4 th Grade Lesson 1 The Beginnings Of Theatre. students. Some classes will enjoy opportunities to be creative while others will engage better if given

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1 4 th Grade Lesson 1 The Beginnings Of Theatre (Formatted for use as lecture notes if desired) Teaching artists must be very familiar with this information Introduction This lesson will help the students learn to appreciate and understand how theatre came about, how it served and continues to serve humanity, and how our modern culture has embraced the business of the arts. It will help you determine the level of your students. Some classes will enjoy opportunities to be creative while others will engage better if given specific instruction. Prepare future lessons with this mind, doing your best to incorporate activities to reach all types of learners. Before starting the lesson, introduce yourself & your organization. Write names of both the artist and organization on the board. (Leave them in place all hour.) If you desire, use an icebreaker to help learn students names and begin interacting with them. ( no more than 10 minutes) Icebreaker One suggested game is to begin with teacher(s) stating their name and creating a movement to go along with the name. The first student then recites the teacher s name while performing the created movement and then follows by reciting his name along with a movement he creates. The next student starts with the teacher s name and movement, then the previous student s name and movement and then his own. The game progresses until all student s names and movements are performed. If there are several students you may want to let 10 students go and then start over with another group. Also, it s fun to have the all the students recite the memory portion and then the next student recites his name and performs his movement. 1

2 In the interest of keeping this activity within the suggested 10 minutes, movements should be simple and easy to follow. You may also want to have 3 or 4 students say the same name and do the same movement to speed things along. They could make up a new name instead of using actual names of teacher or students. Know This! What is Theatre? When we speak of theatre, we mean performances by living actors that take place in the presence of living audiences. This excludes film and electronic media. (Radio,TV, Movies) What is Theatre? Q. How many of you have attended a theater performance? Please share your experience with us. When we mean the play script or text of such performance, we use the word drama. Theatre in some periods has not depended on play scripts in any sense that we would recognize. Theatre spelled with the re means the art form. Theater er can refer to the building where theatre takes place. It can be spelled either way and theat re is coming to mean both. Different types of theatre? Examples: Ballet and other kinds of dance, Opera, Musical Theatre, Mime and (Pantomime, Circus, Puppet shows. Note: these are all performances, each depending upon different arts, or mixing of art forms. Theatre sometimes depends more heavily on language, but may incorporate other art forms. Almost anyplace where there is room for the actors and an audience, however small. Early theatres were usually places where religious Rituals and other ceremonies were performed for example: a circle in the middle of a village. Discuss the definition and spelling of theater as described opposite. Q. How many different types of theater can you name? Make a list on a chalkboard if available. Q. Where can theatre be performed? Tell the students about the beginning of theater. (Opposite) 2

3 The basic elements of theatre and drama are found in society no matter how primitive or advanced. They may be seen in the dances and ceremonies of primitive peoples, just as they can be found today in such diverse activities as religious services, political campaigns, parades, sports, and children s make-believe, Theatre entertains, educates, inspires, and provokes new ideas and appreciation of diversity. A famous Greek philosopher, Aristotle, has said that drama is an imitation of human deeds, feelings, and thoughts, and gives pleasure because it helps man to understand his world and organize his responses to it. Tell class that they will hear more about Aristotle in the 5 th grade when they learn about early Greek Theatre. But many centuries before Greek Theatre, early man Still performed. How did primitive man use drama? Early man, frightened by what must have appeared to be a chaotic world around him, sought comfort in making some sense of it. Within primitive societies, dramatic ritual was a way of doing this & it served a number of purposes. Share the ideas in the background information about how primitive man used theater to influence, educate, entertain and give pleasure, and glorify or praise people or events. Lecture & Discuss. Students may have examples of their own as you talk about primitive man. Have fun with the class while you inform them. Perhaps you can get them to think of a recent experience in a storm when they sought comfort. And they don t live outside!! 1. It was intended to influence events through sympathetic magic. One of the fundamental premises of primitive magic is that a desired effect such as success in battle or adequate rainfall can be achieved by acting it out. The movements of animals were imitated, costumes and masks were devised, the cries of the young were skillfully repeated. 3

4 When primitive man wanted rain, he may have climbed a tree and pretended to pour water from a bucket or gourd upon the ground. Another performer make have struck stones together to get thunder, while a third waved a firebrand until the sparks flew in imitation of lighting. Many rituals of this kind were related to seasonal changes. Primitive man did not always perceive that the years recur in a fixed pattern. Therefore, he felt it essential to enact rites to insure the return of spring and the continued growth of the crops. 2. Dramatic ritual was often used to educate. Since one mark of a primitive society is the absence of a written language, dramatic ritual served as a means for passing on traditions and stories about their ancestors. 3. Dramatic ritual was often used to glorify or give praise to a supernatural power, to a victory in a hunt or war, to the tribal past, a hero, or a tribal totem (an animal, plant, or natural element with which a tribe thinks itself closely related.) 4. Dramatic ritual entertains and gives pleasure. Even in the most serious ceremony there could be an element of pleasure which derives from the spectacle, the repetition of a formal pattern, or the skillful performance. Improv Activity Break the class into small groups, giving each group a topic related to early man: Examples: o inventing the wheel, o discovering fire, o killing a bear, o inviting spring, o protecting family from attack of the enemy. o Teaching the young to hunt buffalo Ask them to prepare a short skit on their topics by using movement, songs, rhythm and speech to perform before the rest of the class. 4

5 You may want to challenge the students by reminding them that early man did not speak the same language we do today. Provide each group with various items to be used as props. Plan ahead. Or, students can be quite inventive with everyday items from their classroom setting. Students perform skits. (10 minutes) You want to have the remainder of the class try to guess what the actors are performing. Teachers may assist group with creative ideas. Observe the natural leaders in the group. This will help you with future projects. Tell the class that they might want to do more research on primitive man in OK. (or your state). (See Attached) Primitive groups of people that passed through or resided in Oklahoma? (or your state) Folsom Man Clovis Man Spiro Mounds:The Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (700 to 1200 AD) East of the Mississippi, these groups are known as Mississipian; west of the river thegroups are called Caddoan. Caddoan ceremonial societies were based on the Arkansas River of Oklahoma and the Red River of Louisiana and Texas Reinforce earlier comment if made Early Stages In the earliest history of theatre, stages were simple areas, usually just some flat land, or a sacred space, or just a public space within a village where a performance could be held It may have held special meaning for the tribe or the village people. Q. Where did primitive man perform? Discuss the reasons for this. 5

6 Elements of theatre Although our specific reasons for performing may differ considerably from those of primitive man, the modern theatre still serves some of the same purposes. Ritual drama and today s theatre employ the same basic elements music, dance, speech, masks, costumes, performers, audience, and stage area. In addition, modern theatre employs business techniques to sell and promote the product and to capture the support and participation of the community in which it resides. Q. How do you think theater has influenced our society today? Discuss. (TV, movies, cartoons, radio, music, videos, etc.) Summary Give class a preview of lessons to come: Types of Stages/The Jobs in Theatre How an Actor Prepares. 6