EDUCATION
STUDY GUIDE
Study Guide Contents
Director of Community Engagement & Education Joann Yarrow (315) 443-8603
3.)
Production Information
4.)
Letter from Community Engagement and Education Team
5.)
Educational Outreach at Syracuse Stage
Associate Director of Education Kate Laissle (315) 442-7755
7.)
Synopsis
8.)
Meet the Playwright
9.)
Meet the Director
Community Engagement & Education Specialist MiKayla Hawkinson (315) 443-1150
Group Sales & Student Matinees Tracey White (315) 443-9844
Box Office (315) 443-3275
10.) Characters 11.)
Costume & Set Design
12.)
Resiliency & Coping Skills
16.)
Food & Housing Insecurities
17.)
Safe Health Practices
18.)
Resources
19.) Projects 20.)
Elements of Drama
21.)
Elements of Design
22.) Sources
To Donate To Our Education Programs: Wendy Rhodes Director of Development 315-443-3931 wjneikir@syr.edu
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Designed by MiKayla Hawkinson
NG
Bass
Robert M. Hupp Artistic Director Jill A. Anderson Managing Director
Robert Hupp
College of Visual and Performing Arts
Artistic Director Kyle Bass Associate Artistic Director
PRODUCTION OF THE BANK OF AMERICA CHILDREN’S TOUR
Jill A. Anderson
Ralph Zito Chair, Department of Drama
Managing Director
SPONSOR
By
David S. Craig
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY
Lauren Unbekant Ricky Pak Directed by
Danny FRAN K/MR. T
Brandon Richards Cormac Bohan
Stage Manager Shannon Bagoly
Set and Costume Designer Carmen Martinez
G R E G O RLouise Y
Angelo Tommy Montgomery Katherine Simmons
LILLITH/SKY/TWIDDLE DEE
Lee Garcia AnthonyErika Hernandez Male Swing SCENIC & Tyler Jessy COSTUME DESIGN
ORIGINAL COMPOSITION
Lindsey Vandevier
Emmett Van Slyke
Asst. Stage Manager Rebecca Malamus
& SOUND
Female Swing Elizabeth O’Malley DESIGN
Asst. Director
Stuart Plymesser
Sound Designer
Alyeska Reimer
Kevin O’Connor
Production Manager
Filming/ Orange TV
September 19 – December 14, 2017
Stage Manager Mentor
Penelope Alessandra Justin Slepicoff Casanova
SKEET/TWIDDLE DUH
Dianna Angell
Andy Robinson
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Dear Educator, The best way of learning is learning while you’re having fun. Live theatre provides the opportunity for us to connect with more than just our own story, it allows us to find ourselves in other people’s lives and grow beyond our own boundaries. While times are different, we still are excited to share with you new theatrical pieces through pre-recorded means. We’re the only species on the planet who makes stories. It is the stories that we leave behind that define us. Giving students the power to watch stories and create their own is part of our lasting impact on the world. And the stories we choose to hear and learn from now are even more vital. Stories bring us together, even when we must stay apart. Stories are our connection to the world and each other. We invite you and your students to engage with the stories we tell as a starting point for you and them to create their own. Sincerely, Joann Yarrow, Kate Laissle, and MiKayla Hawkinson Community Engagement and Education Team
2020/2021 EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH SPONSORS Syracuse Stage is committed to providing students with rich theatre experiences that explore and examine what it is to be human. Research shows that children who participate in or are exposed to the arts show higher academic achievement, stronger self-esteem, and improved ability to plan and work toward a future goal. Many students in our community have their first taste of live theatre through Syracuse Stage’s outreach programs. Last season more than 15,500 students from across New York State attended or participated in the Bank of America Children’s Tour, artsEmerging, the Young Playwrights Festival, Backstory, Young Adult Council, and/or our Student Matinee Program. We gratefully acknowledge the corporations and foundations who support our commitment to in-depth arts education for our community.
