The following theatre sport is a variation of the train “The 20 Step Process“. In The 20 Step Process, college students are challenged to make a easy job comically sophisticated. In Origin Story, college students separate the features of 1 seemingly easy job and clarify how every half got here to be. Students will see (in an exaggerated style) how so many alternative components go right into a seemingly easy job. Making a peanut butter sandwich has by no means been so epic!
Instructions
1. Divide college students into small teams of three to 4.
2. Choose a easy, on a regular basis job, resembling making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, for the whole class to work on. Other concepts would possibly embody brushing your hair with a hairbrush, deciding what to put on within the morning, portray an image, or taking {a photograph} with a movie digital camera.
3. Separate the duty into as many components as there are teams. With the PBJ instance, you would possibly counsel bread, peanut butter, jam, knife for spreading, plate for serving, jars to carry the jam and peanut butter, and fridge or cabinet to carry the elements.
4. Assign every group one half and have them give you a whimsical origin story of the place that merchandise got here from and the way it got here to be a part of that second.
For the peanut butter sandwich instance: Where did the peanut butter come from? How was the knife that unfold the peanut butter on the sandwich made? What sort of bread is getting used, and the way did that individual loaf find yourself in that individual kitchen at that second?
5. In their assigned teams, college students will create a short scene, performing their portion of the origin story. The group shall be accountable for writing a script, casting the roles, creating fascinating and fascinating characterizations, and blocking the scene. Scenes should be not less than one minute lengthy however now not than two minutes. Use a timer — if scenes are too brief, they’ll should be expanded; in the event that they’re too lengthy, they’ll should be tightened or edited down.
6. Determine a working order, and have every group current their scene for the remainder of the category.
7. Upon completion of all of the scenes, teams will submit their written script, and every pupil will submit a accomplished exit slip (discovered under).
Optional: You could make these scenes right into a full manufacturing. Create a easy framework, resembling you (in character because the instructor) on the brink of do the duty. For instance, you would possibly begin with, “I was sitting down in my office to eat a PBJ sandwich when a thought crossed my mind…” and finish with taking a chunk of the sandwich. Feel free so as to add traces in between scenes as transitions, or hold it easy with simply an intro and outro.
Click right here for a free exit slip and rubric.
Kerry Hishon is a director, actor, author and stage combatant from London, Ontario, Canada. She blogs at www.kerryhishon.com.
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