Hello Waukesha North Drama and Stagecraft Families!
My name is Kaitlin Stone and I am the Drama and Stagecraft teacher at Waukesha North, and am so excited to get to know you and your students this year! In an effort to increase communication between myself and families, I am going to try and give regular class and Drama Club updates on this Blog to keep families in the loop every quarter. I will attempt to update more frequently with information about what we are working on in class, as well as deadlines, due dates, project expectations, but will at least update you on a quarterly basis!
My name is Kaitlin Stone and I am the Drama and Stagecraft teacher at Waukesha North, and am so excited to get to know you and your students this year! In an effort to increase communication between myself and families, I am going to try and give regular class and Drama Club updates on this Blog to keep families in the loop every quarter. I will attempt to update more frequently with information about what we are working on in class, as well as deadlines, due dates, project expectations, but will at least update you on a quarterly basis!
DRAMA I
Drama I students start the year by learning about the concept of Ensemble in theatre and participating in various team building and ensemble building activities. We then learned about the principles of movement in theater and how to make and show characters using just their bodies and physical choices. For their final performance, students performed a pantomimed scene with a partner. Students were asked to choose a famous character from a cartoon, other media, history, etc that they tried to emulate during their pantomime. Their partner was asked to choose a character from a completely different "universe" (for example, both could not have Disney characters, but one could be Cinderella and the other partner could be Dracula), and then I assigned them a random location. Overall, the final performances were a success and valuable learning experience for the group, pushing them out of their comfort zones!
We are currently in our voice work unit. Students have been learning about proper vocal technique for the stage and how to create character voices. They will be taught various exercises and games to help practice these new skills to use in their Summative project, "Spooky Radio Broadcasts" which is a class favorite!
Students get to choose a partner or work independently to create an old-time radio spooky show that is performed just before break. This will allow them to practice proper projection, articulation, and character voice creation while putting their own spin on the radio show genre.
After Thanksgiving break, we will move on to scene work, finally combining the movement and voice technique together to create fully developed characters.
As a reminder, students will receive a Formative weekly rehearsal grade in IC to assess how they used their time and their progress/improvements for the week. The rubric can be found below. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns!
We are currently in our voice work unit. Students have been learning about proper vocal technique for the stage and how to create character voices. They will be taught various exercises and games to help practice these new skills to use in their Summative project, "Spooky Radio Broadcasts" which is a class favorite!
Students get to choose a partner or work independently to create an old-time radio spooky show that is performed just before break. This will allow them to practice proper projection, articulation, and character voice creation while putting their own spin on the radio show genre.
After Thanksgiving break, we will move on to scene work, finally combining the movement and voice technique together to create fully developed characters.
As a reminder, students will receive a Formative weekly rehearsal grade in IC to assess how they used their time and their progress/improvements for the week. The rubric can be found below. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns!
STAGECRAFT
Stagecraft students started the year learning about jobs within technical theater, the theater hierarchy, and practicing teamwork skills, as we will be working in groups the majority of the year. They learned about the various jobs in technical theater that we will be exploring throughout the year, and practiced teamwork and conflict resolution strategies to ensure we have a positive work environment for all of our students. We then learned about the equipment and safety precautions that need to be taken in the auditorium. Since then, Stagecraft students have been working on our set build for this year's Fall Play, "The Comedy of Terrible Errors" by Don Zolidis.
Students get to work in peer-led crews by veteran students, getting to explore set building, scenic painting, costume design, lighting design, prop design, and publicity design. We have been working in these crews for the last 5 weeks and the show opens next Thursday, November 17th at 7:00pm. Stagecraft students get a discounted rate at the door, or tickets can be purchase online at nortstarplayer.ludus.com
At this point, students are also working on their next Summative portfolio, the 📓TCOTE2: Comedy of Terrible Errors Set Build Portfolio. Each week, students document their progress through photos and reflection questions. They also have been receiving a weekly crew work Formative grade, so make sure to check in to see their progress.
