The primary objective of this unit remains the primary objective for all of my Freshman theater classes: to foster cooperation between the students. The class puts itself at a disadvantage when it fails to work as an ensemble. When studying theater, an actor must take creative risks, and act onstage in ways they may or may not normally behave. But, a perpetual anxiety persists when revealing vulnerability. The students need to feel safe to take risks, and to try out new ways of being. When the stakes and risks are common to the class-at-large, the group can safely share criticism and grow in an atmosphere of approval and acceptance. As a collective, the class can metaphorically explore the “edges” of the globe, knowing that they can not fall off, but can sink or swim as a whole.
The approach of this unit is to have the students work as workers, instead of students. By that I mean that they treat each other as colleagues, not just peers. The unit’s lesson plan objectives facilitate the students’ noticing what they have done in their life so far, and how they can apply that experience to future success. The unit asks them to function as production team members, producing an imaginary play, and then producing a real one together. Throughout the process, they inventory their own skills and personal values. After each section or lesson plan, they will know a little bit more about themselves and each other. Hopefully, by the end of the unit, they will see each other as a vital worker, necessary to their own progress. They will embrace diversity as an integral part of studying theater. The more an actor knows about people, the more their created characters will be realistic, believable and interesting.
There are multiple objectives in having the students work as workers. First, they can view their work as an investment, not just required schoolwork for a grade, and immediately reap the rewards of investing in themselves. Secondly, they can begin to think more seriously about what they want to do for a living after high school, investigating other options for success excluding the college tract. Thirdly, they can explore the ramifications of every occupation and pursuit placing different demands on the human body. A bus driver of twenty years walks differently than a professional bicycle racer. Consideration of posture, body language, potential injury or pain, level of education and economic status contributes to an actor’s realization of a character and their behavior onstage.
Encouraging discovery of self-knowledge will foster cooperation only if the students can express that knowledge. That is why this unit features several different writing and communication styles. The students communicate self-knowledge by writing their resumé, writing a cover letter, a memorandum or report, and a short play.
In addition to improving collaboration and increasing self-awareness, this unit addresses many of the National and District Standards for teaching theater. The standards addressed include acting, literature and technical theater production.
So much in life presents opportunities for creative problem solving. Yet, my students often give up before they devise a solution, or brainstorm options for solutions. In this unit, they will realize that their work counts just as much as the next person’s, that they can’t give up as easily as they usually do, as others are counting on them.
In addition to problem solving skills and tenacity, an actor must develop astute thinking skills. This unit offers a nut-and-bolts approach to recognition of thought processes and behaviors using critical analysis. Once the students gain insight into their own thought processes, they can use that information to consider a character’s thought processes. Acting is reacting; how a character reacts to an event or situation reveals to the audience how they think. An actor must consider how their created character gathers, organizes and evaluates information to justify the character’s behavior, and determine their motivations.
Along with consideration of thought processes, an actor must consider a character’s personal values and goals. My students can not successfully write an analysis of a character’s values and goals, until they are familiar with the critical process of prioritizing such things. The assessment and resumé portions of this unit will provide insight of their own values and goals, so that they may then apply this prioritization to a character analysis.
The more actors discover about themselves, the more mysterious life itself becomes. Every newfound insight leads to deeper levels of knowledge, and myriad applications of such knowledge. Throughout this unit, the students use their own experience as the standard against which to measure other forms of experience, starting with the experiences of their classmates. This process will increase the level of student self-respect, and their respect for others. It also will better prepare the students for success, in college, a trade or a vocation. It will optimally create and sustain an ensemble work environment, the benefits of which can be directly applied to life inside and outside of the classroom, through development of learners’ behaviors associated with creative or higher-order thinking. As they work together as a production team, the students will have to remain flexible in their application and measures of experience. They will have to recognize the origins of their opinions, be able to elaborate an idea, and collectively grapple with the complexities of unifying ideas from very different origins. They must train themselves to remain curious and courteous, be willing to take risks, and stretch their imaginations.
