Completetrialunitplan Lau

Trial Unit Plan
EDUC 449
Teacher: Brianna Lau
Subject: Theatre Arts II
Number of Students: 24
Course Length: Yearlong
Grades: Tenth Grade through Twelfth Grade
Prerequisite: Theatre Arts I
Major Classwork:
two person scenes: Stanislavski tradition, Meisner technique
Tongues by Christopher Durang: for performance as a class
theatre history: ancient Greece to now
reviews of live theatre: two during the year, one of which must be a show performed by
our theatre department
report on a play: two during the year, one of which must be on an assigned play we read
as a class
journals: students must keep a journal for quick-writes, reflections, etc. Prompts will be
provided weekly.
General Classroom Practices
desks are often moved to fit needs of class
gum is strictly prohibited during performances and readings as it complicates
performance, makes you hard to understand, and is messy
student journals are informal, use proper English, and are checked often for participation
all collected journals are returned the next day
there is a collection of scripts on the bookshelves that is available for student use
Textbook: The History of Theatre by David Timson
Weekly Lesson Plan

Dates: 1 to 5 (Week 1)
A. Lesson Aim: To explain theatre of the ancient world as the origin for our modern theatre
B. Student Learning Objectives:
a. Day One: The student will list the primary purposes of ancient Greek theatre (TII.
7, 10, 11)
b. Day Two: The student will exhibit an understanding of the Greek theatrical style
through performance (TII. 7, 10,11)
c. Day Three: The student will express the differences between Greek and Roman
theatre in a Venn diagram (TII. 7, 10, 11)
d. Day Four: The student will communicate an understanding of crucial Japanese
theatrical styles with word definition maps (TII. 7, 10, 11)
e. Day Five: The student will learn about important aspects of Indian theatre
through the use of jigsaw groups to foster reading to learn, writing to learn, and
teaching to learn. (TII. 7, 10, 11)
C. Activities: (See Lesson Plans below for more detail)
a. Day One: Overview of unit and ancient Greek theatre
b. Day Two: Making ancient Greek theatre (acting)
c. Day Three: Overview of ancient Roman theatre
d. Day Four: Overview of ancient Japanese theatre
e. Day Five: Overview of ancient Indian theatre and review
D. Anticipated Materials Needed:
text book, text set, scripts, football field, whiteboard/chalkboard, projector, handouts
(definition word maps, grid), resources on playwrights
Weekly Lesson Plan

A. Lesson Aim: To frame European classical theatre as the ideal bridge between ancient
theatre and Renaissance theatre in the development of our modern theatre
a. Day One: The student will demonstrate prior knowledge through performance in
the review game and demonstrate understanding of medieval theatre through
participation in readers theatre and accompanying worksheet. (TII. 7, 10, 11)
b. Day Two: The student will demonstrate knowledge of commedia dellarte
through performance. (TII. 10, 11)
c. Day Three: The student will demonstrate an understanding of Fuenteovejuna by
identifying the central parts of the play. (TII. 10, 11, 16)
d. Day Four: The student will provide a final decision on which playwright they will
prepare their presentation on, supported by the research they conduct. (TII. 10,
11)
e. Day Five: The student will conduct research on their chosen playwright to
prepare a presentation. (TII. 10, 11)
f.
Day One: Review of material and overview of medieval theatre
g. Day Two: Overview of Italian classical theatre

h. Day Three: Overview of Spanish Golden Age theatre
i.
Day Four: Review and work on projects
j.
Day Five: Review and work on projects
D. Anticipated Materials Needed: area rugs, scripts (Fuenteovejuna), worksheets, mobile

lab (two days), masks, projector, flyswatters
Weekly Lesson Plan

A. Lesson Aim: To frame the resurgence of theatre in Europe as the launching pad for
modern American theatre
a. Day One: The student will exhibit knowledge of English renaissance theatre in a
KWLQ chart. (TII. 10, 11)
b. Day Two: The student will express a rudimentary appreciation of Shakespearean
text through performance. (TII. 7, 10, 11)
c. Day Three: The student will express an understanding of French neoclassical
theatre in a cinquain. (TII. 10, 11)
d. Day Four: The student will display an understanding of restoration theatre by
itself in a semantic web and in relation to other theatre in a class discussion. (TII.
10, 11)
e. Day Five: The student will conduct research on their chosen playwright to
prepare a presentation. (TII. 10, 11)
a. Day One: Overview of Renaissance
b. Day Two: Overview of Shakespearean performance
c. Day Three: Overview of Neoclassicism
d. Day Four: Overview of restoration theatre
e. Day Five: Review and work on projects
D. Anticipated Materials Needed: text sets, textbook, scripts, courtyard, mobile lab, Smart
board
Weekly Lesson Plan

A. Lesson Aim: To connect theatre history to the modern world
a. Day One: The student will demonstrate an understanding of realism as a new art
form through Cornell note taking and through performance. (TII. 10, 11)
b. Day Two: The student will communicate an understanding of avant-garde
theatrical styles with word definition maps. (TII. 10, 11)
c. Day Three: The student will learn about American theatre through jigsaw reading
groups to learn content through reading, writing, and teaching. (TII. 10, 11)
d. Day Four: The student will demonstrate a link between theatre history and
present day theatre by identifying influences. (TII. 10, 11)
e. Day Five: The student will present their research on their playwright of choice in
a well-prepared group presentation. (TII. 10, 11)
a. Day One: Overview of realism
b. Day Two: Overview of avant-garde
c. Day Three: Overview of American realism
d. Day Four: Broadway and time to finish presentation
e. Day Five: Project Presentations
D. Anticipated Materials Needed: mobile lab, projector, worksheets, scripts

Date: 1 (Monday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: to introduce unit of study, project, and purpose of Greek theatre
Student Learning Objective: The student will list the primary purposes of ancient
Greek theatre
SOL:
TII.7 The student will examine the development of technical theatre by
1. explaining the effects of technological advancements on theatre production; and
2. analyzing a variety of dramatic texts to determine their production requirements.
TII.10 The student will compare and contrast the purposes of theatre in selected historical
periods.
TII.11 The student will identify major theatrical styles, including classical, Renaissance, modern,
contemporary, and non-Western, including
1. identifying universal characters, situations, themes, and ideas in theatre;
2. identifying the use of symbolism and cultural and historical clues in dramatic texts; and
3. describing historical production designs, techniques, and performance practices.
A. Introduction: unit project, Greek theatre

B. Review: purpose of theatre
C. Lesson Content: Greek theatre (purpose, chorus, festivals, theatron, Festival of
Dionysus, verse, tragedy, deus ex machina, et cetera)
D. Questions: What was the purpose of theatre in ancient Greece? (I) How was theatre
conducted? (L)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. As students come in, respond in the journals to question on board: (A)
i.
What is the purpose of theatre? Why do we make theatre? Why do we to
see plays?
ii.
Share ideas with class, each student writes their idea on the board in a
semantic web around the question. If your reason is already up there, put a
check mark. (10 minutes)
b. Handout unit plan and unit project sheets (see following pages):
i.
Explain unit plan briefly. (Its mostly for their records so they know what we
will be doing each day.)
ii.
Call on people to read project sheet aloud.
iii.
Any questions?
iv.
Assign groups of four. (Based on preferences already indicated in a previous
class plus my own observations.) (10 minutes)
c. Greek theatre reading: (20 minutes)

i.
Greek Theatre: from The first evidence of formalised theatre, to This
clumsy sounding device
ii.
Read aloud in bump style
iii.
Lead the class in Cornell Note-Taking (R)
1. Festivals
2. Qualities of Ancient Greek Drama
3. Important Playwrights
4. Theatre Buildings
d. Exit Slip Reflection: Based on the reading, what do you think some of the purposes
of ancient Greek theatre are? (5 minutes) (C)
F. Materials Needed: journals (each student has one), unit plans, unit project sheet,
textbook
G. Check for Understanding: Exit Slip
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: Tomorrow we will be working with some Greek plays, so come
ready to play!
Reinforcement: Begin thinking about who your group may want to do their presentation on!
Theatre Arts II
Theatre History
Group Unit Project
In this unit, you will be studying the history of theatre, how societies shaped the art form, and
how its past affects in current and future state.
In groups, your task is to prepare a presentation on a playwright. You may choose one of the
following. (If you would like to do your presentation on a different playwright you must get my
approval.)
Sophocles
Aristophanes
Lope de Vega
Christopher Marlowe
Jean Racine
Henrik Ibsen
Anton Chekhov
Jean-Paul Sartre
Arthur Miller
Tennessee Williams
Your presentation should include:
basic biographical information (date of birth, date of death, home, contemporaries)
major works
writing style and genre(s)
importance in theatre history, how their work has influenced later artists
examples of their work (scenes, performance, or study)
Biographical Information
15%
Major Works
15%
Writing Style and Genre(s)
15%
Importance in Theatre History
25%
Examples of Their Work
25%
Grammar, Organization
5%
These will be presented in class on the last Friday of the month and should be at least five
minutes long.
Unit Overview - Theatre History (Theatre Arts II)

