaces- A place for young people to express themselves free of judgment.
Exploration- the act or instance of exploring or investigating; examination of unknown regions.
Creativeness- having the quality or power of creating. Resulting from originality of thought,
expression, imaginative.
Connecting- to join, link, or fasten together; unite or bind; to establish a connection between
another.
Critical Thinking –The objective analysis and evolution of an issue to form a judgment. It is the
intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing,
synthesizing, and or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation,
experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.
Collaboration- the action of working together with someone to produce or create something.
Communication- The imparting or exchanging of information or news.
Levels- different heights as someone or something onstage.
Symbolism- the art or practice of using symbols especially by investing things with a symbolic
meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous
representations.
Augusto Boal-(1931-2009) A Brazilian playwright. Attended Columbia in the US and quickly
returned to Brazil and used theatre to challenge his oppressive government. He soon realized
Vocabulary Continued…….
theatre is another way of keeping the oppressed silent. Theatre should encourage audience to fight
for change. The heart of his concept: provide a space for audiences to examine and challenge
their own realities.
Theatre of the Oppressed- Audience members are encouraged to participate in action. The idea
being there is no separation of class. It is argued that education is a means to keep the oppressed
in the “place”. Boal saw similarities in theatre and wanted to shift focus.
Rising Action- Events building to the climax; the process the story follows as it builds to its main
conflict.
Tempo-The speed at which the composition is to be played.
Actors Toolbox- Students engage in a daily routine called The Actors Toolbox. The routine
enforces the tools of Body Voice and Imagination and skills required for students to be successful
in the learning process.
Irrationalism- a system of belief or action that disregards or contradicts rational principles.
Pantomime-a dramatic entertainment, originating in Roman mime, in which performers express
meaning through gestures accompanied by music and a way to express or represent (something)
by extravagant mime.
Character- The “agents” of the plot.
Choreograph- Compose the sequence of steps and moves for a performance of dance.
Climax- The most intense moment in the story.
Tadashi Suzuki- Born June 1939. Suzuki is an 83-year-old Japanese theatre director. He
believed in building awareness of your body onstage focusing on the feet. He feels as though the
human body expresses itself as animalistic energy. He encourages and demands discipline,
strength, and focus in his technique. He believes that by possessing these qualities you are
communicating power. He teaches through stillness we find power. He educates his students with
a footwork “vocabulary” with breath control; at the root of everything.
Suzuki Technique- a rigorous physical discipline drawn from such diverse influences as ballet,
traditional Japanese and Greek theatre, and martial arts. The training seeks to heighten the actors
emotional and physical power and commitment to each moment on the stage.
Compare/Contrast- When you tell how things are alike and when you tell how things are
different.
Composition- the way in which something is put together or arranged: the combination of parts
or elements that make up something.
Conflict- Struggle between opposing forces; the problems presented in the story.
Crisis- A significant turning point in the story that determines how it must end.
Irony- A pretense of ignorance and of willingness to learn from another assumed to make the
other’s false conceptions; the use of words to express something other than and especially the
opposite of the literal meaning; an ironic expression or utterance.
Ensemble- a group of people or things that make up a complete unit such as a musical group, a
