Intro to Script Analysis
By Katelyn Tullis
Objective:
Students will demonstrate their ability to do basic script analysis by filling out a script analysis worksheet for a scene from Twelfth Night.
Prior Experience:
None.
Class Style:
*Live Virtual Call.*
National Standards:
TH:Cr1.1.I.c. Use script analysis to generate ideas about a character that is believable and authentic in a drama/theatre work.
Big Ideas:
- Script analysis can help me create a believable character or world of the play as an actor or designer.
- Script analysis is helpful as an actor or as a designer.
Enduring Understandings:
- Students will learn to identify major elements of a script: the protagonist, antagonist, the basic story structure, genre etc.
- Students will learn the basics of character objectives and how to identify them.
Essential Questions:
- What is script analysis?
- Why is it important to analyze a script before working on it?
Materials
- Zoom
- Script analysis powerpoint, in Materials folder.
- Script analysis worksheet, in Materials folder.
- Scene from Lesson 4: Act 1, Scene 2 of Twelfth Night. Link in Materials Folder.
HOOK (15 minutes)
- Can you imagine acting in a play that you have only read through once? Or can you imagine designing or directing a play that you have only read through once?
- Let’s read through this scene from Twelfth Night.
- Assign students to read through the short scene.
- Let’s go back to our question. Our work would probably be pretty shallow, right? Often we have good first ideas, but our second, third, and fourth are sometimes even more creative and intriguing. Script analysis allows us to get a really deep look at the script (what is happening, the characters, etc) and then to do our work in a really meaningful way.
INSTRUCTION (30 minutes)
- Share your screen over Zoom so that students can see the powerpoint from your screen. Explain the terms on each section of the powerpoint.
- Go over the script analysis powerpoint. Link in the materials section.
- Move on to the application portion.
APPLICATION (30 minutes)
- Have the students answer the questions for each slide in their worksheet and then come back together as a class.
- Discuss the answers they came up with. Have students explain their reasoning.
- Move on to the next term (go back up to the instruction section). Repeat through all the terms.
PERFORMANCE
- Go over submitting assignments on the class website.
- Submit your worksheet on the class website.