China 八年级（初二） Arts: Drama (incl. xiqu)

1. Sem.1 U1 Into drama

Classroom as theatre; drama from life

• Drama: Elements, Stagecraft and Performance – Drama is a story told by actors who become characters and act it out in front of an audience. Every drama has characters who want something, a conflict when those wants clash, a plot that builds tension to a climax and then resolves, dialogue, a setting and a theme. On stage, actors use voice and body, and the production adds lighting, set, costume and sound.

2. Sem.1 U2 Front and back stage

Forming a crew; production planning

• Forming a Crew and Production Planning – A play needs a team called a crew. Actors work front stage, in view of the audience. Director, stage manager, light, sound and costume people work back stage. The crew keeps production records, such as a job list with names and dates, and holds a planning meeting to agree the story, who does what and the time plan.

3. Sem.1 U3 Actors, take your places

Auditions; complex emotions; actor training

• Auditions, Mixed Emotions and Actor Training – An audition is a short test where actors show a judge panel what they can do. To do well, prepare a short piece, say your name clearly (the slate) and stay calm. Real people often feel two things at once, such as joy and sadness together, so a good actor learns to show mixed emotions by playing both. Actors also train every day: breathing from the belly and clear speech for the voice, and warm-ups and stretches for the body.

4. Sem.1 U4 The stage

Stage space; lighting

• Drama: Elements, Stagecraft and Performance – Drama is a story told by actors who become characters and act it out in front of an audience. Every drama has characters who want something, a conflict when those wants clash, a plot that builds tension to a climax and then resolves, dialogue, a setting and a theme. On stage, actors use voice and body, and the production adds lighting, set, costume and sound.

5. Sem.2 U1 From novel to drama

Adapting a story into a script

Coming soon

6. Sem.2 U2 Choosing a story

Bringing characters to life

• Bringing Characters to Life: Motivation, Speech and Action – A character feels real when we know what they want (their motivation), why they want it, and what stops them (the obstacle). We then show the character through their own way of speaking and their own way of moving. Short, quick lines sound different from long, slow lines, and a restless walker is different from a calm stander. Writers and actors use want, reason, obstacle, speech and action to turn a name on a page into a person on stage.

7. Sem.2 U3 How to tell a story

Dramatic structure; conflict

• Drama: Elements, Stagecraft and Performance – Drama is a story told by actors who become characters and act it out in front of an audience. Every drama has characters who want something, a conflict when those wants clash, a plot that builds tension to a climax and then resolves, dialogue, a setting and a theme. On stage, actors use voice and body, and the production adds lighting, set, costume and sound.

8. Sem.2 U4 Future playwrights

Adapting and staging

• Adapting a Story and Staging It – To adapt a story is to turn it into a play. A story can use long narration, but a stage can only show what people say and do. So the group changes narration into dialogue and action, shares jobs (writer, director, actors, designers), and chooses a staging form: proscenium (audience on one side), thrust (three sides) or in the round (all sides). After the performance, the group reviews what worked and what to improve.