Monday
Week One
Tuesday
Wednesday
Theme
Lesson
Thursday
Friday
4. Japan
5. India
Ancient Theatre
1. Greek
2. Greek (play)
3. Roman
-Japan
reflection due
(HW)
Due Dates
Outside on
football field
Notes
Week Two
Theme
11. Time to
Work on
Project
12. Time to
Work on
Project
Due Dates
-Decision (P)
-Spain
reflection
due (HW)
-Journal
check (HW)
Notes
We'll have
the mobile
lab
Lesson
Week Three
Classical Theatre
8. Review and
Medieval
Review game
with running
Theme
Lesson
9. Italian
Dancelike
movement
We'll have the

mobile lab
Renaissance Theatre
15.
Renaissance
16.
Shakespeare
17.
Neoclassicism
18.
Restoration
-Shakespeare
reflection due
(HW)
Due Dates
Theme
19. Time to
Work on
Project
-Journal
check (HW)
Outside in
courtyard
Notes
Week Four
10. Spain
We'll have the

mobile lab
Modern and Contemporary

22.
Stanislavski,
Realism
25.
Broadway
26.
Presentations
Due Dates
-American
reflection
due (HW)
Presentations
(P)
Notes
-Some time
to work (P)
Lesson
23. AvantGarde
24. American

Date: 2 (Tuesday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To illustrate the distinctive qualities of Greek theatre as an art
form
Student Learning Objective: The student will exhibit an understanding of the Greek
theatrical style through performance
SOL:
2. analyzing a variety of dramatic texts to determine their production requirements
periods.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Introduction: Greek performance

Review: ancient Greek theatre
Lesson Content: Sophocles, Euripides
Questions: How does ancient Greek theatre differ from todays theatre? (I) How must
performance differ? (Cre)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Quickfire Review: Write one thing you know about ancient Greek theatre on the
board. Its okay if someone else already wrote the same thing. Just worry about
yourself. (5 minutes) (C)
b. Introduction: Explain the plan while I pass out scripts. We will be exploring Greek
theatre through acting today to get a sense of how different it is. To do that, we will
be going outside to the football field. Bring your things with you. (10 minutes)
c. Exploration through Acting: On the football field (to mimic the Greek theatrons), we
will take a look at different scenes. Lesson material will be integrated into the
direction of these scenes. (R)
i.
Violence would not be shown on stage. You can describe it, but you cant
see it.
ii.
There were no women on the ancient Greek stage. All of these parts would
have been played by men.
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You see how big your movements have to be to get your message across
to someone sitting all the way at the top of the bleachers? Now imagine that
with a mask on, because thats how it would have been in those times.
iv.
There is actually a superstition in theatre that wearing green is bad luck
because in ancient Greek times, wearing green would have made you blend
into the countryside around you. Remember how the amphitheatres are
outside?
v.
The chorus was anywhere from 12 to 50 people depending on the time. The
chorus moves and sings in unison to relay important plot information. (25
minutes)
d. Reflection: In your journal, write down what differences you noticed between the
acting you can do in a small classroom with a contemporary play and the acting you
had to do for todays activity. (5 minutes) (C)
iii.
F. Materials Needed: scripts (Medea: Creon/Medea, Jason/Medea, etc.; Antigone:

Antigone/Creon, Ismene/Antigone, etc.), journals
G. Check for Understanding: Reflection at the end, performance
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: Keep thinking about what makes Greek theatre special,
because tomorrow were going to start on Roman theatre, which is similar in several
ways.
Reinforcement: I am going to give you time on Friday to work on your projects so be thinking
about your playwright.
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Date: 3 (Wednesday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To explain ancient Roman theatre (and particularly how it
differs from ancient Greek theatre)
Student Learning Objective: The student will express the differences between Greek
and Roman theatre in a Venn diagram
SOL:
periods.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Introduction: Roman theatre

Review: Greek theatre, purpose of theatre
Lesson Content: Roman theatre practices
Questions: How does Roman theatre differ from Greek theatre? (L) What is the purpose
of Roman theatre? (I)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Split into two groups, each one with a different text set (see next page). Each group
is responsible for reading their text set and reporting back to the class. Particular
attention will be given to the following topics. Students will write their findings on a
Smart Board screen with labeled quadrants to organize the information. (15
minutes) (R)
i.
Venues
ii.
Nature/Genre of Performance
iii.
Technical Elements
iv.
Who is Involved in Theatre
b. All students will copy this chart into their notes as we go over our findings as a class.
(5 minutes)
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c. Venn Diagram: We will create a venn diagram to compare and contrast Greek and
Roman theatre. This will be done with a partner. (10 minutes) (C)
d. Venn Diagram: We will synthesize everyones diagrams into a single one for the
class by asking for an element from each pair. (5 minutes) (C)
i.
Collect individual Venn diagrams to check for errors as they reflect. Return
them before they are dismissed.
e. Reflection in Journals: You are a male actor who has been granted the use of a time
machine. Would you rather be involved in the theatre of Ancient Greece or Ancient
Rome? Why? (10 minutes) (Cre, C)
F. Materials Needed: text set (included on next page), Smart Board, journals
G. Check for Understanding: Venn diagrams, reflections
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: Make sure you are keeping up with your reflections.
I. Reinforcement: No homework, except to think about which playwright you want.
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Text Set for Day Three:
1. The Romans loved all forms of entertainment. Sports contests, chariot races,
gladiators and live theater were all very popular. Plays were performed during religious
ceremonies, to honor the gods. Since Rome had over 200 religious days every year, it
was possible to see a play on almost any day.
Since the actors were professional and did receive pay, someone had to pay to
sponsor the play. As a way to honor the gods, some wealthy noble would pay for the
play and then allow people to come and watch the play for free.
Since every town had a forum, which was used as an open air market, this was
usually where the stage for the play was erected. The stages were made of wood and
had little or no scenery backdrop.
The actors were always men; there were no female actresses. Since an actor
might have to play several parts, costumes were simple and easy to get on and off. To
help the audience understand what was going on, and the mood the actor was
portraying in the play, the actors would hold up happy or sad faces. Roman actors
developed the art of pantomime or acting without words. They also used dance, music,
elaborate gestures, sets, and costumes to get across the meaning.
Much of this was done because the ancient Romans felt free to talk out loud
during a play. The Romans would discuss what was going on in the play with their
neighbors. They might compare it to last years' play or even discuss business and
weather during the play, the stage area was very noisy.
The audience would also voice their displeasure if they did not like the play.
They might even throw food, sticks, or even stones at the actors. Acting in Rome could
be dangerous. In ancient Rome, acting was considered just above begging as an
occupation, and actors were not well paid. (http://rome.mrdonn.org/theatre.html)
(This text set would be coupled with an excerpt from the textbook from This was the
theatre that Romans inherited . to ...the development of theatrical arts, about one
page.)
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Text Set for Day Three:
2. According to the ancient historian Livy, the earliest theatrical activity at Rome took the
form of dances with musical accompaniment, introduced to the city by the Etruscans in
364 B.C. In 240 B.C., full-length, scripted plays were introduced to Rome by the
playwright Livius Andronicus, a native of the Greek city of Tarentum in southern Italy.
The earliest Latin plays to have survived intact are the comedies of Plautus (active ca.
205-184 B.C.), which were principally adaptations of Greek New Comedy. Latin tragedy
also flourished during the second century B.C. While some examples of the genre
treated stories from Greek myth, others were concerned with famous episodes from
Roman history. After the second century B.C., the composition of both tragedy and
comedy declined precipitously at Rome. During the imperial period, the most popular
forms of theatrical entertainment were mime (ribald comic productions with sensational
plots and sexual innuendo) and pantomime (performances by solo dancers with choral
accompaniment, usually recreating tragic myths).
The principal occasions for dramatic spectacles in the Roman world were yearly
religious festivals, or ludi, organized by elected magistrates and funded from the state
treasury. Temple dedications, military triumphs, and aristocratic funerals also provided
opportunities for scenic performances. Until 55 B.C., there was no permanent theater in
the city of Rome, and plays were staged in temporary, wooden structures, intended to
stand for a few weeks at most. Literary accounts of temporary theaters indicate that
they could be quite elaborate. The first permanent theater in the city of Rome was the
Theater of Pompey, dedicated in 55 B.C. by Julius Caesar's rival, Pompey the Great.
The theater, of which only the foundations are preserved, was an enormous structure,
rising to approximately forty-five meters and capable of holding up to 20,000 spectators.
At the rear of the stage-building was a large, colonnaded portico, which housed
artworks and gardens.
This new building type differed in striking ways from the traditional Greek theater.
The latter consisted of two separate structures: a horseshoe-shaped seating area and a
freestanding stage-building. The Roman theater, in contrast, was a fully enclosed
edifice, unroofed but often covered with awnings on performance days. The seating
area in the Greek theater was supported against a natural hillside, whereas the Roman
theater was carried at least in part on concrete vaults, which provided access from the
exterior of the building to the cavea. In the Hellenistic world, the stage-building was a
relatively low structure, ornamented with painted panels but rarely with large-scale
sculpture. The Roman theater, on the other hand, was characterized by a tall, wide
scaenae frons (stage-front) with multiple stories, articulated by freestanding columns
and lavishly ornamented with statues of gods and heroes and portraits of the imperial
family and local luminaries.
15
(2 continued from Day 3 Text Set)

