Day 4/11 - Incorporate

It's the last day of week one, the agenda:

• Read Articles
• Review/Preview
• Yoga
• Journal Sharing
• Stage Directions
• Incorporation Activity
• Incorporation Debrief
• Break
• Article Discussion
• Demo Lesson Discussion

Today read two articles in class and discussed them, and got a good reminder:

Don't get too focused on what and how you're teaching that you forget why you're teaching.

Next we brought together everything we've learned so far in an incorporation activity. We got into two groups and had to do three dramatic presentations of "Where the Wild Things Are". The first was a tableau, three stage pictures telling the story, next a pantomime with limited voice. Finally an improvised version in a different setting.

I was put in the opposite group as Amanda, who I've been performing with for almost a year. Being separate let me see how each of us affected the two groups. She's got a lot of experience in mime, and her group had some beautiful stage pictures and pantomime work. I've had more experience in improv, and I think our group did better in that aspect. We concentrated more on getting the story across in the tableau and mime, and didn't think as much about the visual appeal of the piece. When we prepared for our improv we discussed a few possible settings, as well as covering some basic improv rules. I reminded them that in an improvised scene, whatever anyone says is true, and you have to agree with it, or else the scene will go nowhere. I think that helped our group. Rather than arguing onstage, we were able to progress the story. My group did a great job of setting each other up and not arguing, no one tried to lead the scene and we got through the story.