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Educational Outreach at Syracuse Syracuse Stage is committed to providing students with rich theatre experiences that connect to and reveal what it is to be human. Research shows that students who participate in or are exposed to the arts show higher academic achievement, stronger self-esteem, and better ability to plan and work toward a future goal. Live performance provides children and young adults with a unique sensory experience that enriches classroom study and promotes creative expression and cultural awareness. Each season, Syracuse Stage engages nearly 21,440 students from all across New York State with a variety of programs.
Education Advocacy Board
YAC: Young Adult Council
The Education Advocacy Board is a group of teachers from the Central New York region who meet four times a year at Syracuse Stage to share their ideas and concerns about current arts education issues. Members work with Education staff at Syracuse Stage to help tailor programming to best fit the educators and students served. This past year topics discussed have included creating more useful study guides, exchanging views on future programming, working towards more effectively engaging young people in the arts, as well as discussing the influence of the Common Core on arts education.
THE YOUNG ADULT COUNCIL (YAC) at Syracuse Stage seeks to give teens a voice in the programming designed for them while exploring how theatre impacts their lives. The program focuses on peer led discussion and events in addition to advocating for theatre and arts participation to fellow students. The Syracuse Stage Young Adult Council (YAC) is a group of high school students from the Central New York area that meets monthly to create and implement pre-show events that will help inspire the next generation of theatregoers. YAC members can also take advantage of opportunities to learn from professional theatre artists at Syracuse Stage and through workshops, internships, and shadow programs.
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Educational Outreach at Syracuse Children’s Tour Each fall, the Bank of America Children’s Tour brings high-energy, interactive, and culturally diverse performances to elementary school audiences. Each performance is fully staged with scenery, costumes, and sound. This year you will be able to experience the performance as a pre-recorded production. Performances include a talkback with the actors and our helpful study guide for further classroom exploration. Pre- or post-show sessions with our talented teaching artists can be arranged upon request.
Backstory Each winter, the Backstory program brings history to life as professional actors portray historical figures in classrooms and other venues. Previous presentations have included historical figures such as Anne Frank, Ace, a Tuskegee Airman, and Annie Easley a human computer for NASA.
Virtual Syracuse Stage Education Classes and Workshops Our program features engaging content for theatre-lovers of all ages. Delve deep into the craft through private classes, group acting courses, live virtual classroom experiences, and master classes on a variety of subjects. Please note that due to COVID-19, all of our programming is virtual. New class workshops for all ages available here: https://syracusestage.coursestorm.com
Summer Youth Theatre Experience Come and play with professional teaching artists of Syracuse Stage as we dive into the magical world of creativity and performance. This year we completed a wonderful 2-week summer virtual theatre program with 32 students, ages 11-14, from 4 different states.
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Young Playwrights Festival Each spring, Syracuse Stage invites Central New York high school students to write original ten-minute plays and other performance pieces for entry in our annual Young Playwrights Festival contest. Our panel of theatrical and literary professionals evaluates each student’s play. Semifinalists are invited to a writing workshop at Syracuse Stage where their plays will be read and critiqued. Finalists will see their plays performed as staged readings by Syracuse University Department of Drama at the annual Young Playwrights Festival. The festival is free and open to the public. Our very successful 2020 season was presented as a virtual 4 night experience on our social media platforms. Having the opporunity to showcase our top 16 virtually helped reach a much larger audience in a fun, new, and safe capacity.
Danny, King of the Basement Danny, King of the Basement tells the story of Danny ‘Delco’ Carter. Danny is the ‘king of moving’. In two years, he and his Mother dealing with unemployment have moved more times than most kids lose teeth; there’s just never the money to pay the rent. But far from being overcome by his homelessness, Danny appears to be thriving. He can pack his bags faster than it takes to tie a shoelace. He can make a friend in a morning and a best friend in a day. When Danny moves into a basement apartment on upscale Clinton Street, the kids he meets have more material things but they seem to have bigger problems than just being hungry. Penelope’s parents are separated and are using her as a go-between because they won’t talk to each other. Angelo’s Dad is scary; he sounds (and looks) like a dinosaur. But Danny’s imaginative play creates a sense of community that allows his friends to cope with their problems and, ultimately, to help Danny – because Danny’s crisis isn’t losing a home; it’s gaining one.
