Scene Analysis Strategies

1. Beginning, Middle, End: chunk/draw

helps identify progression of character, plot, theme
helps identify turning points, points of conflict, change, resolution
drawing helps visualize

2. Beat by Beat

helps work on timing, creating space, flow, tempo
helps put everything in its place and avoid rushing through words

3. Emotional Progression (and levels)

colors help create a visual map of emotions throughout script
helps with making your performance less flat

4. Seven Levels of Tension

see previous blog post on what this is and use to create a map of progress throughout script (similar to Emotional Progression)


These analysis tactics help with actors, writers, directors, and devisers. Following the analysis, think about how to revise based on what you see and what might be more dynamic.

Levels of Tension

Remember that theater pieces should have a beginning, middle, and end. They should cycle through different emotions and dynamics, so they are not simply "flat." Check out this approach to help with this -- originally developed by Lecoq -- the Seven Levels of Tension:

https://dramaresource.com/seven-levels-of-tension/

Devising Companies

Age Exchange http://www.age-exchange.org.uk/
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry http://www.belgrade.co.uk/
Complicite http://www.complicite.org/flash/
Teatro de Creación http://www.devisingtheatre2013.com/#/methodology/4574690305
DV8 Physical Theatre http://www.dv8.co.uk/
Fevered Sleep http://www.feveredsleep.co.uk/
Forced Entertainment http://www.forcedentertainment.com/
Fork Beard http://www.forkbeardfantasy.co.uk/
Frantic Assembly http://www.franticassembly.co.uk/
Fuel http://www.fueltheatre.com/
Gecko Theatre http://www.geckotheatre.com/
Young People’s Theatre http://www.glypt.co.uk/
Goat Island http://www.goatislandperformance.org
Gob Squad http://www.gobsquad.com/about-us
Grid Iron http://www.gridiron.org.uk/
Improbable http://www.improbable.co.uk/
Invisible Flock http://www.invisibleflock.co.uk
Invisible Thread http://www.invisiblethread.co.uk/
I O U http://www.ioutheatre.org/
Ex Machina http://lacaserne.net/index2.php/exmachina/
Lone Twin http://www.lonetwin.com/
Massive Company http://www.massivecompany.co.nz/
Wrights and Sits http://www.mis-guide.com/
Northern Stage http://www.northernstage.co.uk/
Theatre Passe Muraille http://www.passemuraille.on.ca/
People Show http://www.peopleshow.co.uk/
Pintsize Theatre Company http://www.pintsizetheatre.co.uk/
Pirate Productions http://www.pirateproductions.co.uk/
Potatoroom Productions http://www.potatoroom.co.uk/
Reckless Sleepers http://www.reckless-sleepers.co.uk/
Red Ladder Theatre Company http://www.redladder.co.uk/
Rude Mechanicals http://www.rudemechs.com/about/index.htm
Shunt http://www.shunt.co.uk/
Space Hijackers http://www.spacehijackers.org/html/history.html
Stan’s Cafe http://www.stanscafe.co.uk/
Station House Opera http://www.stationhouseopera.com/
Tangled Feet http://www.tangledfeet.com/the-company/
Théâtre du Soleil http://www.theatre-du-soleil.fr/thsol/index.php?lang=fr
Theatre O http://www.theatreo.co.uk/theatre_O/O2/index.html
The Paper Birds Theatre Company http://www.thepaperbirds.com/
The Red Room http://www.theredroom.org.uk/
The Wooster Group http://www.thewoostergroup.org/blog/
Third Angel http://www.thirdangel.co.uk/home.php

Proposal Requirements for Collaborative Devised Project

Include the following information in your proposal:

1. What are you ideas based on the stimulus?
2. What ideas and themes do you want to explore in your performance?
3. What will your plot be? (beginning, middle, end -- scenes, transitions)
4. Who are the characters and how will they grow, change, or stay the same?
5. How might you use theater tech to enhance the story?
6. Who is the intended audience and what is the desired effect you want your piece to have on the audience? (reaction, meaning)
7. Why is the story important/meaningful to you?

