Lessons in Stagecraft

Contents Introduction for Facilitators ...........................................................................................3 Final Performance Checklist...........................................................................................4 TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft for Beginners............................7 Session 1: Introduction to Stagecraft ............................................................................. 9 Session 2: Set Design..................................................................................................... 11 Session 3: Set Building .................................................................................................. 14 Session 4: Stage Lighting............................................................................................... 16 Session 5: Costumes...................................................................................................... 19 Session 6: Stage Make‐Up............................................................................................. 23 Session 7: Directing....................................................................................................... 26 TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft for Intermediate Members.....28 Session 1: Introduction to Stagecraft ........................................................................... 30 Session 2: Set Design..................................................................................................... 32 Session 3: Set Building .................................................................................................. 35 Session 4: Stage Lighting............................................................................................... 36 Session 5: Costumes...................................................................................................... 40 Session 6: Stage Make‐Up............................................................................................. 43 Session 7: Directing....................................................................................................... 46 TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft for Advanced Members ..........48 Session 1: Introduction to Stagecraft ........................................................................... 50 Session 2: Set Design..................................................................................................... 52 Session 3: Set Building .................................................................................................. 56 Session 4: Stage Lighting............................................................................................... 59 Session 5: Costumes...................................................................................................... 61 Session 6: Stage Make‐Up............................................................................................. 63 Session 7: Directing....................................................................................................... 66 APPENDIX ...................................................................................................................68 TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Beginner Production The Adventures of Mouse Deer..................................................................................... 69 TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Intermediate Production Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School .............................................................. 84 TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Advanced Production A Midsummer Night’s Dream ....................................................................................... 94 Recommended Resources and Supplies ..................................................................... 104 Resources for Scripts and Scenes ............................................................................... 107 Getting Involved in the Community............................................................................ 109 Tips for Using Props in Scenes .................................................................................... 110 TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Introduction for Facilitators The world of drama is about much more than just performing. Theatrical productions require scenery, costumes, lighting, sound and much more. In TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft, you will find the tools you need to provide hands‐on experiences to your members in these different aspects of theater. About this Guide TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft is intended to make the TNT DramaMatters program more inclusive to all members – regardless of their interest in performance or acting. The program includes many different ways for members to express themselves creatively, from costumes to set design to directing. Through this program, we hope members will discover that a behind‐the‐scenes role in a production is just as important as an onstage role. Stagecraft offers many ways to use creative and organizational skills – whether as the set designer or the stage manager – while also working together with a group to bring all of the different production elements together. Unlike the original TNT DramaMatters Afterschool program, the sessions in this guide are not meant to be limited to one hour. As the facilitator, you should feel free to extend activities, like directing or set building, into multiple sessions so that members can take their time and enjoy themselves. The sessions in this guide are divided into three skill levels: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. These levels are based on members’ previous experience with drama and correlate with the levels in the original TNT DramaMatters Afterschool program. Each session begins with a summary of that session, the main objectives and a list of materials. (Please see Recommended Resources and Supplies on page 104 of the Appendix for suggestions on how to get the materials for little or no cost.) All of the activities for each skill level (beginner, intermediate and advanced) are based on a different script. Beginners use The Adventures of Mouse Deer for their sessions, Intermediate members use Three Sideways Stories from Wayside School for their sessions and advanced members use A Midsummer Night’s Dream for their sessions. (The three scripts can be found in the Appendix, starting on page 68.) If your Club has an ongoing TNT DramaMatters Afterschool program, you may choose to link the Lessons in Stagecraft activities with the original program guide and use those scripts instead for the activities in this guide. This way, the Lessons in Stagecraft members can provide scenery, costumes and props to the performance‐focused members. If you do choose to put on a final production with both groups, the next page includes a checklist to help you get organized and schedule your performance. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Final Performance Checklist

Eight Weeks Out □ Select a play to perform • Think about the members who will be performing in it. How many actors do you have? How many boys? How many girls? Could some parts be combined, or could the genders be changed? • You can find many age‐appropriate plays online or in books. Just remember: you can use royalty‐free scripts as long as you do not charge admission, but if a play is copyrighted or you charge the audience money to see the performance then you need to get permission from the play’s author or publisher. □ Ask for volunteers • Ask other staff, teen Club members and students from the local schools to volunteer to help with the performance. They could be stagehands, help with set or costume design or even direct. This is a great project for college or high school students who plan to go into drama.

Six Weeks Out □ Cast the play • You may have selected the play knowing who would be best for the parts, but it is still a good idea to hold auditions. Not only does this give all members a chance to try out for different parts, it is also a great time to talk to them about the job of the casting director. • Make sure members know that all of the parts are important. □ Make a list of costumes and props • Go through the script and make a list of all props and costumes that you will need. Ask members, staff and volunteers to identify any of the items that they can bring in. • Select one volunteer, staff member or even an advanced member in the TNT DramaMatters program to keep track of props and costumes as they are brought in. This would be a good time to mention the importance of the prop master. Make sure these items are always kept in the same place! • Choose one member to be the stage manager. This should be a member who has strong organizational and communication skills, because the stage manager’s job is to coordinate the many different TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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aspects of a production and communicate between the “back of the house” (the costume designer, prop master, set designer, etc.) and “front of the house” (director, actors, etc.).

Five Weeks Out □ Start rehearsals • Start by doing a reading of each scene, where each actor reads the part they are going to play. Then add the blocking. • Ask members to rehearse their lines when you are blocking scenes that they are not in.

Four Weeks Out □ Continue rehearsals □ Start set design • Ask for volunteers from art schools to help with suggestions and guidance for the sets for your play. Also, get members involved by finding out who would like to be involved with creating the sets. This is a good time to talk about the role of the set designer. • Buy white drop cloths from a paint supply store to act as your sets. Members can paint directly on these to create the backdrop for each scene. And the best part – they can be folded up and stored somewhere out of the way when not in use.

Three Weeks Out □ Continue rehearsals □ Get the word out • If you want to let people outside of the Club know about your performance, you may choose to send a press release to several local media outlets. • Get members involved. Ask them to make posters or table tents to spread the word around the Club. Now is a great time to mention that this is the same kind of thing that a publicist does to let people know about a play or event.

Two Weeks Out □ Continue rehearsals • Ask that members try to have all of their lines memorized by the end of this week. Encourage them to start going through the scenes without their scripts and prompt them if they get stuck on a line. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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□ Costumes • Go through the props and costumes that people have brought in and decide what else you need. Hit the thrift stores, eBay and Craigslist to get the rest of your costumes together without breaking the bank. • Hold a fitting to get everyone into their costumes and make sure everyone has what they need. This is exactly what the costume designer would do in a professional play, so if any of your members have expressed an interest in that profession you may want to put them in charge of the process.

One Week Out □ Hold dress rehearsals • Have everyone put on their costumes and go through the play from beginning to end. When members are not performing onstage, they should be seated in the house and watching the other performers in the play.

The Big Day □ Warm‐up • Ask members to get there early and get into costumes immediately. Then get them all together in a circle and do one of the warm‐ups from the TNT DramaMatters Afterschool program guide. Many professional actors choose to stretch, repeat tongue twisters or practice deep breathing immediately before a performance. □ The Performance • When the performance begins, sit just offstage with a copy of the script so that you can follow along. If anyone forgets a line, you can whisper it to them so that the scene keeps moving along. □ Curtain Call • Give each performer their moment to shine with a curtain call that brings them all back on stage to take a bow. □ Cast party • If you choose to, you can celebrate members’ success by inviting them and the audience to stay after the performance for refreshments.

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TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft for Beginners These activities are intended for members who have completed the original TNT DramaMatters Afterschool program for beginners, or who have some experience with drama but virtually none with other aspects like set design, costumes, make‐up or lighting. The main goals of these activities are to help members: 1. Learn about the many aspects of theater beyond acting. 2. Express themselves and their ideas through design explorations. 3. Gain confidence in their creative abilities. 4. Foster team building and encourage members to work together as a group. Beginners Production: The Adventures of Mouse Deer Activities in the beginners’ sessions are based on a reader’s script called The Adventures of Mouse Deer, which can be found in the Appendix on page 68. If this script is too long for your members, it can be shortened or divided into three sections to make it easier for members to focus on specific parts or characters. Synopsis: The Adventures of Mouse Deer is a folktale that originated in South Asia. Like most folklore around the world, there is no way of knowing who originally told this story, as it was passed down orally through generations before someone eventually wrote it down. The Adventures of Mouse Deer presents the story of a fictional creature, called Mouse Deer, who must escape many predators through wit and cunning. This is a common theme in South Asian myths and folktales, which emphasize mental abilities over physical. This script was written by Aaron Shepherd, who specializes in writing reader’s theater scripts that help children build vocabulary and comprehension. If you want to read additional scripts by Aaron Shepherd, visit his Web site at www.aaronshep.com.


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Additional Resources: If you choose, here are some places to find alternative scripts for use with the beginner sessions, instead of The Adventures of Mouse Deer: • www.teachingheart.net/readerstheater.htm A great place for reader’s theater scripts, including Casey at the Bat and Where the Wild Things Are. • www.lazybeescripts.co.uk/Theatre_scripts_for_schools.htm This site has a tool that helps you search for plays by length, cast and age range. • http://scriptsforschools.com If you have money to spend, this site offers a wide variety of scripts that are available for $15 and up. Please see Resources for Scripts and Scenes on page 107 in the Appendix of this guide for a list of excellent books that feature scenes and scripts for children.


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Session 1: Introduction to Stagecraft Summary: Introduce members to the script they will be using, and discuss what they will need in order to bring it to life onstage. Session Objective: • To understand the basics of stagecraft. Materials: • Whiteboard or poster paper • Marker • One copy of The Adventures of Mouse Deer for each member or pair of members Pass out a copy of The Adventures of Mouse Deer to each member, or ask members to share with a partner. Assign each member a role in the script. If you have more than nine members in your group, you can split up the larger roles, like the Narrators or Mouse Deer, and have members switch halfway through the script so that everyone gets a chance to read. You may choose to shorten the script and only read a section if it is too long for the time allotted for the session. Read through the script with your members. For this first reading, do not worry about acting it out or moving around. Just ask them to read it out loud in the group. When you have read the entire script or the selected section, move to the whiteboard or hang a piece of poster paper where everyone can see it. Explain that in the upcoming Lessons in Stagecraft activities, members will be in charge of bringing this script to life onstage. Ask members what they think is included in stagecraft. If they are stumped, prompt them with a few of the following suggestions: • Set design and creation • Costumes • Stage make‐up • Lighting


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Write their answers on the paper or whiteboard, leaving space between them. Then go through the list and ask members what they will need to create. Suggestions might include: • Set design and creation – the jungle, the farm, the river • Costumes – Mouse Deer, Tiger, Crocodile, Farmer, Dog • Stage make‐up – Mouse Deer, Tiger, Crocodile, Dog • Lighting – Is the lighting in the jungle different than on the farm? Should there be a spotlight for the narrators? When you and your members have completed the list, leave it hanging as a reminder of what you and your members will work on over the upcoming sessions. At the end of the session, collect the scripts and hold them for next time.


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Session 2: Set Design Summary: Members work alone or in groups to design the set for The Adventures of Mouse Deer. Session Objectives: • To learn about set design. • To draw a set and create a miniature set model. Materials: • Paper for each member • Colored pencils, markers or crayons for each member • A shoebox with one long side cut off for each member or pair of members • One copy of The Adventures of Mouse Deer for each member or pair of members

Bright Ideas From the Clubs: Brenda Seals, from the Boys & Girls Club of Morristown, asked local companies for donations of large panels of cardboard, which members painted to make sets. She also arranged for Wal‐Mart to donate unsold Halloween costumes so members had access to a costume chest to create looks for different characters.

Begin by explaining to members that they will design and create a part of the scenery for The Adventures of Mouse Deer. Reference the list you made last time to point out what pieces of scenery are available for members to design. Visualize It Each member should select a scene for which they would like to design the scenery. It is fine if some members choose the same scene, since they will work together to make the actual scenery next session. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Ask members to spend some time thinking about the scene they have selected. If they chose the jungle, what should it look like? What about the scenery will make it clear that the action is taking place in a jungle? Is there anything in the script that they need to be sure to include? Sketch It Once they have thought about the location for the scene, invite members to take a piece of paper and drawing materials and sketch the background. If they are drawing the jungle, they might draw trees and other animals in the background. If they are drawing the river, they may choose to draw trees surrounding a body of water that gets smaller in the distance.

A sample painting of a jungle scene

Building It When members have completed their drawings, explain that will now create a set diorama. This is a miniature, three‐dimensional model of their set. Depending on the number of members in your group or the time remaining, you may choose to divide them up into pairs to create their sets. Ask members to work with someone who designed scenery for the same scene, if possible. Hand out a shoebox to each member or pair of members. The side of the shoebox where you have removed the cardboard should be the top of the diorama. Members should paste the scenery that they draw onto the “back wall” of the diorama, creating a background for the stage in front of it. Members who are working in pairs will need to decide whose drawing will be used for the background, and the member whose drawing is not chosen should be in charge of creating the other pieces that will appear onstage. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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A sample diorama of a forest scene

After members have pasted the scenery onto the background, they should work on creating any other pieces of the set that would appear in their scene. Does the script reference a tree that members may need to cut out and prop up in front of the background? Are there crops or plants in the script? How could members give the illusion of a river? If time remains after members have completed their dioramas, invite them to share their work with the group. Explain that in the following activity, they will make the backgrounds.


