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Drama Posters

Performing a role

There is no single “right” way to approach rehearsing and performing an acting role. Some useful processes are described in this section.

Performance concept

The performance concept is the director’s overarching idea for a production. The concept may have to do with using a particular form or style of performance; with the setting (time and/or place); or with the mood of the performance.

The performance concept is then applied to all aspects of the production, including the way in which the actors interpret and play their roles and the use of technologies such as set and costume.

Directors bring a variety of performance concepts to bear on Shakespeare’s plays to make them accessible to modern audiences, to apply a universal theme to a particular historical event, or to explore the situation in the play within a particular cultural context. Image 9 on poster 2 shows a performance of Hamlet interpreted in the context of te ao Māori.

Another example of a Shakespeare play explored in a particular cultural context is the film Te Tangata Whai Rawa o Wēneti or the Māori Merchant of Venice.

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Researching the role

Students in years 9–13 need opportunities to develop rounded characters with rich histories through:

From such activities and sources, students can gather information about:

This research then informs interpretation and portrayal of the characters onstage.

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Improvisation

When rehearsing a play, it can be useful to explore the scripted characters, their relationships, and their situations through improvisation exercises. Improvisation allows actors to explore how they will use drama techniques, to practise acting and reacting in ways true to the characters, and to explore the life of the characters before and after the time and action shown in the play.

Image 8, poster 2.

Image 8, poster 2

Images 7 and 8 on poster 2 show two students exploring the use of a prop through improvisation. The suggested activities for this chapter include an improvisation exercise to use with students.

Blocking

Blocking is about planning the use of the stage space and how the actors will move in the space. This step, which is completed early in the rehearsal process, is a key way of translating the written text into action. As ideas for blocking are tried out and decisions made about where actors enter, exit, stand, and move, the director (or assistant director or stage manager) and the actors record these decisions to ensure consistent use of space and movement at each subsequent rehearsal. See the section in the poster 4 notes on types of stage space.

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Annotating the script

It is important for actors to record decisions about how they will play their roles. Annotations include marks to indicate beats of action, breath, pauses, changes in volume, and what emphasis to give to particular words. Annotations can include blocking notes and a record of gestures and other planned movement as well as notes about a character’s feelings or intentions.

A good way to prepare a script for annotation is to glue individual script pages onto the centre of the left-hand pages in a scrapbook, leaving space around the text, as well as the empty right-hand page, for annotations. For an example of an annotated script, see the Internal Assessment Resource Drama 3/5_A3: From Russia with Love (Word 107KB).

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Role scoring

This process is useful to collate information about the role. It can be used alongside conventions such as role on the wall and hot seating. Role scoring involves completing a profile of the character, including: details such as their name, age, and gender; background information on family and work; and character objectives, attitudes, and relationships.

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Off scripts

At the “off scripts” point in the rehearsal process, actors no longer hold their scripts and must know their lines. This allows actors to develop gestures, to focus on other characters, and to develop physical and eye contact.

Some tips for learning lines:

  • If you learn best visually, you can study your lines and then try to see them on the page without looking at the paper.
  • If you learn best by hearing, you should record your part and play it back until you have your part memorised.
  • If movement is the key, link your lines to stage actions. The things you need to do onstage will probably be tied to the lines you have to say. You may wave, point, shake a fist, flutter your hand, and so on.

Image 5 on poster 2 shows a group of students using their scripts while rehearsing.

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Run-through

Initial rehearsals are usually of individual scenes with groups of actors. The focus is on blocking and learning movement, on dialogue, and on developing character.

A run-through is where a series of scenes, usually one act or the whole play, is played from start to finish, developing a sense of continuity. The focus will also be on varying the levels of tension and developing the contrasts between:

A well-written play has tension and contrasts embedded in the script.

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Technical rehearsal

The technical rehearsal of the play provides opportunities for the technical operators to rehearse their cues, for example, for sound and lighting. It also allows the actors to wear their costumes and work with the props and set.

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Bumping out

Bumping out (also known as packing out) is the process of packing up the set and returning all props, costumes, and make-up to the proper storage area.

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Performing a role

Performance contexts for rich roles are wide and varied and include:

Using masks in performance

Image 12, poster 2.

Image 12, poster 2

Image 12 shows a student using a mask in storytelling. (See also image 3, poster 6.) Experimenting with masks can be a powerful experience for students. Without being able to rely on facial expressions to support the use of voice, they need to explore using body and movement as ways of conveying the character. Working with masks can sharpen the students’ focus on techniques and their awareness of how the audience is responding.

Watching a performance involving masks also develops the audience’s observation skills as they observe how using body and movement changes the character of the mask and how different types of mask work.

Masks are found in a range of theatre forms and across a number of cultures. They can represent characters in myth and ritual, stock characters, and characters specific to a particular performance.

Masks for students

Types of mask for use with students could include the half mask, full mask, neutral mask, and character mask.

Theatre forms that use mask include:

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Resources

For a quick definition of mask, see:

For resources about use of mask, see:

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