Every other year the middle school “roxx” the Bard with their Shakespeare Unit in Literature. They read several Shakespeare plays and sonnets, study cultural aspects of the time and learn all about the life of William Shakespeare.
Creating a Theatrical Portfolio, they pen their own scene from one of the play- write’s tales. This portfolio includes: cultural overview of scene and play, a re-written script, character analysis, and description, props list and costume sketch.
In drama class they bring their script to life, and finally they perform a Shakespeare Festival at the Thomas Center, Spanish Court for first – fifth graders.
This year marks the sixth festival and features scenes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and an abridged version of Bad Wolf Press’s “Shakespeare Unshackled,” written by Ron Fink (Composer) and John Heath (Book and Lyrics). This play touches on many cool aspects of Shakespeare's life, Elizabethan London, and plays and theater. Most of the titles of Shakespeare's plays are mentioned (often in humorous contexts), and there are dozens of quotations from Shakespeare, including extended passages from Othello and Romeo and Juliet . It's a perfect introduction for students and audiences to the real thing!
REWRITING SHAKESPEARE ASSIGNMENT
THEATRICAL PORTFOLIO
Your group’s theatrical portfolio must contain the following
in this order.
- Creative cover page that portrays the major happenings and themes in your scene – Please list the top three themes in your scene. (5 points)
2. The script rewrite to include: or play (6th grade)
a. Cast of Characters, with a brief description of each character
b. Context of your particular scene
c. Complete Script (15 points)
3. Drawings and or pictures of costumes, props and sets with brief descriptions of how they are to be used in the play. (15 points)
4. A cultural overview within which your scene takes place and how it ties into your particular scene. Also explain why you chose this scene. You have the option to modernize your scene, if you do explain your rationale. It should be one page typed - double spaced. (15 points)
All items must be placed in one FOLDER!
POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED FOR MESSY WORK
Individual Score (all students in the group must be part of the scene) Performance (40 points)
Score is based on the following:
- Individual character report that describes your character and will demonstrate your understanding of the character you are portraying. One page typed double spaced. (15 points)
- Your lines and cues must be memorized. (10 points)
- Ability to portray mannerisms and emotion of character (10 points)
- Clear Speech – (can we hear and understand you) (5 points)
POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED FOR MESSY WORK