Year 7 and 8 Drama Work Sydenham School Distance Learning

Year 7 and 8 drama work Sydenham School Distance Learning

Read through the follow materials and complete the tasks set.

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.

During the World War II bombings of London, four English siblings are sent to a country house where they will be safe. One day Lucy (Georgie Henley) finds a wardrobe that transports her to a magical world called Narnia. After coming back, she soon returns to Narnia with her brothers, Peter (William Moseley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and her sister, Susan (Anna Popplewell). There they join the magical lion, Aslan (Liam Neeson), in the fight against the evil White Witch, Jadis (Tilda Swinton). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYcGFLgJ8Uo Trailer link Design costume for two characters in the play that are different to the ones in the film.

Label the items of clothing with why you have chosen them. Character______Character ______

If you were to stage a play of The Lion the witch and the Wardrobe how would you design the set?

Design 3 props or items of furniture:

Main characters

 Lucy is the youngest of four siblings. In some respects, she is the primary protagonist of the story. She is the first to discover the land of Narnia, which she enters inadvertently when she steps into a wardrobe while exploring the Professor's house. When Lucy tells her three siblings about Narnia, they do not believe her: Peter and Susan think she is just playing a game, while Edmund persistently ridicules her. In Narnia, she is crowned Queen Lucy the Valiant.  Edmund is the second-youngest of four siblings. He has a bad relationship with his brother and sisters. Edmund is known to be a liar, and often harasses Lucy. Lured by the White Witch's promise of power and an unlimited supply of magical treats, Edmund betrays his siblings. He later repents and helps defeat the White Witch. He is eventually crowned King Edmund the Just.  Susan is the second-oldest sibling. She does not believe in Narnia until she actually goes there. She and Lucy accompany Aslan on the journey to the Stone Table, where he allows the Witch to take his life in place of Edmund's. Tending to Aslan's carcass, she removes a muzzle from him to restore his dignity and oversees a horde of mice who gnaw away his bonds. She then shares the joy of his resurrection and the endeavor to bring reinforcements to a critical battle. Susan is crowned Queen Susan the Gentle.  Peter is the eldest sibling. He judiciously settles disputes between his younger brother and sisters, often rebuking Edmund for his attitude. Peter also disbelieves Lucy's stories about Narnia until he sees it for himself. He is hailed as a hero for the slaying of Maugrim and for his command in the battle to overthrow the White Witch. He is crowned High King of Narnia and dubbed King Peter the Magnificent.  Aslan, a lion, is the rightful King of Narnia and other magic countries. He sacrifices himself to save Edmund, but is resurrected in time to aid the denizens of Narnia and the Pevensie children against the White Witch and her minions. As the "son of the Emperor beyond the sea" (an allusion to God the Father), Aslan is the all-powerful creator of Narnia. Lewis revealed that he wrote Aslan as a portrait, although not an allegorical portrait, of Christ.[7]  The White Witch is the land's self-proclaimed queen and the primary antagonist of the story. Her spell on Narnia has made winter persist for a hundred years with no end in sight. When provoked, she turns creatures to stone with her wand. She fears the fulfillment of a prophecy that "two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve" (meaning two male humans and two female humans) will supplant her. She is usually referred to as "the White Witch", or just "the Witch". Her actual name, "Jadis," appears once in the notice left on Tumnus's door after his arrest. Lewis later wrote a prequel to include her back story and account for her presence in the Narnian world.  The Professor is a kindly old gentleman who takes the children in when they are evacuated from London. He is the first to believe that Lucy did indeed visit a land called Narnia. He tries to convince the others logically that she did not make it up. After the children return from Narnia, he assures them that they will return one day. The book hints that he knows more of Narnia than he lets on (hints expanded upon in later books of the series).  Tumnus, a faun, is the first individual Lucy (who calls him "Mr. Tumnus") meets in Narnia. Tumnus befriends Lucy, despite the White Witch's standing order to turn in any human he finds. He initially plans to obey the order but, after getting to like Lucy, he cannot bear to alert the Witch's forces. He instead escorts her back towards the safety of her own country. His good deed is later given away to the Witch by Edmund. The witch orders Tumnus arrested and turns him to stone, but he is later restored to life by Aslan.  Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, two beavers, are friends of Tumnus. They play host to Peter, Susan and Lucy and lead them to Aslan.

Create a detailed character profile for one of the characters:

Name:

Age:

Picture Hobbies:

Family:

Things in their pocket:

Hidden secret:

Diary entry: ______

Read the following Monologue from the play – If you want begin to learn the lines and practice how you perform it to an audience. Monologue:

Edmund: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis (Dramatised by Adrian Mitchell)

This scene is set in the courtyard of the Witch’s house at night. EDMUND enters cautiously. There are shadowy figures of people and animals all around him – standing very still. He cowers away from an enormous lion, crouched and ready to spring, then realise it is only a stature – the statue of the great Aslan.

