Lesson: auditioning and improvisation
Unit: The Lorax
Materials: none
Age Level: 3rd-6th
Space Requirements: open area in classroom
Time: One hour
Objectives:
Students will warm up their bodies
Students will learn about types of auditions
Students will learn auditioning skills
Students will gain improvisation skills
Students will decide what area they want to focus on
Plan: 10 minutes: Warm up: emphasize the importance of preparing ourselves
for auditions
MIND: Imaginary Ball Toss: Toss an imaginary ball around the circle
in a pattern so that everyone gets the ball once. Tell the students
to remember who threw the ball to them and who they threw it to. Once
you have the order memorized, change the shape and/or weight of the
ball. Make sure to tell students that they must catch the same ball
that is tossed to them (i.e. if the person tosses a small light ball,
they must pretend to catch a small, light ball) You can also have multiple
balls going around the circle at once.
BODY: breathing and stretching exercises- teach students to breath from
their diaphragm. Exercises like rag doll can emphasis that and stretch
the body also. Do normal stretches, and don’t forget the face!
VOICE: tongue twister, sirons, etc..
10 minutes: discussion
Types of auditions: Many auditions may have more than one of these formats.
Monologues: Discussion topics/facts: how you walk on is very important.
Look like you want to be there. Say your name very clearly. Smile and
look like you are having fun. Practice your monologue before the audition
and make sure you have the timing right. Have people watch and critique
you. Cold Reads: another format for auditions is cold reads. Things
to remember: Don’t just read the lines, react to other’s lines.
Interact with the other auditioners. Be brave; try an approach other’s
haven’t taken with the character you are reading. Directors can
always pull you back, but they are not sure if they can make you bring
it out more. Be creative! Improv games: Tell students how some directors
use improv games for some or all of their audition process. Ask students
what they think would be important to remember while participating in
improv games. (be confident, be creative, don’t hold yourself back,
participate fully, etc)
15 minutes: Improvisation- say yes rule
1) “present game” Have students pair up and give each other
imaginary presents. They should be creative and give really good presents.
The person receiving the present should accept it and say how they will
use it or that they always wanted one of those, etc.
2) “yes, and…” Have students pair up and pick a place
to be (ex: beach, mall. Etc) Then have one person start with “lets
(verb)” (ex: Lets build a sand castle). Then the other partner
will say “yes, and lets (verb)” (ex: yes, and lets put a mote
around it). Each person always begins with “yes, and…”
The action should also continue the story. They should act out their
actions as they speak.
15 minutes: Improvisation- don’t load rule
1) “What are you doing?” Have students pair up. One person
starts an action and the other person asks them “what are you doing?”
They answer something completely different than what they are doing.
The person who asked then starts “doing” their answer. The
game continues as they ask each other “what are you doing?”
Tell students to not pre-plan what they are going to say, but instead
to say whatever comes to them in the moment: the crazier the better.
Discuss how directors are looking for people who are willing to jump
into the game. Those who will do whatever their partner sets up for
them one hundred percent.
2) “action reaction” (if time). Make two even lines facing
each other. The people on each end step in the center of the two lines
and face the same way. The person in the back does and action, while
the person in the front thinks of a statement or questions. The will
then turn around and say that. The person doing the action must incorporate
their action with the statement or questions given to them.
10 minutes: fill out form. Discuss audition process
