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Interview of 37 pages for the course A programme of Music, Visual Arts and Drama education at 8 (term 1 and 2 notes)
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Creative Arts – DRAMATerms 1+2
Name: _____________________________________________________
Tutor Class: ___________
1
,Intro to Drama
Drama is a greek word, meaning ‘action’. In drama, we play out
situations through ‘doing’, using our bodies and voices to
communicate to one another, to make the ‘action’ clear. We use
action and interaction with others to explore all kinds of human
experiences.
Drama allows us to experience situations that we would otherwise
not encounter, through imaginative play and improvisations
(acting situations spontaneously without preparation). Drama is possibly one of the most common
ways that children play naturally across all cultures, children pretend to be in situations, playing
out roles they observe in life, trying out ideas and learning through this dramatic play. One of the
basic tools in drama is empathy – the ability to feel with someone else; to put yourself in their
shoes.
There are many kinds of drama and theatre is one of these forms. Theatre is the term given to
dramas which are played out in front of a live audience. In theatre, the audience experiences the
action of the drama through what they hear and see, through the words and actions of the actors,
in real time. It is a living encounter where the presence of the audience has an impact on the
actors, unlike in film or television.
When you go and watch a performance – whether in a theatre or in the classroom – certain rules
will apply to the behaviour of the audience. Since drama is a live performance, which can be
easily disrupted, it is important that audiences respect those performing – so that everyone can
get the most out of the experience. Sometime audience participation is encourages, while usually,
it is important for the audience to remain quiet and listen to what is being said by the performers.
The actors tools
In life and drama, you use your BODY and VOICE to
communicate your thoughts and emotions. Some thoughts
and emotions you intend to communicate, but there are also
thoughts and emotions that you may communicate without
intending to do so. For example, if you’re really self-concious
or nervous whilst introducing yourself to a group, the words
you speak may seem confident but you may give away your
insecurities by how you breathe, the gestures you use or even your eye contact (or lack thereof)!
When acting, you want to communicate clearly with your audience, drawing them into those
aspects of what you think and feel, so that they are able to follow the story being told, or feel the
character you are portraying. To do this you have to use your body and voice effectively. You
need to be in control of both during the performance – it is important to get rid of any excess
tension and anxiety, to be fully relaxed and focused. We do this through PHYSICAL and VOCAL
warm ups.
ACTIVITY: Physical warm up
• Take off your shoes and blazer and find a space in the room, not touching anybody else.
• Stand in the neutral posture (feet parallel, below hips, knees softened. Tuck your ‘tailbone’
slightly under and lengthen your spine. Keep your chin parallel to the floor and your head
and shoulders relaxed.)
• Take a moment to breathe in and out. Close your eyes if it helps you to focus.
• Imagine there’s a string attached to the top of your head and someone is pulling it down to
the floor, gently. Slowly, roll your body down – your head first, then your shoulders, then
2
, your torso… feel your back curve vertebra by vertebra… drop your knees and allow
yourself to hang there.
• Gently shake your shoulders and release any tension in your neck – your head should be
able to bob loosely.
• Shake your hips from side to side and feel the rest of your body move too.
• Keep breathing!
• Now roll back up: first the hips, then your back, then your shoulders and lastly your head…
• Like a yawn, stretch your body out into a ‘Body Yawn’ – reaching and stretching as far and
wide as you can. Really feel the tension
release.
ACTIVITY: Vocal Warm Up
• Take several deep breaths. Stretch both arms
above your head as you breathe in, and release
them down to your sides with a sigh. Open your
mouth and relax your jaw as you breathe in and
release the breathe as a sigh.
• Stretch your right hand above your head as you
release the left side of your body – feel your
ribcage expand as much as possible. Repeat on
the other side.
• Breathe in and exhale on a controlled sssssss sound. Relax your lips and don’t push or
force the sound. Repeat this several times.
• Hum up and down the musical scale. See how high and low you can take your voice.
Experiment with the sound by bringing the hum to the front of your mouth and then taking it
to the back of your throat. Can you drop it into your chest or draw it up into your head?
• Release your jaw and relax those muscles by repeating MM-OO-AH. Take your time to
really move those sounds through the space – try to project them across the room.
• Breathe in and release the breath in a series of “Huh-Huh-Huh”. Feel your shoulders relax
too.
• Imagine you are eating chewing gum: exaggerate the chewing by really opening up your
mouth and getting those muscles moving. It may help to repeat the word ‘Chewy’.
• Warm up your jaw by repeating: yah-yah-yah; yu-yu-yu; yaw-yaw-yaw; yoh-yoh-yoh
• Focus on pronouncing each of the following consonants as precisely and clearly as you
can: Ba-Pa-Ga-Ka-Da-Ta
• Give your body a good shake, releasing the last of the tension in your body.
What is vocal characterisation?
Characterisation is the development and portrayal of a character through voice, body movement/
action, dialogue, costume and makeup. VOCAL CHARACTERISATION refers to the voice a
performer gives their character to express their personality – it is how an actor uses their voice to
convey character. VOCAL MODULATION refers to how one changes, varies or adapts their voice
to express meaning or the feelings behind what a character is saying (the subtext).
Pitch A sound’s position on the musical scale – how high or low one speaks
Inflection Rising and falling of the voice
Pace Speed at which one speaks
Pause A stopping or resting of the voice
Volume How loudly or softly one speaks
Emphasis Placing force on a word of syllable to show its importance
Tone The emotional meaning, as well as the intentions
3
, What is physical characterisation?
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISATION refers to how the actor uses their body to convey the
character’s personality – how they walk, stand, the gestures they use, facial expressions, eye
contact… an actor needs to embody the character in every aspect of their physical
characterisation – including how they move: movement qualities often communicate information
about the character’s relationships with others on stage.
African Story Theatre
Story-making and storytelling have always played a vital role in
people’s cultural life and history. People, ;the talking animals’,
enjoy sharing experiences, either by relating or by listening to
stories, adventures and fantasies - and many of these tales
survive today in the forms of myths and legends; society’s
cultural wisdom.
Stories are created for many different purposes;
To make sense of the world – MYTHS
Myths represent our ancestors’ attempts in ancient times to make
sense of the great mysteries of the world, and to provide answers to
key questions like: How did we get here? Who are we? What is our
role in the world? Why are the stars like they are? What is the
moon? History, geography, astronomy, forces of nature and stories
of gods and goddesses are all contained in the ancient myths.
These myths have survived through centuries because they contain
important wisdom, lessons and inspiration for us, regardless of our
culture and age.
To celebrate heroes – LEGENDS
These are stories told about an individual person, animal or hero.
They are generally exaggerated stories that have their origin in
history or fact, but have grown into tall tales over the generations.
To remember histories – EPICS
Many nations and oral cultures record their histories in the form of stories, which are closely
related to legends because they may originally have been about real people and events. Epics are
long tales, or collections of tales, sometimes about immortal beings
and their powerful deeds.
To teach wisdom and morality – FOLK-TALES, FABLES and
FAIRYTALES
These are stories that are passed down from generation to
generation. Details like names, animals and settings may change in
the telling, but the core stories are found in many cultures.
Folk-tales: stories created by a particular cultural grouping for entertainment, to
teach a lesson or to try and explain some of the puzzling things that happen in life.
Fables: brief stories with a moral, often in the form of a proverb.
Fairy tales: usually have aspects of magic or the supernatural about them. Tales
about witches, goblins, flying carpets, giants and monsters fall into this genre.
These stories touch us at our deepest levels and speak to us through symbols and
archetypes about things that defy logic ad normal explanation.
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