Guidelines for Performing Shakespeare

Guidelines for Performing Shakespeare

“Performance is self expression that uses the whole body - breath, physical gesture, thought, imagination, voice, and speech - to communicate a message from one person to another.” (Caleen Sinnette Jennings; http://www.pbs.org/shakespeare/educators/performance/indepth.html).  When performing Shakespeare, use your whole body to communicate what your character is going through, his/her interior and exterior life. Here are the main components to prepare for your performance:

1.       INVESTIGATION:  read and comprehend the text; invest time and energy in understanding the text, and do research to investigate the meaning. Really get to know your character and the context in which he/she lives.

2.       BODY LANGUAGE AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS: use your whole body to communicate your character; consider gestures, posture, eye contact, facial expressions

3.       WORDS AND ARTICULATION (act of expressing in a clear verbal form):

·         pronounce words correctly and clearly;

·         emphasize important words and phrases;

·         pause to emphasize important words and sentences;

·         vary the pacing – say certain lines quickly, certain lines slowly;

·         vary volume and inflection (the way the voice goes up or down).

4.       STAGE, COSTUMES, AND PROPS: imagine the setting and the characters on stage; move around the space intentionally; use stage direction. Also, what details can you add to communicate your character more clearly? What costumes and props can you use? Be realistic about this, and use what is available to you.

5.       PRACTICE: Practice your lines on your own, in the mirror, on the bus, while you’re walking; practice with your group in class and outside of class. Read your lines so much that you memorize them. Record yourself. Assess your performance: How can you better communicate your lines?

6.       PERFORMANCE: There is no single, "right" way to interpret and perform Shakespeare. However, you need to be intentional and deliberate about how you act out your lines. There should be reason and motivation for your actions. Think about the best way to communicate your scene to the audience.

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare      

Rubric for Performance: Act ____, Scene ____, lines ____

Student performing: __________________________  

Person assessing: ____________________________

Criteria	4: shows exceptional comprehension, creativity, skill, and effort	3: shows very good comprehension,  creativity, skill, and effort	2: shows limited comprehension, creativity, skill, and/or effort	1: shows little or no comprehension, creativity, skill, and/or effort	0: does not include
1. Investigation: read, research, paraphrase
2. Body language and facial expressions: use your whole body to communicate character; interact clearly with other characters in your scene
3. Words and articulation: pronunciation, memorization, emphasis, pausing and pacing, volume, and inflection
4. Stage, costumes, props: interact with space intentionally, use stage direction, and add costumes and props
5. Practice and performance: work cooperatively with your group; practice a lot on your own and with your group; perform for your audience

Comments and suggestions for improvement:

Promptbooks and Performance of Romeo and Juliet

For each performance you do of the play, each person must have a promptbook, an annotated copy of a play for the use of a prompter during a performance. Include the following:

1. Plan out the actors’ movements and positions on stage; this is called blocking. Use stage direction and write on your promptbooks.

Audience

2. Write down paraphrase and symbols for emphasis, pausing, pacing, and mood.