group of actors or dancers.
Vocabulary Continued…….
Exposition- Background information regarding the setting, characters, and plot; the beginning of
the story that sets up the events.
Falling Action- Events following the climax, heading to the resolution.
Juxtaposition- The act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side often to compare
or contrast or to create an interesting effect; contrasting shapes placed in juxtaposition to each
other.
Movement- the act of moving your body or a part of your body.
Plot- The arrangement of ideas and or incidents that make up a story, the events of the play.
Prop- items “handled” in the production by the actors.
Resolution- Where the conflicts of the story are solved.
Rising Action- Events building to the climax; the process the story follows as it builds to its main
conflict.
Tempo-The speed at which the composition is to be played.
Discussion Topics
Anne Bogart- is the artistic director of SITI Company, an ensemble-based theater that she cofounded
in 1992. With SITI, Bogart has created new work, trained many young theatrical artists, and nurtured
international and interdisciplinary collaborations. Anne Bogart has a particular way of directing theatre
but her most famous theory is the six viewpoints. The idea is it is related to Stanislavski's system. It
involves ideas about space, shape, time, emotion, movement, and story (the different elements of
performance).
The 9 Viewpoints
1. architecture
2. topography
3. spatial relationships
4. gesture
5. shape
6. tempo
7. duration
8. repetition
9. kinesthetic response
Tadashi Suzuki- Born June 1939. Suzuki is an 83-year-old Japanese theatre director. He believed in
building awareness of your body onstage focusing on the feet. He feels as though the human body
expresses itself as animalistic energy. He encourages and demands discipline, strength, and focus in his
technique. He believes that by possessing these qualities you are communicating power. He teaches
through stillness we find power. He educates his students with a footwork “vocabulary” with breath
control; at the root of everything.
Discussion Topics continued….
Standing Statues- establish yourself firmly in the Suzuki crouch, low centre of gravity, feet apart.
Respond to a given cue by rising with speed onto the toes, at the same time creating a statue. On second
cue return to the neutral crouch. Repeat the sequence several times, each statue being a unique, creative,
visual image. There are three levels to the statues: low, medium, and high. Alternate between these (low,
medium, high, medium, low, medium, etc.) each time you go into a statue. When this exercise is secure
add voice. Use text from your competition piece. Begin in the silent crouch position. On cue, after you
rise to first statue position, begin vocalizing the passage. Each time you return to the crouch fall silent.
Continue the dialogue after forming your second statue and so on. Vary lengths of silence and speech.
Sitting Statues- start in a relaxed, seated, tucked ball and, on a beat given by the instructor, in
one motion stretch your feet out in front of you, just off the ground in a statue pose that involves both
your legs and arms. You must pull the spine and head up to make the back straight and keep the center
revealed. When the instructor shouts, “Text,” immediately begin speaking your competition piece text in
the fast, energized, monotonous form encouraged by Suzuki. This requires a strong center of gravity and
strength.
Augusto Boal- (1931-2009) A Brazilian playwright. Attended Columbia in the US and quickly returned
to Brazil and used theatre to challenge his oppressive government. He soon realized theatre is another
way of keeping the oppressed silent. Theatre should encourage audience to fight for change. The heart of
his concept: provide a space for audiences to examine and challenge their own realities.
Theatre of the Oppressed
1. Forum Theatre-uses theatre to achieve social aims. It is a form of theatre that encourages
audience interaction and explores different options for dealing with a problem or issue. Forum
