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Eastern Theatre/ Japanese Theatre

Lesson 8—Previews

Objective:

Students will demonstrate their ability to incorporate Japanese theatrical elements into an American realism monologue by rehearsing and performing a preview for the class.

Materials Needed:

none

Hook: (5 minutes)

Have students stand up and push all their chairs away. Using the entire classroom, students need to run around the room at slow motion for three minutes as if they are running through molasses.
Side Coaching: How taunt are each of your muscles? How much energy does it take to push through? Your body should be getting very tired. How far away from your body do you need to extend your arms to pull yourself through the goo?
Remember: even though there isn’t actually anything there, our movements become exaggerated to show something that only our bodies can communicate. Get it!?

Instruction/Practice: (30 minutes)

Students will now divide up into groups of three. In each group, each student will perform their monologue and get feedback from their group members. Each person has 10 minutes for the performance, feedback, and any workshopping you would like to do in order to help your classmates.

Practice: (40 minutes)

Gather students back together and have them take a seat. Each student will now be performing for the whole class. Take volunteers and then call out names of students if no one is jumping up. Any tardy students get to be first if no volunteers are going. Give instructor feedback after each performance. Students should take notes on their own feedback and the feedback of their peers.

Conclusion:

Next time is final performances!!! These are the things that are due:

In your performance:

- one mie (Kabuki)
- one head flip (Bunraku)
- pillar blocking elements (Noh)
- two stylized movements (Butoh)

Written:

- one paragraph category of play (Noh)
- one paragraph charcter type (Noh)
- makeup design (Kabuki)
- one paragraph about makeup design (Kabuki)