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Meet the Playwright David S. Craig
David S. Craig is an internationally produced, multi-award-winning playwright and theatre artist. He has written 29 professionally produced dramatic works including his hit comedy Having Hope at Home; the internationally acclaimed Danny, King of the Basement, which has been seen by more than half a million people in North America alone; and his adaptation of Michel Ende’s The Neverending Story, which premiered at the Seattle Children’s Theatre and has had productions all over North America. Other successful plays include Double Trouble (aka The Parent Trap), which was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award; Smokescreen, which has been translated into five languages; his award-winning adaptation of Carlo Goldoni’s The Fan; and his one-man show Napalm the Magnificent, which was performed extensively over a 10-year period including an off-off Broadway run at the John Houseman Theatre in Manhattan. Craig’s work has garnered outstanding press notices and has been honored with numerous awards including: The Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Production (three times), the Chalmers New Play Award (three times), the Rideau Award, The Canada Council Prize, The Writer’s Guild Prize for Radio Drama and the Barbara Hamilton Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts. Toronto’s NOW Magazine named Craig “One of Canada’s Top Twenty Playwrights.” Bio adapted from dramaticpublishing.com
“I was inspired to write this play while driving my car. I say ‘inspired’ because it’s what I’ve heard writers say about the moment of beginning. For me the effect was more akin to grabbing a live wire. I was casually listening, as I always do, to CBC radio. They were talking about something called the Golden Report. The statistic that jolted me was this – 25% of homeless people in Toronto are children under the age of 12. I knew we had a problem with homelessness. I had no idea it affected so many kids. I knew I needed to do something as a parent of two children, as a citizen of Toronto and especially as a theatre artist.” That knowing sustained me for the next four years of research, writing to opening. I have three sincere and heartfelt thank you’s. My old friend and colleague Richard Greenblatt who acted as dramaturge and director for this production. His enthusiasm, generous talent and deep commitment to this project, and theatre for young audiences in general, contributed enormously to the success of this play. To the Laidlaw Foundation, whose financial support of new artistic creation and its role in young lives was an important resource in the early days of development. And finally, to Tim Jennings, the Managing Director of Roseneath Theatre, who provided the practical framework without which theatre art cannot exist. —David S. Craig, Toronto, 2004 8
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Meet the Director Ricky Pak
Ricky Pak is an Assistant Professor of Acting for the Department of Drama at Syracuse University. He worked for over 18 years in Los Angeles as a professional actor, writer, and director. He has worked in a variety of mediums from blockbuster films to independent black box theater productions. He is also a teaching artist for the Tectonic Theater Project based in New York City. He specializes in devised theater techniques and has created numerous docu-drama style theater shows as well as community-engaged theater as the Artistic Director for the Circle Squared Collective, a company he founded in 2009. He has an M.F.A in Acting from California State University- Los Angeles as well as a B.A. in Liberal Arts: Arts and Humanities from Colorado State University. www.TheRickyPak.com www.CircleSquaredCollective.org Syracuse Stage’s Community Engagement and Education team had the pleasure of interviewing Ricky Pak on his experience directing Danny, King of the Basement. Click the link to watch the interview: https://youtu.be/lc7rmBxlPFU SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION
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Characters
Danny: Always caught up in a game of disguise and loves to include everyone he meets. Constantly moving because of his mother’s unemployment. He is the responsible one between him and his mother, and has been prematurely accustomed to some of the harsh realities of adulthood. He has “street smarts,” but has changed schools so often that his “book smarts” has fallen behind. Very friendly- he can make a friend in a morning and a best friend in a day. Constantly worried about having to leave his life behind, he masks it as excitement. Definitely does not get enough to eat at home. Angelo: New best friend to Danny and long time nemesis to Penelope. Loves to play hockey, but can never seem to get out of his head in order to score a goal. Is scared of his possibly abusive father, so he always strives to make him proud. The boy in school who still thinks girls have cooties. Penelope: Neighbor to Danny and Angelo. Can be pretentious and loves to show off all of her expensive belongings. Always caught in the middle of arguments between her newly separated parents, making her feel like it might be her fault. Just wants her parents to talk to each other so she won’t feel like a bargaining chip anymore. Doesn’t want to play outside with the dirty, stinky boys. Wants to be a ballerina. Louise: Danny’s mother. Cares deeply for her son, but doesn’t always make the best decisions for her family’s well being and security, and she knows it. Always willing to get caught up in games with Danny, but also knows when it is time to be a mother instead of a friend. A former smoker/ possible drug addict. Feels as though she is always letting Danny down and wishes she could provide a better life for him.