Theatre is often used by socially excluded and disempowered groups.
2. Image Theatre- a social change tool developed by Augusto Boal, is one of the more widely used
forms of Theatre of the Oppressed, in which activists, students, or any group are invited to
form statues that represent a moment in time of an oppressive situation.
3. Invisible Theatre-involves actors performing a written and rehearsed problematic situation
in a public place to provoke responses from passersby, who are unaware that they are
taking part in theatre.
4. Legislative Theatre-is an attempt to use Boal's method of 'Forum Theatre' within a political
system to create a truer form of democracy. It is an extraordinary experiment in the potential
of theatre to affect social change.
5. Newspaper Theatre-The source of the theatre are newspaper articles and headlines, but also books
or speeches. It prompts reflection on socially relevant issues by acting them out.
6. Rainbow of Desire-techniques usually involve reproducing one's own thoughts and emotions,
rather than those of a character. Whereas in one's own life, one tries to 'concretize' or make
actual one's desires, in theatre one can make them observable.
Materials:
 Hand Outs #1, 2, and 3
 Alan Parsons Project, A Dream Within A Dream from the album; Tales of Mystery and
Imagination Edgar Allan Poe (marker 1:37)
 Multiple frames
 Multiple stick Ravens
Technical Materials:
 Sound equipment
Drama Activities
 Warm-ups-discuss the importance of why actor’s warm-up. Each workshop, a different actor
will lead the individual warm-ups. It is vital that you teach the 3 acting methods during the warm-
ups, using the terminology of The Actors Toolbox.
 Body- For an actor, warming up the body will help them to relax. It will also help rid them of
anxieties and will make an actor more limber in preparation of the physical demands of a
performance.
 Sitting Statues-
Start in a relaxed, seated, tucked ball and, on a beat given by the instructor, in one motion stretch
your feet out in front of you, just off the ground in a statue pose that involves both your legs and
arms. You must pull the spine and head up to make the back straight and keep the center revealed.
When the instructor shouts, “Text,” immediately begin speaking a given piece text in the fast,
energized, monotonous form encouraged by Suzuki. This requires a strong center of gravity and
strength.
 Standing Statues-
Establish yourself firmly in the Suzuki crouch, low center of gravity, feet apart. Respond to a
given cue by rising with speed onto the toes, at the same time creating a statue. On second cue
return to the neutral crouch. Repeat the sequence several times, each statue being a unique,
creative, visual image. There are three levels to the statues: low, medium, and high. Alternate
between these (low, medium, high, medium, low, medium, etc.) each time you go into a statue.
When this exercise is secure add voice. Use the given text. Begin in the silent crouch position. On
cue, after you rise to first statue position, begin vocalizing the passage. Each time you return to
the crouch fall silent. Continue the dialogue after forming your second statue and so on. Vary
lengths of silence and speech.
Drama Activities continued….
 Energy, Energy
This is a repeat after me song, and a do as I do song:
Energy, energy in my _________ (x2) (it could be anything arms, legs, eyeballs, jump, whisper).
 Voice- Just like an athlete, actors need to warmup their voices and facial muscles before working
onstage.
1. Clap hands together and rub to create friction and warmth of hands.
2. Massage your face to loosen up your maw and facial muscles
3. Focus specifically on the jaw, as that is a tense muscle.
4. Do tongue circles and lip stretches.
 Variety of Songs
1. Turkey Song
2. Moose Song
3. Banana Song
 Imagination- drama imagination games are important to use in the classroom as they teach
students to have fun, build confidence, stretch their imagination, and grow as an ensemble.
 Silent Scream
o Re-create an intense emotional scream with face and body.
 I Can’t Take it Anymore!