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Session 3: Set Building NOTE: Depending on the length of your TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft sessions, this activity may extend into two sessions. Summary: Members work in groups to paint the set for The Adventures of Mouse Deer. Session Objectives: • To learn about scenery. • To create a set that could be used in the production of The Adventures of Mouse Deer. Materials: • Three large pieces of butcher paper or drop cloths (about five feet wide and seven feet long) • Pencils or markers • Paint in a variety of colors • Paint brushes • Old T‐shirts or smocks that can get dirty • The set dioramas from the previous session • Real leaves from nearby trees (optional) Get Ready Lay the three pieces of paper or cloth flat on the floor in a place that will not get a lot of foot traffic. You could do it at the end of a hallway that will not be used during the session, or by moving desks out of the way in the art room. Explain to members that they are going to spend the session painting the scenery they drew in the previous session. Because supplies and time are limited, any members who worked on the jungle scenery will work together on the final product, as will the river and farm groups. Sketch the Set Distribute one smock or old T‐shirt to each member. Have each of the three groups sit next to one of the pieces of paper or cloth.


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Kids paint scenery outside to prevent spilling on the floor

Hand out pencils and invite members to start out by working together to sketch the background on the paper. If you are using a drop cloth, you may need to provide markers so that the drawings will be visible. Help members to understand the scale of drawing. You may want to provide them with a few leaves from nearby trees to help give them a sense of how big their own leaves should be. It is their choice to make them bigger or smaller, but encourage all of the groups to communicate so the sizes are consistent. Paint the Set When members have completed the drawing and everyone in the group is satisfied, give them paint in a variety of colors to fill it in. Bright, bold colors work well on stage, so encourage members to make their scenery vivid. When members are done or time is up, have members rinse their brushes and return the supplies and smocks to you. Wait for the scenery to dry – it may need to be left overnight depending on the type of paint – and roll the paper or fold the cloth before storing it in a cool, dry place until the next session.


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Session 4: Stage Lighting Summary: Members use desk lamps and different colored plastic wrap to experiment with different styles of stage lighting. Session Objectives: • To learn about stage lighting. • To experiment with spotlights and using lights to create mood. Materials: • Inexpensive desk lamps – one per each pair or small group of members • Plastic wrap (such as Saran) in as many colors as possible • The scenery members painted in the previous session • One copy of the Stage Lighting Worksheet found on page 18 for each member or each group of members • A pen or pencil for every member Before the session, hang the pieces of scenery that members created at different points around the room. They will use the scenery in order to see the effects of lighting variations on the background. Begin the session by explaining the importance of stage lighting. In a theatrical performance, the house, where the audience sits, is completely dark, so stage lighting is necessary so the audience can see the action on stage. But stage lighting does much more than just make the stage visible. Different colors, textures and strength of lighting can communicate different moods, environments and times of day.

An example of the desk lamp that could be used for this activity


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Divide members up into pairs or small groups, and give each of them a lamp and a set of different colored plastic wrap. Ask each group to set up their lamp in front of a piece of scenery. Multiple groups can use the same piece of scenery, since one can get their lamp ready while the other is lighting the set, or the groups can work together to blend different colored light on the scenery. In the theater, colored lights are created by inserting different colored gels in front of certain lights. Explain to members that today, they will be using the plastic wrap to act as gels. They can cast specific colors by holding a sheet of plastic wrap in front of the lamp. Emphasize that they should not put the plastic wrap directly on the bulb, as this could cause the plastic to melt. Hand out the Stage Lighting Worksheet to each group, and help them as they go through the exercises and fill in their answers. If members are having a hard time seeing their light against the scenery, you may choose to turn off the lights in the room in order to make the effects more dramatic. If time allows at the end of the session, ask members to share their answers with the group, and discuss any issues that they came across.


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Stage Lighting Worksheet 1. A spotlight creates a focused pool of light onstage. Create a spotlight by pointing the lamp at one member of your group while he or she stands in front of the scenery. What do you think spotlights are used for in theatrical productions? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 2. What color do you think works best to create a sad mood onstage? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 3. What color do you think works best to create a happy mood onstage? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 4. What color do you think works best to make the scene look like it is happening in the evening? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 5. What color do you think works best to make the scene look like it is happening in the afternoon? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 6. What are some ways that you can use light to create the illusion of being in a jungle? (Hint: Creating shadows can give the appearance of light filtering through leaves.) ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________


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Session 5: Costumes Summary: Members draw costumes for the characters in The Adventures of Mouse Deer and, if time allows, use old clothes to create the costumes. Session Objective: • To learn about costuming. Materials: • One copy of the Character Template found on page 22 • Colored pencils, markers or crayons for each member • One copy of The Adventures of Mouse Deer for each member or pair of members • A clothing chest, filled with donated clothes from staff, parents, volunteers or purchased from thrift shops (optional) Get Ready Begin by explaining the importance of costumes in theatrical productions. Whether an actor wears a full costume or just one or two pieces that indicate who that actor is supposed to be, a costume helps the audience both identify and understand the character. Costumes are especially important in productions where actors play multiple roles, in plays set in different time periods or when actors play animals. Sketch It Give each member a copy of the Character Template and drawing materials. Tell them to choose one character from The Adventures of Mouse Deer and imagine what that character looks like. You may want to provide a copy of the script to each member to refresh their memory of the characters, or review them as a group.


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MAKE IT A TEAM ACTIVITY Divide members into teams and give each team a large sheet of butcher paper (as tall as they are). Ask one member from each team to lay down on the paper and the other members to draw that person’s outline around him or her. When the outline is complete, that person should get up and help as the team works together to draw a life‐size costume onto the outline and color it in with paint, crayons or markers. A sketch of the Tiger costume Ask them to think about the ways in which a costume could tell the audience about each character. How could they use a costume to let an audience know that a character is a crocodile, tiger or farmer? What color would the character wear? What else, like a tail or ears, would be needed? When members have spent time thinking about the character, tell them to draw a costume onto the character template. Encourage them to be as detailed as possible. Put It Together If time allows, and if you have a clothing chest available, invite members to choose clothing to create the costume that they drew. They may have to be creative, since everything they need will most likely not be available in the chest. If, for example, they want to make mouse ears, suggest they make ears out of construction paper and tape them to a headband or hat.


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An example of the Farmer’s costume

If they want to make a costume for a tiger, suggest that they use an orange T‐shirt and cut black stripes out of paper. They can tape the paper to the shirt to create their own stripes. If time remains at the end of the session, members can put their costumes on over their clothes and walk around the room. Encourage them to move and behave as that character. When the session is over, put the clothing back in the chest and let members take their costume sketches home with them.


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Character Template


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Session 6: Stage Make‐Up Summary: Members draw make‐up for characters in The Adventures of Mouse Deer and, if time allows and if staff chooses to do so, experiment with stage make‐up on themselves. Session Objective: • To learn about stage make‐up. Materials: • One copy of the Stage Make‐Up Template, found on page 25. • Colored pencils, markers or crayons for each member • One copy of The Adventures of Mouse Deer for each member or pair of members • Make‐up – both traditional and costume make‐up – donated by staff, volunteers and parents (optional) • A mirror large enough for several members to use at once, or a small hand mirror for pair of members (optional) • Make‐up remover (optional) • Old T‐shirts or smocks for every member (optional) Nearly every actor in a theatrical production wears stage make‐up, even the men. Stage make‐up is used to enhance facial features and expressions and make them more visible to the audience. Stage make‐up usually includes foundation, eyeliner, lipstick and blush. It tends to look too heavy and dark when seen off‐stage, but under the stage lights and from the distance of the audience, it appears much lighter. Stage make‐up plays an even bigger part in productions where actors play animals, monsters or characters who are much older than the actors. In these cases, make‐up is used to create age lines on a person’s face, or to paint on aspects of the animal that the actor is playing. Pass out a copy of the Stage Make‐Up Template and colored pencils, markers or crayons to each member. Ask them to pick one character from The Adventures of Mouse Deer and think about what that character’s face would look like. They may pick the same character they chose for the costume activity, or they may choose to use a different character. You may need to review the characters in the script. Some fun ones to think about are Mouse Deer, Tiger, Crocodile and Dog.


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Make‐up for the Crocodile character Once members have spent time thinking about the character, they can color in the make‐up onto the blank face in the template. Optional: If you choose to so, and if time allows, invite members to try to re‐create the look that they drew on their own faces. You may want to provide old T‐shirts or smocks to keep them from getting any make‐up on their clothes. Be sure to read the instructions carefully so you know how to take the make‐up off at the end of the session! MAKE IT A TEAM ACTIVITY Divide members into teams and give each team a large piece of poster paper with a big oval on it. Ask members to work together to choose a character and color stage make‐up onto the “face” with paint, markers or crayons.


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Stage Make‐Up Template


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Session 7: Directing NOTE: Depending on the number of members in your group, this activity may extend into multiple sessions. Summary: Members take turns directing each other in a reading of The Adventures of Mouse Deer. Each member gets the chance to be the director and the stage manager. Session Objective: • To learn about the roles of the director and stage manager. Materials: • One copy of The Adventures of Mouse Deer for each member • The scenery that members painted in Session 3 The director of a play unifies the many different aspects of the production, including set design, costumes, lighting and make‐up, and oversees the quality of the overall production. This is clearly a very big job, so the director is often aided by a stage manager, who communicates with the entire production team and keeps everything running smoothly. Divide members into groups of four to six people and hand out a copy of The Adventures of Mouse Deer to each member. Pick one member from each group to be the director and one member to be the stage manager. The other group members will be the actors. Tell members not to worry, they will all get the chance to fill each role. Ask the director to select a scene from The Adventures of Mouse Deer. If you have the space, you may choose to hang the scenery from Session 3 around the room so members can perform their scenes in front of it. The director should assign roles. Some actors could play multiple roles, if there are not many people in the group. Once the roles have been decided, the director leads the actors through the rehearsal of the script. The stage manager makes notes as the director tells the actors where to stand and how to move around the stage. In rehearsals for a play, the stage manager’s notes are especially important for actors to remember their blocking for each scene. The stage manager is also responsible for communicating with the lighting team, the costume designer, the set designer, the prop master and stage hands.


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This is also a good time to practice the stage directions that members learned about in sessions on “blocking” in TNT DramaMatters Afterschool. After members have gone through the scene, rotate the roles so that the stage manager becomes the director, the director becomes an actor and one of the actors becomes the stage manager. Begin the activity again with the new director selecting the section of the script he or she wants to rehearse and casting the roles. Repeat this activity until all members have had a chance to be the director and stage manager.


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TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft for Intermediate Members These activities are intended for members who have completed the original TNT DramaMatters Afterschool program for Intermediate Members, or who have experience with performance and some experience with or knowledge of other aspects like set design, costumes, make‐up or lighting. The main goals of these activities are to help members: 1. Challenge themselves with new activities. 2. Gain confidence in their creative abilities. 3. Express themselves through design, costuming and other theater‐based activities. Intermediate Production: Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School The activities in the following sessions are based on a reader’s script called Three Sideways Stories from Wayside School, which can be found in the Appendix on page 84. You could also choose to base these activities on scenes that your TNT DramaMatters Afterschool Intermediate members are working on, so that the Lessons in Stagecraft members can provide the scenery, costumes and lighting for those scenes. Synopsis: Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School is a story of a mixed‐up school and the children who learn there. The play consists of three separate stories that feature some of the same characters and take place within the same location. Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School relies on one or more narrators. A narrator is a person who tells a story, and in the case of a play, a narrator can fill in the parts that are not seen onstage and tell the audience the back story, which is everything that happened to the characters and location before the play began. In Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School, the narrators are essential, since they tell the audience that the school was accidentally built sideways. Without narrators, this information would be more difficult to get across. Even though they are very important to the audience, narrators are usually “invisible” to the characters onstage, meaning that the characters do not acknowledge the narrator in any way.


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Additional Resources: If you choose, here are some places to find alternative scripts for to use with the intermediate sessions, instead of Three Sideways Stories from Wayside School: • www.zartmo.com A collection of one‐act plays for children and teens, each for $30. • www.havescripts.com Many different scripts including reader’s theater, Shakespeare adaptations and musicals. • www.childrenstheatreplays.com/one‐acts.htm One‐act plays for members in middle and high school. Please see Resources for Scripts and Scenes on page 107 in the Appendix of this guide for a list of excellent books that feature scenes and scripts for children.


