Open Forum

I figure since we're required to wear masks in class anyway, we should jump on the chance to do units on historic eras and regions of theatre that use them.

We just finished with Greek (Antigone). We did a table-read and discussion, and a modern-adaptation component that let them modernize the script and perform in custom-crafted masks.

Upcoming, I plan to work with Commedia dell'Arte, Kabuki, and Noh.

Not quite performing-in-masks, but I'm also looking at puppetry, voiceover, and reader's theater as ways to get the students performing while masked, without changing the integrity of the work.

What other areas or opportunities have I not thought of yet?

------------------------------
Josh Kauffman
Teacher, Thespian Society/Drama Club sponsor
Winfield City Schools
Winfield, AL
------------------------------

Good Morning!
Great ideas, thank you for sharing. I do not have my theatre class this semester but I cover similar topics with my students. We constructed masks last year based on a character from Everyman, the play we were reading at the time. It was a cool experience for the guys as we worked on modernizing it as well. I had them consider a current song that would be their characters entrance song and the guys came up with some creative responses to that.

Good luck with the puppetry and everything else.
Have a great day.

------------------------------
James Fry
Director of Student Life and the Malvern Theatre Society
Malvern, PA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-24-2020 15:46
From: Josh Kauffman
Subject: Mask work

I figure since we're required to wear masks in class anyway, we should jump on the chance to do units on historic eras and regions of theatre that use them.

We just finished with Greek (Antigone). We did a table-read and discussion, and a modern-adaptation component that let them modernize the script and perform in custom-crafted masks.

Upcoming, I plan to work with Commedia dell'Arte, Kabuki, and Noh.

Not quite performing-in-masks, but I'm also looking at puppetry, voiceover, and reader's theater as ways to get the students performing while masked, without changing the integrity of the work.

What other areas or opportunities have I not thought of yet?

------------------------------
Josh Kauffman
Teacher, Thespian Society/Drama Club sponsor
Winfield City Schools
Winfield, AL
------------------------------

Great ideas! I needed inspiration for my elementary theatre class!

------------------------------
Rebecca Magnus
Edgecliff Village TX
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-24-2020 15:46
From: Josh Kauffman
Subject: Mask work

I figure since we're required to wear masks in class anyway, we should jump on the chance to do units on historic eras and regions of theatre that use them.

We just finished with Greek (Antigone). We did a table-read and discussion, and a modern-adaptation component that let them modernize the script and perform in custom-crafted masks.

Upcoming, I plan to work with Commedia dell'Arte, Kabuki, and Noh.

Not quite performing-in-masks, but I'm also looking at puppetry, voiceover, and reader's theater as ways to get the students performing while masked, without changing the integrity of the work.

What other areas or opportunities have I not thought of yet?

------------------------------
Josh Kauffman
Teacher, Thespian Society/Drama Club sponsor
Winfield City Schools
Winfield, AL
------------------------------

You can buy thicker paper masks on amazon that are easy to color on, or even wet and inprint on them. they come with strings and precut holes.
Here is the LINK for the masks that I used.

I have also taken some and did a paper mache to them to create warts, stronger features, and other facial expressions. I am trying to find a picture of the one I made to resemble the puppet from SAW.

------------------------------
James Fry
Director of Student Life and the Malvern Theatre Society
Malvern, PA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-25-2020 09:11
From: Rebecca Magnus
Subject: Mask work

Great ideas! I needed inspiration for my elementary theatre class!

------------------------------
Rebecca Magnus
Edgecliff Village TX

Original Message:
Sent: 09-24-2020 15:46
From: Josh Kauffman
Subject: Mask work

I figure since we're required to wear masks in class anyway, we should jump on the chance to do units on historic eras and regions of theatre that use them.

We just finished with Greek (Antigone). We did a table-read and discussion, and a modern-adaptation component that let them modernize the script and perform in custom-crafted masks.

Upcoming, I plan to work with Commedia dell'Arte, Kabuki, and Noh.

Not quite performing-in-masks, but I'm also looking at puppetry, voiceover, and reader's theater as ways to get the students performing while masked, without changing the integrity of the work.

What other areas or opportunities have I not thought of yet?

------------------------------
Josh Kauffman
Teacher, Thespian Society/Drama Club sponsor
Winfield City Schools
Winfield, AL
------------------------------

I had the exact same thought, James, so we're in the middle of our mask unit. We did some neutral mask work and are now on archetypal mask characters. I bought those thick paper masks from Amazon as well, but mine didn't have nose/mouth holes. Oops. My students had to cut them so they could breathe through two layers of masks. There are some good mask exercises on Drama Teacher Academy, and I used the books Movement for Actors, and Breathing, Movement, Exploration. We're doing Greek style next and then commedia. Their final mini-project will be to choose one of these performance styles and create a small group (socially distanced, of course) performance of a fairy tale in that style.

------------------------------
Cassy Maxton-Whitacre
Theatre Department Coordinator
Fishersville VA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-25-2020 09:26
From: James Fry
Subject: Mask work

You can buy thicker paper masks on amazon that are easy to color on, or even wet and inprint on them. they come with strings and precut holes.
Here is the LINK for the masks that I used.

I have also taken some and did a paper mache to them to create warts, stronger features, and other facial expressions. I am trying to find a picture of the one I made to resemble the puppet from SAW.

------------------------------
James Fry
Director of Student Life and the Malvern Theatre Society
Malvern, PA

Original Message:
Sent: 09-25-2020 09:11
From: Rebecca Magnus
Subject: Mask work

Great ideas! I needed inspiration for my elementary theatre class!

------------------------------
Rebecca Magnus
Edgecliff Village TX

Original Message:
Sent: 09-24-2020 15:46
From: Josh Kauffman
Subject: Mask work

I figure since we're required to wear masks in class anyway, we should jump on the chance to do units on historic eras and regions of theatre that use them.

We just finished with Greek (Antigone). We did a table-read and discussion, and a modern-adaptation component that let them modernize the script and perform in custom-crafted masks.

Upcoming, I plan to work with Commedia dell'Arte, Kabuki, and Noh.

Not quite performing-in-masks, but I'm also looking at puppetry, voiceover, and reader's theater as ways to get the students performing while masked, without changing the integrity of the work.

What other areas or opportunities have I not thought of yet?

------------------------------
Josh Kauffman
Teacher, Thespian Society/Drama Club sponsor
Winfield City Schools
Winfield, AL
------------------------------