Ensemble Roles: Bill Streetcar Driver Penelope’s Mother Taxi Driver Angelo’s Dinosaur Dad Principal Radio Broadcaster Nurse Doctor
Costume design & renderings by Carmen Martinez
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Costume & Set Design
Costume designer
A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters’ outfits/costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, Designers typically seek to enhance a character’s personality, and to create an evolving plot of color, changing social status, or period through the visual design of garments and accessories. Syracuse Stage’s Community Engagement and Education team had the pleasure of interviewing Carmen Martinez on her experience designing Danny, King of the Basement. Click the link to watch the interview: https://youtu.be/K0UMQ1AS-Ik
Did you know? Our set was designed to look like a large cardboard fort! We also incorporated masks into the play to better reflect our world at the present time.
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Resiliency & Coping Skills Resiliency Resiliency is our ability to bounce back from stressful situations. Kids and adults who are more resilient are better able to cope with the challenges that we all face in life. Just like any physical muscle, resilience is a “mental muscle’ that can be exercised and developed. Danny and the other children showcase many different aspects of resilience throughout the show. Below we discuss our body’s reactions to stress, resilience, and how we can build those muscles.
Our Brain’s Reaction to Stress During times of stress, our body chemistry quickly changes to make us stronger, faster, more alert, and more capable of taking care of ourselves. Our heart rate and blood pressure increase and stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol surge through the body. This reaction is caused by the amygdala, or the reactive part of our brain. This reaction is also known as fight, flight, or freeze. Each of these stress reactions can be incredibly helpful during short term stressful situations like when we need to fight off something dangerous (like a bear), run away from something chasing us, or stop quickly in the face of danger. When the amygdala takes over, it temporarily shuts off the prefrontal cortex, or the thinking part of the brain. This part of the brain is in charge of problem solving, impulse control, and regulating emotions. When we need to fight off a bear, it really helps to not be scared or waste time deeply analyzing the situation. It is very important that the reacting part of the brain can take over. When we are in long term stressful situations, our brains keep producing those stress hormones, keep our heart rate raised, and make it very difficult to think, plan, or regulate our emotions. Resilience relates to a person’s ability to engage the prefrontal cortex (thinking part of the brain) and calm down the amygdala (reacting part of the brain).
Resiliency Cube Activity There are many different techniques to help build resilience. On the next few pages we discuss six aspects of resilience and instructions on leading your students through building a paper “resilience cube” that they can use to practice building those muscles daily.
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Resiliency & Coping Skills Stress Management & Health Stress Management and Health - There are two kinds of stressors in our lives, external and internal. External stressors are the events that happen to you, like having to move, changing schools, or having relationship problems with family or friends. An internal stressor is the pressure you put on yourself as a reaction when something bad has happened or when you feel uncertain or out of control. Exercise is a healthy and effective way to reduce stress. Try using your large muscle groups (like your arms or legs) to help reduce stress by making your heart stronger and helping to lower your stress hormone levels. For this side of the cube, draw a physical activity that you can do to help you release your stress. Can you choreograph a dance you do every time you feel stressed? What about running or walking a certain number of laps around your house? Biking? Snow shoeing? Draw an exercise that makes you feel good and uses the large muscles of your body.