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Session 1: Introduction to Stagecraft Summary: Members read through the script that they will use throughout the stagecraft activities and work together to make a list of the production elements this script requires. Session Objective: • To identify the elements of a theatrical production. Materials: • Whiteboard or poster paper • Marker • One copy of Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School for each member or pair of members. Conduct a table read with your members to familiarize them with the script. A table read is an organized read‐through where actors read their parts without moving around or worrying about blocking. Pass out a copy of Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School to each member, or ask members to share with a partner. Assign each member a role in the script. If you have more than nine members in your group, you can split up the larger roles, like the Narrators or Mrs. Jewls, and have members switch halfway through the script so that everyone gets a chance to read. You may also choose to shorten it and only read a section if it is too long for the time allotted for the session. When you have read through the entire script or the selected section, move to the whiteboard or hang a piece of poster paper where everyone can see it. Explain that in the upcoming Lessons in Stagecraft activities, members will be in charge of creating everything needed to bring this script to life. Ask members what they think is included in stagecraft. If they are stumped, prompt them with a few of the following suggestions: • Scenery • Costumes • Props • Stage make‐up • Lighting Write their answers on the paper or whiteboard, leaving space between them. Then go through the list and ask members what they will need to create for this script. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Suggestions might include: • Scenery – Mrs. Jewls’ classroom, the art room, the stairwell, outside in the school yard • Costumes – Mrs. Jewls, Joe, Calvin, Bebe and Louis • Props – paper, markers, chalkboard • Stage make‐up – Mrs. Jewls, Louis, Calvin, Bebe and Joe • Lighting – Is the lighting in the classroom different than in the outside scene? When you and your members have completed the list, keep it hanging as a reminder of what you and your members will work on over the upcoming sessions. At the end of the session, collect the scripts and hold them for next time.


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Session 2: Set Design Summary: Members design the set for one scene from Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School and work together to begin building the set. Session Objectives: • To get experience with set design by designing the background for one scene. • To transfer their design to a larger scale. Materials: • Paper for each member • Colored pencils, markers or crayons for each member • A ruler for each member or pair of members • One copy of Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School for each member or pair of members • Four large pieces of butcher paper (about 5 feet tall and 7 feet long) or four cotton canvas painters’ drop cloths (about 5 feet tall and 7 feet long)

Bright Ideas From the Clubs: Nicole Torrez, from the Spencer D. and Mary Jane Stewart Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix, bought a small stage for members to perform puppet shows for other Club members. If you do not have the time or materials for members to create large‐scale sets, creating sets for puppet shows is a great way to apply the same principles but reduce the time and expense needed to create the scenery. Begin by explaining to members that they are each going to design and create a part of the scenery for Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School. Reference the list you made last time to point out what pieces of scenery are available for members to design. The choices are: Mrs. Jewls’ classroom, the art room, the stairwell and outside in the school yard. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Visualize It Each member should select a scene for which they would like to design the scenery. Try to make sure there are a few members working on each scene, so that they can work together later in the session. Ask members to spend some time thinking about the scene they have selected. What needs to be in the classroom? What does an art room usually look like? How can you easily identify a school yard? Sketch It Once they have thought about the location for the scene, invite members to take a piece of paper and drawing materials and sketch the background. Remind them that they are only sketching the background for the scene, and that three‐dimensional objects, like a desk or a table, would be added later.

A sketch of scenery for a classroom scene

Start on the Scenery When members have completed their drawings, put them in groups based on the scenery that they drew. For the rest of the session, the groups will work on sketching their scenery on a large piece of butcher paper or canvas. Make sure each group has at least one ruler and several pencils. Encourage groups to spend some time talking about the scenery and where everything should go. They should feel free to make a lot of marks on their paper, since the marks will be covered with paint in the following session. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Encourage members to use the rulers to draw straight lines and keep everything to scale. Explain that scale means that all of the objects in the background remain in proportion with each other. This means that if they draw a chalkboard that is 3 feet long, the chalkboard eraser should only be about 6 inches long. If it is much larger, it will look out of scale. The issue of scale makes it very important that everyone in the group works together to make sure the scenery looks right. If members have time left over when they have finished sketching their backgrounds, they can start labeling the scenery with the colors that each object should be painted. This will help next time when it is time to paint! When the session is over, roll up the butcher paper or fold up the cloths and store in a safe place until next time.


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Session 3: Set Building NOTE: Depending on the length of your TNT DramaMatters Lessons in Stagecraft sessions, this activity may extend into two sessions. Summary: Members work in groups to paint the sets for Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School. Session Objective: • To paint a set for the production of Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School. Materials: • The large pieces of scenery that members started in Session 2 • Pencils or markers • Paint in a variety of colors • Paint brushes • Old T‐shirts or smocks that can get dirty Get Ready

Lay the pieces of scenery flat on the floor in a place that will not get a lot of foot traffic. You could do it at the end of a hallway that will not be used during the session, or by moving desks out of the way in the art room. Distribute one smock or old T‐shirt to each member and ask that members put them on and then go sit by the scenery that they worked on in the previous session. If members did not finish sketching or labeling the colors in the set last time, provide them with pencils and ask that they finish that first before moving on to painting. Paint the Set Once members are finished the drawing and labeling, give them paint in a variety of colors to fill it in. Bright, bold colors work well on stage, so encourage members to make their scenery vivid.


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A girl paints the scenery for the schoolyard scene

When members are done or time is up, have members rinse their brushes and return the supplies and smocks to you. Wait for the scenery to dry – it may need to be left overnight depending on the type of paint – and roll the paper or fold the cloth before storing it in a cool, dry place until the next session. MAKE IT A TEAM ACTIVITY You may choose to have the entire TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft group work together on one piece of scenery to encourage teamwork and get the job done faster. If you choose to do so, ask members to vote on which piece of scenery they’d like to work on together or select the piece ahead of time.


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Session 4: Stage Lighting Summary: Members will experiment with different colors and configurations of desk lamps to light a set. Session Objective: • To get hands‐on experience with stage lighting and understand the different types of lights. Materials: • Inexpensive desk lamps – as many as possible • Colored plastic wrap (such as Saran) in as many colors as possible • The scenery members painted in the previous session • A pen or pencil for every member

Bright Ideas From the Clubs: Ashlee Hitchcock, from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wake County, asked members to bring flashlights from home in order to practice different types of stage lighting. They turned off all of the lights in the trailer in which they met for their TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft sessions, and members took turns standing in the different colored spotlights created by flashlights and colored plastic wrap. Before the session, hang the pieces of scenery that members created at different points around a room with as few windows as possible. Make the room as dark as possible so members can see the effect of their stage lighting. Please keep this in mind when preparing for the session. Theatrical lighting is very complicated. Most theater productions, even high school drama departments, hire a team of professionals to set‐up and control the lighting during the performance. A simple exercise, however, can go a long way to helping your members understand stage lighting.


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Begin the session by explaining the importance of stage lighting. In a theatrical performance, the house, where the audience sits, is completely dark, so stage lighting is necessary for the audience to see the action on stage. But lighting the stage requires more than just pointing lights at the actors. Lights need to be arranged so that light falls evenly on everything onstage, or focused so that it draws attention to certain elements. Different color, intensity and direction of lighting can be used to communicate the mood, time of day or highlight a specific character. Ask members to get a desk lamp and stand in a semi‐circle in front of the piece of scenery that is hanging up. Turn off the lights in the room, and block as much light from windows as you can. Ask everyone to turn their lamps on and point them at the scenery. Have one member or one of the staff stand in front of the scenery. Eliminating Shadows Ask members if they can see any shadows from the person cast onto the background. If they can, then the two people on either end should point their lamps at the background. Ask members if this makes the shadows go away. Ask members if there are any new shadows on the person or in the scenery. If there are, help members work together to move their lights and eliminate the shadows. Some may need to hold their lamps lower or higher to make sure that light falls evenly on the “stage.” Times of Day Ask members if they can make the light onstage seem like evening. Remember, everything on stage still needs to be visible, but the light should be softer. Some members may need to turn off their lamps to achieve this effect, or they could use blue plastic wrap to cast a softer glow. Mood Ask members if they can work together to create an angry, dramatic mood on stage. Red plastic wrap may be an effective way of getting this across. If time allows, choose a few members to be the actors and act out a short scene from Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School. The rest of the group should try to keep the actors evenly lit throughout the performance. The two groups can trade places to give everyone a chance to be the lighting designers.


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An example of the effect lighting can have on the nature of a scene Movement Ask members to work together to create the illusion that the scene onstage is happening in a forest. To do this, have them hold their hands in front of the lamps – not on the lamps, as they might be hot – and spread their fingers apart. They should then slowly pull their hands away from the light until the light onstage is bright but speckled with shadows. Now, ask members to create the illusion that the wind is blowing in the forest. They can move their hands in front of the lamps, or move the lamps themselves. Make sure they keep watching the stage so they know whether they need to slow down or speed up to keep the movement consistent.


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Session 5: Costumes Summary: Members create costumes for the characters from Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School. Session Objective: • To practice assembling a costume for a character. Materials: • One copy of the Character Template, found on page 42. • Colored pencils, markers or crayons for each member • One copy of Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School for each member • A clothing chest, filled with donated clothes from staff, parents, volunteers or purchased from thrift shops (optional) Theatrical productions use costumes to tell the audience about a character. If a character wears a suit and tie, the audience sees that this character works in some professional job, or is dressed up for a special occasion. If an actor wears her hair in pigtails and wears overalls, then the audience knows that actor is playing the role of a child. In this session, members plan out the costume for one character from Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School and, if you choose, put elements of those costumes on over their regular clothes. Sketch It Give each member a copy of the Character Template and drawing materials. Tell them to choose one character from Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School and imagine what that character looks like. You may want to provide a copy of the script to each member to refresh their memory of the characters, or review them as a group. Ask them to think about the ways in which a costume could tell the audience about each character. How could they use a costume to let an audience know that a character is a child or an adult? What colors would the character wear? When members have spent time thinking about the character, tell them to draw a costume onto the character template. Encourage them to be as detailed as possible. Members should be sure to list all of the costume elements below the drawing to identify everything they would need to put this together in a production.


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MAKE IT A TEAM ACTIVITY Divide members into teams and give each team a large sheet of butcher paper (as tall as they are). Ask one member from each team to lay down on the paper and the other members to draw that person’s outline around him or her. When the outline is complete, that person should get up and help as the team works together to draw a life‐size costume onto the outline and color it in with paint, crayons or markers. The team should select a different member to dress in the style of the character that they drew. They can work together to gather materials from a costume chest for the selected member to wear over his or her clothes. Put It Together If time allows, and if you have a clothing chest available, invite members to choose clothing to create the costume that they drew. They may have to be creative, since everything they need most likely will not be available in the chest. If time remains at the end of the session, members can put their costumes on over their clothes and walk around the room. Encourage them to move and behave as that character. When the session is over, put the clothing back in the chest and let members take their costume sketches home with them. Ask members how portraying a character in costume made them feel. Did it help them get more into character? Did it help them to move like that character?


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Character Template

Character Name: _________________________________ Character Age: __________________________________ Costume Pieces (examples – glasses, dress, stockings, overalls, etc.): __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________


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Session 6: Stage Make‐Up Summary: Members draw make‐up for characters in Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School and, if time allows and if staff chooses to do so, experiment with stage make‐up on a partner. Session Objective: • To make a make‐up plan for a character and practice with stage make‐up. Materials: • One copy of the Stage Make‐Up Plan, found on page 45 • Colored pencils, markers or crayons for each member • One copy of Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School for each member or pair of members • Make‐up – foundation, eyeliner in black and brown, blush and lipstick – donated by staff, volunteers and parents (optional) • A mirror large enough for several members to use at once, or a small hand mirror for each pair of members (optional) • Make‐up remover (optional) • Old T‐shirts or smocks for every member (optional) Nearly every actor in a theatrical production wears stage make‐up, even the men. Stage make‐up is used to enhance facial features and expressions and make them more visible to the audience. Stage make‐up usually includes foundation, eyeliner, lipstick and blush. It tends to look too heavy and dark when seen off‐stage, but under the stage lights and from the distance of the audience, it appears much lighter. Stage make‐up plays an even bigger part in productions where actors play animals, monsters or characters who are much older than the actors. In these cases, make‐up is used to create age lines on a person’s face, or to paint on aspects of the animal that the actor is playing. Pass out a copy of the Stage Make‐Up Plan and colored pencils, markers or crayons to each member. Ask them to pick one character from Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School and think about what that character’s face would look like. They may pick the same character they chose for the costume activity, or they may choose to use a different character. You may need to review the characters in the script. The choices are Mrs. Jewls, Joe, Calvin, Bebe and Louis. Once members have spent time thinking about the character, they can color in the make‐up onto the blank face in the template. Remind them that every character, even if they are a child, will wear make‐up in order to be seen under the stage lights. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Hint: Drawing freckles on a character is a good way to make them look younger, while drawing lines on the forehead and around the mouth creates the illusion of wrinkles from a distance.

Stage make‐up used to create the illusion of age

If you choose to, and if time allows, invite members to pair up and try to re‐create the look that they drew on their partner’s face. You may want to provide old T‐shirts or smocks to keep them from getting any make‐up on their clothes. Be sure to read the instructions carefully so you know how to take the make‐up off at the end of the session! MAKE IT A TEAM ACTIVITY Divide members into teams and give each team a large piece of poster paper with a big oval on it. Ask members to work together to choose a character and color stage make‐ up onto the “face” with paint, markers or crayons.


