Where is the collective going? What is it about? HELP HELP HELP!
- Sherron Burns and I sat down together to discuss the process thus far. Here is a copy of the notes that she took while I spoke and she asked questions. The information following is the ideas that came out of the discussion:
'Accepted' Reality:
- black/white
- narrow
- line
- blind
- straight
- beige
Always know the rules; consequences: there are often severe consequences for breaking the rules. Rule breakers know outcome to every action; outcome can't change. Stable. You obey say 'yes!' to the expected order because you do not want to deviate- consequence. Say yes to the known
'Parallel' Reality:
- fantasy
- imagination
- mystical
- magical
Beyond your control. Don't understand; submit to saying yes to a situation; even if you do not know he consequences- you are saying yes to the unknown
Why do people try to escape?
- drugs
- abuse
- boredom
- disability (lack of focus)
- afraid of people; relationships
- power
- stimulation
- creation
- spiritual
What mkes us cross the line? (parallelism between reality and fantasy)
- New task:
Students are given scenario cards; the cards contain a very basic platform: who/where/what. The students will have to play up stereotypes and flesh out the scene; make it bigger than what they are given- the scene is played in the 'accepted reality'.
After the scene is played, students must take their scene and stage it in the parallel reality: what is different when the scene crosses the line? Does status change? Attitudes? Ideas? Characters?
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Introduction of Shel Silverstein
- Students were given a piece of text to work with over the course of two days:
Objective: to create a small scene that only used the text and elements of fantasy: characters which we recognized from the fantasy structure, elements of the fantasy... the groups had to use a protagonist, antagonist, side kick and magical creatures.
Text the students worked with:
Listen to the MUSTN'TS child
Listen to the DON'TS
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
THE IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
then listen close to me-
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be
- Shel Silverstein
Objective: to create a small scene that only used the text and elements of fantasy: characters which we recognized from the fantasy structure, elements of the fantasy... the groups had to use a protagonist, antagonist, side kick and magical creatures.
Text the students worked with:
Listen to the MUSTN'TS child
Listen to the DON'TS
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
THE IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
then listen close to me-
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be
- Shel Silverstein
Characteristics of Fantasy
CHARACTERS:
- protagonist: often viewed as a 'normal' character
- antagonist: evil villian(s)
- side kick
- foils
- magical creatures along the way
ELEMENTS:
- a goal; a quest
- controlled by a bigger force (the supernatural)
- Theme; moral; lesson is complicated but often appears not
- two settings: 'reality' vs. 'the green world'
- characters of the green world are often fantastical and magical; animals can talk
- protagonist: often viewed as a 'normal' character
- antagonist: evil villian(s)
- side kick
- foils
- magical creatures along the way
ELEMENTS:
- a goal; a quest
- controlled by a bigger force (the supernatural)
- Theme; moral; lesson is complicated but often appears not
- two settings: 'reality' vs. 'the green world'
- characters of the green world are often fantastical and magical; animals can talk
October 15, 2009
ESCAPE: what type of people would/could go into alternative realities? What causes them to do this?
- how can we put this idea on stage?
Why would someone want to escape into another world?
Ideas for next week:
- every sheet becomes a character that would/could be apart of a fantasy story
- formulate a BIG IDEA for what we are creating
- brainstorm in groups: who is our 'normal' protagonist; the person that enters into a new reality
- play with the idea of caricature in the body- how does our body change with exaggeration?
- use contact improv to begin to tell story
- how can we put this idea on stage?
Why would someone want to escape into another world?
Ideas for next week:
- every sheet becomes a character that would/could be apart of a fantasy story
- formulate a BIG IDEA for what we are creating
- brainstorm in groups: who is our 'normal' protagonist; the person that enters into a new reality
- play with the idea of caricature in the body- how does our body change with exaggeration?
- use contact improv to begin to tell story
October 14, 2009
Objective: students were to create a visual metaphor for these ideas:
- dysfunctional family
- mental illness
- disease
- control
- hallucination
- Students worked in groups, using big white sheets of paper. They could not use any image that was realistic; only line, shape and colour.
As the students created their visual metaphor, they watched the movie Coraline.
Coraline, plays with shape, exaggeration and imagination; a little girl's journey into another world
'You probably think this world is a dream come true, but you're wrong'- The Black Cat
- dysfunctional family
- mental illness
- disease
- control
- hallucination
- Students worked in groups, using big white sheets of paper. They could not use any image that was realistic; only line, shape and colour.
As the students created their visual metaphor, they watched the movie Coraline.
Coraline, plays with shape, exaggeration and imagination; a little girl's journey into another world
'You probably think this world is a dream come true, but you're wrong'- The Black Cat
Friday, November 6, 2009
Fantasy vs. Reality
November 5, 2009- Crossing the line between fantasy and reality.
Students were given scenario cards on November 4th. The scenario cards gave short scenes which the group was required to embellish. Playing with common stereotypes, the students were asked to enhance the scene (thinking about the parts of a story) and bring colour to the characters, environment and conflict- let's make it personal! The group was also required to focus into the theme of their short scenario- what is the big idea? What is it all about?
After fine tuning, a bit more rehearsal and a second performance the students had to take the big idea of their piece and present their scene in 'fantasyland' where anything could happen! How does the story shift and change? What makes the story different because it is now in a fantasy land? Can students become talking books, creatures, how does society function, what is accepted in fantasy that is not accepted in our reality?
Is fantasy truly the place where 'anything can happen, child. Anything can be'?
Students were given scenario cards on November 4th. The scenario cards gave short scenes which the group was required to embellish. Playing with common stereotypes, the students were asked to enhance the scene (thinking about the parts of a story) and bring colour to the characters, environment and conflict- let's make it personal! The group was also required to focus into the theme of their short scenario- what is the big idea? What is it all about?
After fine tuning, a bit more rehearsal and a second performance the students had to take the big idea of their piece and present their scene in 'fantasyland' where anything could happen! How does the story shift and change? What makes the story different because it is now in a fantasy land? Can students become talking books, creatures, how does society function, what is accepted in fantasy that is not accepted in our reality?
Is fantasy truly the place where 'anything can happen, child. Anything can be'?
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