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Stagecraft: Week 14

(May 3-7, 2021)

Important terms/concepts/info are in RED.

Google Classroom assignments are in BLUE.

Ms. Price provides ALL learning for absent students in a self-directed format so there is NO NEED TO ZOOM if quarantined

Just read & understand/complete each of the day's activities below.  You are EXPECTED to keep up with what's going on in class.

If absent or quarantined, read the following, and then complete the learning tasks under Day 1 & Day 2 below...

In this Stagecraft unit, we are learning about THE PROCESS OF DESIGN.

So far we've discussed that most design starts with defining what something should "feel" like (or how we want the audience to "feel").  However, all things that are designed in the world MUST also satisfy certain NEEDS.  Consider "needs" and "feelings" as the yin and the yang of design. They help the design to remain balanced - purposeful yet artistic. (In the 'real world', you may have heard the phrase "form vs. function".  Theatre demands BOTH.)

When designing for the stage, designers MUST FIRST determine the NEEDS of the script.  In other words, what does the SCRIPT define as what's NEEDED for the telling of the story, location, characters, time of day/year, theme, etc.

In theatrical design, there is NO shortcut for this step (reading the script).  All designers (set, costume, props, make-up, hair, lighting, sound, etc.) MUST carefully read the script in its entirety, taking notes about all the information in the script that could impact the design.  Sometimes the needs of the script are stated (ex:  in a playwright notes about setting, for example), and sometimes the needs are implied (ex: in a character's line or lyric).  Ultimately, designers are "clue-finders" when reading scripts, locating all the "needs" before beginning their designs.

Once a designer has determined all of the script's NEEDS, (s)he often speaks with the director. This, too, is a "need" when designing because it is the director who has created an overall "vision" for his/her telling of the story.

Finally, a designer begins the next phase of design:  RESEARCH.  Research isn't necessarily the boring type of research you do in High School.  Think of research, instead, as a scavenger hunt.  It's a "gathering process" where one piece of information/inspiration leads to another, until you eventually arrive at a "finish line" (which for a designer is ironically the "starting point" for your overall DESIGN CONCEPT). 

This week's lessons are focused on...  

PROCESS OF (SCENIC) DESIGN: 

NEEDS, RESEARCH, INSPIRATION & "STARTING POINT"

DAY 1:  Reading a script for NEEDS

1.)  Chose an area (from the IB Learner Profile) to individually focus on this week.  (If absent, be sure to complete this under in your REFLECTION JOURNAL (week 13) in Google Classroom.  Discussed the class focus of CREATIVITY for this week.

2.  If absent or quarantined, be sure you've completed LAST WEEK'S LESSONS prior to starting this week.  We are learning about a design PROCESS, so if you work out of order in that process, it will/may be confusing.

3. Reviewed the PROCESS of set design.  (If absent or quarantined, see the back side of your Set Design Task Sheet for review.)

3. Watched a video (Mary Poppins: Creating Mary's World) and discussed needs, inspiration, and transitions as a class.

If absent or quarantined, watch the above video and answer the following questions in your Google Classroom Reflection Journal  (week 14 - day 1) after/while watching.

Journal Title:  Scenic Design - Mary Poppins 

1.) What were some of the NEEDS of the script?

2.) From where did the designer find INSPIRATION for the design?  (both the original design and the touring show's design)

3.) How did the design handle TRANSITIONS?

4.) Discussed/Learned about the role of transitions in musicals.

5.) Watched a KP Teaching Video about the role of RESEARCH in design. 

If absent or quarantined, watch the above video and answer the following questions in your Google Classroom Journal  (week 14 - day 1)

Journal Title:  Research in Design 

1. Take notes on the various things that could be researched when designing a set.

2. Which set designs shown intrigued you? Describe why.

3. Which of the things included in this video do YOU plan to research for your own design.  Be specific.

6.)  Completed (in groups) the following design tasks for the final musical design project:

  • Finished reading & highlighting scripts for design NEEDS

  • Once done reading/highlighting, students documented all the script's scenic needs in Google Classroom spreadsheet:  SCENIC NEEDS (Musical Design Project)  If absent or quarantined, be sure to complete this assignment on the day you are absent.  It will be graded.

  • Started scenic research (as described in the teaching video above) in Google Classroom slides:  SCENIC RESEARCH (Musical Design Project).  If absent or quarantined, be sure to work on this assignment on the day you are absent.  It will be graded.

DAY 2:  RESEARCH & INSPIRATION

1.)  Watched a video (Shrek Design - Sets & Lighting) and discussed the role of IDEAS & TRANSITIONS in scenic design.  If absent or quarantined, watch the video and reflect in your Google Classroom Reflection Journal (week 14, day 2) about what you liked & learned from the design explained in this video.  Use the title Scenic Design - Shrek.  

2.) WatchedKP Teaching Video about the role of INSPIRATION & TRANSITIONS in design.  

If absent or quarantined, watch the above video and answer the following questions in your Google Classroom Reflection Journal  (week 14 - day 2) after/while watching.

Google Classroom Journal Title: Ideas, Inspiration, Transition 

1.) Write about one thing you learned from this video.

2.) Try to list at least 5-10 things (your OWN ideas) you could "research" for your design project  (What could you research that is connected to your OWN ideas after reading the script?  Think outside the box.

3.)  Completed (in groups) the following design tasks for the final musical design project:

  • Finished reading & highlighting scripts for design NEEDS (if not done already

  • Finished documenting all the script's scenic needs in Google Classroom spreadsheet:  SCENIC NEEDS (Musical Design Project)  If absent or quarantined, be sure to complete this assignment ASAP in order to stay up-to-date with the design process.  It will be graded.

  • Continued scenic research (as described in the teaching video above) in Google Classroom slides:  SCENIC RESEARCH (Musical Design Project).  If absent or quarantined, be sure to complete this assignment ASAP in order to stay up-to-date with the design process.  It will be graded.

Note:  Scripts and Soundtracks are provided below...​

  • Once on this Island (scriptSetting: the French Antilles in the Caribbean Sea

  • Hunchback of Notre Dame (script  (Setting:  Paris, 1482)

  • Fiddler on the Roof (script)  Setting:  a Jewish Settlement in Imperial Russia around 1905

  • Footloose (script)  (Setting:  the fictitious town of 'Bomont' in the early 1980's)

  • Little Shop of Horrors (scriptSetting: Skid Row in New York; early 1960's

  • Blood Brothers (script)  Setting:  1960's England

  • Secret Garden (Act I / Act II Setting:  1901 British Occupied India > Yorkshire England; Mary Lennox is orphaned after her parents perish from cholera (India) and she is sent to live at her uncle Lord Archibald Craven's mansion in England

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