Grade 12 Dramatic Arts
Assignment – The One-Person Performance
Worth: 10% of your final mark
OVERVIEW:
For this assignment, you will be required to independently select, read and analysis a published stage play. You will have the following two tasks:
- Conduct a Script Analysis of various elements of the play, such as plot, character, themes and symbolism.
- Transform the play into a one person performance that takes between 5 and 10 minutes.
TASK ONE – SCRIPT ANALYSIS
Discuss the following elements in detail. Remember that these elements are geared towards helping you create your performance.
- PLOT – Summarize the plot, or storyline of the play. Include all of the key moments that either provide important information, or that heighten the experience of the play. This should be 300-400 words long.
- CHARACTERS – Choose the three most pivotal
characters in the play and create a character sketch for each. Include the
following information:
- Basic Description (Age, Sex, Background, Personality)
- Goals (What does the character desire)
- Obstacles (What is in the character’s way)
- Strategies (What does the character do to get what they want?)
- THEMES/MOTIFS/SYMBOLS – Have a deeper look at the play by investigating the themes, motifs and symbols within the script. (If you don’t see any, LOOK HARDER – they are there). This should be 300-500 words long.
THEMES – What do you think this play is about, other than the plot? Does it have a message, or a lesson?
MOTIFS – What recurring images, lines, sounds and/or actions are in the script that enhance the play?
SYMBOLS – Does the play present or discuss any objects that contain deeper levels of meaning?
TASK TWO: THE PERFORMANCE
Now that you’ve analyzed the script in detail, it is now time to transform the play into your own personal “take” on it. I am not asking you to perform the entire play, nor am I asking you to perform a short section of it. I want you to completely recreate it in your own unique, creative way.
For example, you do NOT:
- Have to include any of the original dialogue
- Have to include all of the original characters
- Have to incorporate the entire plotline
- Have to discuss and incorporate every single theme, symbol or motif
What I WANT you to demonstrate is:
- That you understand what the play is trying to say
- That you have identified and highlighted the most important moments in the play
- That you know how to tell a story in a creative, engaging manner
- That you incorporate emotion into the story
For your performance, you CAN:
- Play one, all or some of the characters from the original script
- Act as a narrator to tie your scenes together
- Use media (video and/or sound) to help you tell your story
- Use sections of the original dialogue
- Completely re-write the dialogue
- Use alternative methods of dramatizing a story (mime, song, sound-effects, dance, puppetry, etc.)
EVALUATION
Your work will be evaluated as follows:
SCRIPT ANALYSIS: Completion/Detail: /10
Depth/Insight: /10
PERFORMANCE: Production Value: /10
Dramaturgy: /10 Creativity: /10
Risk: /10
Focus: /10
Narrative/Flow: /10
Vocal: /10
Physical: /10
OVERALL: 100
MAKE A CHOICE
This assignment is not easy. It is not meant to be. the key point of this assignment is to force you to make some choices as to how you want to tell the story. Make a choice, and stick to it. Be bold, and you can’t lose. GOOD LUCK!
