Lessons 7 & 8:
Previews & Post-Preview Reflection
Objective:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of their piece by performing in a preview. Students will demonstrate their understanding of acting principles by given written feedback to their peers.
Materials needed:
Preview sheets 7.Preview Sheet
PREVIEW PERFORMANCES
Watch and time the performances and give notes on the preview sheets to return to students – the preview sheet is focused on Stanislavsky’s elements to allow for specific detailed feedback. With some warm-up/run-through time given to students it will likely take two class periods to get through every preview plus the post-preview work.
Have each student take notes on their peer’s performances. Have them write it in such a way that at the end of the preview they can separate their paper into performances and distribute their feedback to the performer(s).
- Something you can steal for your own work
- Something specific that worked well – a moment, an action, objective, etc.
- Suggestions for improvement – “I wonder…”
Finish up preview performances; go back through the preview order and call on 1-3 various students to share a note they took for that performer and then the teacher shares the most important note out loud. After each preview has been given a couple verbal notes from their peers, create a pile of feedback for each performance.
REFLECTION
Have each student write a brief self-reflection on their own piece. They should consider the following questions (you may want to have these written on the board or put in a PowerPoint slide):
- What do I keep and what do I toss?
- What were my three strongest moments? What did I DO to get to those moments?
- What do I still need to work on – where do I need to focus my energy and work now?
- *Read through your feedback*
- After reflecting and reading through your feedback, create a 3-point action plan for improvement in your piece for final performances. Be specific and realistic here.
CLOSURE
If time allows, bring the class back together and talk about what they saw in the previews. What stood out – both for good and for ill? How can the class progress together toward continued work and polishing their pieces? What are some of their ideas on tangible actions they can take to move the piece forward?