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Stage Make‐Up Plan


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Session 7: Directing NOTE: Depending on the number of members in your group, this activity may extend into multiple sessions. Summary: Members take turns directing each other in a reading of Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School. Each member gets the chance to be the director and the stage manager. Session Objectives: • To learn about the roles of the director and stage manager. • To see how the many aspects of production come together. Materials: • One copy of Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School for each member • The scenery that members painted in Session 3 • Inexpensive desk lamps – as many as possible • Costume chest The director of a play unifies the many different aspects of the production, including set design, costumes, lighting and make‐up, and oversees the quality of the overall production. This is clearly a very big job, so the director is often aided by a stage manager, who communicates with the entire production team and keeps everything running smoothly. Choose a short scene from within Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School and hang the background for that scene. Assign one member to start out as the director and one to start as the stage manager. The director should choose members to act out the scene. The actors can pick their own costumes, or the director can pick a costume designer to select a few items for the actors to wear over their clothes. The director should also assign several people to be lighting designers. The lighting designers should set up their lamps with the help of the stage manager, who can tell them if there are any shadows cast on the set. Once the actors are costumed and the lighting is right, the director should run a rehearsal with the actors. The director should tell the actors where to stand and how to move. The stage manager should coordinate the lighting designers and let them know if the light should change at any point throughout the scene. The stage manager should TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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also keep track of any props that are needed in the scene and keep the rehearsal moving smoothly. After members have gone through the scene, rotate the roles so that the stage manager becomes the director and another member becomes a stage manager. The director should pick new actors for the scene. Repeat this activity until all members have had a chance to be the director and stage manager.


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TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft for Advanced Members These activities are intended for members who have completed the original TNT DramaMatters Afterschool program for Advanced Members, or who have extensive experience with performance and knowledge of or interest in other aspects like set design, costumes, make‐up or lighting. The main goals of these activities are to help members: 1. Challenge themselves by doing the activities necessary to produce a play. 2. Gain confidence in their creative abilities. 3. Express themselves through design, costuming and other theater‐based activities. For the advanced group, we strongly recommend linking the Lessons in Stagecraft group with the TNT DramaMatters Afterschool advanced members. This will help all members see the correlation between stagecraft and performance and appreciate the impact that costumes, lighting and scenery can make on the final production. If you do not have a concurrent TNT DramaMatters group, then we have included a suggested script on which you can base the sessions’ activities. The script is a scene from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a play that includes many opportunities for creativity in costuming, make‐up, scenery, lighting and other aspects. This script can be found in the Appendix of this guide on page 94. Advanced Production: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Synopsis: A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy by William Shakespeare that tells the stories of four young people who fall into a love tangle. Each of them is in love with the wrong person. The fairy king Oberon and his secret agent Puck cast spells and play tricks on the four people to make them fall in love with one person, then another. All of this happens one summer night in a forest outside Athens, in ancient Greece. The play is one of Shakespeare’s most popular works and is still performed around the world. About William Shakespeare: William Shakespeare was born around 1564 in Stratford‐ upon‐Avon, a town in England. His exact birth date is unknown, but records show that he was baptized in 1564. Over the course of his life, Shakespeare wrote more than 35 plays, including Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet and The Taming of the Shrew. His work includes comedies, tragedies and historically‐based plays that are widely considered some of the best works in the English language. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Additional Resources: If you are concerned that this script is too advanced for your members, many books offer scenes that are appropriate for teenage actors. The following books can most likely be found at your local library: • 24 One Act Plays by Bennett Cerf and Van H. Cartmell • One Act Plays for Acting Students: An Anthology of Short One‐Act Plays for One, Two or Three Actors by Norman Bert • Take Ten: New Ten‐Minute Plays by Eric Lane • Scenes for Young Actors by Lorraine Cohen Please see Resources for Scripts and Scenes on page 107 in the Appendix of this guide for a list of excellent books that feature scenes and scripts for children.


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Session 1: Introduction to Stagecraft Summary: Members read through the script and break up into production groups. Session Objective: • To identify the elements of a theatrical production. Materials: • Whiteboard or poster paper • Marker • One copy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for each member or pair of members Pass out a copy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to each member, or ask members to share with a partner. Assign each member a role in the script. Some members may need to read two roles in order to cover all of the parts. You may also choose to shorten the play and only read a section if it is too long for the session. Read through the script with your members, pausing for questions or to explain parts of the script. For this first reading, do not worry about acting it out or moving around, just ask them to read it out loud in the group. When you have read through the entire script or the selected section, move to the whiteboard or hang a piece of poster paper where everyone can see it. Explain that in the upcoming activities, members will work in groups to create the production elements for this play. Divide members into groups of about four or five people. If you have a small TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft group, you may choose to all work together. Each group will work independently of the others to develop the production elements, so make sure that each group has enough people to complete the activities. Ask members to list the elements that go into a production. If they are stumped, prompt them with a few of the following suggestions: • Scenery • Costumes • Stage make‐up • Lighting TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Write their answers on the paper or whiteboard, leaving space between them. Go through the list and ask members what they will need to create for this particular performance. Suggestions might include: • Scenery – the forest • Costumes – the fairies, the actors, a donkey’s head for Bottom • Stage make‐up – the fairies, the actors • Lighting – How can the lighting convey a forest scene? When you and your members have completed the list, keep it hanging as a reminder of what you and your members will work on over the upcoming sessions. At the end of the session, collect the scripts and hold them for next time.


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Session 2: Set Design Summary: Members sketch and diagram the set for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Session Objective: • To get experience with set design by designing the background for one scene. Materials: • Paper for each member • Colored pencils, markers or crayons for each member • A ruler for each member or pair of members • One copy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for each member or pair of members • One copy of Set Diagram Template for every group, found on page 55 A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes place in the forest, so members will spend the next two sessions – and possibly more – working in groups to sketch, diagram and paint the forest scenery. Visualize It Each group should spend some time talking about the scenery they want to create. Everyone may think of something different when they picture a forest, so the groups should make sure they have a coherent idea of what they are going to make. In addition to the backdrop, they should consider what elements of the set will be separate from the scenery. Do they need a tree for Titania to sleep under? A log for Bottom to sit on? Some bushes for Puck to hide behind? All of these objects should be included in the diagram of the set. Sketch It Once they have thought about the location for the scene, invite each group to take a piece of paper and drawing materials and sketch the background. Each member of the group may want to draw something, or the groups may choose one member to be the artist while the others provide input.


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A sketch of scenery for A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Remind members to keep the scale of the scenery in mind when they are drawing their backdrops. If the actors are 5 feet tall, and the trees are meant to be 20 feet tall, that means that the tops of the trees would not appear in the backdrop. Only their trunks would be visible. Make the Diagram In addition to the backdrop, members will create the three‐dimensional elements that appear onstage as part of the set – like trees, logs, flowers or bushes. In order to plan how large these pieces should be, where they will go onstage and what the overall picture will look like, members should work together to create a stage diagram. Hand out a copy of the Set Diagram Template to each group. Members should fill in this diagram to depict where every object will appear onstage. To make sure that the objects are the proper scale, members should use the scale included on the Set Diagram Template and their rulers to draw outlines of each object.


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An example of a set diagram – this one for an office.

When members have finished, make sure that they label their sketches and diagrams. Collect the papers and keep them for the following session.


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Set Diagram Template

AUDIENCE

Scale = 1 foot TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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GROUP NAME:_____________________________

Session 3: Set Building NOTE: Depending on the length of your TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft sessions, this activity may extend into two sessions. Summary: Members work in groups to paint and build their sets for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Session Objective: • To paint a set for the production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and to build additional pieces of scenery. Materials: • One large piece of butcher paper (about 5 feet tall and 9 feet long) or cotton canvas painters’ drop cloths (about 5 feet tall and 9 feet long) per group • Pencils or markers • Paint in a variety of colors • Paint brushes • Old T‐shirts or smocks that can get dirty • Pieces of cardboard or empty cardboard boxes – as large as possible • One ruler per group • One pair of scissors per group • Glue for each group • Members’ scenery sketches and set diagrams from Session 2 Get Ready Lay the pieces of scenery flat on the floor in a place that will not get a lot of foot traffic. You could do it at the end of a hallway that will not be used during the session, or by moving desks out of the way in the art room. Distribute one smock or old T‐shirt to each member and ask that members put them on and sit in their groups by one piece of paper or cloth. Hand out their sketches and diagrams from the previous session. Paint the Set Make sure each group has at least one ruler and several pencils. Tell members to use their sketches to draw the background onto their scenery. They should work together and use their rulers to keep everything a consistent size. They shouldn’t worry about pencil marks showing up since they are going to paint over them anyway.


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Once members are finished with the drawing, give them paint in a variety of colors to fill it in. Bright, bold colors work well on stage, so encourage members to make their scenery vivid. Build the Set If members chose to create additional elements for their scenery, they are going to need to build them. Distribute pieces of cardboard to each group. Ask members to use their rulers to mark on the cardboard how big the object should be – they can use their diagrams as a reference – and then draw an outline of that object on the cardboard. Once they have drawn the outline, members should cut the object out of the cardboard. Then they can paint it the color of that object.

The scenery for a real production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Propping It Up Once the objects are cut out, members will need to stand them up. The best way to do this is to cut out additional, smaller pieces of cardboard and glue them to the back of the object, perpendicular to it, so the object can lean back against them. NOTE: If your members included a tree in their set elements, this may be tricky to both build and stand‐up on its own. If you do not have a single piece of cardboard big enough to make the tree, suggest that they build the tree in parts, gluing pieces of it together to form a larger element. They may need to hang the tree from something, like a clothesline that could run across the front of the “stage,” using clothespins. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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When members are done or time is up, have members rinse their brushes and return the supplies and smocks to you. Wait for the scenery to dry – it may need to be left overnight depending on the type of paint – and roll the paper or fold the cloth before storing it in a cool, dry place until the next session.


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Session 4: Stage Lighting Summary: Members experiment with different configurations of flood lamps to light a set. Session Objective: • To get hands‐on experience with stage lighting and understand the different types of lights. Materials: • Flood lamps with clips, which can be purchased cheaply at hardware stores (see Master Supply List in the Appendix of this guide for details); you will need as many as possible • Plastic wrap (such as Saran) in different colors • Aluminum foil • The scenery members painted in the previous session Before the session, hang the pieces of scenery that members created at different points around a room with as few windows as possible. Make the room as dark as possible so members can see the effect of their stage lighting. Keep this in mind when preparing for the session. You may even want to separate the groups into different rooms or distinct areas so their lights don’t interfere with each others’. Theatrical lighting is very complicated. Most theater productions, even high school drama departments, hire a team of professionals to set‐up and control the lighting during the performance. A simple exercise, however, can go a long way to helping your members understand stage lighting. Begin the session by explaining a little about stage lighting. Lights need to be arranged so that light falls evenly on everything onstage, or focused so that it draws attention to certain elements. Different color, intensity and direction of lighting can be used to communicate the mood, time of day or highlight a specific character. Ask each group to get a few flood lamps and go to their scenery. Turn off the lights in the room, and block as much light from windows as you can. Ask everyone to turn their lamps on and point them at the scenery. Eliminating Shadows Ask one member from each group to stand in front of the scenery as the actor. The rest of the group should arrange their lights to evenly light the set and the person, with no shadows. Members can move desks or objects and clip lights to them, so they can walk around and see the effects of the light. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Creating a Spotlight Ask members to work together to form a spotlight on the actor. They may need to turn some lamps off, or just redirect them.

Lighting used to draw attention to a scene taking place in the tree

Creating a Sense of Place Finally, ask members to work as a group to light the stage in a way that communicates the forest. Do they think it should be darker than the first lighting option? Can they figure out a way to create the illusion of shadows from leaves? Hint: They may find that cutting holes in the aluminum foil and holding it in front of the lamp works well for this. In the theater industry, plates with shapes cut in them are called gobos. They are usually made from either metal or glass. If time allows, choose a few members to be the actors and act out a short section from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The rest of the group should try to keep the actors evenly lit throughout the performance. The two groups can trade places to give everyone a chance to be the lighting designers.


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Session 5: Costumes Summary: Members create costumes for the characters from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Session Objective: • To practice assembling a costume for a character. Materials: • Blank paper – several pieces per group • Colored pencils, markers or crayons for each member • One copy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for each member • A clothing chest, filled with donated clothes from staff, parents, volunteers or purchased from thrift shops Theatrical productions use costumes to identify and tell the audience about a character. In this session, members work in a group to plan the costumes for two or three characters from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. They will begin by sketching the costumes. If possible, they can look through a costume chest to identify the pieces they would use to make the costume. Sketch It Give each group blank paper and drawing materials. Tell them to pick two or three characters from the script to costume: • Amateur actors • Fairies • Bottom with the donkey head • Bottom without the donkey head As they did with the scenery, members can assign one artist or all choose to sketch. Encourage them to draw the costumes from multiple angles so they can plan out both the front and back.


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A costume sketch for Bottom – both with and without the donkey head Put It Together If time allows, and if you have a clothing chest available, invite members to choose clothing to create the costume that they drew. They may have to be creative, since everything they need most likely will not be available in the chest.

Puck’s costume in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Session 6: Stage Make‐Up Summary: Members draw make‐up plans for characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and, if time allows and if staff chooses to do so, experiment with stage make‐up on a partner. Session Objective: • To make a make‐up plan for a character and practice with stage make‐up. Materials: • Several copies per group of the Stage Make‐Up Plan, found on page 65 • Colored pencils, markers or crayons for each member • One copy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for each member or every other member • Make‐up – costume make‐up, foundation, eyeliner in black and brown, blush and lipstick – donated by staff, volunteers and parents (optional) • A mirror large enough for several members to use at once, or a small hand mirror for every other member (optional) • Make‐up remover (optional) • Old T‐shirts or smocks for every member (optional) Nearly every actor in a theatrical production wears stage make‐up, even the men. Stage make‐up is used to enhance facial features and expressions and make them more visible to the audience. Stage make‐up usually includes foundation, eyeliner, lipstick and blush. It tends to look too heavy and dark when seen off‐stage, but under the stage lights and from the distance of the audience, it appears much lighter. Stage make‐up plays an even bigger part in productions where actors play animals, monsters or characters who are much older than the actors. In these cases, make‐up is used to create age lines on a person’s face, or to paint on aspects of the animal that the actor is playing. Pass out a few copies of the Stage Make‐Up Plan and colored pencils, markers or crayons to each group. Members will color in the face on the template in the same way that they would apply make‐up to characters from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It is best if they choose the same characters for which they created costumes, so they can think about how the make‐up and costume would work together. Once members have spent time thinking about the character, they can color in the make‐up onto the blank face in the template. Remind them that every character, even if they are a child, will wear make‐up in order to be seen under the stage lights.


