Culture teacher’s notes B1+ Unit

Art on stage
LEARNING ■ I can learn about performing arts in other cultures and make connections with my own culture.
OUTCOMES ■ I can talk about and discuss performing arts in my own culture and understand my own cultural identity.
■ I can make comparisons between cultures and use my own beliefs and values to improve my cultural
knowledge, leading to successful cultural communication.

A VOCABULARY FOCUS Answers

acclaimed [adj]: admired
continental [adj]: from mainland Europe
cymbals [n]: musical instrument with two thin circular
pieces of metal that are played by hitting them
together
elaborate [adj]: with lots of extra detail or features that
make it special
gesture [n]: a movement that communicates a feeling
or instruction, usually using the hands, face or body
handcrafted [adj]: made by hand
light-hearted [adj]: happy and not serious
narrate [v]: to tell a story by speaking it or writing it
percussion [n]: musical instruments played by hitting or
shaking them, e.g. drums, cymbals
puppeteer [n]: a person who performs shows using
puppets
rapid [adj]: fast
shadow [n]: a dark shape made when light is blocked
suspense [n]: excitement or worry felt when you are
waiting to find out what has happened or will happen
tale [n]: a story
tragedy [n]: a play/performance with a sad ending
UNESCO [abbr]: United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organisation
WARMER
Write ‘Art on stage’ on the board and elicit from
students what they think it means. Write their ideas
on the board for them to check later on in the lesson.
1 In pairs, students discuss the statistics about theatre in
London and answer the questions.
2a Ask students to read the theatre programme and find
the answers in the text.
Answers
In 2003, Wayang Puppet Theatre was added to
UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a masterpiece of
Indonesian cultural identity, and the musical Wicked first
opened on Broadway in New York City.
1 F (There are actors in Kathakali, it’s Wayang that has no
actors, but is also based on ancient storytelling.)  2 T
3 T  4 F (It evolved from population changes long ago
when migrants from continental Europe brought their
styles of dance with them; this grew into the Irish style
of dance known today.)  5 F (It’s adapted from a
book.)  6 T  7 T  8 F (An orchestra plays the music
in Wayang Puppet Theatre.)
2c Students read the sentences and tick the correct
performances. Check answers as a class.
Answers
1 Kathakali, Musical  2 Irish dance, Kathakali
3 Wayang, Kathakali, Musical  4 Irish dance, Wayang
5 Wayang, Kathakali  6 Irish dance, Musical
Gateway to culture
3a Put students into pairs to discuss the questions. Then
elicit their ideas as a class.
PROJECT
3b Explain to students that they are going to work in
small groups to prepare a theatre programme to
include three different styles of theatre performances
from around the world. Try to ensure a good mix of
style of theatre across the class. At least one of the
performances should be a theatre style from their own
country. In Step 1, students research information for
each of the bullet points listed. In Step 2, students
decide how best they would like to design their theatre
programme to present the three performances. They
then write the texts to promote the performances and
include photos if possible.
3c Allow some time for class preparation and then
display the theatre programmes around the
classroom. Students read about the other theatre
performances and discuss them. Find out which ones
they prefer and why. Is there a particular style of
theatre associated with certain parts of the world?

2b Students read the theatre programme again and decide

if the sentences are true or false. When students have
finished, elicit answers as a class.

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