Once Upon a Time
A Theatre Arts WebQuest
by
John Dickson
Sullivan Middle School
[email protected]
After viewing the opening number from Into
the Woods,
you will create your own original fractured
fairy tale.
Your final project will include:
*A typed script of your play
*Costumes, props, and scenery for your play
*A performance of your play
Before you start, choose one job in addition
to actor.
Your jobs will determine which parts of
the project you are responsible for.
Actor-the person responsible for bringing the character to live. You are responsible for writing a character sketch to represent how the character has changed from the way it was originally created. You must also memorize lines and perform the role in your final presentation.
Director-the person responsible for deciding what blocking and other stage directions are to be followed. You also have final approval for all costumes, props, and scenery.
Playwright-the person responsible for writing the final play. You are also responsible for typing the final script and supplying your teacher with a copy.
Costumer-the person responsible for making sure everyone has a costume that is appropriate for the character they are portraying.
Property Master-the person responsible for collecting and storing all props used in your performance.
Set Designer-the person responsible for the background appearance of the production
1. Each member of your group will choose a character from a fairy tale.
2. Once each person has agreed upon a character to portray, they should write a character sketch.
3. All character sketches should be fine tuned and presented to the rest of the group. The director will have final approval on any characters that will be included in the play.
4. As a group, decide upon a place for your story to take place and a reason for all five characters to be in that location. Remember to keep the setting simple like in Into the Woods so you can focus on the plot and characters.
5. Working together, write a rough draft of your script. Your playwright should type up this rough draft and give everyone a copy. Look at the sample script to see how your script should be formatted.
6. Block your play. As you record your blocking, make note of any changes which occur in dialogue or stage directions.
7. As the playwright completes the final copy of your script, makes copies for all group members and your teacher, the technical aspects of the play should be coming together. Your set designer, costumer, and property master should be completing their jobs. Remember that simple is better so you need not neglect your other responsibility-learning lines.
8. Rehearse!!!! Your group will need to run through your play as many times as possible adding the technical elements to your production. The director should pay special attention that everyone is following basic actor etiquette.
9. Perform!!! Your group will perform their play for an audience of other students. Your final performance is the major part of your grade.
An actor's job is to bring a character to life for an audience. To successfully do this, he/she must:
*Learn all their lines and stage blocking.
*Speak loudly, slowly, and clearly.
*Use body language and facial expressions.
*Make their character believable.
Blocking is any movement an actor makes onstage. Sometimes, the blocking is included as part of the stage directions, but all movements upstage, downstage, and across the stage-including entrances and exits are recorded using certain abbreviations and symbols. A list of commonly used blocking symbols are listed below:
U-upstage
D-downstage C-centerstage
X-cross (any movement from one location
to another)
L-left
R-right N-enter
E-exit
Therefore, NUL+XDC would mean enter up left and cross down center.
Your character should have at least ten lines-each of which is made up of one or more sentences. 'Oohs' and other single word exclamations don't count as lines. Stay as true to the original character as possible, but know that the very nature of bringing together characters from different stories will create differences which must be dealt with. All scripts should contain a title, a character list (including descriptions), a scene location, lines for the characters to speak, and any stage directions.
Below is an example of how to write a script:
Title of Play
Character List (the description follows the character name)
Scene: This story takes place on a sunny
afternoon in the woods.
Character One: (entering) What are you doing here in the woods?
Character Two: (crying) I have lost my way
home. My mother will
be very upset with me for being late.
Character One: I can help you find your way home for a small fee.
Character Two: (crying even louder)
But I have no money to pay.
Script Notes:
* Type your script using 12 point font in
something easy to read like Times New Roman or Arial.
*Leave a 2 inch left margin to write in
blocking directions and notes.
*Character names are written in bold print,
while regular lines are written in regular print.
*Stage directions (small movements or emotions)
are written in parenthesis
All good plots have some sort of conflict. In Into the Woods, many of the characters were brought together in the woods for various reasons based on their original fairy tales. For example, Jack was trying to sell his cow and Red Riding Hood was on her way to her grandmother's house. The character of the Baker was created to bring conflict into the story. His search for the four ingredients needed to give to the Witch in order to have the curse that was placed upon his house removed, was the driving force in the story. In developing your plot, think of reasons to keep the story moving, but also remember you have to arrive at that 'happily ever after' moment in order to bring your play to an end.
The character sketch that you write should include a physical description of the character you are playing. If you are going to have to portray more than one character, you should have a description for each character you are playing. The description should include the age, personality, mannerisms, and especially any differences you are trying to bring to the character.
Two examples from Into the Woods where
characters are different from the way they were originally created would
be the very clumsy Cinderella and the knive-wielding Red Riding Hood.
Choose
Your Words Wisely! An online dictionary and thesaurus to assist
in scriptwriting.
Don't
Be So Grimm! A link to fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm.
What
Do I Where? An online listing of costumes for all occasions.
The
Moral of the Lesson. A link to fables and fairy tales from around
the world.
What's
the Story? An online listing of popular and not so well know
children's stories.
What
Would Hans Say? A listing of fairy tales written by Hans Christian
Andersen.
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