Failure as Growth
Failure as Growth: Optimism - It is ok to make mistakes. Failure is a regular part of everyday life and every human on Earth has experienced failure. Michael Jordan points out that he missed 9,000 shots in his career and lost over 300 games. It is the fact that he kept going that made him a success, he learned from each of those mistakes. Thomas Edision, who invented the light bulb, said “I haven’t failed. I’ve identified 10,000 ways this doesn’t work.” This approach is called trial and error learning. Eventually, you get it right and have learned so much more in the process. For this side of the cube, think about a time when you didn’t get something right and learned from it. Sometimes, when we’re in the midst of just getting something wrong it is hard to remember the times where we have learned from failure. Draw a reminder of this moment on a side of the cube. Have confidence in your own ability to grow! SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION
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Resiliency & Coping Skills Flexible Thinking
Flexible Thinking - Everybody has stressors of one sort or another. Remember the two kinds of stress—the outside kind and the inside kind? Outside, or external stressors, are those unpleasant things that happen to you, like moving, your parent losing a job, or friends moving away. Inside stress is the pressure, strain, and constant worry that you put on yourselves when something bad has happened. You can’t always change outside stressors but you can change how you think about them to become resilient. Resilience means being tough and strong and being quick to recover when setbacks happen. Have you ever seen a tree dancing and moving in a strong wind? If the tree were stiff, brittle and unbending, it might break from the stressor of the wind. People are the same way. They can bend and be flexible or they can break under pressure. Being resilient means you find the ability to stretch and snap back instead of being rigid and breaking under pressure. This resilience is a muscle like any other, to build it up you must practice.
Agency & Self Confidence
Agency and Self Confidence - We all have strong positive qualities and ways of acting that are uniquely our own. A signature strength is a strong quality that you have that helps you to be the best you can be. Acknowledging your strengths and building upon them can help you succeed when dealing with the challenges of the world. Some of these strengths could be bravery, creativity, curiosity, ability to work well as part of a team, being a good leader, loving to learn, or being hopeful. Values are those characteristics that you hold as important. Every choice you make in your day, you build upon your values, interests, and principles. When you think about and learn what you stand for, you can make conscious decisions that help direct the course of your life. For this side of the cube, first make a list of your positive qualities. These strengths are things that you can build upon to become a more resilient person. Then, either write these positive qualities on a side of the cube or draw images that help you to remember and build upon these excellent strengths.
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Resiliency & Coping Skills Goal Setting & Relationships
Goal Setting and Relationships - It is good to have a dream of what you want for your life. Your dream may change as you grow older but that is okay. You may not get the exact dream that you want, but by going towards it, you will get other good things. The old dream may change but new and exciting ones will come in if you put your mind on what you want and go after it. We all set goals for ourselves. Think about the difference you feel after people who know your goals support you or try to get you to change your mind. Your determination can be influenced by those people whom you surround yourself with. People who uplift you can help you achieve your goals much easier and faster than on your own. On this side of the cube, draw a person who supports you, or an image or color that reminds you of that person. This person could be someone you have in your life now, did in the past, or even someone who you think would be a great mentor for you in the future.