o Have students make two lines facing each other. Covid close, they will begin saying
quietly and one at a time, “I can’t take it anymore!” they then take one step backwards
and repeat the expression. With each step away from their partner the expression should
get bigger and bolder with a louder voice and body gestures. The idea of this activity is it
will create a sense of what and how to play an action verb onstage 100%.
 Late for Work

1. Ask six players to take the stage. Choose four of the players to be “office workers”, one player to
be the “boss”, and one player to be the “late worker”.
2. The “officer workers” should sit facing the audience, miming typing on a computer.
3. The “boss” and “late worker” leave the room while the “officer workers” come up with a reason
why the “late worker” is late. (i.e., Her hair got caught in the dishwasher! Her car got crushed by
a dinosaur!, etc.).
4. Once the “office workers” have decided, they go back to typing at their computers. The “boss”
enters and stands with his back to the office workers so he can’t see them. Then the “late worker”
enters and faces the boss. The “late worker” can see the “officer workers”, but the “boss” can’t.
5. The “boss” asks the “late worker” So, why are you late?!
6. The “officer workers” mime out the reason for lateness behind the “boss’” back and the “late
worker” must guess what it is.
7. At any time, the “boss” can turn around to face the “office workers” – if he catches one of them
not typing, that “officer worker” is fired and must leave the office.
8. The game ends when the “late worker” guesses the correct reason for lateness, or the “boss” fires
all the “office workers”.
 Whatcha’ Doin’?
o This is really a Dissociation game, but fun to play. Everyone at one end of
the room, form a long line. The first player of the line steps into the room and
starts miming an activity. As soon as the activity is clear, player 2 approaches
player 1 and asks `What are you doing`.
o The first player answers something that has nothing to do with what he`s doing.
(E.g., if player 1 is cutting someone`s hair, when asked what he`s doing he
might say "I`m reading the newspaper").
o First player moves away, and the second player starts miming the activity stated
by the previous player. A third player comes up to player 2, asks what he is
doing, and so on.
o Play until everyone has mimed something and has answered the question.
Variations
o You can also play this at super high speed, with 2 players. We mean
super-super high speed. As soon as one of the players says ummm,
hesitates, or uses an offer that was used before in that session, that
player is replaced. Great for warm-up and energy!
 Fruit Salad
o Students are in a Drama circle. The teacher explains the game and labels everyone around
the circle a type of fruit (apple, peach, banana, orange, etc). Then one of the students is in
the centre of the circle as the caller. The student in the middle calls the
name of a fruit, and everyone in the circle with that name must swap places. At the same
time the person in the middle must try to find an open spot. The person left standing is
the new caller. Calling out "fruit bowl" means everyone must change places.
Theatre Activity
1. Divide group into 4 smaller groups. In small groups quickly remind group of the terms: Be Kind,
Be Safe, Be Creative!
2. Each small group will read the excerpted portion of the Poe poem “The Raven”. After reading it
through a few times, share the “Choral Drama” Hand Out #2. Encourage students to choose 1-2
lines that will be used in the performance. Decide/Discuss how students will “chant” the
expressions chosen, keep in mind you can break the expressions up, if decided). Creating a safe
space for them to work is vital. Through trust they will step outside of their comfort zones. Begin
to add the pieces together (teacher will be the narrator unless you have a student that is truly
interested in taking the lead with the poem reading).
3. Before getting up on your feet and moving bodies, share the Raven Fun Facts and Descriptive
words for Ravens. Discussing what this means to choices we make when deciding on movement
will be exciting. They will also take this time to use the frames and the Bird puppets to begin
thinking how they can be manipulated to create interesting pictures based on the verbiage of
the excerpted poem.
4. Putting designated movements into the piece will add the final layer of the performance. Using
Hand Out #1, The Actors Choice, students will explore each of these aspects. Scaffolding
together the concept of the reading of the Poem, the addition of the expressive chants, the
frame and puppet movement and then finally the use of 2-3 “Actors Choices” movements, will
result in what your sharing will be for the audience.
Sharing: Students will share their group’s performance piece with the entire workshop. Allow for 2-3
positive peer feedback with teachers offering challenges (1 each).
Workshop Bibliography
https://theviewpointsproject.wordpress.com/a-brief-history-of-viewpoints/
https://siti.org/member/anne-bogart/
https://www.scot-suzukicompany.com/en/profile.php
http://www.theatreolympics2016.pl/en/guests/tadashi-suzuki
https://ceasefiremagazine.co.uk/augusto-boal-games-techniques/
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=cie_capstones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8BKQ5MTFQY
Raven Template
Kentucky Academic Standards
Visual and Performing Arts
Theatre High School
Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

Process Component: Envision/Conceptualize
Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Process Component: Develop
Anchor Standard 3: Refine and complete artistic work.
Process Component: Rehearse
Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
Process Component: Select
Anchor Standard 5: Develop and refine artistic technique and work for presentation.
Process Component: Prepare
Anchor Standard 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
Process Component: Share, Present
Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work.
Process Component: Reflect
Anchor Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
Process Component: Interpret
Anchor Standard 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
Process Component: Evaluate
Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
Process Component: Empathize

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Mister E of Imagination Tales of Edgar Allan Poe

2023 Tour Lesson Plan

Discussion Topics continued….

Drama Activities continued….

 I Can’t Take it Anymore!

 Late for Work

Drama Activities continued….

Drama Activities continued….

Kentucky Academic Standards

Visual and Performing Arts

Theatre High School

Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

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