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___ CIRCLE STORY: “STONECUTTER”‐
___ Story Theater audience or mime‐actors participate as (the teacher or students) tell it with …. Mime illusions and use of Instrumental sound effects.
Introduce creating Circle Stories to review core science and social studies concepts and standards with movement and sound. SEE the large posters of circle stories created with primary science students and eighth grade history students. Thursday we will create in groups. Fun!
___ Science Poems by Joe Cipollini, Poetry in Motion
___ Jumble Jive Movement for Student Content Review, sci. & Literature
___ Rondos for Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverb Game: Mime the Way…
Gail N. Herman
» Story Picture Maps: MAP‐A‐TURES‐ Draw the whole story on one page from a bird’s eye view.
» Circle Story Maps, End as they Begin
» Story Theater Aspects: Narrator, Mimes, Sound Effects
» No Sets Needed, Few Props 2
Gail N. Herman
THE NARRATOR
˃ Story theater usually has a narrator or narrators. The telling of the story is often improvised, especially in the early stages of rehearsal when the teacher introduces the story. ˃ The narrator can tell the whole story while mime(s) portray the narration. Or the mimes can create a tableau while the narrator speaks. Then the mimes move whenever the narrator pauses and looks toward the mimes.
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STORY THEATER NARRATOR Other times, the narrator can tell a section and encourage the actors to speak. This can be encouraged in three ways.
1. The narrator says the character’s lines, pauses. Then allows the characters to repeat the phrase or sentences with the character’s voice and expressiveness.
2. The narrator describes what the characters say, then pauses and allows the characters to compose their own phrases or sentences.
3. Sometimes the characters might break out of their roles and serve as narrators for a moment, although this is harder and takes practice and maturity.
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STAGING-THE
SEMI-CIRCLE
In this type of story
theater sharing the
students sit on stage
in a semi-circle.
The narrator is
stage right, (the
audience’s left).
FREEZE AND
MOVE
The student actors
begin in a tableau (a
statuesque picture)
and move or talk only
if the narrator pauses
and looks over to
them, and nods.
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Geraldine Brain Siks in DRAMA WITH CHILDREN (1977)
recommends that all the actors remain in the playing area, none
are backstage.
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PROPS
COSTUMES
Actors usually use pantomime to
show small objects and their use.
For example an actor can mime
playing a musical instrument or
rowing a boat with an imaginary
oar.
Costumes are sometimes used,
especially costume pieces such as a
scarf, hats, or apron. Costume
changes are not to interfere with the
flow of the swiftly moving story.
Small set pieces such as a row of
bushes made out of cardboard are
sometimes created but are not
necessary in story theater. The
actors can create the setting by the
way they move and mime.
Actors and mimes usually dress in a
uniform manner, for example, white
and black or all black. A piece of
material or scarf can become a hat,
an apron, and (bunched up) a baby
when arranged and held correctly.
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Gail N. Herman
ISOLATION EXERCISES. Begin in NEUTRAL. Stand slightly forward with your feet shoulder width apart. Keep your knees loose, not locked. Tighten your stomach and abdomen. Open your chest and shoulders. Let your head rest on top of your spine. Isolation exercises involve only one body part at a time.
Head
1. Side, center, side, center (Focus eyes on a point in front of you and then to each side of you.)
2. Up, center, up, center
3. Maybe, center, maybe, center (Maybe= tilting head to one side on a diagonal)
Shoulders
1.Up, down, up, down
2. Forward, center, back, center
3. Around in a circle
See Handout from class for the rest.
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Gail N. Herman
Practice moving one body part at a time. Freeze at the end of a movement by using a “clic” (Kipnis, 1974)
The Clic is like a punctuation mark; it is a snap into place.
The Release is a relaxation of the clic. For example, you open your hand to show the object is released.
The “Law of Economy” (Kipnis, 1974) encourages you to eliminate extraneous movements in a mime piece, leaving only the essentials.
IMPROVISATIONS: Listen to the music. Imagine what might be the scene. Place yourself in the scene. Create your actions. Continue listening for possible sound effects. Claude Kipnis says to be ready for “I know not what.” His book, The Mime Book (1974), first published by Harper & Row in NY had flip action photos on the edges and is still one of the best on mime. Meriwether Publishing in CO has a second edition reprint but they cut off the flip action photos. Find the first Harper & Row version!
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Gail N. Herman
» Nouns are names of things. Person, place, or things. Nouns are names of things. Who has a noun?
» Verbs are Alive. Verbs are alive.
» Adjectives Describe. Adjectives describe.
» Rondo Form Patters = A B A C A D … » A = Germ Idea, B,C,A,D … = Student’s creative contribution. » I have taught Primary Grades and Pre‐K as well as upper grades using rondos for Share‐outs.
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» Science Rondos
» Ex. What’s inside of me? What’s inside of me? My skin’s outside, but what’s inside? Oh, what’s inside of me?
» Let’s make up some rondos for science.
» Amoeba and Shrimp poems
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JUMBLE JIVE, JUMBLE JIVE,
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO THE COUNT OF FIVE?
ONE, TWO… THREE FOUR FIVE
AND
ONE, TWO… THREE FOUR FIVE.
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Gail N. Herman