Building Your Community
Building Your Community - Loving, generous people are role models for how each of us can choose to live our lives. Kind people have learned a special secret-that it feels good to be giving. When kind people care about other people, they feel good themselves. It’s a win-win situation. Who is the most loving and kind person you know? Who do you admire for their ability to make others feel good? How do you feel around that person? How do they treat you? What do they do that makes you feel good about yourself? What have you learned from being around this person? How are you like this person you admire? Take a moment to notice other kids who are having a difficult time and try to help them. For this last side of the cube, think about a time you helped others or how you could help others in the future. Create a picture, color, or image that will remind you to build relationships through building yourself up. SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION
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Food & Housing Insecurities Living in Transition The terms “homeless,” “homeless individual”, and “homeless person” typically describe~ • an individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence • an individual or family with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings this includes a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or campground. • While circumstances vary, the main reason people experience homelessness is because they cannot find housing they can afford. According to the National Student Campaign against Hunger and Homelessness, more than 43.1 million people in the United States live below the poverty line. 1 in 5 children live in poverty. 42 million Americans are at risk for suffering from hunger, with 11% of households facing food insecurity in 2018. As a result of COVID-19, this number had jumped to between 22% - 38% of households. In the region that the Central New York Food Bank serves, there are 159,940 food insecure households. Research from A Report Card on Child Homelessness states 2.5 million children go to sleep without a home of their own each night. Over the course of an academic year, there are around 2,231 children in Central New York who reported being homeless, living in motels, or doubling-up. This number as well is expected to increase as an effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What can you do? There are many ways to help people who are homeless, in transition, or at the risk of becoming homeless. • Help dispel stereotypes about people who are in transitional living situations. Refrain from making assumptions about a person’s circumstances. • Volunteer or contribute food, clothing, or household goods to community based assistance organizations. • Give people who are homeless courtesy and respect. Treat others as you would want to be treated if you needed help: with kindness and dignity. Here are a few ways to help people and families facing food insecurity through Feeding America: https://www.feedingamerica.org/ways-to-give/fundraise-for-feeding-america
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Safe Health Practices Here are some safe health practices recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in regards to COVID-19. Housing and hygiene can play a very similar role.
Take steps to protect children and others • Clean hands often using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. • Avoid people who are sick (coughing and sneezing). • Put distance between your children and other people outside of your home. Keep children at least 6 feet from other people. • Children 2 years and older should wear a mask over their nose and mouth when in public settings where it’s difficult to practice social distancing. This is an additional public health measure people should take to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in addition to (not instead of ) the other everyday preventive • actions listed above. • Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily in household common areas (like tables, hard-backed chairs, doorknobs, light switches, remotes, handles, desks, toilets, and sinks). • Launder items including washable plush toys as needed. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If possible, launder items using the warmest appropriate water setting and dry items completely. Dirty laundry from an ill person can be washed with other people’s items. • Make sure your children are up to date on well-child visits and immunizations. You can find additional information on preventing COVID-19 at these websites: How to Protect Yourself Preventing COVID-19 Spread in Communities. Additional information on how COVID-19 is spread is available at How COVID-19 Spreads.
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Resources Teach and reinforce everyday preventive actions
• Parents and caretakers play an important role in teaching children to wash their hands. Explain that hand washing can keep them healthy and stop the virus from spreading to others. • Be a good role model—if you wash your hands often, they’re more likely to do the same. • Make handwashing a family activity. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/handwashing-family.html • Learn more about what you can do to protect children. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/children/protect-children.html
Help your child stay active
• Encourage your child to play outdoors—it’s great for physical and mental health. Take a walk with your child or go on a bike ride. • Use indoor activity breaks (like stretch breaks or dance breaks) throughout the day to help your child stay healthy and focused.
Help your child stay socially connected
• Reach out to friends and family via phone or video chats. • Write cards or letters to family members they may not be able to visit. • Some schools and non-profits, such as the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, http://www.casel.org and The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, https://www.ycei.org have resources for social and emotional learning. Check to see if your school has tips and guidelines to help support social and emotional needs of your child. • Ask about school meal services. • Check with your school on plans to continue meal services during the school dismissal. Many schools are keeping school facilities open to allow families to pick up meals or are providing grab-and-go meals at a central location.
Help your child cope with stress
Watch for signs of stress or behavior changes. Not all children and teens respond to stress in the same way. Some common changes to watch for include: • Excessive worry or sadness, • Unhealthy eating habits, • Unhealthy sleeping habits, • Difficulty with attention and concentration.