The architecture of the Roman theater also signals Roman concern for social
control and hierarchical display. In contrast to the Greek world, where seating in the
theater was largely open, Roman audiences were rigorously segregated on the basis of
class, gender, nationality, profession, and marital status.
In contrast to the Roman theater, which evolved from Greek models, the
amphitheater had no architectural precedent in the Greek world. Likewise, the
spectacles that took place in the amphitheatergladiatorial combats and venationes
(wild beast shows)were Italic, not Greek, in origin. Venationes were expensive to
mount and hence served to advertise the wealth and generosity of the officials who
sponsored them. The inclusion of exotic species (lions, panthers, rhinoceri, elephants,
etc.) also demonstrated the vast reach of Roman dominion. A third type of spectacle
that took place in the amphitheater was the public execution. Condemned criminals
were slain by crucifixion, cremation, or attack by wild beasts, and were sometimes
forced to reenact gruesome myths. (http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/tham/hd_tham.htm)
16

Date: 4 (Thursday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To illustrate ancient Japanese theatre
Student Learning Objective: The student will communicate an understanding of crucial
Japanese theatrical styles with word definition maps
SOL:
periods.
A. Introduction: Japanese theatre

B. Review: purpose of theatre, technical elements of theatre
C. Lesson Content: Kabuki, Bunraku, Noh
D. Questions: What are Kabuki, Bunraku, and Noh theatre like? (L)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Handouts: Pass out a worksheet with three blank definition word maps (see next
page) and one filled out as an example. Go over the learning strategy. (5 minutes)
b. Bunraku: http://youtu.be/UV938f46Wpg
i.
Watch the clip the whole way through the first time.
ii.
Put bunraku in the center circle of the first word map.
iii.
Watch the clip again.
iv.
Answer questions.
v.
Fill out word map. (12 minutes) (R)
c. Noh: http://youtu.be/lu5Vn1vQ5i4
i.
Watch the clip the whole way through the first time.
ii.
Put bunraku in the center circle of the first word map.
iii.
Watch the clip again.
17
iv.
Answer questions.
v.
Fill out word map. (12 minutes) (R)
d. Kabuki: http://youtu.be/F3IHdm2Tf8g
i.
Watch the the 10 minute mark.
ii.
Pause to fill in some information on the definition word map. Clarify questions.
iii.
Rewatch the fox bit
iv.
Finish word map. (16 minutes) (R)
F. Materials Needed: television/projector, computer (for YouTube), handouts on definition
word maps
G. Check for Understanding: definition word maps
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: Tomorrow, we will be covering Indian theatre and reviewing
from what weve covered this week. If you have any questions about anything we
covered this week and would like to know more, write it down and bring it in tomorrow. I
will see if what I can do.
I. Reinforcement: In your journal, tell me if you see any similarities between the styles
we looked at today and the traditional Western theatre you are more accustomed to. Has
Japanese theatre influenced Western theatre? (As always, four to six sentence will do.)
(C)
18
Definition
Characteristics
Examples
Illustration
Definition
Characteristics
Examples
Illustration
19

Date: 5 (Friday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To explore traditional Indian theatre
Student Learning Objective: The student will learn about important aspects of Indian
theatre through the use of jigsaw groups to foster reading to learn, writing to learn, and
teaching to learn.
SOL:
periods.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Introduction: Indian theatre, connectedness of theatre

Review: Greek, Roman, Japanese
Lesson Content: Natyasastra, Kalidasa, Rasa, Sanskrit theatre
Questions: What is distinctive about Indian theatre? (L), Should rasa be incorporated or
sought after in other forms of theatre? (Cr)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Did anybody have something they had a question on from the past week that they
wanted to know more about? (1 minute)
i.
I will work on it over the weekend and bring something in next week.
b. Assign jigsaw groups (four groups of six)
i.
Get into these groups and take one of the papers with the group text on it. Work
together to pull out the most important information and take notes on the handout
provided. (See next page) (R)
ii.
Look at the number written in the top right corner of your text. Everyone with 1
meets here, 2 meets there, etc. These are the groups they will teach the
content to. (Make certain its still four groups of six.) (R/C)
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iii.
Fill in your handout with the new information.
iv.
Go over as a class. (20 minutes)
c. Rasa debate: Go over rasa again and debate as a class its place in Western theatre
(7 minutes)
d. Check reflection homework from last night. (Walk around and take note of who has
it.)
i.
This assignment will help you think about what you want to for your project,
because part of the assignment is thinking about how your playwright has
affected the theatre that came about afterwards.
ii.
Discuss ideas they came up with. (7 minutes) (A, C)
e. Get into groups and work on project. (10 minutes, remaining time)
F. Materials Needed: text set, grid handout, resources on the playwrights for them to use
G. Check for Understanding: rasa debate, homework check
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: You will have a couple days in class to work on your
presentations before theyre due. You have to tell me exactly which playwright you
choose before we leave next Thursday.
Also be sure to wear good shoes on Monday. Were going to play a review game. And it
will be theatrical.
Reinforcement: This weekend keep an eye out for anything that you think may have been
influenced by some of the theatre we talked about this week. Have a good weekend!
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Indian Theatre Jigsaw Groups Worksheet:

Sanskrit Theatre
Shakuntala
Natyasastra
Rasa
22
Text Set for Day Five:

1. Natyashastra, in full Bharata Natyashastra, also called Natyasastra, detailed
treatise and handbook on dramatic art that deals with all aspects of classical Sanskrit
theatre. It is believed to have been written by the mythic Brahman sage and priest
Bharata (1st century BCE3rd century CE).
Its many chapters contain detailed treatments of all the diverse arts that are
embodied in the classical Indian concept of the drama, including dance, music, poetics,
and general aesthetics. Its primary importance lies in its justification of Indian drama as
a vehicle of religious enlightenment. (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/406618/Natyashastra)
The Natya Shastra is the oldest surviving text on stagecraft in the world. It is
believed to have been written by Bharata Muni between 200 AD and 200 BC.
However there are scholars who believe that it may have been written by various
authors at different times.
It is believed that the Natya Shastra is based upon the much older Natya
Sutras. Unfortunately there are no surviving copies of the Natya Sutras so we have
no way to know for sure.
The Natya Shastra is incredibly wide in its scope. It covers stage-design,
music, dance, makeup, virtually every aspect of stagecraft. It is very important to
the musician because it is the only text which gives such detail about the music and
instruments of the period. (http://chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/natyashastra.html)
2. In addition to its extensive, almost tiresome, catalog of practical theatrical matters, the
Natyashastra offers a theory of how theatrical art affects a person. The centerpiece of this
theory is rasa, a frequently misunderstood or misconstrued concept. Much of the reason that
the rasa idea is so often mishandled is that the Natyashastra itself speaks of rasa in vague,
cryptic, or paradoxical ways.
Sometimes the term is translated as flavor. But we should not equate Bharatas term
with the flavor of food.
For Bharata, rasa is not emotion, in the sense that we use the term emotion to talk
about the psychological and physiological conditions of both characters and audiences who
may develop states of sympathetic feeling for characters. Emotion, in Bharatas language, is
bhva (BHAH-vuh), which is the thing that Bharata associates with food and flavor. In
Bharatas analogy, a person tastes the flavors of food, enjoys those flavors, and then feels a
certain kind of pleasure. An audience member experiencesor tastesthe activity on the
stage, including words, gestures, and also feelings or emotions, as though these things were
the flavors of food. The audience member then feels pleasure in his or her experience. This
last feeling of pleasure is what Bharata calls rasa.
Rasa, then, is an aesthetic state of mind that accompanies an audience members
experience of theatrical art and conscious reflection on his or her experience of that art.
23
Understanding that state of mind is a little more difficult. In rasa, a person stands apart from his
or her self enough to regard his or her self and its experiences as part of the whole
phenomenon of the theatrical event. This meta-self contemplates [the combination of its own
feelings and circumstances and the feelings, circumstances, and theatrical elements of the art]
a single, unified moment. The audience members self, here, is a part of the theatrical
performance, to be savored along with the play.
(http://www.yavanika.org/theatreinindia/?page_id=446)
3. Sanskrit drama emerges in fragments and short pieces beginning in the first century, CE, and
continuing to the tenth century.
The most commonly read and performed examples of Sanskrit drama include plays by
Bhasa, Shudraka, and, especially, Kalidasa. The work of all three of these playwrights comes
within the first three or four centuries of the tradition.
The plays often concern the exploits of the kings and heroes of history. As with the
Greek tragedies, historical figures of Sanskrit drama include mythical persons and the subjects
of epic poetry. Supernatural beings of several varieties play important roles in the stories of
Sanskrit drama. Important characters in Sanskrit dramas also come from the middle and lower
classes, including soldiers, merchants, and hermits and sages. Of the two principal types of
dramas, the Nataka plays feature stories about kings and divine beings. The Prakarana plays
concern stories that revolve around middle-class characters.
With very, very few exceptions, the three hundred, or so, Sanskrit dramas that we have
end happily, with conflicts comfortably resolved. The king and his wife are reunited. The king
discovers a son. The girls discovery of her royal or divine parentage clears the way to marry
into the royal family. Even an exception like Bhasas Urubhangam, which concludes with the
morose death of its protagonist, does not affirm the sense of futility or the nihilistic worldview
that figures so prominently in Greek tragedy.
The action of Sanskrit dramas includes precious little action. Most often, the potentially
exciting moments of a drama occur offstage and are related to characters onstage by way of
messengers, letters, or eye-witnesses who can see what is happening out of view of the other
characters (and out of the view of the audience). Although the plots commonly involve battles,
kidnappings, flying demons, and rampaging elephants, what we get onstage in a Sanskrit drama
is dialogue about kidnappings and elephants, and so forth. Nevertheless, as in many other
dramatic traditions around the world, Sanskrit drama creates and sustains tension through the
plans that characters lay in dialogue with each other, the obstacles that arise to prevent those
plans from coming to fruition, and the ways that characters maneuver to accomplish their aims,
anyway.
The dialogue of Sanskrit drama consists of both verse and prose. Within a single,
unified speech, a character may slip out of prose and into verse and back into prose several
times. Dense with figurative speech and imagery, the verses demonstrate the playwrights
poetic skill. Because the the verse in his play Shakuntala, the playwright Kalidasa, for instance,
is, perhaps, regarded in India more as a poet than as a dramatist.
24
4. Shakuntala, is Kalidasas best-known play, and, perhaps the best known play of the classical
Sanskrit repertoire. The play takes its title from one of its central characters, a young woman
raised in a forest hermitage. Like others of Kalidasas heroines, however, the young woman is
not merely a hermit. Her forest life is temporary, and she comes into her real identityan
identity of which she is mostly unaware when the play beginsthrough her interaction with a
king during the course of the play.
In the end, the play demonstrates a consistent principle of Sanskrit drama. As opposed
to the Aristotelian vision of dramatic characters to begin in a particular condition at a specific
plot point and develop over the course of succeeding plot points so as to be different following
the climactic culmination of plot points, the characters of Shakuntala have changed little in the
end. The play does have a plot, and the events affect the characters greatly. But the
conclusion of the play finds Duhshanta and Shakuntala and their son going to the palace to live
with each other happily ever after, just as the ascetic in the hermitage promises in the first act.
In Kalidasas play, circumstances of plot may divert the characters from what they are as the
play begins. But the characters are ultimately fixed entities who do not learn through the play
so as to become something else. Instead, characters must return to what they are.
Alternate title: Shakuntala
Abhijnanashakuntala, (Sanskrit: The Recognition of Shakuntala) drama by Kalidasa,
composed about the 5th century CE that is generally considered to be the greatest Indian literary
work of any period.
Taken from legend, the work tells of the seduction of the nymph Shakuntala by King
Dushyanta, his rejection of the girl and his child, and their subsequent reunion in heaven. The
child that is born is Bharata, the eponymous ancestor of the Indian nation (Bharatavarsha,
Subcontinent of Bharata). Kalidasa remakes the story into a love idyll whose characters
represent a pristine aristocratic ideal: the girl, sentimental, selfless, alive to little but the
delicacies of nature, and the king, first servant of the dharma (religious and social law and
duties), protector of the social order, resolute hero, yet tender and suffering agonies over his
lost love. The plot and characters are made believable by a change Kalidasa introduces:
Dushyanta is not responsible for the lovers separation; he acts only under a delusion caused by
a sages curse. As in all of Kalidasas works, the beauty of nature is depicted with an inimitable
elegance of metaphor. (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1256/Abhijnanashakuntala)
25

Date: 8 (Monday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To review and to teach about medieval theatre
Student Learning Objective: The student will demonstrate prior knowledge through
performance in the review game and demonstrate understanding of medieval theatre
through participation in readers theatre and accompanying worksheet.
SOL:
2. analyzing a variety of dramatic texts to determine their production requirements.
periods.
A. Introduction: medieval theatre

B. Review: Greek, Roman, Japanese, Indian
C. Lesson Content: mystery play, miracle play, morality play, pageants
D. Questions: What are some major changes that occurred during medieval theatre? (L)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Review game: Flyswatter (20 minutes) (C)
i.
Write key terms on the blackboard (see next page)
ii.
Move desks out of the way
iii.
Two teams (divided up as they enter the room)
iv.
Words already up on the board, so students can study them as they come in
v.
Are there any words up there that you dont recognize?
1. Explain the definition, which everyone must write down in their notes.
vi.
Explain the rules:
1. Both teams line up across the room from the board with a clean, unused,
plastic flyswatter.
26
2. One person from each team at a time, after hearing a definition that I give, will
run (safely, with appropriate footwear) to the board and slap the correct
answer with the flyswatter. (The first team to get it gets a point. You only get
two guesses each. If neither get it, the definition can be used again. The
correct answer is erased when they choose correctly.)
3. Repeat with new runners down the line.
4. (If I have students who cannot run, I will modify it. I could use laser pointers or
I could have them start closer to the board so they dont have to run. Or I
could redo the entire game to use an Eggspert buzzer system.)
b. Readers Theatre: (20 minutes) (R)
i.
Student will read aloud from the textbook starting from The chaos of the dark
ages to ... first great period in Athens.
ii.
Hand out worksheet to be completed and turned in as exit slip. (see next page)
iii.
Winning team from flyswatter gets to pick which parts they want to read first. The
parts are split up among the characters in the scenes and the narration.
iv.
Students are free to move about. I will set up zones in the room before beginning
of class. We will have an area rug as the pageant and a collection of desks
labeled altar.
c. Reflection and fill in the gaps: (5 minutes) (C, R)
i.
Answer lingering questions and allow time to finish reflection.
F. Materials Needed: new flyswatters, textbook, area rug (from my own house, fabric or
paper or even a tape line can be used as a substitute), worksheet
G. Check for Understanding: worksheet (exit slip)
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: What has been the main purpose of theatre in what weve
looked at so far? (Religion.) Right. Tomorrow we will be looking at Commedia dell'Arte,
which is more for entertainment than for religion. Its going to be quite different from a lot
of things weve looked at. Probably closer to kabuki than anything else, but still only
similar in how physical it is. Make sure you wear something you can move in tomorrow!
(No flip flops or skirts.)
I. Reinforcement: Your final choice for playwright is due at the end of class on Thursday
so be thinking about it if you havent already decided.
27
Key Terms for Review Game (Lesson 6)
Greek
theatron
festival
Dionysus
satyr play
Greek tragedy
deus ex machina
chorus
masks
Euripides
Sophocles
Antigone
Medea
Roman
pantomime
Plautus
Theater of Pompey
amphitheater
Japanese
kabuki
noh
bunraku
hanamichi
aragato
onnagata
Indian
Natyasastra
Shakuntala
Kalidasa
Rasa
Sanskrit theatre
28
Name: ____________________________
Date: _______________________
Medieval Theatre
Define the following terms:
1. Mystery play 2. Feast of Corpus Christi 3. Pageant (two meanings) 4. Miracle play 5. Morality play Fill in the blanks:
1. ____________________ served as the basis and inspiration for medieval theatre.
2. In medieval theatre, actors were originally ___________________, but later guilds of
___________________ took over the roles.
3. Only ______________ could be actors.
4. The three most popular types of plays in medieval theatre were
____________________, ________________________, and
______________________________.
Reflection:
In the space below, describe the venues where theatre was produced in the medieval era. Do
you see any similarities to modern theatre or entertainment in general?
29