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Puck’s stage make‐up in A Midsummer Night’s Dream If you choose to, and if time allows, invite members to pair up and try to re‐create the look that they drew on their partner’s face. You may want to provide old T‐shirts or smocks to keep them from getting any make‐up on their clothes. Be sure to read the instructions carefully so you know how to take the make‐up off at the end of the session!


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Stage Make‐Up Plan


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Session 7: Directing NOTE: This session may extend into multiple sessions in order to give everyone the chance to be the director.

Summary: Members take turns directing each other in a reading of a section from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Each member gets the chance to be the director. Session Objective: • To experience the role of director. • To see how the many aspects of production come together. Materials: • One copy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for each member • The scenery that members painted in Session 3 • Flood lamps – as many as possible (optional) • Costume chest (optional) Before the session: Hang members’ scenery in a room that can be made fairly dark – ideally the same space you used for the lighting activity in Session 4. The director of a play unifies the many different aspects of the production, including set design, lighting, costumes and make‐up, and oversees the quality of the overall production. Ask members to get into their groups. One group will be the actors for a scene while all other members will be part of the production group. Choose one member of the production crew to be the director, who will direct the actors in a short selection from the script. The director should choose another member to be the stage manager, who coordinates the members on the production team to help the director realize his or her vision for the scene. The director guides the actors through the script, providing direction on movement, performance and emotion. The stage manager guides the production team as they set up the scenery and find props or costume pieces. The director should lead the rehearsal of the selection once through and then members should rotate so another group becomes the actors and the former actors join the production team. Try to provide a chance for all members to be the director and stage manager. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Optional: If you choose, you can give everyone on the production team a specific role by asking the director to choose costume designers and lighting designers to dress the actors and light the set. This will take more time, but it will give members a better idea of how all of these parts come together. If you choose to do that, the director should also provide input on the lighting and the costumes, but the stage manager should be responsible for communicating with everyone on the production team. After members have gone through the scene, rotate the roles so that the stage manager becomes the director and another member becomes a stage manager. The director should pick new actors for the scene. Repeat this activity until all members have had a chance to be the director and stage manager.


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Error! Reference source not found.APPENDIX


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TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Beginner Production The Adventures of Mouse Deer Tales of Indonesia and Malaysia Told by Aaron Shepherd The Adventures of Mouse Deer ‐ Story copyright © 1997, 2002, 2003 Aaron Shepard. Script copyright © 2004 Aaron Shepard. Scripts in this series are free and may be copied, shared, and performed for any noncommercial purpose, except they may not be posted online without permission.

A scene from The Adventures of Mouse Deer

Synopsis: Mouse Deer is small, and many animals want to eat him – but first they have to catch him! Genre: Folktales, trickster tales Culture: Indonesian, Malaysian Theme: Wit vs. power Readers: nine or more Ages: 7‐10 Length: 20 minutes (3 + 7 + 4 + 6 + 1) Roles: Narrators 1–4, Mouse Deer, Tiger, Crocodile, Farmer, Dog, (Other Crocodiles), (Scarecrow) TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Notes: •

For best effect, place NARRATORS 1 and 2 at far left, and 3 and 4 at far right, as seen from the audience.

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TIGER, FARMER and DOG can double as OTHER CROCODILES.

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To increase the number of readers, a different reader can play MOUSE DEER in each story.

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The conversations among the NARRATORS and between them and MOUSE DEER will be more believable if the readers learn those speeches by heart and do not look at their scripts.

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Below is the tune for “Mouse Deer’s Song,” an original composition of the author’s.

• If no one at your Club reads music, “Mouse Deer’s Song” can be done as a simple, rhyming chant. NARRATOR 1: Today we’re going to tell you three stories about Mouse Deer. NARRATOR 2: (to NARRATOR 1, suspiciously) Wait a minute. Did you say “Mouse Deer”? NARRATOR 1: That’s right! NARRATOR 4: I never heard of a “Mouse Deer”! (to NARRATOR 3) Did you? NARRATOR 3: Not me! What is he? A mouse? NARRATOR 1: No. NARRATOR 2: A deer? NARRATOR 1: No. NARRATOR 4: (accusingly) Hey, are you trying to trick us? NARRATOR 1: No! He’s a real animal! NARRATOR 3: (skeptically) Yeah? Then how big is he? NARRATOR 1: About as big as a cat. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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NARRATOR 2: And where does he live? NARRATOR 1: In the jungles of Asia and Africa. NARRATOR 4: And what does he look like? NARRATOR 1: His legs and tail look like a deer’s. NARRATOR 2: (starting to believe) Well, all right. NARRATOR 1: But his face and body look like a mouse’s. NARRATOR 3: (accusingly again) You’re tricking us! NARRATOR 1: It’s true! That’s why he’s called Mouse Deer! NARRATOR 4: (grudgingly) Well, maybe we believe you. NARRATOR 2: Tell us some more. NARRATOR 1: (to other NARRATORS and audience) Mouse Deer eats only plants, but lots of animals eat Mouse Deer. To stay alive, he has to be quick and smart. He also has to be tricky—just like Brer Rabbit and Anansi, the spider man from Africa. Mouse Deer even plays some of the same tricks. NARRATOR 2: (to NARRATOR 1) You know what I think? I think you’re the tricky one! NARRATOR 4: Me too! NARRATOR 3: That’s right! NARRATOR 1: No, I’m not! There are lots of stories about Mouse Deer. NARRATOR 3: (sarcastically) And I bet you want us to believe they’re true! NARRATOR 1: Of course they are! All stories are true — even if they didn’t happen. NARRATORS 2, 3, & 4: (confused, to audience) Huh? NARRATOR 1: (to audience) Mouse Deer has his own song too, and you can help sing it. Here’s how it goes. I’m quick and smart as I can be. Try and try, but you can’t catch me! Now you try it. (helps the audience practice) NARRATORS 2, 3, & 4: (join in on the practice) TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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NARRATOR 1: Good! Now we’re ready to go. Scene Two NARRATOR 1: In our first story, Mouse Deer meets one of his most dangerous enemies. This story is called, MOUSE DEER: (brightly, to audience) Mouse Deer … NARRATOR 1: and TIGER: (ferociously, to audience, showing claws) … Tiger. MOUSE DEER: (to audience) Ready to sing? (drawing out the first note to help them join in) I’m quick and smart as I can be. Try and try, but you can’t catch me! (keeps humming the tune softly to himself) NARRATOR 1: Mouse Deer sang his song as he walked through the forest. NARRATOR 4: He was looking for tasty fruits and roots and shoots. NARRATOR 2: Though he was small, he was not afraid. He knew that many big animals wanted to eat him. NARRATOR 3: But first they had to catch him! NARRATOR 1: Then he heard something. TIGER: Rowr! MOUSE DEER: (gasps) NARRATOR 4: There was Tiger! TIGER: (sounding sinister) Hello, Mouse Deer. I was just getting hungry. Now you can be my lunch. NARRATOR 2: Mouse Deer didn’t want to be lunch. He looked around and thought fast. NARRATOR 3: He saw … a mud puddle.


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MOUSE DEER: (makes a face like he’s thinking hard, then brightens, turns to TIGER) I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch. The King has ordered me to guard his … pudding. TIGER: (uncertainly) His pudding? MOUSE DEER: (pointing) Yes. There it is. NARRATOR 1: Mouse Deer pointed to the mud puddle. MOUSE DEER: It has the best taste in the world. The King doesn’t want anyone else to eat it. NARRATOR 4: Tiger looked longingly at the puddle. TIGER: (struggling with himself, knowing he shouldn’t ask but wanting it badly) I would like to taste the King’s pudding. MOUSE DEER: Oh, no, Tiger! The King would be very angry. TIGER: (pleading) Just one little taste, Mouse Deer! The King will never know. MOUSE DEER: Well…all right, Tiger. But first let me run far away, so no one will blame me. TIGER: All right, Mouse Deer, you can go now. NARRATOR 2: Mouse Deer ran quickly out of sight. TIGER: (delightedly, to audience) Imagine! The King’s pudding! NARRATOR 3: He took a big mouthful. TIGER: (puts a handful in his mouth, freezes in surprise, then makes a horrible face and spits the mud out toward audience) Phooey! NARRATOR 3: He spit it out. TIGER: Yuck! Ugh! Bleck! That’s no pudding. That’s mud! NARRATOR 1: Tiger ran through the forest. TIGER: Rowr! NARRATOR 4: He caught up with Mouse Deer. MOUSE DEER: (gasps) TIGER: (fuming) Mouse Deer, you tricked me once. But now you will be my lunch! TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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NARRATOR 2: Mouse Deer looked around and thought fast. NARRATOR 3: He saw … a wasp nest in a tree. MOUSE DEER: (thinks hard, then brightens) I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch. The King has ordered me to guard his …. drum. TIGER: His drum? MOUSE DEER: (pointing) Yes. There it is. NARRATOR 1: Mouse Deer pointed to the wasp nest. MOUSE DEER: It has the best sound in the world. The King doesn’t want anyone else to hit it. TIGER: (struggling with himself) I would like to hit the King’s drum. MOUSE DEER: Oh, no, Tiger! The King would be very angry. TIGER: Just one little hit, Mouse Deer! The King will never know. MOUSE DEER: Well … all right, Tiger. But first let me run far away, so no one will blame me. TIGER: All right, Mouse Deer, you can go now. NARRATOR 4: Mouse Deer ran quickly out of sight. TIGER: (to audience) Imagine! The King’s drum! NARRATOR 2: He reached up and hit it. NARRATOR 3: Pow. ALL NARRATORS: Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz. (Each NARRATOR keeps buzzing when not speaking.) NARRATOR 1: The wasps all flew out. They started to sting Tiger. TIGER: Ouch! Ooch! Eech! That’s no drum. That’s a wasp nest! NARRATOR 4: Tiger ran away. But the wasps only followed him! TIGER: Ouch! Ooch! Eech! NARRATOR 2: Tiger came to a stream. He jumped in — splash! — and stayed underwater as long as he could. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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NARRATOR 3: At last the wasps went away. ALL NARRATORS: (fade out with buzzing) NARRATOR 1: Then Tiger jumped out. TIGER: Rowr! NARRATOR 4: He ran through the forest till he found Mouse Deer. MOUSE DEER: (gasps) TIGER: (enraged) Mouse Deer, you tricked me once. You tricked me twice. But now you will be my lunch! NARRATOR 2: Mouse Deer looked around and thought fast. NARRATOR 3: He saw … a cobra! The giant snake was coiled asleep on the ground. MOUSE DEER: (thinks hard, then brightens) I’m sorry, Tiger. I can’t be your lunch. The King has ordered me to guard his … belt. TIGER: His belt? MOUSE DEER: (pointing) Yes. There it is. NARRATOR 1: Mouse Deer pointed to the cobra. MOUSE DEER: It’s the best belt in the world. The King doesn’t want anyone else to wear it. TIGER: (struggling with himself) I would like to wear the King’s belt. MOUSE DEER: Oh, no Tiger! The King would be very angry. TIGER: Just for one moment, Mouse Deer! The King will never know. MOUSE DEER: Well … all right, Tiger. But first let me run far away, so no one will blame me. TIGER: All right, Mouse Deer, you can go now. NARRATOR 4: Mouse Deer ran quickly out of sight. TIGER: (to audience) Imagine! The King’s belt! NARRATOR 2: He started to wrap it around himself. The cobra woke up. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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NARRATOR 3: Ssssssssssssss. (keeps hissing) NARRATOR 1: It didn’t wait for Tiger to finish wrapping. NARRATOR 4: It wrapped itself around Tiger. NARRATOR 2: Then it squeezed him and bit him. NARRATOR 3: Sstt! Ssssssssssssss. (keeps hissing) TIGER: Ooh! Ow! Yow! That’s no belt. That’s a cobra! (into the distance) Help! Mouse Deer! Help! NARRATOR 3: (fades out with hissing) NARRATOR 1: But Mouse Deer was far away. NARRATOR 4: And as he went, he sang his song. MOUSE DEER: (to audience) I’m quick and smart as I can be. Try and try, but you can’t catch me! Scene Three NARRATOR 1: In our second story, Mouse Deer meets another one of his most dangerous enemies. This story is called, MOUSE DEER: (brightly, to audience) Mouse Deer … NARRATOR 1: and CROCODILE: (menacingly, to audience, in low, growly voice) … Crocodile. NARRATOR 1: One day, Mouse Deer went down to the river. NARRATOR 4: He wanted to take a drink. NARRATOR 2: But he knew Crocodile might be waiting underwater to eat him. NARRATOR 3: Mouse Deer had an idea. He said out loud, MOUSE DEER: (to himself, but loud and clear so CROCODILE hears) I wonder if the water’s warm. I’ll put in my leg and find out. (freezes till NARRATOR 1 speaks again) TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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NARRATOR 4: (to NARRATOR 1 and others) Wait a minute! Stop the story! Mouse Deer said he’d put in his leg? NARRATOR 2: What a dumb idea! NARRATOR 3: I thought Mouse Deer was supposed to be smart! NARRATOR 1: (to other NARRATORS and audience) But Mouse Deer didn’t put in his leg. Instead, he picked up a stick with his mouth and put in one end. CROCODILE: Chomp! NARRATOR 4: Crocodile grabbed the stick and pulled it underwater. NARRATOR 2: Mouse Deer laughed. MOUSE DEER: (laughs) Stupid Crocodile! Don’t you know a stick from a leg? NARRATOR 3: And he ran off to drink somewhere else! NARRATOR 1: Another day, Mouse Deer went back to the river. NARRATOR 4: All he saw there was a floating log. NARRATOR 2: But he knew Crocodile looked like a log when he floated. NARRATOR 3: Mouse Deer had an idea. He said out loud, MOUSE DEER: (to himself, but loud and clear) If that log is really Crocodile, it won’t talk. But if it’s really just a log, it will tell me. (freezes till NARRATOR 1 speaks again) NARRATOR 3: (to NARRATOR 1 and others) Hold everything! Mouse Deer said Crocodile would be quiet but a log would say something? NARRATOR 2: Now, that’s really dumb! NARRATOR 4: It sure is! NARRATOR 1: (to other NARRATORS and audience) But then Mouse Deer listened. NARRATOR 4: A rough voice said, CROCODILE: (low and growly) I’m really just a log. NARRATOR 2: Mouse Deer laughed. MOUSE DEER: (laughs) Stupid Crocodile! Do you think a log can talk? TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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NARRATOR 3: And off he ran again! NARRATOR 1: Another day, Mouse Deer wanted to cross the river. NARRATOR 4: He wanted to eat tasty fruits and roots and shoots on the other side. NARRATOR 2: But he didn’t want Crocodile to eat him first! NARRATOR 3: Mouse Deer had an idea. He called out, MOUSE DEER: (brightly) Crocodile! (freezes till NARRATOR 1 speaks again) NARRATOR 2: (to NARRATOR 1 and others) I don’t believe this! NARRATOR 4: Mouse Deer called for Crocodile? NARRATOR 3: How dumb can he get! NARRATOR 1: (to other NARRATORS and audience) But then Crocodile rose from the water. CROCODILE: (low and growly) Hello, Mouse Deer. Have you come to be my breakfast? MOUSE DEER: Not today, Crocodile. I have orders from the King. He wants me to count all the crocodiles. CROCODILE: (very impressed) The King! Tell us what to do. MOUSE DEER: You must line up from this side of the river to the other side. NARRATOR 4: Crocodile got all his friends and family. They lined up across the river. NARRATOR 2: Mouse Deer jumped onto Crocodile’s back. MOUSE DEER: One. NARRATOR 3: He jumped onto the next crocodile. MOUSE DEER: Two. NARRATOR 1: And the next. MOUSE DEER: Three. NARRATOR 4: Mouse Deer kept jumping till he jumped off … NARRATOR 2: on the other side of the river.


