Educational Objective:
Students will demonstrate their ability to walk into a room, introduce themselves, slate, properly use the fourth wall, and end their monologue by checking these items off with the class.
Materials needed:
• White board
Facets of Understanding:
• Application
• Self Knowledge
Enduring Understandings:
• Theatre is dependent on the relationship between audience and performers
• Theatre teaches self knowledge and awareness
Essential Questions:
• What is the best way to present myself?
• How can I use my stage fright?
*Note: Collect Resumes on this day. Give students feedback. Students receive 10 points for this turned in rough draft.
Hook: (5 minutes)
Tell students to walk around the room and introduce themselves to five people. Say hello, their name, have a brief conversation, and say goodbye.
Step 1 – Discussion: (5 minutes)
Once students have done this, ask them about their experience. Were some of the introductions awkward? Were they pleasant? How did they go in general? Ask students if they would be friends with certain people if that introduction was their first impression. Most likely, the answer will be no. Tell students that from the moment they walk in the door of an audition, they have six seconds before a director realizes if they want them or not. Six measly seconds. The length of a vine. That’s all they’ve got. Since the walk-in is the first thing a director sees, that is what we will work on today.
Step 2 – Group Practice: (20 minutes)
Have students line up. Tell students that they are to walk onto the stage. Not to worry about slating, or introducing their pieces, but merely to walk on. “Score” the first student(s) who do this on a scale of 1-10. If they got less than a 10, have them do it again. Once a few students have gone through, have students who have already walked in start scoring, so students remain engaged. Remind students to be kind to each other and fair.
Step 3 – Discussion/Group Practice: (20 minutes)
Tell students that now that they have nailed the first six seconds of their audition, they need to nail the rest of it. Discuss with students how to slate and how to say their name in a way that will be remembered. Have them do the same activity as the walk-in, but this time adding a slate.
Step 4 – Discussion/Group Practice: (20 minutes)
Great, now we’ve gotten to the meat. What are the mechanics while your acting? First, to relax. Just think as your character, and you’re good! The ONE thing you need to remember is how to find a spot on the wall and use that fourth wall. You also then need to learn how to end a monologue. Remember to stay in character for a few seconds, let us see if you got your objective, step out of character, and say thank you. Have the students file through again, doing the last two lines of their monologue and ending it. Again, score students, have them score each other, and make sure every student feels that they got it right.
Final Assessment for Lesson 7: (informal)
During steps 2-4, make sure students are grasping the concept of the mechanics of an audition.