Massachusetts+(Richard+Gamble)

[|Massachusetts Arts Frameworks]

STRAND - The Arts Disciplines Students learn about and use the symbolic languages of theatre

PreK–12 STANDARD 1 - Acting Students will develop acting skills to portray characters who interact in improvised and scripted scenes.

PreK–12 STANDARD 2 - Reading and Writing Scripts Students will read, analyze, and write dramatic material.

PreK–12 STANDARD 3 - Directing Students will rehearse and stage dramatic works.

PreK–12 STANDARD 4 - Technical Theatre Students will demonstrate skills in using the basic tools, media, and techniques involved in theatrical production.

PreK–12 STANDARD 5 - Critical Response Students will describe and analyze their own theatrical work and the work of others using appropriate theatre vocabulary. When appropriate, students will connect their analysis to interpretation and evaluation.

STRAND - Connections: History, Criticism, and Links to Other Disciplines Students learn about the history and criticism of theatre, its role in the community, and its links to other disciplines

PreK–12 STANDARD 6 - Purposes and Meanings in the Arts Students will describe the purposes for which works of dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and architecture were and are created, and, when appropriate, interpret their meanings.

PreK–12 STANDARD 7 - Roles of Artists in Communities Students will describe the roles of artists, patrons, cultural organizations, and arts institutions in societies of the past and present.

PreK–12 STANDARD 8 - Concepts of Style, Stylistic Influence, and Stylistic Change Students will demonstrate their understanding of styles, stylistic influence, and stylistic change by identifying when and where art works were created, and by analyzing characteristic features of art works from various historical periods, cultures, and genres.

PreK–12 STANDARD 9 - Inventions, Technologies, and the Arts Students will describe and analyze how performing and visual artists use and have used materials, inventions, and technologies in their work.

PreK–12 STANDARD 10 - Interdisciplinary Connections Students will apply their knowledge of the arts to the study of English language arts, foreign languages, health, history and social science, mathematics, and science and technology/engineering.

Core Concept

In dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts, people express ideas and emotions that they cannot express in language alone. In order to understand the range and depth of the human imagination, one must have knowledge of the arts.

An effective curriculum in the performing and visual arts enables students to: communicate fluently and effectively in at least one artistic discipline; apply both imagination and rational thinking to the making of art; understand the value of reflection and critical judgment in creative work; present and perform art publicly, with confidence, pride, and distinction; use artistic literacy as a natural enhancement to learning other subjects; understand how world cultures have been historically influenced and shaped by the arts; and understand the ways in which the arts contribute to contemporary life.

The arts — including spoken and written poetry and narrative along with dance, music, theatre, film, visual arts, and architecture — embody memorable and eloquent expressions of human ideas and feelings. Art that is worthy of attention expresses truths about human nature; it crosses frontiers of ethnicity, economic status, and historical tradition. In order to comprehend how artists express meaning, students must acquire literacy in the arts. The term “artistic literacy” means the ability to use and understand symbols and structures of dance, music, theatre, and visual arts. Artistic literacy thus complements linguistic literacy, which is the ability to use and understand language.

Writers combine thoughts in ways that are primarily discursive — words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs chosen and arranged in a particular linear order. Visual artists, musicians, composers, choreographers, designers, dancers, and filmmakers, on the other hand, often think and act in non-discursive ways. They express perceptions and ideas through simultaneous combinations of shapes, colors, sounds, and movements for which there are no precise verbal equivalents.2

Arts education broadens students’ thinking about ways of expression and communication, enabling them to create and perform, as well as respond to both historical and contemporary forms. Educators, therefore, should provide artistic experiences, cultural resources, and technologies that range from traditional harmonic scales of color and sound to the domain of cyberspace.

Students of the arts gain knowledge and self-critical awareness, often accompanied by cathartic pleasure. Like the gymnasium, performing and visual arts studios are places where emerging intuitive and intellectual skills can be physically tested. They are places in which students can reflect upon, play with, and remake in their own voices that which they hear, see, and feel in their lives. As they learn to communicate through the arts, students understand why people need more than words alone for eloquent expression.

PreK–12 STANDARD 1: Acting Students will develop acting skills to portray characters who interact in improvised and scripted scenes.