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CROCODILE: (calling across the river) How many are there? MOUSE DEER: (calling back) Just enough! And none as smart as me! NARRATOR 3: Then he went off singing his song. MOUSE DEER: (to audience) I’m quick and smart as I can be. Try and try, but you can’t catch me! Scene Four NARRATOR 1: In our last story, Mouse Deer meets his most dangerous enemy of all. (to other NARRATORS) Can you guess who it is? NARRATOR 3: Cobra! NARRATOR 1: No. NARRATOR 2: Lion! NARRATOR 1: No. NARRATOR 4: Tyrannosaur! NARRATOR 1: No! This one is called, MOUSE DEER: (brightly, to audience) Mouse Deer … NARRATOR 1: and FARMER: (pleasantly, to audience) … Farmer. NARRATORS 2, 3, & 4: (confused, to audience) Huh? NARRATOR 1: Mouse Deer loved to eat the fruits and roots and shoots of the forest. But he loved something else even more. NARRATOR 4: He loved the vegetables in Farmer’s garden. NARRATOR 2: One day, Mouse Deer went to the edge of the forest. NARRATOR 3: He looked out at row after row of vegetables. MOUSE DEER: (to himself) Mmmm. Juicy cucumbers! Yummy yams! TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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NARRATOR 1: He started into the garden. NARRATOR 4: Snap! MOUSE DEER: (in pain and shock, looking at his leg) Oh! NARRATOR 4: His leg was caught in a snare! NARRATOR 2: Mouse Deer pulled and pulled. NARRATOR 3: But he could not get away. MOUSE DEER: Oh, no! Farmer will have me for dinner! NARRATOR 1: Then he saw Farmer coming. Mouse Deer thought fast. MOUSE DEER: (makes a face like he’s thinking hard, then brightens) NARRATOR 4: He lay on the ground and made his body stiff. FARMER: (pleasantly, to himself) Well, well. Look what I caught. A mouse deer! (looks closer) But he looks dead. NARRATOR 2: Farmer pushed him with his foot. NARRATOR 3: Mouse Deer didn’t move. FARMER: Maybe he’s been dead a long time. Too bad! I guess we can’t eat him. NARRATOR 1: He pulled Mouse Deer’s leg out of the snare. Then he tossed Mouse Deer back into the forest. NARRATOR 4: Mouse Deer landed with a soft plop. Then he jumped up and ran. FARMER: (calling after him angrily) Hey! You tricked me! NARRATOR 2: Mouse Deer laughed. MOUSE DEER: (laughs, then to audience) Farmer is smart. But Mouse Deer is smarter! NARRATOR 1: A few days passed. Mouse Deer kept thinking about all those vegetables. NARRATOR 4: One day, he went back to the edge of the forest. MOUSE DEER: (to himself) Mmmm. Tasty gourds! Scrumptious sweet potatoes! NARRATOR 2: Then he saw something new.


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NARRATOR 3: It looked like a man. But its head was a coconut, and its body was rubber. MOUSE DEER: A scarecrow! That silly Farmer. Does he think he can scare me with that? I’ll show him how scared I am! NARRATOR 1: Mouse Deer marched up to the scarecrow. He gave it a big kick. MOUSE DEER: Take this! (“kicks” it with one hand, as a hoof) NARRATOR 4: But his leg stuck to the scarecrow. The scarecrow was covered with sticky sap from a rubber tree! MOUSE DEER: Let me go! (grunts as he struggles) NARRATOR 2: He pulled and he pulled. Then he pushed with his other front leg. MOUSE DEER: (grunts as he pushes forward with other hand/hoof) NARRATOR 3: That leg stuck too. MOUSE DEER: Turn me loose! (grunts as he struggles) NARRATOR 1: He pulled and he pulled. Then he pushed with his two back legs. MOUSE DEER: (grunts as he hops forward on both feet/hooves) NARRATOR 4: They stuck too. MOUSE DEER: PUT ME DOWN! (grunts as he struggles) NARRATOR 2: He pulled and he pushed and he pulled and he pushed. NARRATOR 3: But Mouse Deer was trapped. MOUSE DEER: (stops and pants) NARRATOR 1: Then he saw Farmer. MOUSE DEER: (gasps) NARRATOR 1: Mouse Deer thought fast. MOUSE DEER: (thinks hard, then looks shocked and scared) NARRATOR 4: But he didn’t have any ideas! FARMER: (pleasantly) Well, well. How nice of you to come back.


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NARRATOR 2: He pulled Mouse Deer off the scarecrow and carried him to the house. NARRATOR 3: He put him outside in an empty chicken coop. FARMER: (still pleasantly) I’ll keep you here tonight. And tomorrow you’ll be our dinner. (leaves) NARRATOR 1: All that night, Mouse Deer couldn’t sleep. He didn’t want to be dinner! NARRATOR 4: When the sun rose, Mouse Deer just lay there sadly. Then he heard something. DOG: (in a barking voice) Why, it’s Mouse Deer! MOUSE DEER: (perks up and looks) DOG: So Farmer caught you at last. It serves you right! NARRATOR 2: It was Farmer’s dog. NARRATOR 3: Mouse Deer thought fast. MOUSE DEER: (thinks hard, then brightens) What do you mean, Dog? Farmer didn’t catch me. DOG: (suspiciously) Then why are you in the coop? MOUSE DEER: Because there aren’t enough beds in the house. You see, Farmer is holding a feast tomorrow. And I’m the guest of honor. DOG: Guest of honor? That’s not fair! I’ve been his loyal friend for years, and you’re just a thief. The guest of honor should be me! MOUSE DEER: (thoughtfully) You know, Dog, you’re right. Why don’t you take my place? When Farmer sees you in here, he’ll make you the guest of honor instead. DOG: (surprised) Really? You don’t mind? MOUSE DEER: Not at all. You deserve it. DOG: Mouse Deer, you’re not so bad after all. Thank you! NARRATOR 1: Dog lifted the latch and opened the door. MOUSE DEER: You’re welcome, Dog. Enjoy the feast. NARRATOR 4: Mouse Deer ran for the forest. Then he watched from the forest edge. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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NARRATOR 2: He saw Farmer come out and stare at Dog. NARRATOR 3: Then he heard Farmer yell. FARMER: You stupid dog! You let the mouse deer get away! NARRATOR 1: Mouse Deer laughed. MOUSE DEER: (laughs, then to audience) Farmer will have to find a different dinner now! NARRATOR 4: Then he went off singing his song. MOUSE DEER: (to audience) I’m quick and smart as I can be. Try and try, but you can’t catch me! NARRATOR 1: And there they are — three stories about Mouse Deer. (to other NARRATORS) Now do you believe in him? NARRATORS 2, 3, & 4: (look at each other) NARRATOR 3: Well … NARRATOR 2: Uh … NARRATOR 4: We guess so, but … MOUSE DEER: (to all NARRATORS) Hey! Who are you? NARRATOR 1: Hi, Mouse Deer. We’re the narrators. We help tell the stories. NARRATOR 3: That’s right! MOUSE DEER: Help tell … ?! Hey, are you trying to trick me? NARRATOR 4: No! NARRATOR 2: No! MOUSE DEER: Well, that’s good, and you know why? (to audience)I’m quick and smart as I can be. Try and try, but you can’t catch me! (waves to audience) Bye, now! ALL NARRATORS: (confused, to audience) Huh? TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Intermediate Production Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School By Louis Sachar Three Sideways Stories From Wayside School ‐ Story copyright © 1985 Louis Sachar. Script copyright © 1993, 2003, 2005 Aaron Shepard. Produced by permission of Avon Books, a division of the Hearst Corporation. Scripts in this series are free and may be copied, shared, and performed for any noncommercial purpose, except they may not be posted online without permission.

Synopsis: Some say the teachers and students at Wayside School are strange and silly ‐‐ and so will you! Genre: Humor Culture: American Theme: Non‐horizontal thinking Readers: nine Ages: 9‐13 Length: 12 minutes ( ½ + 3 + 4 + 4 + ½ ) Roles: Narrators 1–4, Mrs. Jewls, Joe, Bebe, Calvin, Louis


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Notes: For best effect, place NARRATORS 1 and 2 at far left, and 3 and 4 at far right, as seen from the audience. NARRATOR 1: We’re going to tell you about three of the children in Mrs. Jewls’s class, on the thirtieth story of Wayside School. NARRATOR 4: But before we get to them, there is something you ought to know. Wayside School was accidentally built sideways. NARRATOR 2: It was supposed to be only one story high, with thirty classrooms all in a row. Instead, it is thirty stories high, with one classroom on each story. NARRATOR 3: The builder said he was very sorry. NARRATOR 1: Our first story is about Joe. One day, Mrs. Jewls kept him in from recess. MRS. JEWLS: Joe, you are going to have to learn to count. JOE: But, Mrs. Jewls, I already know how to count. Let me go to recess! MRS. JEWLS: First count to ten. NARRATOR 4: Joe counted to ten. JOE: Six, eight, twelve, one, five, two, seven, eleven, three, ten. MRS. JEWLS: No, Joe, that is wrong. JOE: No, it isn’t! I counted till I got to ten! MRS. JEWLS: But you were wrong. I’ll prove it to you. NARRATOR 2: She put down five pencils. MRS. JEWLS: How many pencils do we have here, Joe? NARRATOR 3: Joe counted the pencils. JOE: Four, six, one, nine, five. There are five pencils, Mrs. Jewls. MRS. JEWLS: That’s wrong. JOE: How many pencils are there? MRS. JEWLS: Five.