At the end of the build, students will have a Summative 1:1 conference with me to assess goals and areas of growth before entering the build for our Winter musical, "All Shook Up" featuring the music of Elvis Presley!
So far, I have been extremely impressed with the initiative and creativity shown within the crews, and can't wait to see their growth throughout the year!
Students get to work in peer-led crews by veteran students, getting to explore set building, scenic painting, costume design, lighting design, prop design, and publicity design. We have been working in these crews for the last 5 weeks and the show opens next Thursday, November 17th at 7:00pm. Stagecraft students get a discounted rate at the door, or tickets can be purchase online at nortstarplayer.ludus.com
At this point, students are also working on their next Summative portfolio, the 📓TCOTE2: Comedy of Terrible Errors Set Build Portfolio. Each week, students document their progress through photos and reflection questions. They also have been receiving a weekly crew work Formative grade, so make sure to check in to see their progress.
At the end of the build, students will have a Summative 1:1 conference with me to assess goals and areas of growth before entering the build for our Winter musical, "All Shook Up" featuring the music of Elvis Presley!
So far, I have been extremely impressed with the initiative and creativity shown within the crews, and can't wait to see their growth throughout the year!
DRAMA II
Drama II/III/IV students have already had a blast getting reacquainted with one another, and we started the year with our basic skills review. We then moved on to audition techniques for Drama II, and playwriting for Drama III/IV where they got to create their own work based on a famous horror/thriller author (DIII) or social issue (DIV). Drama III's have been directing the Drama II students in what is one of our favorite projects of the year! During this time, Drama IV students will discover how theatre is often used to discuss social issues, and will research and pick a topic of their choosing to write a scene about. They will write and direct themselves towards a final performance. Topics from the past include substance abuse, mental health, immigration/differing cultures, and disability awareness, and it has been a great opportunity for Drama IV students to research issues they feel passionate about and use theatre as a medium to share that passion with others.
The goal is to have a final performance (hopefully with costumes and basic lighting) that we can record and share out right before the break.
As a reminder now that we are into daily rehearsals for the unit, students will receive a Formative weekly rehearsal grade to assess how they used their time and their progress/improvements for the week, so be sure to check IC occasionally for their progress. Lastly, as always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns!
The goal is to have a final performance (hopefully with costumes and basic lighting) that we can record and share out right before the break.
As a reminder now that we are into daily rehearsals for the unit, students will receive a Formative weekly rehearsal grade to assess how they used their time and their progress/improvements for the week, so be sure to check IC occasionally for their progress. Lastly, as always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns!
DRAMA CLUB
Rehearsals for this year's Fall play "The Comedy of Terrible Errors" by Don Zolidis are officially wrapping up as the show opens next Thursday, November 16 at 7:00pm! We have had great turn out for after school tech crews so far, and hope to keep that momentum going throughout the year. As a reminder, students are welcome ANY days they can come and as often or as little as they would like. We are just happy to have the help! Crews meet on the following days from 3:15-4:30/5:00:
Tickets for "The Comedy of Terrible Errors" are on sale at northstarplayers.ludus.com so don't miss out and get your tickets today! We look forward to seeing you there! | After break, we move on to auditions for this year's musical, "All Shook Up" featuring the music of Elvis Presley! The music of Elvis comes alive in this show inspired by Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and follows a small Midwestern town that is thrown into a frenzy with the arrival of Chad, a good-looking, motorcycle-riding roustabout, who rides from town to town with a guitar on his back, blue suede shoes on his feet, and a song in his heart. Repressed by their conservative mayor, the town begins to come alive once more under Chad’s influence. Lovers meet, woo, pursue, and more, all in one zany night that will change the town forever. is a rocking, heartwarming tale about following dreams, opening up to love, and the power of music. Auditions are the week of 11/27-11/30 and the show will be the weekend of February 8th-11th so stay tuned for updates! |