Actioning the Text

Objective: Students will demonstrate their ability to apply script analysis and action a text by annotating their selected monologue for a performance.

Standard L2.T.CR.8: Generate ideas from research and script analysis to devise a performance that is believable, authentic, and relevant in a drama/theatre work.

Essential Questions

• How does analysis improve understanding?
• Why is background information important?
• Why do people do what they do?

Enduring Understanding(s)

• Subtext improves characterization
• Analysis deepens understanding
• People’s actions are influenced by their past and their desires

Materials: 

• The Student Spotlight Response Sheet
• Copies of The Glass Menagerie  and Actions: An Actor’s Thesaurus for each student 
• Projector, HDMI cord
• Videos linked in the lesson
• Editable online document with Sonnet 18 text

Spotlight 

• Pull up the Student Spotlight Responses Sheet and choose a student who has not been spotlighted yet.
• Without reading their name, go through all of their answers. After reading all their answers, have students guess which student is the spotlight for today. 
• Once correctly guessed, allow the class to ask a few questions of the student spotlight to get to know them better. 

Hook: Show a clip from “The Tempest” by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Or something else. One that is very monotone and one with a lot of interesting action words.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAj9pAg8VLY&t=53s 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bjrx0xlPMg

• After watching both, ask:

  • What differences did you notice between the two versions?
  • What was good about each? What could be improved for each?
  • Did you understand what was being said?

Warm-Up

• Have all the students scatter about in the space. One student calls out an activity for everyone to start miming, the rest of the group members shout out “Yes, lets!” and then they start doing the activity.
• For instance, if someone calls out “Let’s start jogging in place!” the group responds with “Yes, lets!” and everyone starts jogging in place until someone calls out a new activity.
• Encourage players to only offer one suggestion until they sense that everyone else has had a chance to play. As an alternative, play in a circle, allowing each student a ‘turn.’

Transition

• We are going to talk about a script analysis and acting technique today called “actioning.” Actioning is when you assign actions to your text. 

Actions

Instruction:

• Actions are another word for Tactics, but we will use them in a different way than you are used to applying tactics. We will practice a method that will help your choices be more specific, varied, and interesting.

• Pass out Actions: The Actor’s Thesaurus 

  • Read Introduction and Actioning the Text

  • Provide examples of using actions with a single line of text, “Would you like a coffee?” Possible actions you can use to give an example:

    • To seduce
    • To intimidate
    • To befriend
    • To welcome
    • To snub
    • To manipulate

Formative Assessment

• Each student must “teach” a partner what an action is, what it is not, and they must each come up with 2 different action words. 

• After everyone teaches their partner and switches, instruct them to write their two action words on the white board

  • Go through all of the action words written on the board, and work with the class to determine whether each words is a true action word or not 

    • Side coach the students by asking them what qualifies as an action word (transitive verbs that follow the “I (verb) you” format). If students are still unsure, “Let’s say it out loud, I (insert written verb) you. Does that make sense? Is it an action?”

Transition

• Ask: What further questions do you have about actions? (Answer as needed)
• “By the end of class today, you are going to work on actioning a text yourself, but first, let me show you an example of what this looks like”
• Pull up an actioned Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare on the projector

Modeling

• Explain that you will be reading through this actioned Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare. For each line, you will say the action you are applying to that phrase, and then read the phrase while applying the action. For example, the first few lines: “I charm you- Shall I compare you to a summer’s day? I romance you- Thou art more lovely and more temperate. I intrigue you- Rough winds to shake the darling buds of May…”
• Read through the rest of the Sonnet. 

• After reading, ask the students:

  • What did you notice?
  • What surprised you?

Transition

• You are going to action the text of a monologue in a few minutes. It can seem really daunting, but you have resources to help you

Instruction

• Explain how the students can use Actions: And Actor’s Thesaurus during this process. Go through each section, showing how they can search for actions alphabetically or by the quality/intent of a phrase. 
• Explain that they need to choose one of the two monologues they previously identified to prepare for performance in a few class periods (see assignment The First Reading of The Glass Menagerie). The monologue must be 1 minute long (give or take 10 seconds). 

• Explain that for the rest of class, they must first transcribe their monologue onto Google Docs/a piece of paper (or equivalent), and then for each sentence of their monologue, they must write a different action. The purpose of this skill/exercise is to help them improve their acting through script analysis, especially when it comes to auditions.

  • The students will be using this document over multiple class periods, so they need to use their best judgment as to what format will be best for them to keep track of over multiple class periods. (If needed, you can also emphasize that you will not accept excuses for not having their classwork in future lessons, as they could have done it online instead.)

Exploration

• Give students the rest of class to work on actioning their monologue as described above, with one action per sentence. 
• Walk around the room to check on students’ progress, clarify how to use the Actions Thesaurus, and ensure their monologues are the proper length.  
• If you notice some students have completed this activity, encourage them to begin memorizing their monologue with their action words in mind, reminding them about proper diction/projection. (The way you practice is the way you perform!)

Assessment: Before students leave, they must show me their progress thus far on actioning their monologue. It is alright if they do not finish this in the class period, but they should be at least halfway through.