Musical Theater by Alston Education

Debbie B. Woodford

Journey into the exciting world of drama and theater with the Lollipop Theater series! In this series, students will learn to express themselves with confidence through body language, facial expressions, and speech. By taking part in fun and lively activities like discussions, voice exercises, role-play, and stage performances, students will develop strong presentation skills and learn to speak more fluently. They will also learn to be more creative by engaging in improvisation and drama games.

Musical Theater

This series aims to develop and nurture studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; appreciation for drama and literature. Students will have ample opportunities to analyze the form and content of different types of texts. They will also be able to improve their writing skills through projects such as script writing.

ISBN

Empowering Minds â&#x20AC;˘ Improving Lives

978-981-4321-85-3

9 789814 321853

Debbie B. Woodford

Musical Theater introduces students to the exciting use of music, song, dialogue, and dance on stage. Students will learn about the role that composers play in producing a musical. They will take part in activities that help them to appreciate nuances and emotions in music and learn to translate it into movement. They will also explore the differences between operas and contemporary musicals. Musical Theater equips students with the necessary skills to create a lively and colorful stage production, worthy of Broadway and the West End!

Musical Theater

Debbie B. Woodford

Musical Theater

Debbie B. Woodford

Published by Alston Publishing House Pte Ltd 6 Battery Road, #29-03, Singapore 049909 Main: (65) 6538 3990 Fax: (65) 6538 3991 Email: enquiry@alstonpublishinghouse.com Website: http://www.alstonpublishinghouse.com ÂŠ 2012 Alston Publishing House Pte Ltd All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. First published 2012 Reprinted 2012 ISBN 978-981-4321-85-3 Publisher: Sim Wee Chee Managing Editor: Ann Teo Editor: Surya Emmylinda Designer: Constance Lim Printed in Singapore

Contents Chapter Title

Learning Outcomes

Introducing Musicals 1. Introduction To Musicals

Learn what musicals are Learn about the people who are part of a musical Explore different expressions of emotions in music Experience how music evokes emotions

2. History Of The Musical

Learn about the history of musicals and the early forms of musical theater Identify the mood and feelings of a piece of music and match it to a suitable scene Learn about and explore famous theaters using a virtual map

3. More About Musicals I

Learn about the ‘Golden Age’ of musical theater Find out more about famous composers of the past and present Design a pop quiz and take part in a mock game show

4. More About Musicals II

Learn about the differences between operas and musicals Learn about the structure of a musical Conduct research on some well-known musicals Take part in a short debate

Treasure Island 5. Treasure Island I

Learn what inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write Treasure Island Create a treasure map of an imaginary island Do a simple improvisation

Chapter Title

Learning Outcomes

6. Treasure Island II

Learn about the characters of Treasure Island Learn about the world of pirates and real-life pirates Learn the parts of a pirate ship and play a game

7. Treasure Island III

Read and act out a scene from the beginning of Treasure Island Learn how to make use of a simple movement exercise to make a scene more dramatic Imagine what a pirate keeps in a sea chest

8. Treasure Island IV

Form sentences using ‘pirate speak’ and make up a chant Read and act out what happens next in Treasure Island Talk about what they think of the characters in the story so far

9. Treasure Island V

Mime some actions in a scene related to Treasure Island Learn to create a rap to tell the story of one of the characters Read and act out the next part of the story

10. Treasure Island VI

Read the ending of Treasure Island and do a radio play Learn to do an adaptation of the story Design an amusement park based on the story

The Magic Flute 11. The Magic Flute I

Learn more about opera Learn about the background of The Magic Flute Known the difference between verse and prose Learn about Mozart, the composer of The Magic Flute Read the summary of the story

12. The Magic Flute II

Learn about the orchestra and groups of instruments Learn about the different types of opera singers Learn about the main characters in The Magic Flute Experiment singing with different music pitch

Chapter Title

Learning Outcomes

13. The Magic Flute III

Read and act out the beginning of The Magic Flute Create and improvise a tall tale Come up with creative uses for the magical items in the story Design costumes for the main characters of the story

14. The Magic Flute IV

Read and act out the continuation of The Magic Flute Create and act out studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; own version of a scene from the story Create fantasy animals Explore different movements with the help of music

15. The Magic Flute V

Read and act out the continuation of The Magic Flute Role-play as a character from the story to understand different points of view Learn about the Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aria and practice lip syncing

