home

Unit 2 - Theatre History
Module 1: Understanding Historical Context
Lesson 5 - World Theatre

Introduction:
Theatre means different things in different cultures throughout the world. When we in western nations think of theatre, we think of a realistic play on a stage. In reality, theatre is far more diverse than many people realize. The focus of this lesson is that diversity, and the goal of the lesson is to experiment with it.

Objectives:
- to use resonance and speak clearly
- to use voice projection
- to understand the historical and cultural influences on a play
- to understand that theatre reflects the society that creates it
- to continue to explore various presentational styles in their dramatic presentations

Resources:
(pdf) Background notes for theatre history unit, Sedna (pdf) (an Inuit legend) and other stories, puppet material (poster board, utility knife, thread or thin wire), a light source like a projector, Puppet Play Self-Evaluation (pdf)

CELs:
C, CCT, TL

Components:
Creative/Productive, Cultural/Historical

This icon indicates an advanced print resource you can refer to for more in depth research information. It has been provided courtesy of Dr. Moira Day, University of Saskatchewan, Drama Department.

Activities:

Warm Up:
Have your students complete the following warm up.
Identify the culture represented in the pictures below: (Thailand; China; Africa; Latin America)
1) 2)
3) 4)

Answer: 1 = Africa, 2 = Thailand, 3 = China, 4 = Latin America

Assignment 1 - Putting Storytelling into Practice

Story Telling Traditions:
The oral tradition of storytelling is prevalent in cultures the world over. Some very ancient stories remain with us today due to the skills of certain story artists.

Telling a story requires much from the performer:

  • You must know the story well (obviously).
  • You must be able to keep the audience's attention through voice, rhythm and gesture.
  • You must practice the story enough to feel comfortable with the words, so it can flow naturally.
  • You want to create images for the audience to visualize.
  • Know at which point tension is created and built.
  • And finally, create a strong impression for the ending.

Choose a common fairytale from their own cultures and tell it to another student. The role of the partner is to listen to the story and make suggestions about flow, tone and pace. The evaluation should be formative and informal. The purpose of the evaluation is to prepare the individual for the second assignment (15-20 min.)

"Advanced Practice"
Retell the story using only movement.

Assignment 2 - Creating a puppet for Storytelling:

Students should read the background information and complete assignment steps on the assignment page. The teacher may need to provide stories like Sedna, from a variety of cultures, for student use. Following performance, students should fill out the self-evaluation rubric and return it to the teacher (30 min. to prepare, plus performance time).

Instructional Strategies:
Role playing, Computer Assisted Instruction, Storytelling

Evaluation:
Matching question awareness check, formative peer-assessment of storytelling, self-evaluation of puppetry work, bonus opportunity

Alternative On-Line Activity:
Tell a story on an audio tape or streamed audio, create a shadow puppet and use a program such as Power Point, Swish or Flash to create an on-line puppet show.

Next Lesson / Student Lesson / Previous Lesson