Unit: Auditioning Grade Level: 10th-12th Grade Subject: Theatre Arts Essential Vocabulary: Cold-reading, monologue, improvisation, character,

tactics, motives, scoring, headshots, acting rsum Logan L. Cole Time Frame: 6 Weeks/ 3 days/ 75 minutes

Unit Summary: Students will be introduced to and become familiar with different types of auditioning processes. Standards Addressed: http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/arts/1099.pdf Arts - Theatre 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10,1.12,1.14,1.15 1.17 Essential Questions: How to you memorize a monologue? What is cold-reading and how do I practice it? How is someone supposed act in an audition setting both as a performer and as someone waiting? What goes into preparing a monologue? Enduring Understandings Students will understand that the audience or acting partner will wait for thoughts to be finished Students will understand that the selection of an audition piece of a monologue requires a person to know about themselves Students will understand that there is no one true way to memorize a piece and should find a way that works best for them Students will understand that preparation for an audition is more than getting a monologue memorized Students will understand that the way they behave in an audition or while waiting can say more about them than their prepared piece.

Week 1

Day 1
Audition Unit Introduction. Warm ups will be focused on what a person could do before going into an audition Cold reading of a non-dramatic text in large and small groups. Approaching an unfamiliar text in ways that allow some sort of character to be conveyed HW: Read a short paragraph out loud chosen by a family member Dropping in to a text: Analyzing a script on your feet, tactics and motives In small groups, students will read nondramatic texts using dropping in techniques.

Day 2
Cold Reading of scenes with two people.

Day 3
Creating a character out of a cold Monologue. Mini Discussion on Tactics and motives

Learning how to critique work of others and self in constructive terms

Discussion on monologues: Selection, scoring, memorization techniques, Reading one or two of monologues selected in small groups using dropping in techniques.

HW: Bring in non-dramatic texts such as recipes, poems, homework from other classes Relaxation techniques - Effectively using breath and relaxation to launch into a monologue Warm ups to do before having to perform a monologue Bringing life from words on a pages to speech from your mouth

HW: Glance over Monologue List, select 3-5 that sound interesting and do a quick internet search for summaries of the plays

HW: Begin memorizing one monologue

Monologue work in pairs chosen by teacher without the use of script. Calling for line is acceptable

Presenting yourself at an audition: How to slate, and how to actually perform monologue in an audition setting

Mid-term: Presentations of memorized monologues Discussion led by students about what they saw that work and what to work on. The process of memorization, and questions about the process of reciting a monologue. Work in pairs for monologues chosen by partner HW Begin Memorizing 2nd Monologue

How to choose a monologue for another person: Finding a monologue that complements a person

Working on monologues chosen by partner as well as memorized monologue. Last day to call line for monologue

HW: Choosing monologue for pairing partner

Presentation of "Good" and "Bad" Monologues from two Emerson Undergrads Learning how to critique the work a person does into a monologue to help them improve Discussion lead by HS Students about acting. auditioning, memorizing, college with two undergrads

Scoring both monologues, coaching in small groups with prompts given by teacher Slating multiple pieces

Devising day: A non-conventional way to look at auditions through improv game and playmaking How to turn an audition from a stressful environment into a postive one

Work in small groups on 2nd monologue with script in hand HW Memorize 2nd Monologue HW Memorize 2nd Monologue

Work on both monologues in small groups, can call for line on 2nd monologue Tactics in 2nd monologues

First presentation of 2nd monologue to class Quick coaching, then 2nd run of monologues

Business of the audition: Headshots pictures vs. Facebook profile pictures, resumes, what to wear, college auditions Looking at headshots and rsums as groups and discussing what they think are good and bad about certain headshots. What can a picture and a rsum say about you? What to put on a resume for auditions HW Create a rough draft of an acting rsum Final "Auditions" for panel of Directors from various places. Discussion with auditors about the audition process and monologue work

HW Scoring 2nd monologue

Small group work; Looking at the resumes that group members brought in, Listing three positives about their acting resumes and one thing to fix while in class, will hand in resumes to teacher at end of class Introduction of final

Dress rehearsal for final, Student-led critique of monologues in class, Best/Worst Behavior game in an Audition: Students will improv really good things to do at an audition, and really bad (and school appropriate) behaviors in audition settings