Open Forum

 View Only

  • 1.  Musical Theatre Independent Project Suggestions

    Posted 06-22-2016 11:52

    I am a middle school theatre teacher who teaches both a 7th and 8th grade Musical Theatre class.  This year, we will be working on several pieces for competition during class time.  Not all students will be in all numbers, which means that I will have students with down-time each period.   I am trying to find an independent project for the students to work on while I am working with other groups.  I am looking for suggestions for a project that can be worked on independently, quietly, and in the classroom.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

     

    Mickey J. Stone, M.S.

    Theatre Director

    7th Grade Team Leader

    Sarasota School of Arts & Sciences

     

    "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.  Art is knowing which ones to keep." -Scott Adams

     



  • 2.  RE: Musical Theatre Independent Project Suggestions

    Posted 06-23-2016 08:45
      |   view attached

    I teach a musical theatre class at the high school level, and we do a production each year. When students are not rehearsing on stage during class time, I have a series of journal questions that they need to be working that relate to the show and the character that they play.  I have attached the journal assignments from our production of Willy Wonka jr. Some of them came from the suggestions from MTI and some I made up. I have also had students make props, write bios, and paint scenery during their off stage moments.

    ------------------------------
    Marla Blasko
    Theatre Arts Director
    Columbia MD

    Attachment(s)

    docx
    Journals.docx   230 KB 1 version
    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Musical Theatre Independent Project Suggestions

    Posted 06-23-2016 09:46
    It could be fun to have the kids do a design project for the Musical your working on - either costumes, makes, set or props. You could give them a quirky requirement like it must be set in outer space or during the American Revolution (my kids are loving Hamilton right now). If you have access to technology they could research different designs that have been created for that show in the past. Hope that helps!



    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Musical Theatre Independent Project Suggestions

    Posted 06-27-2016 08:17

    Could they write a script for a play?  I love the book, "Kids take the stage; helping young people discover the creative outlet of theater.  You can give them the book and they can write a play on their own.  They can write a skit for improv or actually write one down and work on it.

    Kids Take the Stage: Helping Young People Discover the Creative Outlet of Theater

    Amazon remove preview
    Kids Take the Stage: Helping Young People Discover the Creative Outlet of Theater
    Buy Kids Take the Stage: Helping Young People Discover the Creative Outlet of Theater: Read 15 Books Reviews - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
    View this on Amazon >
    ------------------------------
    Corinne Walker
    Lyon, France

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Musical Theatre Independent Project Suggestions

    Posted 06-28-2016 08:29

    Hi one thing we did this year with our brand-new musical theater class was have them do a practical research project in order to find a musical our school could produce. We gave them certain criteria and engage them in a discussion about what kind of shoes should be suitable for our school and why and then gave them a packet outlining all of the things they would need to find out to present to us. They were going to have to make a presentation and try to sell us on the show they picked; this meant they had to make a PowerPoint or Prezi or something to that effect. They also had to prepare one musical number from the show that involved all members of their group and perform it with very simple set costumes and props. Just did two things for us: it gave them something to do when their scenes were not being rehearsed, and it told us what kind of shows our students were interested in doing. Keep in mind part of the requirements involved of them finding out how much the show costs to do and if it is available to do. Which had another positive affect: now my students know whether or not something is available so they don't arbitrarily suggest we do something like Hamilton because they now know that that is not possible. See: no more annoying suggestions, only informed ones.

    hope this helps!

    ------------------------------
    Victoria Kesling Councill
    Chapter Director - VA EdTA/ Virginia Thespians
    Theatre Director- Fine & Performing Arts Department NKHS
    Artistic Director - NKHS Trojan Theatre
    Artistic Director - Kent England Exchange Production
    Virginia Commonwealth University BFA Theatre Education, BFA Art Education '08
    University of Houston - MA in Theatre Candidate '16

    "Love the art in yourself and not yourself in the art." - Konstantin Stanislavski

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Musical Theatre Independent Project Suggestions

    Posted 07-20-2016 16:38

    I had great success with a project asking each kid to be a director AND design team by creating a new concept for the show we were working on. The assignment: choose a new time period, setting, or theme for our show, and justify your choice. The project had three elements: 1. A "Note From the Director," which was essentially an essay explaining the concept. 2. Set design: I created a "blank stage" rendering of our space, and asked them to draw/color in their ideal set design. 3. Costume/prop design: Again, I created a mannequin outline handout and they could draw/color it in, rendering costumes and personal props. Towards the end of our rehearsal period, they each had to make a presentation using their materials. We got some really "out there" concepts, which was a lot of fun. It definitely kept them all busy and they had a great time.

    ------------------------------
    Jim Colleran

    Original Message