Halloween Collaborative Routine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lZ99M84cKg&feature=youtu.be

Resources for The Assembly Theater Company (orchestrators of the devising workshop)

Here is their website:

www.assemblytheater.org

This is very important -- a video about their process:

https://vimeo.com/132464719

Here is an article based on an interview with the director:

https://stagebuddy.com/theater/theater-feature/jess-chayes-that-poor-dream

Director's Vision Class Notes

Three more director's vision videos

1. from Hartford Stage's production of Henry V:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=BxGDWs7xNN4

2. from a production of Spring Awakening:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JbFjihcZC0

3. from the National Theatre in England and their production of A Comedy of Errors:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnQ27ski0TE

Ideas and Activities that might be useful in creating a Director's Vision

https://www.theatrefolk.com/blog/drama-teachers-creating-directors-vision/

Two different approaches to directing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvHgJwU4TfY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx2qHHFS5Yk

Top Tips for Directors (from a seasoned director)

1. Read. However literate you think you are, keep reading. Read plays and novels and adaptations and screenplays. Read social histories and biographies and diaries. Read all around the plays that most interest you. Prepare yourself as best you can for the searching questions your actors will fire at you on the rehearsal floor. 

2. Go to the theatre. All sorts of theatre. Whatever you can afford. And don't be too discriminating. See everything—the National, the RSC, the Royal Court, your local rep, the school play. The latest blockbuster musical may be beyond your purse, but if you can get a ticket, go and see what the fuss is about. And don't ignore the fringe. You might learn more by watching a rough theatre production in the upper room of a pub than anywhere else. 

3. Travel. The world is your oyster—and there is theatre all over the world. Broaden your view about what constitutes good theatre by seeing it in its myriad traditions and cultures. If you speak another language, don't let it slide. Practise it, study its theatre literature, translate from it. Make it a special corner of your expertise. 

4. Meet playwrights. Directors don't have anything like the authority you might imagine. Playwrights are the primary creative force in theatre. Get to know them. Read their plays. Help them develop their work. Set up readings with actors. The more playwrights you know and who trust you, the more likely it is you will be asked to direct one of their plays. 

5. Meet actors. Directors should love actors. If they don't look forward to the time they spend with their actors and genuinely appreciate the actor's process, they will never be good directors. Actors are remarkable creatures: what they do, night by night, performance by performance, is extraordinary. Get close to it. Strive to understand the creative chemistry of the actor becoming the character. It's at the very heart of the business. 

6. Form a company. However small, however poor. The idea of a company is at the heart of all theatre practice; little groups of like-minded artists ganging together to create plays. Raise some cash
and put the plays on. Learn from your successes or failures and move on to the next project. 

7. Work as an assistant. Write to all the directors you know or whose work you admire. Explain why you think the two of you would be a good match. Have something to show on your CV to prove your point. If you get taken on, be attentive and loyal and company-minded. Learn everything you can about your principle's method but don't get addicted to assisting. There's a limit to the usefulness of watching from the sidelines. 

8. Work in the theatre. Any job will do. Directors should understand how every other department in the theatre works. Get a job in the wardrobe department or with the stage crew, or in the lighting or sound departments; or as a dramaturg, a box-office clerk, usher or dresser. The more you know, the better you will be at the directing game. 

9. Observe the world. Whether you work inside the theatre or out, don't get trapped by its artifice. Wherever you live, wherever you work, you will meet the original versions of the characters you see in plays. Learn to observe people closely and analyse them accurately—their psychologies, predicaments and family lives; their fears, failings and aspirations. If you want your productions to be true reflections of real life, you must know your subject matter in the greatest possible detail. 

Caird, J. 2010. “Want to be a theatre director? Here are my 10
top survival tips”.
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2010/mar/23/theatr
e-director-10-top-tips. Accessed 20 January

Director's Vision

https://www.goodspeed.org/My%20Files/Guides/Director's%20Vision/DROWSY_Directors%20Vision.pdf?utm_source=Goodspeed+Musicals&utm_campaign=d65fceb590-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_03_28_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_16b00892f8-d65fceb590-561400065

Director's Notebook (lowest marked example)

https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/proof/apps/va-carousel/index.html?doc=Theatre_Example_6_e&sample-count=26

Sample 6: Director's Notebook

Red by John Logan

Assessment

Criterion	Markband achieved
A	Theatre in context: The play text, its context and the ideas presented	1–2
B	Theatre processes: Artistic responses and live theatre experiences	5–6
C	Presenting theatre: The director’s intentions and intended impact	3–4
D	Presenting theatre: The staging of two moments of the play	1–2

Examiner comments

1. The student does not provide any research into the cultural and/or theoretical context from which the play originates, though there is a brief mention of the playwright and his work. The student researches Rothko, who is the subject of the play, but the student does not link this research directly to the play. The student presents some of the ideas of the play, but these are outlined and underdeveloped. The student is awarded 0 for the first strand and 3–4 band for the second strand. According to best fit the student is awarded a 1–2 (0 and 2 for band 3–4).
2. The student describes their artistic responses, creative ideas and explorations of the play text prior to the development of their directorial intentions, presenting a range of possibilities and ideas. The student makes links to live theatre experiences. The student outlines how one director, in the live theatre they have experienced as a spectator, created moments of meaning and how another director used performance elements to transition between scenes. 