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JOE: That’s what I said! May I go to recess now? MRS. JEWLS: No. You got the right answer, but you counted the wrong way. You were just lucky. NARRATOR 1: She set down eight potatoes. MRS. JEWLS: How many potatoes, Joe? NARRATOR 4: Joe counted the potatoes. JOE: Seven, five, three, one, two, four, six, eight. There are eight potatoes, Mrs. Jewls. MRS. JEWLS: No, there are eight. JOE: But that’s what I said! May I go to recess now? MRS. JEWLS: No! You got the right answer, but you counted the wrong way again. NARRATOR 2: She put down three books. MRS. JEWLS: Count the books, Joe. NARRATOR 3: Joe counted the books. JOE: A thousand, a million, three. Three, Mrs. Jewls. MRS. JEWLS: (bewildered) Correct. JOE: May I go to recess now? MRS. JEWLS: No. JOE: May I have a potato? MRS. JEWLS: No! Listen to me. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Now you say it. JOE: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. MRS. JEWLS: Very good! NARRATOR 1: She put down six erasers. MRS. JEWLS: Now, count the erasers, Joe, just the way I showed you. NARRATOR 4: Joe counted the erasers.


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JOE: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. There are ten, Mrs. Jewls. MRS. JEWLS: No! JOE: Didn’t I count right? MRS. JEWLS: Yes, you counted right, but you got the wrong answer. JOE: This doesn’t make any sense! When I count the wrong way, I get the right answer, and when I count right, I get the wrong answer. MRS. JEWLS: (in great frustration) Ooh! NARRATOR 2: Mrs. Jewls hit her head against the wall five times. MRS. JEWLS: (turning away and butting her head) Uh…uh…uh…uh…uh…(turns back to JOE) How many times did I hit my head against the wall, Joe? JOE: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. You hit your head against the wall ten times. MRS. JEWLS: No! JOE: Four, six, one, nine, five. You hit your head five times. NARRATOR 3: Mrs. Jewls shook her head no and said, MRS. JEWLS: (shaking head) Yes, that is right. NARRATOR 1: Just then, the bell rang. JOE: Oh, darn. NARRATOR 4: … said Joe. JOE: I missed recess! Scene Two NARRATOR 3: Our second story is about Bebe. NARRATOR 1: Bebe was the fastest draw in Mrs. Jewls’s class. She could draw a cat in less than forty‐five seconds, a dog in less than thirty, and a flower in less than eight seconds! NARRATOR 4: But of course, Bebe never drew just one dog, or one cat or one flower. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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NARRATOR 2: Art was from 12:30 to 1:30. Why, in that time, she could draw fifty cats, a hundred flowers, twenty dogs, and several eggs or watermelons! NARRATOR 3: You see, it took her the same time to draw a watermelon as an egg. NARRATOR 1: Calvin sat next to Bebe. He didn’t think he was very good at art. It took him the whole period just to draw one airplane. NARRATOR 4: So instead, he just helped Bebe. He was Bebe’s assistant. NARRATOR 2: As soon as Bebe would finish one masterpiece, Calvin would take it from her and set down a clean sheet of paper. Whenever her crayon ran low, Calvin was ready with a new crayon. NARRATOR 3: That way, Bebe didn’t have to waste any time. And in return, Bebe would draw five or six airplanes for Calvin. NARRATOR 1: It was 12:30, time for art. NARRATOR 4: Bebe was ready. On her desk was a sheet of yellow construction paper. In her hand was a green crayon. NARRATOR 2: Calvin was ready. He held a stack of paper and a box of crayons. CALVIN: Ready, Bebe? BEBE: Ready, Calvin. MRS. JEWLS: All right, class. NARRATOR 3: … said Mrs. Jewls. MRS. JEWLS: Time for art. NARRATOR 1: She had hardly finished her sentence when Bebe had drawn a picture of a leaf. NARRATOR 4: Calvin took it from her and put down another piece of paper. BEBE: Red! NARRATOR 2: Calvin handed Bebe a red crayon. BEBE: Blue! NARRATOR 3: He gave her a blue crayon.


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NARRATOR 1: They were quite a pair! Their teamwork was remarkable. NARRATOR 4: Bebe drew pictures as fast as Calvin could pick up the old paper and set down the new. NARRATOR 2: A fish. NARRATOR 3: An apple. NARRATOR 1: Three cherries— NARRATOR 4: bing, NARRATOR 2: bing, NARRATOR 3: bing. NARRATOR 1: At 1:30, Mrs. Jewls announced, MRS. JEWLS: Okay, class, art is over. NARRATOR 4: Bebe dropped her crayon and fell over on her desk. NARRATOR 2: Calvin sighed and leaned back in his chair. He could hardly move. NARRATOR 3: They had broken their old record. Bebe had drawn three hundred and seventy‐eight pictures! They lay in a pile on Calvin’s desk. NARRATOR 1: Mrs. Jewls walked by. MRS. JEWLS: Calvin, did you draw all these pictures? CALVIN: No, Bebe drew them all. MRS. JEWLS: Well then, what did you draw? CALVIN: I didn’t draw anything. MRS. JEWLS: Why not? Don’t you like art? CALVIN: I love art. That’s why I didn’t draw anything. MRS. JEWLS: I don’t understand. CALVIN: It would have taken me the whole period just to draw one picture. And Bebe would only have been able to draw a hundred pictures. But with the two of us working together, she was able to draw three hundred and seventy‐eight pictures! That’s a lot more art. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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NARRATOR 4: Bebe and Calvin shook hands. MRS. JEWLS: No, no! That isn’t how you measure art. It isn’t how many pictures you have, but how good the pictures are. Why, a person could spend their whole life drawing just one picture of a cat. In that time, I’m sure Bebe could draw a million cats. BEBE: Two million. MRS. JEWLS: But if that one picture is better than each of Bebe’s two million, then that person has produced more art than Bebe. NARRATOR 2: Bebe looked like she was going to cry. She picked up all the pictures from Calvin’s desk and threw them in the garbage. NARRATOR 3: Then she ran from the room, down all the stairs, and out onto the playground. NARRATOR 1: Louis, the nice yard teacher, spotted her. LOUIS: Where are you going, Bebe? BEBE: I’m going home to draw a picture of a cat. LOUIS: Will you bring it to school and show it to me tomorrow? BEBE: Tomorrow? By tomorrow I doubt I’ll be finished with even one whisker. (rushes off) Scene Three NARRATOR 2: Our final story is about Calvin. One day, Mrs. Jewls said, MRS. JEWLS: Calvin, I want you to take this note to Miss Zarves for me. CALVIN: Miss Zarves? MRS. JEWLS: Yes, Miss Zarves. You know where she is, don’t you? CALVIN: Yes. She’s on the nineteenth story. MRS. JEWLS: That’s right, Calvin. Take it to her. NARRATOR 3: Calvin didn’t move. MRS. JEWLS: Well, what are you waiting for? TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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CALVIN: She’s on the nineteenth story. MRS. JEWLS: Yes, we have already established that fact. CALVIN: The nineteenth story. MRS. JEWLS: Yes, Calvin, the nineteenth story. Now take it to her before I lose my patience! CALVIN: But, Mrs. Jewls— MRS. JEWLS: NOW, Calvin! CALVIN: Yes, ma’am! NARRATOR 1: Calvin walked out of the classroom and stood outside the door. NARRATOR 4: He didn’t know where to go. NARRATOR 2: As you know, when the builder built Wayside School, he accidentally built it sideways. But he also forgot to build the nineteenth story. NARRATOR 3: He built the eighteenth and the twentieth, but no nineteenth. He said he was very sorry. NARRATOR 1: There was also no Miss Zarves. NARRATOR 4: Miss Zarves taught the class on the nineteenth story. Since there was no nineteenth story, there was no Miss Zarves. NARRATOR 2: And besides that, as if Calvin didn’t have enough problems, there was no note. NARRATOR 3: Mrs. Jewls had never given Calvin the note. CALVIN: (sarcastically) Boy, this is just great! I’m supposed to take a note that I don’t have, to a teacher who doesn’t exist, and who teaches on a story that was never built! NARRATOR 1: He didn’t know what to do. NARRATOR 4: He walked down to the eighteenth story, NARRATOR 2: then back up to the twentieth, NARRATOR 3: then back down to the eighteenth, NARRATOR 1: and back up again to the twentieth. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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NARRATOR 4: There was no nineteenth story. NARRATOR 2: There had never been a nineteenth story. NARRATOR 3: There would never BE a nineteenth story. NARRATOR 1: Calvin walked down to the administration office on the first story. He decided to put the note in Miss Zarves’s mailbox. NARRATOR 4: But there wasn’t one of those, either. That didn’t bother Calvin too much, though, since he didn’t have a note. NARRATOR 2: He looked out the window and saw Louis, the yard teacher, shooting baskets. CALVIN: Louis will know what to do. NARRATOR 3: Calvin went outside. CALVIN: Hey, Louis! LOUIS: Hi, Calvin. Do you want to play a game? CALVIN: I don’t have time. I have to deliver a note to Miss Zarves up on the nineteenth story. LOUIS: Then what are you doing all the way down here? CALVIN: There is no nineteenth story. LOUIS: Then where is Miss Zarves? CALVIN: There is no Miss Zarves. LOUIS: What are you going to do with the note? CALVIN: There is no note. LOUIS: I understand. CALVIN: That’s good, because I sure don’t. LOUIS: It’s very simple. You are not supposed to take no notes to no teachers. You already haven’t done it! NARRATOR 1: Calvin still didn’t understand. CALVIN: I’ll just have to tell Mrs. Jewls that I couldn’t deliver the note. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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LOUIS: That’s good. The truth is always best. Besides, I don’t think I understand what I said, either! NARRATOR 4: Calvin walked back up the thirty flights of stairs to Mrs. Jewls’s class. MRS. JEWLS: Thank you very much, Calvin. CALVIN: But I — MRS. JEWLS: That was a very important note, and I’m glad I was able to count on you. CALVIN: Yes, but you see— MRS. JEWLS: The note was very important. I told Miss Zarves not to meet me for lunch. CALVIN: Don’t worry. NARRATOR 2:...said Calvin. CALVIN: She won’t! NARRATOR 1: So now you know about Wayside School. Some people say these stories are strange and silly. NARRATOR 4: That is probably true. NARRATOR 2: But when the children at Wayside School heard stories about us, they thought we were strange and silly. NARRATOR 3: And that’s for sure!


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TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Advanced Production A Midsummer Night’s Dream By William Shakespeare

Synopsis: The mischievous Puck decides to have fun with Bottom, an unskilled actor practicing for his big performance. Roles: Bottom, Quince, Snout, Starveling, Puck, Flute, Titania, Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, Mustardseed Notes: Depending on the number of members, actors can play multiple roles, like Starveling and Cobweb Background: A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a comedy about love gone awry when others intervene. In the following scene, a group of amateur actors go to the woods to rehearse a scene to be performed at an Athenian wedding. A group of fairies, led by