16. The Magic Flute VI

Read and act out the ending to The Magic Flute Compare characters in the story Write a script based on an imagined interview between two characters

Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde 17. Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde I

Learn more about Robert Louis Stevenson and find out what inspired him to write Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Learn about how to portray good and evil characters Take part in an improvisation activity

18. Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde II

Learn about the main characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Read and act out the opening scenes of the story Analyze four main characters from the story Conduct an interview based on a scene from the story

106

Chapter Title

Learning Outcomes

19. Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde III

Learn about the different types of dance form in musical theater Learn how dance movement and music are used to dramatize a story Learn and try out some basic dance steps Choose suitable type of dance and music for the opening of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

114

20. Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde IV

Discuss the mystery and read what happens next in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Learn about the role of a set designer Design a set based on a scene from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Write a simple script based on an extract of the story and act it out

118

21. Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde V

Read and act out the continuation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Learn how handwriting reflects information about a person and play a guessing game Research interesting facts on the production of the musical Jekyll and Hyde

123

22. Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde VI

Read the final part of the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Read a poem and relate it to the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Practice movement through a shadowing exercise

130

Play It Your Way! 23. Musical Theater I

Do research on either a fable or a fairy tale Develop a script based on a story Prepare song lyrics to accompany the story

138

24. Musical Theater II

Create background music and sound effects with simple homemade instruments Choreograph simple movements Design and create the costumes for the performance Learn some vocal warm-up exercises Complete a self-evaluation quiz on the topics covered in this book

143

Glossary Acknowledgements

149 150

Introduction To Musicals

i Yo u K no w ? What Is A Musical? Musical theater is a popular form of theater all over the world. It is a form of theater that uses music, song, dialogue and dance to tell a story. In a musical, the actors and actresses have to act, sing and dance. The stories featured in musicals may be original or adapted from novels, plays, legends, historical events or films.

Introduction To Musicals

Le t's do I t!

Talk About It

Do you know of any musicals? Talk to your partner about it. What musicals have you watched? 1 Which is your favorite? What was the story about? 2 Why did you like or dislike it? 3

Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Who Learn about the important people who are part of a musical. Musical Director

The person who is in charge of the musical and puts together the songs, dance movement and acting

Choreographer

The person who comes up with the dance movements for the songs

Chorus

All the singers and dancers in a musical

Orchestra

A group of musicians who play the music for the songs in a musical

Costume Designer

The person who designs and creates what the actors and actresses wear

Teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note

Select an excerpt of a stage musical to show to students so they can watch and learn what a musical is.

Musical Theater

Le t's do I t!

Who Am I?

Your teacher will write the words ‘musical director’, ‘choreographer’, ‘chorus’ and ‘musician’ on pieces of paper and put them into a bag. Take turns to pick a name from the bag. Then act out the person’s role. Your classmates will try to guess who you are.

Le t's do I t!

The Emotions Orchestra

In a musical, the performers use music and songs to express the characters’ emotions. Let’s see if you can create your own emotions orchestra! First, get one person to be the conductor of the orchestra. The conductor will divide the class into six sections. Instead of a string section or a brass section, the emotions orchestra will have a ‘Joy Section’, ‘Sadness Section’, ‘Excitement Section’, ‘Fear Section’, ‘Anger Section’ and ‘Confused Section’.

Sing With Emotion Think of a song that you are familiar with. Choose a simple one like ‘Happy Birthday’. Then get into your different sections and take turns to sing the song with your assigned emotion. After each section sings the song once through, the conductor will conduct the emotions orchestra. Now, it’s time to create an exciting musical sound with your EMOTIONS ORCHESTRA!

Introduction To Musicals

Tips For The Orchestra Start singing when the conductor points at your section. The conductor can point at more than one section at the same time. However, the different sections must remember to sing with the correct emotions. For example, the sadness section must sing sadly. Sing loudly when the conductor raises his hands high. Sing softly when the conductor lowers his hands. Sing quickly when the conductor moves his hands quickly. Sing slowly when the conductor moves his hands slowly.

Le t's do I t!

Painting With Music

Wassily Kandinsky was a famous Russian artist who invented the idea of ‘visual music’. His paintings were inspired by music and he wanted to ‘hear’ the colors and shapes in his art. If a piece of music or a song had colors, what colors would it be? For this exercise, listen to some music that your teacher will play for you. Then create a painting with colors that represent what you hear.

