Music For Movement

Here is the music we will be using for our movement project over the next couple of weeks.

Field Trip on Wedensday, November 28

UPDATE:
The Drivers who have volunteered are...

1. Renee Morey
2. Marcia Jacobsen
3. Wendy Brazill
4. Kitty Petti (not returning to school; taking the Pasadena/La Crescenta carpool home from play)

The High School Drama class will go on a field trip to see Ray Charles Live! (yes, I know, he's dead), a new musical at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Date: Wednesday, 11/28
Place: Pasadena Playhouse
Leave Bridges @ 12:45 p.m.
Return @ 5:00 p.m.

Cost: $22 per ticket - pay Lori at the front desk

Transportation: Pat and I will each drive a car, but we could use three parent volunteers who are able to take at least three students per car. Most cars will return to Bridges to be picked up by their parents, but in some cases (like folks who live near Pasadena) you can choose to take students home or have them picked up at the theater by their parents. Drivers will get one complimentary ticket.

Permission: In addition to parental permission, you must get permission from the your Block 7 and Block 8 teachers, as those are the classes you will miss. If you are significantly behind on your work for either of these classes, you will not be allowed to go on the trip.

Theater Reviews

This semester, you will write three one-page theater reviews for drama.

The first one is due this Friday, October 12. (9th Graders going on the trip to Catalina may have an extension until Tuesday, 10/16).

The only requirements for the review is that it be about one page long, typed and double-spaced, and be about a play you saw between September 1 and December 15 of this year.

This will not be graded the same way an essay for English class would be graded -- just record your thoughts on the play as accurately as you can, and if things like grammar and syntax slow you down, go ahead and be sloppy. I have most of you in English anyway, so we can can deal with it there.

If you have trouble getting started, here are some questions you should ask yourself. The answers should add up to a pretty thorough review.

• Was the set interesting and useful? Did it allow the actors to make more of an impact?
• Were there special effects that added to the impact of the play?
• Did the actors make certain choices that were probably not in the original script? If so, did this help or hinder the point the playwright was trying to make?
• How did the costume choices effect the message of the play?
• Were the actors articulate and interesting in their performances? Did any single performances stand out above the rest? Were there any weak links?
• What do you think the director of the play had in mind? Was the directorial interpretation true to what the playwright wanted?
• If music was used, was it effective?
• Did the lighting design add to the dramatic impact of the play?

Remember, you do not have to use these questions if you already know what you want to write about. This is just a way for you to get started if you need it.

Monologue Memorization

The final performance of your monologue will be Wednesday, October 10.

You should have it fully memorized by Thursday, October 4. Then you will have the weekend and Monday's class to perfect the blocking and inflections.

Some of you have worried that you wrote too much too memorize; if this is the case, you are certainly allowed to edit it down a bit. But you must turn in a written copy containing only the text that you will memorize for the final performance.

In class, several students have performed paraphrases of what they have written, or done it extemporaneously as they further develop their ideas. But the time has come now to commit to a precise text.

Minor differences, such as I went out for a drive vs. I went out driving are acceptable. However, there should be no additions or deletions of whole sentences.

Length: Between 90 seconds and five minutes. But even if you are on the longer side, what you say needs to match what you wrote.

Pat and I have been thrilled watching and listening to all of you as you dig within yourselves to find the humor and pathos that drives all dramatic literature. Wednesday should be quite a show!