Date: 9 (Tuesday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To introduce Italian golden age theatre
Student Learning Objective: The student will demonstrate knowledge of commedia
dellarte through performance.
SOL:
periods.
A. Introduction: commedia, Italian golden age

B. Review: none
C. Lesson Content: commedia
D. Questions: How is commedia different from the other theatre forms we have studied?
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Introductory Video: http://youtu.be/h_0TAXWt8hY (10 minutes)
b. Physical Warm Up: a combination of stretches and cardio (like jumping jacks) (2
minutes)
c. Introduction: Small lecture (3 minutes) (R)
i.
Introduce the concepts of scenarios, lazzi, and stock characters.
d. Harlequino: (5 minutes)
i.
Introduce the body positions, character traits, and personalities.
e. Pantalone: (5 minutes)
f. Dottore: (5 minutes)
g. First Actor/Actress: (5 minutes)
h. Capitano: (5 minutes)
i. Reflection (5 minutes) (C)
i.
What are the implications of this style of theatre as opposed to the literary
tradition?
F. Materials Needed: projector, space for acting, masks to demonstrate (do not have to be
commedia masks)
30
G. Check for Understanding: reflection, performance

Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: Think about how different this theatre styles are. This is the
same place where Roman theatre happened. The body movements for both
performance styles are both exaggerated."
I. Reinforcement: I will be looking through your journals this Friday. Make sure you have
your reflections done.
31

Date: 10 (Wednesday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To introduce a major work of the Spanish golden age of theatre
Student Learning Objective: The student will demonstrate an understanding of
Fuenteovejuna by identifying the central parts of the play.
SOL:
periods.
TII.16 The student will analyze selected works of dramatic literature by
1. summarizing the playwrights intentions and message;
2. identifying the elements of genre, style, structure, mood, language, and symbolism;
3. demonstrating responses visually, orally, kinesthetically, or in writing, using theatre arts
vocabulary; and
4. relating dramatic themes to personal experience or current events
A. Introduction: Spanish golden age

B. Review: protagonist, antagonist, main action
C. Lesson Content: Fuenteovejuna
D. Questions: Who is the protagonist? (Cr) Antagonist? (Cr) What is the main action of the
play? (Cr) What is the plot of the play? (Cr)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Handout: (5 minutes)
i.
Pass out the handout and explain what we are on the lookout for.
b. Fuenteovejuna (35 minutes)
i.
Pass out scripts (with cuttings to fit into time)
ii.
Parts will be assigned, with preference to the team that did not win on Monday
c. Review (5 minutes)
i.
Go over the worksheet.
32
F. Materials Needed: script, worksheet

G. Check for Understanding: Review, worksheet
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: You all will have time to work on your projects tomorrow.
Reinforcement: For your reflection, please discuss what you think the message of the play is.
As always, three to six sentences will suffice.
33
Name ______________________________
Date ____________________
Fuenteovejuna
by Lope de Vega
1. Protagonist:
2. Antagonist:
3. Main action:
4. Summarize the plot:
5. Graph the plot:
34

Date: 11 (Thursday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To facilitate research on the playwrights
Student Learning Objective: The student will provide a final decision on which
playwright they will prepare their presentation on, supported by the research they
conduct.
SOL:
periods.
A. Introduction: n/a
B. Review: Fuenteovejuna
C. Lesson Content: playwrights
D. Questions: What is the plot of Fuenteovejuna? (Cr)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Second look at Fuenteovejuna: (10 minutes) (C)
i.
Go over the plot from the previous days worksheet.
ii.
Check on the reflections.
b. Allow time for the project groups to meet and use laptops from the mobile lab to
research their playwrights. (35 minutes) (R)
i.
Each student gets their own laptop.
ii.
We follow the standard Internet behavior expected of us at our school.
iii.
They must tell me which playwright they want before they leave and the reason
why they want that person.
F. Materials Needed: expo markers to draw out cardiogram, mobile lab

G. Check for Understanding: final decision on which playwright they want and why
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: We will be working on the projects again tomorrow.
I. Reinforcement: I will be checking your journals tomorrow, so make sure youve got
those together for tomorrow.
35

Date: 12 (Friday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Student Learning Objective: The student will conduct research on their chosen
playwright to prepare a presentation.
SOL:
periods.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Introduction: n/a
Review: project, playwright
Lesson Content: project, playwright
Questions: What are important works, dates, and movements associated with the
playwright? (L)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Have students turn in journals to my desk at beginning of class. Students have until
ten minutes after the bell to turn in the journals, which I will check in class for their
reflections to give feedback and to check for understanding. This will serve as a
participation grade.
i.
ii.
iii.
I am available for any questions.
F. Materials Needed: mobile lab

G. Check for Understanding: observation (I will conference with each group)
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: The next time we will have time in class is next Friday. (We will
also have another journal check then too!)
I. Reinforcement: Dont lose any of the research youve been working on!
36

Date: 15 (Monday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To introduce English renaissance theatre
Student Learning Objective: The student will exhibit knowledge of English renaissance
theatre in a KWLQ chart.
SOL:
periods.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Introduction: renaissance theatre

Review: renaissance theatre (mentioned several times but not in great detail)
Lesson Content: English renaissance (Elizabethan England)
Questions: What distinctive theatrical conditions were in place in Elizabethan England?
(L), Why is Shakespeare important? (I), Who, besides Shakespeare, was important to
Elizabethan theatre? (L)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Pass out and explain the KWLQ chart. (see next page) (2 minutes)
b. K and W: individually (8 minutes) (A)
c. Split into four groups of six to read the selection. (In the textbook Elizabethan
Theatre from The Renaissance in England . to ...Marlowe had left off.) (25
minutes) (R)
d. L: With your group (5 minutes) (R)
e. Q: As a class (5 minutes) (C)
f. Turn in completed worksheet as exit slip. (It will replace the reflection for today.)
F. Materials Needed: textbook, worksheet
G. Check for Understanding: KWLQ chart
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: Tomorrow were going to take a closer look at Shakespeare!
I. Reinforcement: n/a
37
English Renaissance Theatre

Know
(What I already know)
Want
(What I want to learn)
Learned
(What I learned)
Questions
(New questions I have)
38

Date: 16 (Tuesday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To introduce Shakespearean performance
Student Learning Objective: The student will express a rudimentary appreciation of
Shakespearean text through performance.
SOL:
periods.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Introduction: Henry V, As You Like It, Macbeth

Review: Shakespeare
Lesson Content: Shakespeare
Questions: What is distinctive about Shakespearean theatre? (Cr), What do you think
about Shakespeare? (Cre)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Move to the courtyard to mimic the enclosed walls but open ceiling of Shakespeares
Globe. (5 minutes)
b. Distribute script packets with selections from Henry V, As You Like It, Macbeth, and
Much Ado About Nothing.
c. Henry V: Discuss and explore the poetry, wit, diction, and meter of the lines (10
minutes)
d. As You Like It: Discuss and explore the poetry, wit, diction, and meter of the lines (10
minutes)
e. Macbeth: Discuss and explore the poetry, wit, diction, and meter of the lines (10
minutes)
f. Much Ado About Nothing: Discuss and explore the poetry, wit, diction, and meter of
the lines (10 minutes)
39
F. Materials Needed: courtyard, scripts

G. Check for Understanding: performance, reflection (HW)
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: Tomorrow we move away from Shakespeare towards French
theatre.
I. Reinforcement: For your reflection, discuss your feelings about what makes
Shakespeare difficult. Do you like Shakespeare? What are you personal feelings about
his plays?
40

Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To introduce French neoclassic theatre
Student Learning Objective: The student will express an understanding of French
neoclassical theatre in a cinquain.
SOL:
periods.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Introduction: neoclassicism
Review: n/a
Lesson Content: Moliere, Racine, neoclassicism, unities
Questions: What are the three neoclassical unities? (L), Who was Moliere? (L), Who
was Racine? (L)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Journal: How do you feel about strict rules about what you can have in your play?
(5 minutes)
b. Readers Theatre:
i.
Assign parts ahead of time.
ii.
Act out scenes as they appear in the reading.
iii.
In the textbook, from Whilst the English Civil War to ...first national
theatre. (35 minutes) (R)
c. Cinquain:
i.
Explain the structure of the progressive cinquain and draw the model up on
the board.
1. one word (topic)
2. two adjectives
3. three gerunds
4. four-word phrase
5. synonym
41
ii.
Write a cinquain about the typical neoclassical play to be used as an exit slip.
(5 minutes) (C)
F. Materials Needed: textbook, board
G. Check for Understanding: cinquain
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: Be ready to take another look at England tomorrow! Were
going to see how the British adopted the same plays we looked at today into their
culture.
I. Reinforcement: Journal check on Friday! Make sure youre keeping up!
42

Date: 18 (Thursday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To introduce restoration theatre in relation to the other theatre
we studied this week
Student Learning Objective: The student will display an understanding of restoration
theatre by itself in a semantic web and in relation to other theatre in a class discussion.
SOL:
periods.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Introduction: Restoration theatre

Review: English theatre
Lesson Content: Restoration Comedy,
Questions: How does Elizabethan theatre differ from Restoration theatre? (L), How
does Restoration theatre differ from neoclassical theatre? (L)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Split into three groups, each with a different text set. (see next page)
b. Each group is responsible for reading their text and reporting back to the group on
important information they find in regards to: (15 minutes) (R)
i.
Actors
ii.
Genres
iii.
Morality
c. This important data will be organized into a semantic web, centered around
Characteristics of Restoration Theatre. Student will write their information on the
Smart Board copy of the semantic web for all to see and copy down into their
personal copy in their notes. (10 minutes) (R)
d. Class discussion: How does Restoration theatre differ from neoclassical theatre? (5
minutes) (C)
e. Reflection: How does Elizabethan theatre differ from Restoration theatre? (5
minutes) (C)
f. Free time: students may meet with their group or choose to do something else until
dismissed. (10 minutes)
F. Materials Needed: text set, Smart Board
G. Check for Understanding: semantic web, reflection
43
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: Journal check tomorrow!
44
Text Set for Day 18:

1. Restoration
Theatre
Student guest page by Kristy Ferreira and Shanna OBerry, University of Massachusetts Boston
Restoration Plays
Restoration theatre was truly a unique era of plays and play writing. When Charles Stuart was restored to the
throne in 1660, theatres were reopened after an eighteen-year ban. Restoration theatre became a way to celebrate
the end of Puritan rule, with its strict moral codes. To celebrate the opening of the theatres Restoration plays were
lavish, often immoral by Puritan standards, and poked fun at both royalists and roundheads. The lightheartedness
of the plays reflected a society recovering from years of division and unrest. Although the audience enjoyed
tragedies, comedies were the hallmark of Restoration plays. Classics such as Romeo and Juliet were rewritten and
given a happy ending!
Restoration Comedy
Restoration comedies involved quick wit and comedic situations. George Farquhars The Recruiting Officer (1706)
had the most performances during the Restoration era. Other successful comedic playwrights were George
Etherege, William Wycherly, and William Congreve. These playwrights wrote Comedies of Manners, which satirized
the behaviors of society before and during the restoration period. Comedic plays relied on situational humor:
disguises, mistaken identity, and misunderstandings which stems from chicanery and leads to confusion. The
audience is aware of the trickery; whereas other characters are left in the dark, only to have all revealed in the
end.
Restoration comedies also differed from their predecessors by using prose instead of the traditional heroic couplets.
Restoration comedies became social commentaries; they were not a mirror of society, but rather exaggerations of
society that the audience would recognize and appreciate. The typical audience was upper class, and one had to
pay to see the plays since the playhouses were intimate.
There were elements of Restoration comedy that were repeated for over 40 years; common themes suggest
several social anxieties of the time. Cuckolding is a recurring theme that suggests men were concerned with their
reputation and the possibility of being made a fool by their wives. Shaming rituals were common and a form of
public humiliation. Another theme presented in multiple plays was seduction; with women on the stage and
influences in Charless court, sexuality could not be ignored. Another interesting theme that is a sign of the times is
the inversion of class, wealth, property, and gender; with constant political turmoil, power switched hands and
those in power would find themselves powerless. In Elizabethan theatre, boys played the role of women; in
Restoration plays, women played the role of men as a form of situation comedy.
Plays also reflected new stock characters that were present in society such as the rake and the fop. Not only were
these types seen on the stage, but they were also the topic of pamphlets and social writings. Rakes were men who
catered to their vices and were very witty, often at the expense of the fop. Fops were men overly concerned with
their appearance and aspired to be witty but often unknowingly failed. A famous fop was George Ethereges Sir
Fopling Flutter in Man of the Mode.
Success of Restoration Theatre
One major factor in the success of Restoration theatre was the support of Charles II, Grasping the ideological
value of the stage, Charles took an active interest in Restoration theatre from the start (Sutherland 251). During
45
his exile, he enjoyed French theatre and upon his return to England granted patents to Thomas Killigrew and Sir
William Davenant, allowing the creation of their own playhouses and acting companies. With Charles IIs
patronage, Davenant opened the Dukes Theatre in the Lincoln Fields Inn. Killigrew opened the Theatre Royal on
Drury Lane in 1663. Additionally, the King loaned productions Chapel Royal singers and funded extravagant
productions in the summer of 1683.
Restoration audiences enjoyed new characters and timeless plays revamped to celebrate the shifting of power from
Puritan rule back to monarchial rule. Restoration theatre itself underwent changes as well. New technologies
changed how the plays were put on and how the audience watched them.
(http://www.london.umb.edu/index.php/entry_detail/restoration_theatre/theatre_intro/)
2. FROM 1642 onward for eighteen years, the theaters of England remained nominally closed.
There was of course evasion of the law; but whatever performances were offered had to be
given in secrecy, before small companies in private houses, or in taverns located three or four
miles out of town. No actor or spectator was safe, especially during the early days of the Puritan
rule. Least of all was there any inspiration for dramatists. In 1660 the Stuart dynasty was
restored to the throne of England. Charles II, the king, had been in France during the greater
part of the Protectorate, together with many of the royalist party, all of whom were familiar with
Paris and its fashions. Thus it was natural, upon the return of the court, that French influence
should be felt, particularly in the theater. In August, 1660, Charles issued patents for two
companies of players, and performances immediately began. Certain writers, in the field before
the civil war, survived the period of theatrical eclipse, and now had their chance. Among these
were Thomas Killigrew and William Davenant, who were quickly provided with fine playhouses.
APPEARANCE OF WOMEN ON THE ENGLISH STAGE
It will be remembered that great indignation was aroused among the English by the appearance
of French actresses in 1629. London must have learned to accept this innovation, however, for
in one of the semi-private entertainments given during the Protectorate at Rutland House, the
actress Mrs. Coleman took the principal part. The Siege of Rhodes, a huge spectacle designed
by Davenant in 1656 (arranged in part with a view of evading the restrictions against theatrical
plays) is generally noted as marking the entrance of women upon the English stage. It is also
remembered for its use of movable machinery, which was something of an innovation. The
panorama of The Siegeoffered five changes of scene, presenting "the fleet of Solyman the
Magnificent, his army, the Island of Rhodes, and the varieties attending the siege of the city."
DISAPPEARANCE OF NATIONAL TYPES
By the time the theaters were reopened in England, Corneille and Racine in France had
established the neo-classic standard for tragedy, and Molire was in the full tide of his success.
These playwrights, with Quinault and others, for a time supplied the English with plots. The first
French opera, Cadmus and Hermione, by Lully and Quinault, performed in Paris in 1673,
crossed the channel almost immediately, influencingDryden in his attempts at opera. The
romantic, semi-historical romances of Madame Scudry and the Countess de la Fayette
afforded a second supply of story material, while Spanish plays and tales opened up still
another. Sometimes the plots of Caldernor Lope de Vega came to the English at second-hand
through French versions. Whatever the case, it was now evident that the national type of play
had ceased to be written. From this time on every European nation was influence by, and
exerted an influence upon, the drama of every other nation. Characters, situations, plots,
themes--these things traveled from country to country, always modifying and sometimes
supplanting the home product.
46
PERSISTENCE OF ELIZABETHAN PLAYS

