In Fifth Grade students learned some new drama games! We worked on team building and working as an ensemble.  The fifth graders learned how important it is to listen to each other and pay attention to what is being communicated to them.   The fifth graders also learned when working in a team you must listen to every body’s ideas and then make a decision as  group.  Some students had to compromise and learn that they can’t always be in the spotlight.  By the end of class they were giving and taking much better!

In Sixth Grade students got assigned a partner and had to come up with an occupation.  They had to then mime a scene that showed what their occupation was. The rest of the class had to guess. Everyone did a great job.  Memory is one of our best tools as an actor.  I asked the students to think about their senses when miming to make their scene more believable.  They were all  very creative and took their time to make sure they didn’t forget any steps.  They all had to write an outline so that they knew what their partner was doing.  They had to think about communicating with their partner on stage and what their relationship was.  We will continue our mime unit until the end of the trimester!

In Seventh Grade we started to go through the scenes for “Twelfth Night”. This week I was checking memorization. Please continue to help your children learn their lines and cues.  We also decided on our set design and started to block some scenes!

Eight Grade please read the email I sent you!!

I hope you are all staying healthy!

In fifth grade students watched their performance of “Lewis and Clark”. It is important that the children watch themselves perform.  This is a way for them to critique their performance and to see how they did as an ensemble. We then had a class discussion about things the fifth graders did well and things they need to improve on. For the most part everyone agreed that they could have had more gestures and projected better. The fifth graders also said they should have studied their lines and cues more at home. I appreciated their honesty and I told  them I was proud of them.  I hope you are were too.  Next week I will be teaching the children some new ensemble games.

In sixth grade we performed in class a mime activity.  We also made a class machine! Everyone had to add something to the machine to make a finished product! Our warm up consisted on an improvisational dance circle! I loved all of the creative and unique dance moves kids came up with! It can be difficult sometimes to be spontaneous and the kids all participated with confidence!

In Seventh grade students have continued their script analysis.  We talked about punctuation and what type  a breath you should take depending on the verse and punctuation. Punctuation is compared to musical rests.  Shakespeare gives the actor a lot clues with punctuation and capitalization. Students also worked on memorization and characterization.  Please help your children memorize. They are supposed to be off book by next Thursday!  We also talked about the importance of music in “Twelfth Night” and how we are going to incorporate it in our performance. Finally we figured out the minimal set pieces and props that each class would be using.   Next week we will work on blocking (entrances, exits, positions on stage).

In eighth grade, students have been learning the chorus/ensemble songs (the songs that everyone is in) . We have also started our design work and brainstorming  in individual crews. This weekend students will finally get their scripts and we will do our first read through tomorrow at rehearsal.  Students should start memorizing their music and lines right away.  Please help your child with this! Thanks again for your support. I will be emailing you all in the next week a rehearsal schedule as well as an explanation of what tech week is!

 

In fifth grade the Phoenix and Dragons class had their informance of “Lewis and Clark”. Thank you to those who were able to come and see what we have been working on in class. If you were not able to make it, there is a recording that you can watch! It is important that my students know that it is not about the final product, but more importantly about the process and what they have learned.  Both classes came a long way from where they started 🙂 

In sixth grade we are continuing to work on mime.  Students are starting to become more aware of their space and surroundings. They are also concentrating on the importance of eye contact when trying to get a message across. In class students have been more confident in their movements.   They are starting to really connect with their emotions and gestures.  

In Seventh grade students were assigned parts/roles for “Twelfth Night”.  Congrats to everyone for getting through your audition! Students will be reading and working on subtext in LASS.  In drama 7A will do the first half of the play and 7B will do the second half. It is an adapted script that the seventh graders will be performing. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for March 17th in the gym to watch your children perform! Many students are sharing a role so that everyone gets an opportunity to speak and experience Shakespeare.  This week in class, we finished our read through as well as decide who is taking what scenes.  Students also worked on their script analysis. Please help your children memorize their lines and cues. They are supposed to be off book February, 25th.  

Eight graders continues the audition process. This week, Mrs. Negus and I  had call backs for “The Little Mermaid”. I am very proud of how well everyone did at their audition.   The cast list will be posted next week! We also continued to organize the costume room and take inventory of items we have and need to buy.  Marketing crew also started selling concessions during lunch and after school to help raise money for the musical. I was very impressed with the items they selected to sell as well as their organization and enthusiasm! Go team!