Suzanne Rodriguez

THE 374-Stage Directing

Dr. Luckett

Directing Demonstration Lesson Plan

Warm-ups:
1. In a circle, the students will begin warming up the bodys muscles by rolling the
shoulders, doing arm circles (both small and large), trunk twists, squats, and leg stretches.
In doing this, students are loosening up their muscles in order to begin moving more
comfortably on stage.
The movements will be done a minimum of eight times each.
2. Once the body warm-up has been completed, students will remain in the circle and
engage in familiar tongue twisters in order to warm-up their voice. The purpose of this
exercise is to warm-up and strengthen the voice by working the muscles used to
pronounce sound as well as help to help the students learn to articulate.
She sells sea shells by the sea shore.
Toy boat (repeat 3 times)
How much wood can a woodchuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?
3. If time permits, students will engage in the activity Guards, Knights, and Foot-soldiers.
Students will portray the pictures created by the director which represent pictures
created in the scene.
Objectives:
1. The learner will develop language skills through both oral and physical expressions.
2. The learner will increase their vocabulary through the use of stage directions dictated by
the director.
3. The learner will develop an understanding of spatial awareness through blocking and
other movements on stage.
4. The learner will develop analytical skills by analyzing his/her character for its moral,
physical, psychological, and social natures.
Lesson:
To begin preparing the scene, students will participate in a read through of the script to
gain a sense of the scenes mood, of their character, and the overall direction the scene is
headed. The reading of the script will occur once the warm-up activities are finished.
Once the read through is completed, students will be asked whether they have any
questions regarding the scene. If they do, their questions will be answered as best as
possible. However, if there are no questions, the objectives for the lesson will be stated
and blocking will begin. To begin blocking for the opening scene, students will be
organized by the order their character enters the scene. After the cast is organized,
1

Suzanne Rodriguez
THE 374-Stage Directing
Dr. Luckett

blocking will begin in the order the scene is presented. First, the cast will be blocked for
the opening picture. Next, the cast will be blocked for their first stage movements. Once
this step is complete, we will take the scene from the top and make any adjustments that
are necessary. The process will continue in the order the characters enter the scene. By
the end of this lesson, students should be blocked for the opening of the scene as well as
the introduction of the three narrators.
Connections/Building for Transfer:
Through this lesson, I hope to help students build upon existing skills while helping to
develop different techniques which they can use when working on other scenes or shows.
For example, through the use of the warm-up activities, students will learn a few different
techniques to help warm-up both their body and vocal muscles. Furthermore, using the
tongue twister exercise, students will learn to articulate their words which is necessary to
becoming a skilled actor. In addition, students will develop a sense of spatial awareness
by understanding the vocabulary used to direct their stage movements. Moreover,
students will learn how to develop their characters by understanding their moral,
physical, psychological, and social natures. In doing this, students can learn to develop
any character they will play. The skills the students learn during this lesson will allow
them to build upon existing skills as well as transfer their newly acquired skills to other
scenes and shows they may be working on.
Homework:
1. Character Analysis Worksheet (see the attached sheet)
a. Students will complete the assigned worksheet to develop a full understanding of
the character, the scene, and the scenes significance to the play.
b. The character analysis worksheet is a modified version of the Romeo and Juliet
Character Analysis Sheet developed by Lindsey Price.
i. The original worksheet can be found at:
https://www.theatrefolk.com/freebies/RJLessonPlan.pdf

Suzanne Rodriguez
THE 374-Stage Directing
Dr. Luckett

Character Analysis Worksheet

Complete the following exercises to demonstrate a full understanding of the character, the scene,
and the scenes significance in the play.

Character Name: ___________________________

Title of the Play: ___________________________
Scene: ____________________________________
Character Facts

Location

List the facts about your character. Facts are

the unchangeable details, such as name, age,
etc. Emotions, for example, are not facts
because they change.

Audience

Character Assumptions
What can you assume about the character,
given how they act, what they say, and what
others say about them? What is their most
common emotional state?

Commonly Used Words

Where does this scene take place? How is

the location significant to your character?

Who is your character talking to? What is

your character talking about? How is this
significant to your character?

Paraphrase the Scene

Write out a modern English version of your
scene.

List the five words your character uses most.

Most Important Line

Vocabulary

What is the most important line in this

scene? Why is it important?

List any words you dont understand and

then define them.

Authors Intention

You and Your Character

What is the author trying to say with this

scene?

Reflect on the similarities and differences

between you and this character.

Characters Intention

Moment Before
What happened in the moment before this
scene?

What does the character want in this scene?

Scene Relevance
What about this scene is relevant to the
present day? What isnt?