With this influx of foreign drama, there was still a steady production of the masterpieces of the
Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. The diarist Samuel Pepys, an ardent lover of the theater,
relates that during the first three years after the opening of the playhouses he saw Othello,
Henry IV, A Midsummer Night's Dream, two plays by Ben Jonson, and others by Beaumont,
Fletcher, Middleton, Shirley, and Massinger. It must have been about this time that the practice
of "improving" Shakespeare was begun, and his plays were often altered so as to be almost
beyond recognition. From the time of the Restoration actors and managers, also dramatists,
were good royalists; and new pieces, or refurbished old ones, were likely to acquire a political
slant. The Puritans were satirized, the monarch and his wishes were flattered, and the royal
order thoroughly supported by the people of the stage.
Richard Boyle, Earl of Orrery (1621-1679), seems to have the doubtful glory of re-introducing
the use of rhymed verse. Boyle was a statesman, as well as a soldier and a dramatist. During
the ten years or so following the Restoration, he wrote at least four tragedies on historical or
legendary subjects, using the ten-syllabled rhymed couplet which (at the moment) he borrowed
from France. It runs like this:
"Reason's a staff for age, when nature's gone;
But youth is strong enough to walk alone."
No more stilted sort of verse could well be contrived for dialogue. Monotonous as well as prosy,
it was well suited to Orrery's plots. He took a semi-historical story, filled it with bombastic
sentiments and strutting figures, producing what was known as "heroic drama." Dryden, who
identified himself with this type of play, described it as concerned not with probabilities but with
love and valor. A good heroic play is exciting, with perpetual bustle and commotion. The
characters are extricated out of their amazing situations only by violence. Deaths are numerous.
The more remote and unfamiliar the setting the better; and the speech should be suited to the
action: hence the "heroic couplet." Pepys saw Guzman, by Orrery, and with his engaging
frankness said it was as mean a thing as had been seen on the stage for a great while.
(http://www.theatrehistory.com/british/restoration_drama_001.html)
3.
PARODY OF HEROIC DRAMA
Other writers, Davenant, Etherege, and Sir Robert Howard, had also produced specimens of
heroic plays, and by the time The Conquest of Granada reached the stage these clever
gentlemen had grown tired of the species. Compared to Dryden they were nobodies in the
literary world; but among them they contrived a hilarious burlesque called The Rehearsal, in
which these showy but shallow productions were smartly ridiculed. Dryden is represented as
Bayes (in reference to his position as poet laureate), and his peculiarities of speech and plot are
amusingly derided. Though The Rehearsalwas condemned as "scurrilous and ill-bred," yet it
served a useful turn in puncturing an empty and overblown style.
NATURE OF RESTORATION COMEDY
In almost every important respect, Restoration drama was far inferior to the Elizabethan. Where
the earlier playwrights created powerful and original characters, the Restoration writers were
content to portray repeatedly a few artificial types; where the former were imaginative, the latter
were clever and ingenious. The Elizabethan dramatists were steeped in poetry, the later ones in
the sophistication of the fashionable world. The drama of Wycherley and Congreve was the
47
reflection of a small section of life, and it was like life in the same sense that the mirage is like
the oasis. It had polish, an edge, a perfection in its own field; but both its perfection and its
naughtiness now seem unreal.
The heroes of the Restoration comedies were lively gentlemen of the city, profligates and loose
livers, with a strong tendency to make love to their neighbors' wives. Husbands and fathers
were dull, stupid creatures. The heroines, for the most part, were lovely and pert, too frail for
any purpose beyond the glittering tinsel in which they were clothed. Their companions were
busybodies and gossips, amorous widows or jealous wives. The intrigues which occupy them
are not, on the whole, of so low a nature as those depicted in the Italian court comedies; but still
they are sufficiently coarse. Over all the action is the gloss of superficial good breeding and
social ease. Only rarely do these creatures betray the traits of sympathy, faithfulness, kindness,
honesty, or loyalty. They follow a life of pleasure, bored, but yawning behind a delicate fan or a
kerchief of lace. Millamant and Mirabell, in Congreve's Way of the World, are among the most
charming of these Watteau figures.
Everywhere in the Restoration plays are traces of European influence. The Plain Dealerof
Wycherley was an English version of The Misanthrope of Molire; and there are many
admirable qualities in the French play which are lacking in the English. The Double Dealer
recalls scenes from The Learned Ladies (Les femmes savantes); and Mr. Bluffe, in The Old
Bachelor, is none other than our old friend Miles Gloriosus, who has traveled through Latin,
Italian and French comedy. The national taste was coming into harmony, to a considerable
extent, with the standards of Europe. Eccentricities were curbed; ideas, characters, and story
material were interchanged. The plays, however, were not often mere imitations; in the majority
of them there is original observation and independence of thought. It was this drama that kept
the doors of the theater open and the love of the theater alive in the face of great public
opposition.
WOMEN PLAYWRIGHTS
Soon after the Restoration women began to appear as writers of drama. Mrs. Aphra Behn
(1640-1689) was one of the first and most industrious of English women playwrights. Her family
name was Amis (some writers say Johnson). As the wife of a wealthy Dutch merchant she lived
for some time in Surinam (British Guiana). Her novel, Oroonooko, furnished Southerne with the
plot for a play of the same name. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Behn was for a time
employed by the British government in a political capacity. She was the author of eighteen
plays, most of them highly successful and fully as indecent as any by Wycherley or Vanbrugh.
Mrs. Manly andMrs. Susannah Centlivre, both of whom lived until well into the eighteenth
century, also achieved success as playwrights. The adaptations from the French, made by Mrs.
Centlivre, were very popular and kep the stage for nearly a century.
COLLIER'S ATTACK ON THE STAGE
Although the Puritans had lost their dominance as a political power, yet they had not lost
courage in abusing the stage. The most violent attack was made by the clergyman Jeremy
Collier in 1698, in a pamphlet called A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the
English Stage, in which he denounced not only Congreve and Vanbrugh, but Shakespeare and
most of the Elizabethans. Three points especially drew forth his denunciations: the so-called
lewdness of the plays, the frequent references to the Bible and biblical characters, and the
criticism, slander and abuse flung from the stage upon the clergy. He would not have any
48
Desdemona, however chaste, show her love before the footlights; he would allow no reference
in a comedy to anything connected with the Church or religion; and especially would he prohibit
any portrayal of the clergy. Next to the men in holy orders, Collier had a tender heart for the
nobility. He said in effect that if any ridicule or satire were to be indulged in, it should be against
persons of low quality. To call a duke a rascal on the stage was far worse than to apply such an
epithet to plain Hodge, almost as libellous as to represent a clergyman as a hypocrite. Collier
made the curiously stupid error of accusing the playwrights of glorifying all the sins, passions, or
peculiarities which they portrayed in their characters. He had no understanding of the point of
view of the literary artist, nor any desire to understand it.
Collier's attack, unjust as it was, and foolish as certain phases of it appear today, yet it made an
impression. The king, James II, was so wrought up over it that he issued a solemn proclamation
"against vice and profaneness." Congreve and Vanbrugh, together with other writers, were
persecuted, and fines were imposed on some of the most popular actors and actresses.
Dryden, Congreve and Vanbrugh made an attempt at a justification of the stage, but it did little
good. D'Urfey, Dennis, and others entered the controversy, which raged for many years. The
public buzzed with the scandal set forth in The Short View, but did not stay away altogether
from the playhouses. The poets answered the attack not by reformation, but by new plays in
which the laughter, the satire, and the ridicule were turned upon their enemies.
(http://www.theatrehistory.com/british/restoration_drama_001.html)
49

Date: 15 (Friday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Student Learning Objective: The student will conduct research on their chosen
playwright to prepare a presentation.
SOL:
periods.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Introduction: n/a
Review: project, playwright
Lesson Content: project, playwright
Questions: What are important works, dates, and movements associated with the
playwright? (L), What is their importance in theatre history? (Cr)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Have students turn in journals to my desk at beginning of class. Students have until
ten minutes after the bell to turn in the journals, which I will check in class for their
reflections to give feedback and to check for understanding. This will serve as a
participation grade.
i.
ii.
iii.
I am available for any questions.

