At a glance
Groups of three to five · four class periods, then performed · a staged scene of 60–100 lines plus a one-page director’s note · assessed on Communication, Thinking, and Application
The task
Take one scene of Romeo and Juliet, decide what it means, and stage it so the audience can see your decision. Then defend every choice in writing.
What “staging” means here
You are not required to act well. You are required to make choices and execute them:
- Cuts. You may cut lines. Every cut is an argument about what the scene is for.
- Blocking. Where people stand, who moves toward whom, who is left alone on stage.
- Delivery. Which words carry the meaning — see Shakespeare’s Language for how the verse tells you.
- Setting and props, if you want them. A scene set now is a claim about the play’s relevance; a scene set in 1595 is also a claim.
- Silence. The most under-used tool available to you.
The director’s note
One page, and it is where most of the marks are:
- Your reading of the scene in one sentence.
- Three choices you made and what each one shows.
- One line you cut and the argument for cutting it.
- What you would do differently with another two weeks.
How it is marked
| Category | What I am looking for |
|---|---|
| Communication | The audience follows the scene; the verse is spoken so the sense arrives |
| Thinking | The staging is an interpretation, defended in the note with evidence from the text |
| Application | The choices use what we learned about dramatic form, not just enthusiasm |
If performing frightens you
There is a role in every group that is not on stage: director, dramaturg (the person who works out what the lines mean), or designer. All three are assessed on the same note. Come and talk to me in the first period of the unit.
Curriculum connection
A2.1
communicate orally for a variety of purposes, using language appropriate for the intended audience (e.g., prepare a group read-aloud of a short story for a school-wide literary festival; prepare a “Speakers’ Corner” message about a contemporary issue; create and present a skit involving characters who hold opposing views on a topic; make a class presentation on the issues affecting Aboriginal communities)
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A2.4
use appropriate words, phrases, and terminology, and several different stylistic devices, to communicate their meaning and engage their intended audience (e.g., use examples of idioms from diverse cultures to illustrate a concept during a presentation; use emotive language in a persuasive appeal to a large group; use contemporary English to adapt a Shakespearean soliloquy)
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B2.1
identify a variety of characteristics of literary, informational, and graphic text forms and explain how they help communicate meaning (e.g., explain the function of setting in a short story; explain the function of rhyme in a sonnet; explain the role of a refrain or repeated phrase in a ballad or story; explain the function of transition words in an opinion piece or argument; explain the role of a comparison and contrast structure in a persuasive essay or a book review; explain why some characters in a Shakespeare play speak mainly in verse and others mainly or only in prose)
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A3.2
identify a variety of their skills in viewing, representing, reading, and writing and explain how the skills help them improve their oral communication skills (e.g., identify and explain narrative techniques that they could incorporate into a group oral presentation; explain how reading a humorous short story improves their ability to tell amusing anecdotes of their own)
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A1.7
analyse oral texts, including increasingly complex texts, focusing on the ways in which they communicate information, ideas, issues, and themes and influence the listener’s/viewer’s response (e.g., explain how a fellow student has used a combination of personal anecdotes and research to support his or her opinion in a presentation; review a radio news broadcast and examine the effective use of “sound bites” to inform and engage the audience)
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A2.5
identify a variety of vocal strategies, including tone, pace, pitch, and volume, and use them appropriately and with sensitivity to audience needs and cultural differences (e.g., enunciate clearly, while varying tone, pace, and volume, to ensure that all members of a diverse audience will understand the message; adjust volume, pace, and pitch to suit the purpose of speaking and the size and type of audience; adapt voice to role-play the subject of a biography for a mock interview)
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A2.6
identify a variety of non-verbal cues, including facial expressions, gestures, and eye contact, and use them appropriately to help convey their meaning and with sensitivity to audience needs and cultural differences (e.g., use a variety of non-verbal cues to enhance a dramatic reading; assume a posture that maintains an engagement with the audience when giving a presentation; play charades in a small group)
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A2.7
use a variety of audio-visual aids appropriately to support and enhance oral presentations and to engage an audience (e.g., use graphic organizers on an overhead projector to compare the elements of two short stories; use costumes and props to enhance a dramatic presentation)
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B3.2
use appropriate decoding strategies to read and understand unfamiliar words (e.g., use a dictionary of foreign words and expressions to find the meaning of foreign words and phrases in dialogue in a novel; use knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, and roots to predict meaning; make personal lists of common prefixes and suffixes for easy reference; read beyond an unfamiliar word or phrase to infer meaning from the overall sense of the passage)
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