Edmund

A lion! (Edmund cowers away from an enormous lion crouched as if it is ready to spring) Why’s it standing so stiff? (He ventures a little nearer) Hey, its head’s all covered in snow. Only a statue. (He walks forward and touches the lion’s head, very quickly) Cold stone! So this is the great Lion Aslan! The Queen’s turned him into stone. So that’s the end of all their fine ideas! (He takes a stub of pencil out of his pocket and scribbles a moustache and spectacles on the lion’s head) Who’s afraid of Aslan? Yah! Stupid old Aslan! How do you like being a statue? (Edmund moves on across the courtyard among the stone statues of satyrs, wolves, bears, foxes and a dragon. Right in the middle stands a stone giant. Edmund moves past the giant gingerly towards stone steps leading to a doorway from which a pale light shines. Across the threshold lies a great wolf) It’s all right – only a stone wolf. It couldn’t hurt a flea.

(But as Edmund raises his leg to step over the wolf, the huge creature rises and opens its mouth and speaks in a growling voice. It is Maugrim the wolf, head of the Witch’s Secret Police)

(Trembling) If you please, sir. My name is Edmund, and I’m the Son of Adam Her Majesty met in the wood the other day and I’ve come to bring her the news that my brother and sisters are now in Narnia – quite close, at the Beavers’ house. She – she wanted to see them. Will you tell her I am here? (Edmund stands very still) I mustn’t be afraid. Try to think about something nice…. Ah, yes… Turkish Delight… Turkish Delight…

Physicality: Facial Expressions and Gestures Begin by looking at the stage directions. There are already some key words that describe how Edmund is feeling. Can you find them? What do verbs like, ‘cowers’ (Line 1) and ‘ventures’ (Line 2) tell us about how Edmund is feeling? What about adverbs like, ‘gingerly’ (Line 8) and adjectives, like ‘trembling’ (line 12)?

Describe what you think Edmund’s facial expressions would show when he first sees the lion. What would be the difference when he realises it’s made of stone? VERBS: When would he scowl or frown? When would he smile? Describe his use of eye contact. When might he look away? When might he stare? ADJECTIVES: When might he look tense or relaxed? Anxious? Furious? Relieved? ADVERBS:

Vocality: Pitch, volume and tone Begin by looking at the stage directions. There are already some key words that describe how Edmund is feeling. Can you find them? What do verbs like, ‘cowers’ (Line 1) and ‘ventures’ (Line 2) tell us about how Edmund is feeling? What about adverbs like, ‘gingerly’ (Line 8) and adjectives, like ‘trembling’ (line 12)?

What happens to your voice when you are nervous? How would Edmund’s pitch change from the beginning to the part when he realises that Aslan is made of stone? What about when the wolf moves? Annotate your script to show how his pitch would change. Explain your reasons to your group.

Think about his tone of voice. What adjectives can you use to describe tone? Gentle? Soft? Harsh? Hard? Sharp? What adverbs could you use? He spoke gently, softly, anxiously, sharply… What verbs could you use? Whisper, shout, screech, yell, cajole, encourage…. Play writing 101

A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading.

The most important thing here is to remember that a play is intended for performance, to be experienced by an audience and to be performed by actors, so the words on the page are only the beginning. They are like the plans for a building or even a sketch prepared before a painting. A lot of the making of a new play happens with the script as a starting point, even when all of the dialogue is spoken. Remember as a playwright you are telling stories with words and pictures.

Top tips

 Avoid using clichés in dialogue. Not to “beat a dead horse,” but clichés make dialogue sound dull and uninspired.  Don’t overuse character names in dialogue. People don’t address each other by name in every sentence they speak, because it sounds silly. (Mary, you look great. Thank you, Tom. Do you want watch a movie, Mary? Yes, Tom.) Use character names in dialogue early and then sparingly.  The beginning of a line shouldn’t echo the end of the prior line. The dialogue of one character need not repeat what was said by the other.  Avoid dialogue that’s really speechifying. Avoid having characters speak lines and lines of dialogue without interruption. In life, people usually alternate sentences in conversation, even cutting in on each other. Try to capture the rhythm of real speech.  Keep your agenda out of the dialogue. Let the theme of your play be conveyed by events, not dialogue. If you have to tell the audience what the point of your play is, then the play probably isn’t working as well as it should.  Avoid phonetically spelling out accents and dialects. Just spell the words normally and make sure you cast an actor who can speak with a Spanish accent, for example. How to Start the Play You’re Writing

The opening of your play needs to grab the audience; otherwise the battle is lost before it begins. Following are some of the elements of a strong start:

 Start your play as far into the story as possible. Pick a point of attack (opening scenario) that’s well into the story, just before the inciting incident.  Upset the status quo. Be sure that something happens early on (the inciting incident) to upset the world of your protagonist, launching her on a mission to set things right.  Give your protagonist a critical mission. The audience will get behind your protagonist if what your protagonist is after — the goal— is urgent, important, and crystal clear to the audience.  Be sure that the antagonist provides strong obstacles. The more even the battle, the greater the suspense.  Get the backstory in. Throughout the play, when it’s necessary to do so, gradually weave into the dialogue the backstory, relevant events that happened before the start of the play. Playwriting Keywords

 Protagonist: The main character of your story; the character with a mission  Antagonist: A character or thing that stands in your protagonist’s way  Conflict: The opposing objectives of your protagonist and antagonist  Arc, spine, or through-line: The story line; what the audience is waiting to find out

 Stakes: What the characters stand to gain or lose if they succeed or fail  Inciting incident: The event that launches the protagonist and gets the plot going  Backstory: Events that have taken place in the past  Exposition: The motivated revelation of the backstory through dialogue  Actions: Things said or done by the characters to achieve their objectives

 Rising action: The protagonist’s uphill journey, alternating gains and setbacks  Climax: The final confrontation between the protagonist and the antagonist  Resolution: The aftermath of the climax; how the dust settles

Putting Lifelike Characters on Stage

The characters in your play must be fully developed, as close to real people as you can make them. The keys to creating believable characters are details and specificity. If you know your characters as well as you know your best friends, you’re more likely to know what they will do under the circumstances of your play.

So write mini-biographies of all your characters. The time you invest in doing this will pay off later. Here are some of the things you should know about all of your characters and why:

 Gender: Men and women react to life’s events in very different ways.  Parents: Parents, even absent ones, have a profound influence on their kids.  Siblings: Relationships later in life can be influenced by experiences with siblings.  Schooling: Education, or the lack of it, can influence a person’s daily life.  Work: People often measure themselves by their work and earnings.

 Relationships: People who are married or in committed relationships usually behave and think differently than single folks.  Religion: People’s choices and behaviors can be powerfully influenced by religion.  Race/ethnicity: People of different backgrounds make different choices in similar situations.  Politics: Political beliefs can strongly affect what that person chooses to do. Making Character Dialogue Sound Natural

Dialogue is the primary and most important component in playwriting. The principal purpose of dialogue is to advance the action of the play. Though dialogue sounds like natural conversation, every word of dialogue you write for a character — whether it reveals his aspirations, frustrations, motivations, or intentions — should be crafted to help him achieve his objective.

Here are some of the do’s and don’ts of dialogue:

 Use the “rule of three” for important info. If the audience needs to know and remember some bit of information in order to understand what’s going on, repeat that information three times in different ways to cement it in the minds of audiences.  Characters shouldn’t, you know, talk perfectly. In life, people don’t speak perfect English when they converse. Listen to how people speak and try to recreate realistic-sounding speech patterns, flaws and all.

 Avoid using clichés in dialogue

One of your responsibilities as playwright is to deliver a satisfying end to the play. You don’t necessarily have to write a happy ending or even an ending audiences would have wanted. You need an ending that seems truthful, plausible (given the circumstances), and, in retrospect, maybe even inevitable.

Use the following tips to build to and execute a satisfying ending:

 Make the obstacles tougher and tougher. Be sure the setbacks your protagonist has to deal with are not easy and that they get tougher as the story progresses.  Create a cause and effect structure. Each moment and scene should lead to the next. (Although they happen in life, random events and particularly convenient coincidences aren’t dramatically satisfying in plays.)

 Create a climactic moment that brings together your protagonist and antagonist in one final showdown. The entire play builds toward this moment when the protagonist meets his fate and the story line, if not the play, is concluded.  Come to the earned conclusion. The conclusion should be justified by the events that came before. An earned conclusion is a relevant and plausible ending that’s appropriate to the story you’re telling.  Avoid cheat endings. The deus ex machina ending involves a person or thing that appears suddenly and out of nowhere to provide a contrived and convenient solution to the problem of the play. Audiences don’t like this “cheat.” They expect the protagonist to find (or not find) her own way out of the situation.  Tie up loose ends in the resolution. The resolution, which comes just before the curtain falls, provides the opportunity for the audience to see the landscape in the world of the play after the climactic storm, big or small. This is where you should tie up any unresolved strands of the story.

Video links on Youtube National Theatre Playwriting series https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJgBmjHpqgs7lJOU2PL0mJcFawbCMb3_r

Task:

Write a play with at least 3 characters. The play must have at least one clear location. How to layout a play

Picture prompts