By the end of grade 4 students will: 1.1 Read, listen to, and tell stories from a variety of cultures, genres, and styles 1.2 Imagine and clearly describe characters, their relationships, setting, conflict, and plot from a variety of appropriate literature 1.3 Pretend to be someone else, creating a character based on stories or through improvisation, using properties (props), costumes, and imagery 1.4 Create characters through physical movement, gesture, sound and/or speech, and facial expression 1.5 Learn lines, observe, listen, and respond in character to other actors 1.6 Demonstrate the ability to work effectively alone and cooperatively with a partner or in an ensemble

By the end of grade 8 students will: 1.7 Create and sustain a believable character throughout a scripted or improvised 1.8 Make and justify choices on the selection and use of properties and costumes to support character dimensions 1.9 Use physical acting skills such as body alignment, control of isolated body parts, and rhythms to develop characterizations that suggest artistic choices 1.10 Use vocal acting skills such as breath control, diction, projection, inflection, rhythm, and pace to develop characterizations that suggest artistic choices 1.11 Motivate character behavior by using recall of emotional experience as well as observation of the external world 1.12 Describe and analyze, in written and oral form, characters’ wants, needs, objectives, and personality characteristics 1.13 In rehearsal and performance situations, perform as a productive and responsible member of an acting ensemble (i.e., demonstrate personal responsibility and commitment to a collaborative process)

By the end of basic study in grades 9–12 students will: 1.14 Create complex and believable characters through the integration of physical, vocal, and emotional choices 1.15 Demonstrate an understanding of a dramatic work by developing a character analysis 1.16 Perform in a variety of scenes and/or plays for invited audiences 1.17 Demonstrate an increased ability to work effectively alone and collaboratively with a partner or in an ensemble

By the end of extended study in grades 9–12 students will: 1.18 Apply appropriate acting techniques and styles in performances of plays from a variety of dramatic genres and historical periods 1.19 Demonstrate a high level of consistency and believability in portraying characters on stage in formal dramatic productions 1.20 Demonstrate sensitivity to audience response

PreK–12 STANDARD 2: Reading and Writing Scripts Students will read, analyze, and write dramatic material.

By the end of grade 4 students will: 2.1 Identify what drama is and how it happens 2.2 Read plays and stories and identify characters, setting, and action 2.3 Develop dramatic dialogue for characters from a folktale told in prose 2.4 Create a scene or play with a beginning, middle, and end based on an original idea, a story, or other forms of literature (fiction, nonfiction, poetry) 2.5 Plan, improvise, and write or record simple dramas that include the “five w’s”: who, what, where, when, and why

By the end of grade 8 students will: 2.6 Identify literary characteristics of the dramatic script, including elements of dramatic structure, conventions, and format used in writing material for the stage; identify forms such as comedy and tragedy 2.7 Read plays and stories from a variety of cultures and historical periods and identify the characters, setting, plot, theme, and conflict 2.8 Improvise characters, dialogue, and actions that focus on the development and resolution of dramatic conflicts 2.9 Drawing on personal experience or research, write a monologue for an invented, literary, or historical character 2.10 Using the correct form and structure, write a series of dramatic scenes

By the end of basic study in grades 9–12 students will: 2.11 Read plays from a variety of genres and styles; compare and contrast the structure of plays to the structures of other forms of literature 2.12 Demonstrate an understanding of the playwright as a collaborating artist who works with the director, actors, designers, and technicians 2.13 Using the correct form and structure, collaboratively write an original script or a dramatic adaptation of a literary work

By the end of extended study in grades 9–12 students will: 2.14 Using the correct form and structure, independently write a one-act play that includes fully developed characters, believable dialogue, and logical plot development

PreK–12 STANDARD 3: Directing Students will rehearse and stage dramatic works.

By the end of grade 4 students will: 3.1 In creating and rehearsing informal classroom dramatizations, experiment with and make decisions about the visual configuration of the acting space (e.g., actors’ exits, entrances, placement of set pieces, and the location of the audience)

By the end of grade 8 students will: 3.2 Read plays from a variety of cultures and historical periods, describe their themes, interpret their characters’ intentions and motivations, and determine their staging requirements 3.3 Recognize and describe the distinct roles and responsibilities of the director, actors, stage manager, set and costume designers, and others involved in presenting a theatrical performance 3.4 Identify and use appropriate vocabulary to describe kinds of stage spaces (e.g., proscenium, thrust, arena), stage directions, areas of the stage (e.g., upstage, downstage, stage right, stage left) and basic blocking techniques 3.5 Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of the rehearsal process as a means of refining and revising work leading to a finished performance 3.6 Rehearse and perform a variety of dramatic works for peers or invited audiences

By the end of basic study in grades 9–12 students will: 3.7 Select a scene from original or scripted material, conduct research on the historical period, genre, playwright, and other relevant information, determine casting, staging, and technical requirements, and articulate the rationale for all artistic choices 3.8 Stage informal presentations for a variety of audiences

By the end of extended study in grades 9–12 students will: 3.9 Direct a one-act play for a public audience, and: • write a director’s concept statement for the interpretation of the work; • develop a plan for the audition/casting process; • create and implement a complete rehearsal/production schedule; • prepare a director’s prompt book to record blocking and other notations; • maintain a journal of approaches to coaching actors and solving artistic problems; and • work collaboratively with technical and production staff to coordinate all production details

PreK–12 STANDARD 4: Technical Theatre Students will demonstrate skills in using the basic tools, media, and techniques involved in theatrical production.