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Puck, who also narrates the play, cast a spell over one of the actors, giving him the head of a donkey. Titania, the queen of the fairies who has accidentally taken a potion which will cause her to fall in love with the first person she sees, wakes up to see Bottom and falls in love with him. ACT III SCENE I. The wood. TITANIA lying asleep. Enter QUINCE, SNUG, BOTTOM, FLUTE, SNOUT and STARVELING BOTTOM Are we all met? QUINCE Pat, pat; and here's a marvelous convenient place for our rehearsal. This green plot shall be our stage, this hawthorn‐brake our tiring‐house; and we will do it in action as we will do it before the duke. BOTTOM Peter Quince, ‐ QUINCE What sayest thou, bully Bottom? BOTTOM There are things in this comedy of Pyramus and Thisby that will never please. First, Pyramus must draw a sword to kill himself; which the ladies cannot abide. How answer you that? SNOUT By'r lakin, a parlous fear. STARVELING I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done. BOTTOM Not a whit: I have a device to make all well. Write me a prologue; and let the prologue seem to say, we will do no harm with our swords, and that TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Pyramus is not killed indeed; and, for the more better assurance, tell them that I, Pyramus, am not Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: this will put them out of fear. QUINCE Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be written in eight and six. BOTTOM No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight. SNOUT Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion? STARVELING I fear it, I promise you. BOTTOM Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: to bring in – God shield us! ‐‐ a lion among ladies, is a most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful wild‐fowl than your lion living; and we ought to look to 't. SNOUT Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion. BOTTOM Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion's neck: and he himself must speak through, saying thus, or to the same defect, – 'Ladies,' – or 'Fair‐ladies – I would wish You,' – or 'I would request you,' – or 'I would entreat you, – not to fear, not to tremble: my life for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of my life: no I am no such thing; I am a man as other men are; and there indeed let him name his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner. QUINCE Well it shall be so. But there is two hard things; that is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber; for, you know, Pyramus and Thisby meet by moonlight. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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SNOUT Doth the moon shine that night we play our play? BOTTOM A calendar, a calendar! zlook in the almanac; find out moonshine, find out moonshine. QUINCE Yes, it doth shine that night. BOTTOM Why, then may you leave a casement of the great chamber window, where we play, open, and the moon may shine in at the casement. QUINCE Ay; or else one must come in with a bush of thorns and a lanthorn, and say he comes to disfigure, or to present, the person of Moonshine. Then, there is another thing: we must have a wall in the great chamber; for Pyramus and Thisby says the story, did talk through the chink of a wall. SNOUT You can never bring in a wall. What say you, Bottom? BOTTOM Some man or other must present Wall: and let him have some plaster, or some loam, or some rough‐cast about him, to signify wall; and let him hold his fingers thus, and through that cranny shall Pyramus and Thisby whisper. QUINCE If that may be, then all is well. Come, sit down, every mother's son, and rehearse your parts. Pyramus, you begin: when you have spoken your speech, enter into that brake: and so every one according to his cue. Enter PUCK behind TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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PUCK What hempen home‐spuns have we swaggering here, So near the cradle of the fairy queen? What, a play toward! I'll be an auditor; An actor too, perhaps, if I see cause. QUINCE Speak, Pyramus. Thisby, stand forth. BOTTOM Thisby, the flowers of odious savours sweet, – QUINCE Odours, odours. BOTTOM – odours savours sweet: So hath thy breath, my dearest Thisby dear. But hark, a voice! Stay thou but here awhile, And by and by I will to thee appear. Exit PUCK A stranger Pyramus than e'er played here. Exit FLUTE Must I speak now? QUINCE Ay, marry, must you; for you must understand he goes but to see a noise that he heard, and is to come again. FLUTE Most radiant Pyramus, most lily‐white of hue, Of colour like the red rose on triumphant brier, Most brisky juvenal and eke most lovely Jew, As true as truest horse that yet would never tire, I'll meet thee, Pyramus, at Ninny's tomb. TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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QUINCE 'Ninus' tomb,' man: why, you must not speak that yet; that you answer to Pyramus: you speak all your part at once, cues and all Pyramus enter: your cue is past; it is, 'never tire.' FLUTE O, – As true as truest horse, that yet would never tire. Re‐enter PUCK, and BOTTOM with a donkey’s head BOTTOM If I were fair, Thisby, I were only thine. QUINCE O monstrous! O strange! We are haunted. Pray, masters! Fly, masters! Help! Exit QUINCE, SNUG, FLUTE, SNOUT and STARVELING PUCK I'll follow you, I'll lead you about a round, Through bog, through bush, through brake, through brier: Sometime a horse I'll be, sometime a hound, A hog, a headless bear, sometime a fire; And neigh, and bark, and grunt, and roar, and burn, Like horse, hound, hog, bear, fire, at every turn. Exit BOTTOM Why do they run away? This is a knavery of them to make me afeard. Re‐enter SNOUT SNOUT O Bottom, thou art changed! What do I see on thee? BOTTOM What do you see? You see an asshead of your own, do you? Exit SNOUT TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Re‐enter QUINCE QUINCE Bless thee, Bottom! Bless thee! Thou art translated. Exit BOTTOM I see their knavery: this is to make an ass of me; to fright me, if they could. But I will not stir from this place, do what they can: I will walk up and down here, and I will sing, that they shall hear I am not afraid. Sings The ousel cock so black of hue, With orange‐tawny bill, The throstle with his note so true, The wren with little quill, – TITANIA [Awaking] What angel wakes me from my flowery bed? BOTTOM [Sings] The finch, the sparrow and the lark, The plain‐song cuckoo gray, Whose note full many a man doth mark, And dares not answer nay; – For, indeed, who would set his wit to so foolish a bird? Who would give a bird the lie, though he cry 'cuckoo' never so? TITANIA I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again: Mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note; So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape; And thy fair virtue's force perforce doth move me On the first view to say, to swear, I love thee. BOTTOM Methinks, mistress, you should have little reason for that: and yet, to say the truth, reason and TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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love keep little company together now‐a‐days; the more the pity that some honest neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleek upon occasion. TITANIA Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful. BOTTOM Not so, neither: but if I had wit enough to get out of this wood, I have enough to serve mine own turn. TITANIA Out of this wood do not desire to go: Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no. I am a spirit of no common rate; The summer still doth tend upon my state; And I do love thee: therefore, go with me; I'll give thee fairies to attend on thee, And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep, And sing while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep; And I will purge thy mortal grossness so That thou shalt like an airy spirit go. Peaseblossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardseed! Enter PEASEBLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTH and MUSTARDSEED PEASEBLOSSOM Ready. COBWEB And I. MOTH And I. MUSTARDSEED And I. ALL Where shall we go? TITANIA Be kind and courteous to this gentleman; Hop in his walks and gambol in his eyes; TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Feed him with apricocks and dewberries, With purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries; The honey‐bags steal from the humble‐bees, And for night‐tapers crop their waxen thighs And light them at the fiery glow‐worm's eyes, To have my love to bed and to arise; And pluck the wings from Painted butterflies To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes: Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies. PEASEBLOSSOM Hail, mortal! COBWEB Hail! MOTH Hail! MUSTARDSEED Hail! BOTTOM I cry your worship's mercy, heartily: I beseech your worship's name. COBWEB Cobweb. BOTTOM I shall desire you of more acquaintance, good Master Cobweb: if I cut my finger, I shall make bold with you. Your name, honest gentleman? PEASEBLOSSOM Peaseblossom. BOTTOM I pray you, commend me to Mistress Squash, your mother, and to Master Peascod, your father. Good Master Peaseblossom, I shall desire you of more acquaintance too. Your name, I beseech you, sir? TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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MUSTARDSEED Mustardseed. BOTTOM Good Master Mustardseed, I know your patience well: that same cowardly, giant‐like ox‐beef hath devoured many a gentleman of your house: I promise you your kindred had made my eyes water ere now. I desire your more acquaintance, good Master Mustardseed. TITANIA Come, wait upon him; lead him to my bower. The moon methinks looks with a watery eye; And when she weeps, weeps every little flower, Lamenting some enforced chastity. Tie up my love's tongue bring him silently. Exit


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TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Recommended Resources and Supplies Below is a list of all of the materials needed or recommended for the Lessons in Stagecraft program, as well as suggestions for where to get these materials and an estimate of how much they will cost to aid you in your planning and budgeting. Material Where to Find It Estimate Cost Whiteboard or poster Any drug store, art supply store About 40 cents per sheet paper or retail chain like K‐mart, Wal‐Mart or Target Markers Any drug store, art supply store $4.79 for 20 Crayola or retail chain like K‐mart, markers Wal‐Mart or Target Blank paper Any drug store, art supply store, $3.99 for a pack of 100 retail chain like K‐mart, sheets Wal‐Mart or Target Shoeboxes Ask parents and caregivers to Donated donate any shoeboxes they have lying around, or contact a local department store to find out if they have extras they might be willing to donate. Butcher Paper Costco, Cash n’ Carry or other $52.99 for 36" white 50 discount chains may carry it, or lb. butcher paper roll look online at www.discountschoolsupply.com Dropcloth (optional) Lowe’s or other local hardware $28.98 for a 12’ by 15’ store canvas dropcloth TNT DramaMatters Afterschool: Lessons in Stagecraft Boys & Girls Clubs of America (December 2008)

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Paint

Paint Brushes

Old T‐shirts or smocks that can get dirty

Real leaves

Inexpensive Desk Lamps Colored Plastic Wrap Costume Chest

Make‐up

Any drug store, art supply store, retail chain like K‐mart, Wal‐Mart or Target Any drug store, art supply store, retail chain like K‐mart, Wal‐ Mart or Target Ask parents and caregivers to donate any old shirts or purchase old T‐shirts from a thrift shop like Goodwill or Salvation Army Get from trees in the area, if possible Target, K‐Mart or Wal‐Mart

$4.29 for six Crayola colors

$2.29 for 10 assorted sizes

Donated

Free

$12.99 per lamp

Any grocery store

$2.99 per roll

Ask parents and caregivers to donate any old clothes, hats, purses or shoes. Contact a local thrift store or retailer like Wal‐ Mart or Target to request the donation of unsold Halloween costumes after October, or purchase them at a huge discount. Contact local retail stores like Spencer’s Gifts, Target or Wal‐ Mart to request the donation of

Donated


Donated or about $20 for make‐up and application sponges

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Make‐up Remover

Handheld Mirror Rulers

Pieces of cardboard or large cardboard boxes

Scissors

Flood lamps with clips Aluminum Foil

costume and regular make‐up. You can also find some make‐up items at dollar stores. Any drug store or retail chain like K‐mart, Wal‐Mart or Target Any drug store or retail chain like K‐mart, Wal‐Mart or Target Any drug store, art supply store, retail chain like K‐mart, Wal‐Mart or Target Contact your local grocery store to ask if they will donate their large cardboard boxes

$5.00

$10

About $1 per ruler

Stores will often provide these for free if you ask, although sometimes they charge $1 per box Any drug store, art supply store, $5 ‐ 10 per pair retail chain like K‐mart, Wal‐Mart or Target Home Depot, Lowe’s or other $9.97 per light and hardware store accompanying clip Any grocery store $1.99 per roll


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Resources for Scripts and Scenes There are many resources for great scripts that can provide your members with opportunities to experiment with different costumes, sets, lighting designs and more. These are just a few sources for scripts that are appropriate for all ages. Web sites: • Pioneer Drama: www.pioneerdrama.com Access over 700 plays and musicals. Some plays are not intended for children, but many are appropriate for children and teens. • Sources for Scripts: www.benteague.com/productions/scripts.html A list of links to sites where you can order and download scripts. They are not all free, but many of them are very inexpensive. • Funantics Children’s Theater Scripts: www.angelfire.com/scifi/theaterscripts A selection of children’s plays. Some are free, and others $10 and up. Books: • The Actor's Scenebook: Scenes and Monologues From Contemporary Plays, by Michael Schulman and Eva Mekler • Contemporary Scenes for Student Actors, by Michael Schulman and Eva Mekler • Scenes for Young Actors, by Lorraine Cohen and Stephen P. Cohen • Multicultural Scenes for Young Actors (Young Actors Series), by Craig Slaight and Jack Sharrar • Sensational Scenes for Kids: The Scene Study‐Guide for Young Actors (Hollywood 101, 5), by Chambers Stevens • Two for the Show: Scenes for Student Actors (Plays for Young People), by Brian Kennedy • The Methuen Book of Monologues for Young Actors (Monologue and Scene Books), by Anne Harvey


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Great Books About Stagecraft: These books offer tons of information about how to take your stagecraft program to the next level. • Putting on a Play (Activities for Kids), by Paul DuBois Jacobs, Jennifer Swender and Debra Dixon • Break a Leg!: The Kid's Guide to Acting and Stagecraft, by Lise Friedman and Mary Dowdle • Glue & Go Costumes for Kids: Super‐Duper Designs with Everyday Materials, by Holly Cleeland • Super‐Simple Creative Costumes: Mix & Match Your Way to Make Believe, by Sue Astroth • Stage Lighting Handbook, by Francis Reid • Basics ‐ A Beginner's Guide to Stage Lighting, by Peter Coleman and Jackie Staines • Scene Design and Stage Lighting, by W. Oren Parker, R. Craig Wolf and Dick Block • Stage Design: A Practical Guide, by Gary Thorne and Tanya Moiseiwitsch • Period Make‐up for the Stage: Step‐By‐Step, by Rosemarie Swinfield • Stage Make‐up (Stage and Costume), by Rosemarie Swinfield • The First Book of Stage Costume and Make‐up, by Berk and Bendick


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Getting Involved in the Community Reaching out to the community can provide you and your members with the chance to talk to people who work or volunteer in theatrical productions every day, as well as the opportunity to see the equipment, props, costumes and sets that go into these productions. Here are some tips and suggestions for reaching out to local theaters and schools in your area. 1. Reach out to the local community theater or school with a drama program and ask for assistance with your program. Visit www.americantheaterweb.com to search for theaters by city. 2. Research Young Audiences, Inc., is a leading arts‐in‐education organization that may be willing to visit your Club or arrange a performance with members. Find a chapter in your city at www.youngaudiences.org. 3. If contacting a theater, call and explain that you are running a TNT DramaMatters Afterschool program at your Club, and ask with whom you should speak in order to arrange for a speaker to come to your Club or to arrange a field trip to the theater. Some theaters may have a marketing or PR person with whom you should speak, while others may put you in touch with an educational director. Just be clear about what you’re hoping to get from them and they will help you get in touch with the right person. 4. If a drama professional does volunteer to come to your Club for a session or more, be sure to provide them with this program guide and/or the TNT DramaMatters Afterschool program guide in advance so they can be aware of the basic flow of the sessions and suggest possible alternative activities that may reinforce the same ideas. 5. Contact a community theater, high school, college or university and ask for permission to bring members there to see the makings of a real theater. If possible, you could combine this with a guest speaker by having the drama professional or student give members a tour of the stage and theater area. 6. Request discounted tickets to a performance or ask for permission to attend a dress rehearsal from a local theater or school.


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Tips for Using Props in Scenes Props are a great way for members to get into character and interact with the scene around them. Props can also be used as a substitute for costumes as a tool to communicate information about a character. Carrying a stack of books tells the audience that the actor is playing a student, while a spoon and a pot say that the actor is cooking something. Using props adds an extra layer to a scene, but it also requires an additional level of concentration. Here are some tips for getting members to incorporate props into their scenes and productions successfully. 1. Know why. Sometimes having a prop in your hand helps to feel less vulnerable onstage, but make sure that your character has a reason to have that prop. Knowing your character’s motivation can help to know what to hold, why you are holding it and what you should be doing with it. 2. Do not distract others. A prop is used in a scene to communicate something to the audience or to move the scene forward, but do not let it become more than that. Everything that you do onstage can be seen by the audience, so if you are playing with a prop or moving it around a lot, the audience will be distracted by looking at you. 3. Stay organized. If you are in a scene or production with a lot of props, you should keep them all in the same place. If there is a prop master working on the production, they will keep track of all of the props. If there is not, however, then you need to be responsible for finding your own props well before you need to go onstage and keeping track of what props you need for each scene.


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Lessons in Stagecraft

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