Drama Lessons

What Is Physical Theatre?

Physical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that tells a story primarily through stylized physical movement instead of dialogue or music. Physical theatre draws from various influences in different performing arts disciplines, such as mime, commedia dell’arte, and contemporary dance. All types of physical theatre emphasize storytelling through the human body. There are different viewpoints about what qualifies as physical theatre and how it differs from other forms of theater or performance, such as dance or puppetry, mime or mask.

Examples:

The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night: (Trailer) LINK

The Time of Your Life: Gecko (30 minutes) LINK

Tableau Review

Criteria for a Good Tableau

1. Frozen – must be able to hold position 5 seconds. Eyes still, find a fixed point. 

2. Facial Expressions – faces should be shown to audience and should be animated and exaggerated…even if you're an object.

3. Levels – use various heights, sitting, standing, bending and so on. 

4. Proximity- group must fit in the same frame. Connections make this look even better. 

5. Suggested Movement – the picture should look like something just happened or something is about to happen. Trick = Lean!

Voice in Performance

You warm up your muscles before you do a physical activity, it is equally important that you warm up your voice before you perform. 

Training the Voice

There are 4 areas of vocal dynamics that a performer needs to consider and develop. You can be assessed on these in performance so it is wise to ensure you understand what each involves. 

Breathing/Respiration: This involves the ability to inhale deeply and control exaltation with your diaphragm. 

Projection: This involves projecting the voice, without straining, so that you can be heard easily from a distance. (Use diaphragm)

Articulation: This involves using the parts of the face to create and shape sounds. A performer with good articulation speaks clearly and is easily understood. (Lips, teeth, tip of the tongue, soft palette, jaw & cheeks.)

Delivery: This involves making your voice varied and expressive. 

Vocal Warm UPs

1. Expand the ribcage and do deep abdominal breathing to support sound. ABC breathing = abdomen, back, then chest 

2. Release tension in the shoulders, jaw, neck and upper chest. This allows the voice to drop into its natural position and opens the chest for resonance. 

3. Drop the back of the tongue and lift the soft palate to open the back of the throat. This frees sound and reduces nasality. (Also try yawning or putting an imaginary pear in your throat.) 

4. Use articulation warm ups to prevent mumbling. 

Vocal Variety

Right or wrong we often judge people’s intelligence on how well they communicate. Communication skills and not IQ are directly linked to success in career choice and level of salary. 

Unfortunately, most adults will admit that Public Speaking is their #1 fear. The only way to combat this fear is through practice. 

The ability to speak confidently, with organized thoughts that are easy to follow and a voice that engages your audience is the best tool you can have in life. Voice Role Model: _________________

Work on your delivery in other words adding variety to how you speak. Someone who speaks in a monotone voice has only one level of speech, thus they are very boring to listen to. 

Volume: How loud or soft sound is. 

Pitch: How high or low sound is. 

Tempo/Pace: How fast or slow sound is. (Speed)

Tone: The emotion or attitude behind the meaning of words. The tone can be light or dark. (Mood)

Rhythm: The pattern in which sounds, or qualities of sounds, are repeated. (Beat)

Pauses: Breaks or silences between sounds. For example, pausing before a word gives it more importance. Dramatic Pause.

Emphasis: The stress placed on a certain word or words to highlight its importance. 

Glossary of Stage Terms 

Here are 100 stage terms that all 8th grade drama students should understand. 

Go to the doc...make a copy for yourself... and highlight any terms that are new for you. We'll discuss anything that is not clear. Link

Fourth wall

The fourth wall is the imaginary invisible wall at the front of the stage in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play.

Origin and meaning

Although it originated in theatre, where conventional three-walled stage sets provide a more literal "fourth wall", the term has been adopted by other media, such as cinema, television, and literature, to more generally refer to the boundary between the fiction and the audience.

The fourth wall is part of the suspension of disbelief between a fictional work and an audience. The audience will usually passively accept the presence of the fourth wall without giving it any direct thought, allowing them to enjoy the fiction as if they were observing real events. 

Breaking the fourth wall

The term "breaking the fourth wall" refers to a character directly addressing an audience, or actively acknowledging (through breaking character or through dialogue) that the characters and action are not real. The audience is made explicitly aware of the fact that they are viewing fiction. Various artists have used this jarring effect to make a point, as it forces an audience to see the fiction in a new light and to watch it less passively. 

Assignment: Breaking the Fourth Wall - Rubric

Step 1: Choose one of the photo-shopped images. 

Step 2: Develop a scene to show how your characters ended up in this dilemma and what happened next. 

Step 3: Be sure that the dialogue establishes the setting and relationship amongst the characters. 

Step 4: Create interesting characters and make sure each person has time to showcase their character through dialogue. 

Step 5: Be sure that all group members contribute to the dialogue. 

Step 6: At some point in the performance, one of the characters should break the fourth wall in an effective way (shocking the audience). 

Step 7: Add any set and props you may need. (No costumes without me there.)

Step 8: Work on staging/blocking your performance and thinking about use of space. 

Step 9: Each individual actor should focus on cheating open and projecting loud and interesting voices. 

Step 10: The performance should be a minimum of 2 minutes in length. 

• • • • • 1. "he gloated like a villain in a Victorian melodrama"

Assignment - Blocking a performance

1. You will be divided into groups of 5-6 using the popsicle sticks. 

2. Each group will pull a piece of paper that will say either "Proscenium" "Thrust" or "Theater in the Round"

3. Each group will have the exact same "Melodramatic Script" (If you don't know what a Melodrama is... look it up!) Link to script in case you lose your copy. LINK

4. Based on the type of stage you get, your group will have to perform in that model. So proscenium will be a typical stage, for thrust you must use the stage and the area in front like  a model cat walk. And Theater in the round... we will be sitting around the edge of the stage to watch on all 4 sides... you can use the corners for entrances. 

5. On day 1, read the script in your group and divide roles so people can start working on lines. If you have an extra person, they should be in charge of lighting, props, directing, etc.

6. On Day 2.... think about costumes and set, block it carefully for maximum impact. 

7. Day 3 to perform. 

Characterization Tool Box: Levels of Tension 

Jacques Lecoq developed an approach to acting using seven levels of tension. Different practioners have given these levels different names. The names are less important than the understanding of how the level feels on the body. 

Playing a different level of tension is a great way to invent a new character. 

1 Exhausted or catatonic. The Jellyfish. There is no tension in the body at all. Begin in a complete state of relaxation. If you have to move or speak, it is a real effort. See what happens when you try to speak.

2 Laid back – the “Californian” Many people live at this level of tension. Everything you say is cool, relaxed, probably lacking in credibility. The casual throw-away line – “I think I’ll go to bed now”.

3 Neutral or the “Economic”. It is what it is. There is nothing more, nothing less. The right amount. No past or future. You are totally present and aware. It is the state of tension before something happens. You are awake and moving, but no feeling towards where you are going. 

4 Social or Curious (farce). Look at things. Sit down. Stand up. Indecision. Think Mr Bean. Hanging out with friends. Life is good. 

5 Reactive The crisis is about to happen. All the tension is in the body, concentrated between the eyes. You are trying to make a good impression. The goal is important to you. 

6 Passionate (opera). There is a bomb in the room. The tension has exploded out of the body. Anger, fear, hilarity, despair. It’s difficult to control. You walk into a room and there is a lion sitting there. There is a snake in the shower.

7 Tragic The bomb is about to go off! Body can’t move. Petrified. The body is solid tension.