Preparing to view live theatre
Your kaiako will have organised for you to see King Lear by William Shakespeare as part of your drama programme this year. In Drama there are important reasons why viewing live theatre is essential to your learning:
- The opportunity to see actors in a professional, semi-professional or amateur theatrical context.
- The ihi, wehi and wana that you, the actors, and the audience that surrounds you in the theatre, feel as you watch the performance
- The opportunity to have an emotional, physical and theoretical response to a performance
- To respond to the director, designer and actor’s intentions that are put forth during the performance.
- To be inspired by the work you see and use the dramatic components in your own work back in the classroom.
Before you head to the theatre to experience King Lear you might want to do all or a selection of the following activities to ensure that you are getting the most out of the performance, both personally and as a part of your NCEA assessment programme
Before you begin preparing to visit the theatre you will want to set up a space to collate your work; to store your notes from your teacher, reflections, sketches, brainstorms, audio recordings, practice exam answers and digital education packs This could be:
- A digital space such as a google site or folder.
- A written journal or portfolio
- A designated space in a binder or clearfile
- A combination of all of above
Activity One: A personal understanding of the learning
Brainstorming as a whole class or in smaller groups use the bullet points outlined above and the following ideas to guide your conversation. -
“Why is it important to see live theatre?”
“What skills do I need to develop to ensure I am going to get the most out of this theatre viewing experience?”
“Using the information provided - what is the play about? What do you know about the play already? Are there connections you can make with the topic/story?”
“What are you excited about?”
- Make sure someone is a scribe for this activity They could collate everyone’s ideas on the white board or on big pieces of paper in groups.
- Ensure everyone gets a copy of the outcome of the brainstorm
- Store this in your digital or written portfolio to return to.
Activity Two: Physical, emotional and theoretical response
We view theatre for entertainment, for enjoyment but also to be challenged and to think deeply. You will need to remember your response and unpack your thinking later in the year when you sit your mock exams and your external exams
Brainstorm what you might need to do when you visit the theatre to record your physical, emotional and theoretical response to the performance
How will you set yourself up for success? What can your kaiako do to support you prior to the trip?
Note: Remember that enjoyment of the show is important and that you are going to be provided with a full education pack from Auckland Theatre Company. Some examples of what you could do are;
- If the set is visible when you enter the theatre, you might choose to sketch the set in a notebook prior to the show and then tuck that notebook away until the post show forum.
- Noting down an immediate response at the end of the show in a few words or sketches might capture what you are feeling in that moment
- Voice recording the post show forum on your phone.
Activity Three: The Exam
Keep your Exam Specifications in mind as you view live theatre.
As a drama student you will need to notice, think about and unpack the following:
- Taking note of the themes, ideas, symbols
- Noticing when the performance is linked to a wider context - historical, geographical, social and political
- Understanding that this play draws from the Elizabethan Theatre form. Take notice of the original features of the form drawn upon by the director and actors Take notice of stylistic decisions that have been made that feel like a fresh or modern take on Shakespeare’s work
- Actors use of techniques; body, voice, movement and space
- The choices that the design team has made and the impact they have on the performance and on you as a member of the audience
- The intention the Director(s) intended to communicate to the audience through their choices.
Year Level Focus:
Below are specific aspects that you will need to keep in mind as you view theatre and then prepare for the external assessment in November These pointers have been drawn from the NZQA website: https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/ncea/subjects/drama/levels/. (Questions that help you unpack these in detail will be provided in the Education Pack following the show.)
Year 11/Level One NCEA:
- Use of drama techniques
- Use of technologies
- Character
- Elements
Year 12/Level Two NCEA:
- Subtext
- The use of drama elements
- Conventions
- Technologies
Year 13/Level Three NCEA:
- Connections between director/designer’s concept(s) and the performance
- Elements, Techniques, Technologies, Conventions
- Wider context
In small groups discuss what aspects of the performance you will need to look out for using the focus points for your year level.
Using the information provided by Auckland Theatre Company, about the play, discuss what you think the “wider context” of the performance might be.
Think about why seeing Shakespeare’s work is important? What are you expecting to see on stage? What information do you already know?
Activity Four: Preparing for a post-show forum
After the performance you will get the opportunity to listen to and ask questions of the cast, crew and creative team. This is an amazing opportunity to enrich your understanding of the performance BUT it is usually only fifteen to twenty minutes long, so it is important to think about the type of questions which will help you, students from your school and students from other schools attending.
If the performers and creative team are ok with it, recording the forum on your phone or device via voice notes is really helpful. Your kaiako might choose to do this for you and share it with you back in class
As a class or in small groups discuss the following:
What type of questions help deepen my understanding?
How should I word my questions, so that I am not using exam jargon or language?
Who am I directing my questions to? Actor, designer, director?
What questions would be fun to ask but might not be helpful during a short forum?
What questions do I save for my kaiako/teacher?