MADISON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Repertory Theater
MHS Elective
Authored by: Stacy Snider
Reviewed by: Lee Nittel,
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Stacy Snider,
Supervisor of Visual and Performing Arts
Adopted by the Board: January, 2013
Members of the Board of Education:
Lisa Ellis, President
Patrick Rowe, Vice-President
David Arthur
Kevin Blair
Shade Grahling
Linda Gilbert
Thomas Haralampoudis
James Novotny
Superintendent: Dr. Michael Rossi
Madison Public Schools
359 Woodland Road, Madison, NJ 07940
www.madisonpublicschools.org
I. OVERVIEW
Repertory Theater is a practical theater workshop for students in grades nine through twelve who have
successfully completed Introduction to Theater. Because of the nature of the course, students may repeat
Repertory Theater with the instructor's permission. The elective semester course is designed to give students'
experience in the planning, staging, and performing of plays, scenes, and experimental theater pieces. While
the course meets regularly in the school day schedule, performances routinely run all day so that several
student audiences may attend. Performances occur once or twice each quarter. A typical show (35-40
minutes) runs five to six times a day on performance days. Theater students are expected to play a prominent
role in production decisions and are routinely charged with major production responsibilities such as script
selection, scheduling, and direction. The fundamental goal of Repertory Theater is play production.
Additionally, peer critique and a knowledge of various technical aspects of play production are incorporated.
Familiarity with improvisation and theater vocabulary, covered in the introduction course, is expected of
students entering Repertory Theater. The course is divided into three units: improvisation, advanced theater,
and production.
II.
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
III.
GOALS (Linked to NJ Core Content Standards)
Creative Process
History of Arts and Culture
Performance
Aesthetic Response and Critique Methodologies
CONTENT OUTLINE AND PACING
I. Improvisation (weekly sessions, 15-20 days)
A.
Alphabet/verbal improvisation game
B.
Tag line/verbal and physical improvisation
C.
Clap/Slap/physical improvisation
D.
Road Trip/verbal and physical improvisation
E.
Tea Party/verbal improvisation
F.
Machine/physical improvisation
G.
Statues/physical improvisation
II. Advanced Theater (20 days)
A. Director's duties
1. Script selection
2. Prompt book
3. Blocking for emphasis
4. Blocking notation
B. Scheduled rehearsal sessions
1. Peer critique
2. Instructor critique
C. Performance and critique (before classmates)
III. Production (60 days: 5-6 weeks per production)
A. First/third quarter
1. Script selection
2. Casting
3. Rehearsal and critique
4.
5.
Scheduling and production details
Performance and critique (before audiences)
B. Second/fourth quarter
1. Script selection
2. Casting
3. Rehearsal and critique
4. Scheduling and production details
5. Performance and critique (before audiences)
IV. OBJECTIVES, ACTIVITIES, AND MATERIALS
I. Improvisation
A. Objectives: at the end of this unit the student should be able to:
1. Recall and participate effectively in seven types of improvisation listed in content
outline
2. When designated, lead any one of seven types of improvisation listed in content
outline
3. Critique, using theater vocabulary, improvisation
B. Specific activities
1. Discuss and review performance requirements and specific vocabulary and purpose
of exercise
2. Participate weekly in seven types of improvisation
3. Discuss performance
IL Advanced Theater
A. Objectives: at the end of this unit the student should be able to:
1. Select from the classroom library an appropriate scene for casting 3-4 characters
2. Conduct "auditions" from within class
3. Understand the purpose of and create a prompt book
4. Understand and execute the principles of blocking
5. Devise an effective rehearsal schedule
6. Work independently in rehearsal sessions
7. Incorporate elements of instructor and peer critique into scenework
8. Produce, within a student-devised schedule, a polished scene for class audience
B. Specific activities
1. Lecture and discussion of director's duties
2. Reading and discussion of specific assignment
3. Assignment of directors and actors
4. Script selection for production from classroom library
5. Reading and analysis of scene to determine theme, style, mood, form, and
structure
6. Lecture and discussion of principles of blocking
7. One-day exercise on principles of blocking
8. Written blocking of scene in script
9. Preparation of rehearsal schedule
10. Rehearsal sessions
11. Performance and critique
III. Production in first/third and second/fourth quarters
A. Objectives: at the end of this unit the student should be able to:
1. Select from the classroom library or other source an appropropriate scene or one-act
play for production
2. Conduct "auditions" from within class
3. Incorporate all objectives from "Advanced Theater"
4. Produce, within a student-devised schedule, a polished scene or one-act play for
schoolwide audience
B. Specific activities
1. Assignment of directors and actors
2. Script selection
3. Casting "auditions"
4. Dramatic readings and critique
5. Blocking rehearsals
6. Unit memorization (blocking/lines) of script
7. Scheduling of production dates and audiences
8. Production and critique
IV. EVALUATION
All assignments culminate in student performance and peer critique. At the peer critique level, commentary
must be grounded in the principles taught in individual assignments and those of previous lessons. A
vocabulary emerges during Introduction to Theater and is carried over and amended in Repertory Theater.
Instructor then provides overview of student critique and oral and written comments culminating in a letter
grade.
V. RESOURCES
Elkind, Samuel. Thirty Scenes for Acting Practice. Scott, Foresman & Company, 1972
Tanner, Fran Averett. Creative Communication. Clark Publishing Company, 1989
Basic Drama Projects. Clark Publishing Company, 1989
A classroom library of hundreds of scripts and several basic acting texts serve as primary sources for
students in Repertory Theater.