By the end of grade 4 students will: 4.1 Collect, make, or borrow materials that could be used for scenery, properties (props), costumes, sound effects, and lighting for informal classroom presentations 4.2 Visualize environments and arrange the physical playing space to communicate mood, time, and locale

By the end of grade 8 students will: 4.3 Recognize and understand the roles and responsibilities of various technical personnel in creating and producing a theatrical performance 4.4 Read and analyze a play for its technical requirements, identifying points in the script that require the addition of a technical element 4.5 As a member of a production crew, select and create elements of scenery, properties, lighting, and sound to signify environments, and costumes and makeup to suggest character 4.6 Draw renderings, floor plans, and/or build models of sets for a dramatic work and explain choices in using visual elements (line, shape/form, texture, color, space), and visual principles (unity, variety, harmony, balance, rhythm) 4.7 Create a sound environment, composed, live, or recorded, for a dramatic work and explain how the aural elements meet the requirements of and enhance the overall effect of the text 4.8 Demonstrate an understanding of the relationships among scenery, properties, lighting, sound, costumes, and make-up in creating a unified theatrical effect for a dramatic work 4.9 Describe characteristics of theatre technology and equipment based on a tour of a high school or professional theatre 4.10 Show appropriate respect for the safety and maintenance of the work space, tools, and equipment

By the end of basic study in grades 9–12 students will 4.11 Participate as a member of a technical crew or a management team for a mainstage production 4.12 Conduct research to inform the design of sets, costumes, sound, and lighting for a dramatic production. For example, students select a play from a particular historical period, genre, or style and conduct research using reference materials such as books, periodicals, museum collections, and the Internet to find appropriate examples of hairstyles, furnishings, decorative accessories, and clothing. 4.13 Demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationship between the technical aspects of production and the on-stage performers 4.14 Apply technical knowledge of safety procedures and practices in the theatre environment

By the end of extended study in grades 9–12 students will: 4.15 Lead a technical crew in a mainstage production 4.16 Create and implement a major design element for a mainstage production (scenic, lighting, sound, costume, and /or makeup) 4.17 Assume responsibility for the coordination of all aspects of a production by stage managing a theatrical event 4.17 Apply technical knowledge of safety procedures and practices in the use of theatre equipment, tools, and raw materials

PreK–12 STANDARD 5: Critical Response Students will describe and analyze their own theatrical work and the work of others using appropriate theatre vocabulary. When appropriate, students will connect their analysis to interpretation and evaluation.

By the end of grade 4 students will: 5.1 Describe and demonstrate audience skills of observing attentively and responding appropriately in classroom presentations, rehearsals, and live performance settings 5.2 Identify and describe the visual, aural, oral, and kinetic details of classroom dramatizations and dramatic performances 5.3 Articulate reasons for particular emotional responses to and personal preferences about classroom dramatizations and dramatic performances 5.4 Analyze and describe strengths and weakness of their own work (grades 3 and 4 only) 5.5 Give and accept constructive and supportive feedback

By the end of grade 8 students will: 5.6 Continue to develop and refine audience behavior skills when attending informal and formal live performances 5.7 Articulate and justify possible criteria for critiquing classroom dramatizations and dramatic performances 5.8 Identify and discuss artistic challenges and successful outcomes encountered during the creative and rehearsal process 5.9 Use appropriate theatre terminology to describe and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their own or the group’s work 5.10 Give, accept, and use constructive criticism that identifies the specific steps needed to revise and refine their own or the group’s work 5.11 Use a variety of assessment tools such as journals, rehearsal notes, video/audio tapes, rubrics, self, peer, and teacher evaluations to revise and refine their own or the group’s work

By the end of basic study in grades 9–12 students will: 5.12 Attend live performances of extended length and complexity, demonstrating an understanding of the protocols of audience behavior appropriate to the style of the performance 5.13 Use group-generated criteria to assess their own work and the work of others 5.14 Demonstrate objectivity in assessing their personal abilities and creative endeavors 5.16 Demonstrate the ability to receive and act upon coaching, feedback, and constructive criticism 5.15 Devise specific methods for documenting and assessing one’s own artistic development throughout participation in a theatre project

By the end of extended study in grades 9–12 students will: 5.17 Document and reflect on their own work created over several years and identify successful approaches that could be applied in the development of future work 5.18 Research the ways in which other artists have used self-reflection to document and refine their work 5.19 Identify and describe, orally and in writing, the influence of other artists on the development of their own artistic work.