3. The student outlines their directorial intentions for the staging of the entire play text. This is partially supported by some appropriate production and performance ideas. The student outlines the impact they want the entire play to have on the audience paying attention to some performance and production elements but these are generally listed. The student’s ideas are underdeveloped without explanation regarding how their ideas are related either to intention or intended impact.
4. The student lists how they would stage two selected moments of the play. This work is limited in scope. The student lists performance and production elements in the two selected moments of the play but does not offer any sort of explanation regarding the thinking behind these choices. There is some attempt to explain how production elements fuse together but this is not coherent or clear. 

Director's Notebook (medium marked example)

https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/proof/apps/va-carousel/index.html?doc=Theatre_Example_8_e&sample-count=21

 Example 8: Director’s notebook

Whose life is it anyway? By Brian Clark

Assessment

Criterion		Markband achieved
A	Theatre in context: The play text, its context and the ideas presented	5–6
B	Theatre processes: Artistic responses and live theatre experiences	5–6
C	Presenting theatre: The director’s intentions and intended impact	7–8
D	Presenting theatre: The staging of two moments of the play	5–6

Examiner comments

1. The student presents some research and outlines the cultural context from which the play text originates, focusing primarily on the reception of the subject matter around the world. The student describes the ideas addressed in the play text in terms of both themes central to the play and minor themes. The student explains how these ideas are presented by the playwright with some reference to the text.
2. The student explains their artistic responses, creative ideas and explorations of the play text prior to the development of their directorial intentions, presenting a range of ideas and interpretations (band 7–8). They only address one production, however, that they have experienced as a spectator. Though there is some detail regarding how the student links this experience to the play text, explaining how the director achieved particular effects, the student has not addressed a range of productions as required and can, therefore, be awarded marks higher than band 3–4. According to best fit the student cannot get higher than a total of 6 marks (one strand in band 3–4 counts as 2 points and one strand in band 7–8 as 4 points).
3. The student explains their appropriate, effective and feasible directorial intentions for the staging of the entire play text. This is consistently supported by an appropriate range of imaginative production performance ideas. The student describes the impact they want the entire play to have on the audience. The student needs to give more of an explanation regarding how performance and production elements would together create this intended impact on the audience. 

4. The student describes how they would stage two selected moments of the play. The student sometimes describes and sometimes outlines how they would use performance and production elements in the two selected moments of the play to effectively create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning for an audience. This requires more attention to detail. 

Director's Notebook (high marked example)

https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/proof/apps/va-carousel/index.html?doc=Theatre_Example_5_e&sample-count=25

Example 5: Director’s notebook

NONGOGO by Athol Fugard

Assessment

Criterion	Markband achieved
A	Theatre in context: The play text, its context and the ideas presented	7–8
B	Theatre processes: Artistic responses and live theatre experiences	7–8
C	Presenting theatre: The director’s intentions and intended impact	7–8
D	Presenting theatre: The staging of two moments of the play	7–8

Examiner comments

1. The student has researched and explained the cultural context of the play as well as mentioning the theoretical context. Research into cultural context is closely related to the ideas of the play, fitting with the political subject matter of the play. The student explains the ideas presented by the playwright making particular reference to how these ideas are presented and evident in the play. The student integrates research into the context from which the play originated with the ideas of the play, demonstrating an understanding of context, the ideas of the playwright and the relationship between the two.
2. The student explains their artistic responses focusing primarily on character, explaining that they see the oppression of character as the main focus of the play. The student presents a combination of their personal responses, artistic ideas and explorations of the play. The student makes very good links to a range of live theatre productions, explaining how these productions will inform their own production. Their references to productions, however, are largely descriptive and they do not explain how directors created moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning. As a result the student would not get the full marks in this band.
3. The student clearly describes their directorial intentions for the staging of the entire play text. Their ideas are effective and feasible and the student shows how they are appropriate by relating them directly to the play’s political context and the ideas presented by the playwright as identified in Criterion A. This is supported by an appropriate range of imaginative production and performance ideas. The student clearly explains the impact they want the entire play to have on the audience and consistently explains how their performance (characterization, movement) and production elements (set, costume, props, lights, sound) would together create this intended impact on the audience. 

