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Acting in Duo Scenes

Objective: Students will demonstrate their knowledge of acting in a scene from a play by reading, rehearsing, and performing a 5-7 minute comedic scene.
Subject: Scenes & Monologues - Acting
Class Level: Intermediate
Main Concepts: Objectives, tactics, characterization, room conflict, secrets, sensory/memory recall, and listening.
National Standards: CONTENT STANDARD 2: Acting by developing, communicating, and sustaining characters in improvisations and informal or formal productions.
Description: · Curriculum placement: A 90 minute intermediate drama class.


· Prior skills necessary: Beginning acting skills such as stage direction, public speaking, beginning monologues etc. (They are familiar with basics, but not too much experience required).
Author: Brittni Bills

Lesson Plans

Lesson 1: Objectives and Tactics

Students will demonstrate an understanding of how to use objectives and tactics in a scene by improvising a short scene with three very distinct tactics and an obvious objective.

Lesson 2: Scene Preview Day/ Sensory/Emotional Recall

Students will display an ability to use sensory and memory recall in order to enhance a scene by participating in a visualization exercise, and completing a worksheet.to

Lesson 3: Characterization

Students will demonstrate an understanding of character development by performing an improvisational mini version of their chosen scenes as animals, and filling out a worksheet.

Lesson 4: Listening

Students will display an understanding of listening to their scene partners in duo scenes in order to make the lines come from within and make the scenes fresh by participating in a listening activity and performing their duo scenes with listening.

Lesson 5: Practice and Performance Day

Students will demonstrate a comprehension of recent topics by performing their duo scenes in class.

Lesson 6: Secrets

Students will demonstrate ability to use secrets as a means of enhancing the emotional intensity in a scene by performing duo scenes with secrets in class.

Lesson 7: Room Conflict

Students will demonstrate an ability to display room conflict in a scene by using room conflict in a performance of their chosen scenes.

Lesson 8: Assessment/ Final Performance day

Students will display their understanding of scene work by performing their chosen scenes, incorporating listening, memory/sensory recall, tactics, objectives, characterization, and at least one of the following elements: Secrets, room conflict. Students will be graded on how they incorporated those elements into their scenes and memorization.