Support your children
• Parents can find more information about supporting their children during a COVID-19 outbreak on CDC’s Helping Children Cope page. https:// www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/for-parents.html • Talk with your child or teen about the COVID-19 outbreak. Answer questions and share facts about COVID-19 in a way that your child or teen can understand. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/talking-with-children.html • Learn more about common reactions that children may have and how you can help children cope with emergencies. https://www.cdc.gov/childrenindisasters/helping-children-cope.html
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My family as animals activity: • In this project create a scrapbook page of your family as if they were animals. • You can sketch, color, print pictures, use magazine cut outs, etc. to create a fun family tree. • Under each photo or drawing make sure to include your family member’s name and why you think they are like this animal. Example: I drew a picture of my mother as a lionness. I believe my mother is like a lionness because she is strong, gets dinner for my family and is a loving protector.
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elements of drama PLOT
What is the story line? What happened before the play started? What do the characters want? What do they do to achieve their goals? What do they stand to gain/lose? THEME
What ideas are wrestled with in the play? What questions does the play pose? Does it present an opinion? CHARACTER
Who are the people in the story? What are their relationships? Why do they do what they do? How does age/status/etc. effect them? LANGUAGE
What do the characters say? How do they say it? When do they say it? MUSIC
How do music and sound help to tell the story? SPECTACLE
Any piece of theatre comprises multiple art forms. As you explore this production with your students, examine the use of:
WRITING VISUAL ART/DESIGN MUSIC/SOUND DANCE/MOVEMENT
ACTIVITY
At its core, drama is about characters working toward goals and overcoming obstacles. Ask students to use their bodies and voices to create characters who are: very old, very young, very strong, very weak, very tired, very energetic, very cold, very warm. Have their characters interact with others. Give them an objective to fulfill despite environmental obstacles. Later, recap by asking how these obstacles affected their characters and the pursuit of their objectives.
How do the elements come together to create the whole performance?
Other Elements: Conflict/Resolution, Action, Improvisation, Non-verbal Communication, Staging, Humor, Realism and other styles, Metaphor, Language, Tone, Pattern and Repetition, Emotion, Point of view. 20
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INQUIRY
How are each of these art forms used in this production? Why are they used? How do they help to tell the story?
elements of design LINE can have length, width, texture, direction,
and curve. There are five basic varieties: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, and zig-zag. SHAPE is two-dimensional and encloses space.
It can be geometric (e.g. squares and circles), man-made, or free-form. FORM is three-dimensional. It encloses space
and fills space. It can be geometric (e.g. cubes and cylinders), man-made, or free-form. COLOR has three basic properties:
HUE is the name of the color (e.g. red, blue, green), INTENSITY is the strength of the color (bright or dull), VALUE is the range of lightness to darkness.
TEXTURE refers
to the “feel” of an object’s surface. It can be smooth, rough, soft, etc. Textures may be ACTUAL (able to be felt) or IMPLIED (suggested visually through the artist’s technique).
SPACE is
defined and determined by shapes and forms. Positive space is enclosed by shapes and forms, while negative space exists around them.
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Sources https://www.heysigmund.com/building-resilience-children/ http://lynnenamka.com/resilience.pdf https://studentsagainsthunger.org/ https://hhweek.org/hunger-and-homelessness/ https://www.air.org/resource/americas-youngest-outcasts-report-card-child-homelessness https://www.childstats.gov/pdf/ac2019/ac_19.pdf https://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2018/overall/new-york/organization/food-bank-of-central-new-york https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/children/protect-children.html https://www.cbc.ca/parents/learning/view/handwashing-poster-covid-19-kids
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A SEASON Re-Imagined
NOVEMBER
TALLEY’S FOLLY
MARCH
DECEMBER
APRIL /MAY
MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY JANUARY/FEBRUARY
TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992
315.443.3275 SYRACUSESTAGE.ORG
YOGA PLAY
EDUCATION
OUR TOWN JUNE WO R L D P R E M I E R E
SALT/CITY/BLUES MARCH
COLD READ
SEASON SPONSOR
SYRACUSE STAGE EDUCATION
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