G. Check for Understanding: observation (I will conference with each group)
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: Your presentations are one week from today! I will give you
part of class on Thursday to work on your presentation.
I. Reinforcement: Dont lose any of the research youve been working on!
50

Date: 22 (Monday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To introduce realism (the reigning theatrical style to this day)
Student Learning Objective: The student will demonstrate an understanding of realism
as a new art form through Cornell note taking and through performance.
SOL:
periods.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Introduction: realism
Review: other genres
Lesson Content: The Seagull, Anton Chekhov, Stanislavski
Questions: What is the significance of realism? (I), If you were an audience member at
that time how would you react?
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Readers Theatre:
i.
Textbook from Social drama . to ...copied his style in London.
ii.
Cornell note-taking:
1. Chekhov
2. Moscow Art Theatre
3. Stanislavski (20 minutes)
b. Scenes from Ibsens A Doll House (20 minutes) (R/C)
i.
This play is important in realism (one of the first) so it is integral to the movement.
ii.
Everyone gets a script and people volunteer for scenes.
c. Reflection: (5 minutes) (C)
i.
How are the realistic scenes different from the other scenes we have looked at in
this unit?
F. Materials Needed: textbook, script
G. Check for Understanding: performance, reflection
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: Be ready to go as far away from realism as you can get
tomorrow, because we are covering the avant-garde theatre.
51

Date: 23 (Tuesday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To introduce avant-garde as a countermovement to realism
Student Learning Objective: The student will communicate an understanding of avantgarde theatrical styles with word definition maps.
SOL:
periods.
A. Introduction: avant -garde

B. Review: word definition maps
C. Lesson Content: Beckett, absurdism
D. Questions: Why would this movement come about?
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Beckett: (Come and Go): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNh3m2xp0k8 (20
minutes)
i.
Fill in the word definition map for Come and Go. (R/C)
b. Beckett: (Act Without Words-1): http://youtu.be/Qb_eMMqUjTA (20 minutes)
i.
Fill in the word definition map for Act Without Words - 1. (R/C)
F. Materials Needed: projector, worksheet
G. Check for Understanding: word definition maps
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: Beckett is only one playwright. There are many others.
I. Reinforcement: In your journals, please explain why you think this movement would
have come about.
52
Definition
Characteristics
Examples
Illustration
Definition
Characteristics
Examples
Illustration
53

Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To highlight the pieces of American theatre that are most
important on the global theatre scene
Student Learning Objective: The student will learn about American theatre through
jigsaw reading groups to learn content through reading, writing, and teaching.
SOL:
periods.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Introduction: American theatre

Review: European realism
Lesson Content: Williams, Miller, Albee
Questions: Why were these works important enough to catch international attention?
(Cr)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Assign jigsaw groups (four groups of six)
i.
Get into these groups and take one of the papers with the link to the text on it.
(I will provide easier links on my teaching webpage so students can access
via hyperlink.) Work together to pull out the most important information and
take notes on the handout provided. (See next page) (R) (25 minutes)
ii.
Look at the number written in the top right corner of your text. Everyone with
1 meets here, 2 meets there, etc. These are the groups they will teach the
content to. (Make certain its still four groups of six.) (R/C) (10 minutes)
iii.
Fill in your handout with the new information.
iv.
Go over as a class. (10 minutes)
b. Homework! (see below)
G. Check for Understanding: go over as class
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: Tomorrow we will go over Broadway and finish work on
projects!
I. Reinforcement: In your journal, discuss the significance of post-war American realism.
54
Text Set for Day 24:

1. Arthur Miller (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/11/theater/newsandfeatures/11cndmiller.html?position=&_r=0&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1418734965hXraC2zvK6orDJUtISYp8Q)
2. Tennessee Williams (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/tennessee-williams)
3. Edward Albee (http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/laura-parker/whos-afraid-edwardalbee#_
and http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/artists/?entity_id=3687&source_type=A)
4. Elia Kazan (http://www.playbill.com/news/article/elia-kazan-influential-stage-and-film-masteris-dead-at-94-115460)
55
American Realism
Arthur Miller
Tennessee Williams
Edward Albee
Elia Kazan
56

Date: 25 (Thursday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To link our theatrical history to our present day theatre scene
Student Learning Objective: The student will demonstrate a link between theatre
history and present day theatre by identifying influences.
SOL:
periods.
A. Introduction: Broadway
B. Review: ancient Greek to modern day
C. Lesson Content: modern theatre
D. Questions: How does past theatre inform modern day theatre? (I)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Hand out worksheet to guide activity.
b. Broadway: http://www.broadway.com/shows/les-miserables/ (5 minutes) (R)
i.
What things do recognize from other theatre forms? (chorus, music)
c. Broadway: http://www.broadway.com/shows/wicked/ (5 minutes) (R)
i.
What things do recognize from other theatre forms? (chorus, music, deus ex
machina, kabuki influence)
d. Broadway: http://www.broadway.com/shows/the-lion-king/ (5 minutes) (R)
i.
bunraku, chorus, etc.
e. Broadway: http://www.broadway.com/shows/the-phantom-of-the-opera/ (5 minutes)
(R)
i.
chorus, mask, dance
f. Turn in worksheets and work on project for tomorrow. (I will check over worksheets
now.) (25 minutes)
F. Materials Needed: mobile lab, projector
G. Check for Understanding: worksheets
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: All of theatre builds on past theatre and the world around it.
I. Reinforcement: Presentations tomorrow! We will randomly assign the order.
57
Name ______________________________
Date____________________
Historical Influences on Modern Theatre

1. What historical influences do you see on Les Miserables?
2. What historical influences do you see on Wicked?
3. What historical influences do you see on The Lion King?
4. What historical influences do you see on The Phantom of the Opera?
58

Date: 26 (Friday)
Time: 45 minutes
Preparation:
Lesson Aim for Today: To create a comfortable environment for them to present
Student Learning Objective: The student will present their research on their playwright
of choice in a well-prepared group presentation.
SOL:
periods.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Introduction: playwrights
Review: playwrights
Lesson Content: playwrights, oral communication
Questions: What are the most important facts about your playwright? (L), How has your
playwright affected theatre? (Cr)
Teach the Lesson:
E. Activities:
a. Put numbered slips of paper in a jar and have each group pick a slip of paper. That is
the order they will be presenting in. No switching! (1 minute)
b. In four minutes, we are going to start. Ill give you a little bit of time to gather
yourselves. (4 minutes)
c. Group 1: Presents, I offer any additional information (6 minutes)
d. Group 2: Presents, I offer any additional information (6 minutes)
e. Group 3: Presents, I offer any additional information (6 minutes)
f. Group 4: Presents, I offer any additional information (6 minutes)
g. Group 5: Presents, I offer any additional information (6 minutes)
h. Group 6: Presents, I offer any additional information (6 minutes)
i. Leftover time is used as buffer time when they run over time.
F. Materials Needed: projector
G. Check for Understanding: presentation
Lesson Closure:
H. Conclusion of Lesson: And thats the end of our theatre history unit! Next week well
be working on group scenes! Have a good weekend!
59

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Trial Unit Plan

Weekly Lesson Plan

Weekly Lesson Plan

Day One: Review of material and overview of medieval theatre

g. Day Two: Overview of Italian classical theatre

Day Four: Review and work on projects

Day Five: Review and work on projects

D. Anticipated Materials Needed: area rugs, scripts (Fuenteovejuna), worksheets, mobile

Weekly Lesson Plan

Weekly Lesson Plan

Teacher: Brianna Lau

A. Introduction: unit project, Greek theatre

c. Greek theatre reading: (20 minutes)

Writing Style and Genre(s)

Importance in Theatre History

Examples of Their Work

Unit Overview - Theatre History (Theatre Arts II)

We'll have the

We'll have the

Modern and Contemporary

Teacher: Brianna Lau

Introduction: Greek performance

F. Materials Needed: scripts (Medea: Creon/Medea, Jason/Medea, etc.; Antigone:

Teacher: Brianna Lau

Introduction: Roman theatre

Text Set for Day Three:

Text Set for Day Three:

(2 continued from Day 3 Text Set)

Teacher: Brianna Lau

A. Introduction: Japanese theatre

Teacher: Brianna Lau

Introduction: Indian theatre, connectedness of theatre

Indian Theatre Jigsaw Groups Worksheet:

Text Set for Day Five:

Teacher: Brianna Lau

A. Introduction: medieval theatre

Key Terms for Review Game (Lesson 6)

Teacher: Brianna Lau

A. Introduction: commedia, Italian golden age

G. Check for Understanding: reflection, performance

Teacher: Brianna Lau

A. Introduction: Spanish golden age

F. Materials Needed: script, worksheet

5. Graph the plot:

Teacher: Brianna Lau

Go over the plot from the previous days worksheet.

Check on the reflections.

Each student gets their own laptop.

We follow the standard Internet behavior expected of us at our school.

F. Materials Needed: expo markers to draw out cardiogram, mobile lab

Teacher: Brianna Lau

Each student gets their own laptop.

We follow the standard Internet behavior expected of us at our school.

I am available for any questions.

F. Materials Needed: mobile lab

Teacher: Brianna Lau

Introduction: renaissance theatre

English Renaissance Theatre

Teacher: Brianna Lau

Introduction: Henry V, As You Like It, Macbeth

F. Materials Needed: courtyard, scripts

Teacher: Brianna Lau