| Class Requirements for IB Theatre Students Welcome! IB theatre training goes beyond "what" and "how" to "why" and "what if..." Its purpose is to give you yet another perspective on the world, and a new window to discover your place in it. It should be international and historical in its perspective, so that you gain a working awareness of why theatre exists -- and has existed -- for different cultures, and of the myriad ways in which it can be presented to offer ideas effectively to others. This class should interconnect with your other classes whenever possible. Keep that in mind. Thinking "What if..." can serve you everywhere you go. Forever. Since the class is integrated with the regular Theatre Arts curriculum, you need to know the distinctions which earn you that extra .5 credit, and help prepare you for the IB assessment examinations. (HL candidates: set up an appointment with me ASAP!) Here's what you've got to do: Build on what you know. Then learn what you don't. TA1 &2 provides the elements of theatre, so if you skipped it, be sure you catch up fast on the basics (Where's the upstage left wing? Who's Stanislavsky? What's a fresnel do?): buddy up with a senior IB student. You'll need to study at least three distinctly different modes/genres of theatre. But there's LOTS of stuff out there, so keep digging, reading, asking questions, trying out new ideas. Also, be sure to venture into unknown territory. Act. Do tech. Direct. Help others. Ass't direct or Dramaturg. Try it all! Research gives a reason and a context to many productions. As one not afraid of it, you should expect to delve into new areas, and to share your findings with the class. Read about theatre theorists and companies, not just about plays. Put a scene or show into its cultural context, show it as a reflection of its time. Understand WHY. Figure out how to use the information to augment the scenes we work on. This will prepare you for the IB Research Study assessment. Play Analysis and Interpretation assignments replace Play Evaluations. There is an instruction sheet available for this. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Keep using different elements of production in your analyses; this is intended to prepare you for the PA&I portion of your IB assessment, a 25 minute audio taped comprehensive director's interpretation of a play selected by the IB committee. Get very good at these. Directing is a requirement, so volunteer when the opportunities arise (it doesn't have to be a whole play; scenes will suffice), or you'll have to create yourself a production. Try your hand: it’s the journey that counts, remember? Take the time to get an idea to try out. Toy with it. The IB folks just love it when you combine different genres/modes. Journals, records of your work in class and in productions (and during your Individual Study for HL candidates), should be kept beginning immediately. These can be informal (but reasonably legible, since you can't rewrite them later) descriptions of what happened, and particularly how you felt/what you learned/struggled with as a result. You must include entries on each performance day, whether in or out of class. Mistakes and failures are an essential part of the process--be certain you include them! You may submit the journals to me routinely, or whenever you want comment/feedback on something in particular. These will be culled later to become your IB Portfolio. Log in the hours you spend after school working on theatre stuff. Some of these are your homework, but beyond that they may also count toward your CAS requirement. They may even count toward your Individual Study requirement. But only if there is a clear record kept along the way (no reconstructions after the fact...). Keep your log in your individual folder. NEXT |