You will need: Drawing paper Poster paints A paint brush A palette

Musical Theater

Prepare your poster paints so that there are different colors on your palette. As the music is being played, close your eyes and concentrate. Listen to the music and use your poster paints and paint brush to ‘paint what you hear’. You can paint objects, shapes or just colors. When the music stops playing, complete your paintings. Take turns to present your paintings to the class.

As you listen to the song, think about the following questions: What kind of mood does the music create? What kind of colors or shapes do you ‘see’ as you listen? Does the music and the mood change? How does the music make you feel? What do you think the singer (if any) feels when singing the song?

Teacher’s Note

Prepare a collection of classical music pieces for the Painting With Music activity.

Introduction To Musicals

History Of The Musical

i Yo u K no w ? Who Invented Musicals? Musical theater has a 400-year history. Nobody knows who invented musicals but the idea of using music, song, dialogue and dance to tell a story on stage is not new!

Different Forms Of Musical Theater

Grand pera O (the oldest form of musical theater)

Vaudeville

(seperate a

ct of music

, singing, d

ancing and

acting)

Comic opera

(less dramatic and serious, and has more spoken dialogue)

MUPlaSyi sCa l

d dance that (songs, acting an

Revue ille; performances (similar to vaudev of recent events) usually make fun

Musical Theater

ther)

are combined toge

In ancient Greece, people loved going to the theater. Greek plays often had a group of singers called a chorus. The chorus would speak, sing and dance as the actors performed.

In the eighteenth century, the ballad opera and the comic opera were popular forms of musical theater in England. The ballad opera is a form of musical theater that consists mainly of spoken dialogue. It has only a few short songs. In the nineteeth century, the operetta was developed in France. An operetta is a shorter and less serious form of opera. It is similar to the comic opera. Jacques Offenbach, a French composer, wrote more than 100 operettas. His work inspired many other great composers.

History Of The Musical

Le t's do I t!

Orpheus In The Underworld

Let's try listening to Orpheus In The Underworld, one of Offenbach’s famous operettas. Your teacher will play an excerpt from the operetta. Close your eyes and listen to the music. As you listen, think of a scene from a story that you have read or a movie you have watched that would suit the music. Then describe it in the space below.

What story did you think of when you heard the music?

Describe the story.

Why did the music remind you of the story?

Teacher’s Note

If Orpheus In The Underworld is unavailable, play any suitable excerpt from one of Offenbach’s operettas.

Musical Theater

Famous Theaters Musicals are performed all over the world. However, there are two places that are well-known for musical theater. The West End in London, UK and Broadway in New York, USA are famous for musical theater. Some of the best musicals are performed on Broadway and the West Wow! End. It is also a great honor for actors and actresses to be able to perform there. hed a I watc usical! ay m Broadw

Theaters On Broadway Beacon Theater

arden Winter G

Theater

History Of The Musical

Theaters On The West End

ury Avenue

r, Shaftesb Palace Theate

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Apollo

Theate

Let’s Go To Broadway And The West End!

We don’t have to take a plane. Let’s go to these places now! Get into two groups. One group can take a ‘tour’ of Broadway and the other can ‘visit’ the West End. Log onto the Internet and go to Google Maps.

Type ‘Broadway New York’ or ‘West End London’ in the search box.

Several markers will appear on the map. Choose one marker, for example, ‘A’, and click on it. A box should pop-up with some information on it. At the bottom of the pop-up box, click on ‘more’, then click on ‘Street View’.

Musical Theater

Now, explore! You can wander around the street by clicking anywhere on the map.

6 7

If you get ‘lost’, just go back to the search box and type ‘Broadway New York’ or ‘West End London’ again. As you wander through the streets, what do you see? Can you name some theaters and the performances?

On Broadway/the West End, I saw these theaters …

They were having these performances …

History Of The Musical

What else did you see during your visit?

Teacher’s Note

If possible, the map can be projected on the board in class. Teachers can ask volunteers to be ‘tour guides’ and talk about the attractions of Broadway or the West End.

Musical Theater

Debbie B. Woodford

Musical Theater

ISBN

Empowering Minds â&#x20AC;˘ Improving Lives

978-981-4321-85-3

9 789814 321853

Debbie B. Woodford

Musical Theater

Debbie B. Woodford