It was great to see parents at Meet the Teacher Night to learn about what we do in the drama classroom.  I stress that PARTICIPATION is key to success, and we had some parents doing just that in an exercise called Stage Picture.  I hope questions were answered in the time we enjoyed together.  If for some reason you weren’t able to attend, here is a link – Lower School Drama Meet the Teacher

This blog focuses on 2nd grade, 3rd grade and 4th grade.

This year at Quest we are introducing Artificial Intelligence into the curriculum. 

2nd grade Tigers and Elephants 

In the drama classroom, we presented the idea of ETHICS.  We explored the moral questions often posed in a story or drama.  As there are “ethical questions” relating to Artificial Intelligence, students were asked to discover and think about the moral lessons posed by Greek myths, so that they begin to build their own ethical sensibility.     

Today machines are programmed by people who may use what they are creating for good or bad.  During drama class the students pondered the moral lesson in the story of King Midas and the Golden touch, then discussed how he used his new power given to him.  They discussed questions like:  What did King Midas do with his new power?  Was his power used for good or bad?  What were the consequences of his actions? 

The students also discussed different choices they could make in every day situations, and the consequences of their actions – whether negative or positive.  They especially like re-enacting another Greek myth – Pandora’s Box.  Below are video clips from different classes throughout this unit.  We will continue to explore the idea of ethics –  moral rules that help direct a person’s behavior – as we bring to life Native American legends for the 2nd grade Potlatch coming up in November.

3rd grade – Treefrogs and Llamas  AND   4th grade – Geckos and Foxes

Each year in both the 3rd and 4th grades, I acquaint the students with early forms of drama and live theatre.  This year our focus has been on the Italian Renaissance, specifically the broad stock characters of the Commedia dell’ Arte. Developed to make people laugh, espcially the common folk, this stylized form of comedy was performed by a troupe of actors who traveled from town to town.  The storylines or scenarios had a common theme that were mostly improvised.  

Descriptions for some of the characters from Commedia:

Dottore walks with his belly leading, knees bent, with a bouncy movement, taking small steps; he makes large gestures with his hands.                                                                                   

Pantalone is an educated upperclass man who leads with his big nose, hunched over and flashing his expensive rings to all.

Capitano tries to make himself seen at all times. His feet and legs are far apart in order to make himself appear more mighty and strong. His chest sticks out, with his shoulders broad.

We looked at the various stock characters and discussed how this idea has influenced modern theatre and film today.  We created our own version of Modern Stock characters in short scenes.  The students were encouraged to create exaggerated “stock” characters.  We exploring – personality, movement and voice.