The Following Crucible Scenes Are Recommended for a Final Acting Performance by Student

Period:

Date: Crucible Performance Scenes

Assignment: In a group assigned by your teacher you will be creating a DIRECTOR’S NOTEBOOK (100 POINTS) and PERFORING A SCENE (100 POINTS) from the play. This performance counts as your test grade for this unit.

Director’s Notebook

100 points

Required Contents of the Notebook

1. Script: Group Member Responsible: ______Copy your scene and cut, trim, and paste each page onto a larger piece of plain paper. Make sure you have room in the margins to enter the following pieces of information to indicate the blocking and stage business—how the scene will be played:  Vocal pauses, stresses, and inflections  Tone of voice  Gestures and facial expressions(those that are explicit in the script as well as those that are not)  Notes or diagrams of actions and movement  Definitions of words or phrases you do not understand

2. Costumes: Group Member Responsible: ______Design two costumes per character in your scene: (1) the conceptual costume (the one you would wear if money were no object), and (2) the actual costume (the one you will improvise for this performance). You may draw these, construct them from magazine cuttings, or simply write out a detailed description explaining your choices (styles, materials, colors, etc.) but tell about both your conceptual and actual costumes. (In the director’s notebook, there should be costume descriptions for each character in your scene.)

3. Character Analyses: Group Member Responsible: ______Write an analysis for each character who appears in the scene. As you prepare these analyses, question yourself about the characters’ motivations in this passage or scene. Also consider what you know about the character up to this point in the play. The following questions should help to guide you:  What does each character want?  do the characters’ objectives change in this scene? If so, when and why? Do tactics change? If so, how and why? What obstacles stand in each character’s way? What happens when objectives meet obstacles?  What is distinctive about the way the characters speak? (For example, who uses plain language? Elaborate language? Puns? Riddles? Sarcasm? Why does the character speak this way?)

4. Set and Props: Group Member Responsible: ______Design the set as if money, time and resources were no problem and display your design through color sketches of your design or make a shoe-box set. Have objects to represent the characters. Also, using mostly classroom furniture and other things available at school, make a plan for what real pieces you will use for your real set during your actual performance. Draw this real plan as well or past together cut outs from magazines. Plan the props for your scene. Feel free to improvise props from objects at hand. In the director’s notebook, include a drawing of the set and a list of props. Briefly explain your choices.

5. Music: Group Member Responsible: ______Select appropriate music to play as an introduction to your performance. If you like, let the music be heard during the performance as well. The characters, action, and mood of your scene should guide your choices. Prepare this music to use with your actual

1 J. Martin performance and write up a description of what music you selected and why. Explain how your music selections relate to the mood, action, and or theme of the play.

PERFORMANCE

100 POINTS The following Crucible scenes are recommended for a final acting performance by student acting companies. Look at them carefully and choose the best scene for your group. If you have more actors than parts, divide one or more of the parts. If you have fewer actors than parts, combine two or more parts. If your group wishes to perform a scene not listed here, clear this with your teacher. You may perform live or record your performance on videotape to show the class.

Here are some issues to consider when choosing a scene: It’s okay for more than one group to do the same scene. Memorizing lines is encouraged but not required. The group will make a shoe-box stage or stage sketches showing the set as students would like it to be. Actors will design costumes, make a script, and analyze the characters they are playing. Your performance will be graded on careful reading and rehearsal, understanding of characters, understanding of plot, understanding of language, ability to use language to portray character, well-planned movements, well-planned use of props and costumes, and anything extra you add to the production.

 Act I, Betty Parris’s bedroom—Putnam, Paris, Mrs. Putnam, Abigail, Mercy, Mary, Betty p.173-175 (7 Parts)  Act I, Betty Parris’s bedroom—Proctor and Abigail discuss their past & what’s happening now Mary, Proctor, Mercy, Abigail, Betty, Parris, Mrs. Putnam, Mr. Putnam , Giles p. 176- 178 (9 parts)  Act I, Conflict between Revered Hale and Tituba. Tituba “confesses” and the girls begin their chorus of hysterical accusations. Hale, Abigail, Parris, Tituba, Mrs. Putnam, Putnam, Betty p. 187-189. (7 parts)  Act II, Elizabeth and John Proctor talk around his adultery, and John accuses Elizabeth of showing him no mercy or charity. p. 191-193 (3 parts)  Act II, Hale confronts Elizabeth and John over their Christian beliefs; John cannot remember all of the 10 commandments—particularly the one against adultery. p. 197-199 (3 parts)  Act III, Proctor calls Abigail a whore and declares that he himself is a lecher; states that his wife will vouch for his guilt. p. 219-221 (9 parts)  Act III, Elizabeth unexpected and ironically lies for her husband; the girls begin their hysteria against Mary Warren. p. 221-224 (8 parts)  Act IV, Elizabeth, Proctor, Hathorne, Danforth, Parris, Rebecca, and Hale They try to get Proctor to confess to witchcraft p. 236-239 (7 parts)

You Should: 1. Select a scene 2. Decide who will play what parts 3. Decide who will plan what parts for director’s notebook. 4. Read through the scene together. 5. Rehearse the scene as you plan what movements, vocal variety, etc. to add to the scene. 6. Combine the work to make your director’s notebook. 7. Decide if you’ll perform live or video tape it to perform. 8. Bring costumes, props, etc. and perform your scene. 9. Turn in your Director’s Notebook.

2 J. Martin Name:

Period:

Date: Crucible Performance Scenes

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Acting Company Name:

Scene Performed:

Character Played by: Comments:______

POINTS POINTS TO WHAT EXTEND DOES THE PERFORMANCE POSSIBLE AWARDED SHOW: 15 Careful Reading and Rehearsal 15 Understanding of Characters 15 Understanding of Plot 20 Understanding of Language 15 Ability to Use Language to Portray Character 10 Well Planned Movements 10 Well Planned Use of Props and Costumes (BONUS) Something EXTRA 100 TOTAL

COMMENTS:

3 J. Martin