4. The student selects two distinct and focused moments from the play. The student is clear about their intention in the staging of these moments and explains how this will be achieved. The student identifies both moments as moments of meaning that convey key ideas, but also describes how tension, emotion and atmosphere will be created and the impact this will have on the audience. The student explains how they would use performance and production elements in the two selected moments of the play to effectively fulfill their intention of communicating the ideas of the play. They are consistently conscious of the audience experience.

Director's Notebook (example with high marks in all but artistic influences)

https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/proof/apps/va-carousel/index.html?doc=Theatre_Example_7_e&sample-count=21

Example 7: Director’s notebook

The Pitmen Painters by Lee Hall

Assessment

Criterion		Markband achieved
A	Theatre in context: The play text, its context and the ideas presented	7–8
B	Theatre processes: Artistic responses and live theatre experiences	1–2
C	Presenting theatre: The director’s intentions and intended impact	5–6
D	Presenting theatre: The staging of two moments of the play	7–8

Examiner comments

1. The student presents their research and explains the context from which the play originated in detail. The student explains the play’s historical, cultural and contemporary significance and the importance of its geographic setting. The student also addresses the play’s theoretical context as a piece of community and political theatre. The student clearly explains the ideas presented by the playwright and demonstrates their relationship to the context.
2. Though the student has titled this section Artistic Responses and Live Theatre Experiences they begin by presenting their artistic intention which is assessed under criterion C. There is little here that can be assessed as artistic responses or creative responses prior to developing their directorial intention but there is some evidence of interpretation. The student cannot be assessed twice (under this criterion and under criterion C) for the ideas they present as part of their directorial intention and the examiner has therefore assessed most of this section under Criterion C. The student’s links to productions they have experienced as a spectator is limited. They have not addressed how directors have created moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning.
3. The student explains their appropriate and feasible directorial intentions for the staging of the entire play text but this is not consistently supported by production and performance ideas. The student explains the impact they want the entire play to have on the audience both in this and in the previous section. They describe some production elements and how these would create this intended impact on the audience but more detail is needed regarding these and performance elements.

4. The student explains how they would stage two selected moments of the play and ties this to their intention and impact, and to the ideas and context of the play. The student explains how they would use performance and production elements in the two selected moments of the play to effectively create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning for an audience. The student shows a good understanding of how tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning can be created. 

Presentation links

Stanislavski:


Brecht:


Peter Brook:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pT2RCbfyk4EJnme15KCx985ipB6UG65a7jrdk7ZeNR0/edit?ts=5baba571#slide=id.g4242a137b3_0_71

Grotowski:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/12PU-a035Wz-ot8Of_V8b4PvQ5SLdtWmc68dA0ON8YBQ/edit#slide=id.g3218b865625c0c3_5

Artaud:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15KTSbVLNaFJ3Qf8eIo86m0fqCd_ZQWsPmgeOE3UJtPU/edit#slide=id.p

Beckett:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1n3PWw2YlWKexKO6GuROhOgfzFTV6wcFH99_9rbkeUcs/edit?ts=5bae601f#slide=id.g435a5afecf_0_129

Five Truths Series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OD7phopWWk&list=PL5DE67813461897E6

Review of theater terms and concepts

List of Important Theater Terms and Concepts

Acting = Behaving Truthfully Under Imaginary Circumstances
Director's Vision
Character's Journey
Clarity and Believability of the Story for the Audience
Script
Lines
Lyrics

Acts and Scenes
Monologue
Dialogue
Cue

Actor
Cast

Company

Lead Role

Supporting Role

Ensemble Role
Genres: Comedy, Tragedy, Drama, Farce

Staging 
Stage Directions (and their Abbreviations)

Blocking (Movement)

Facial Expressions

Gestures

Body Language

Emotion

Emotional Build or Progress

Character

Conflict
Action = Reaction

Setting

Plot

Articulation

Enunciation

Projection

Emphasis

Rhythm

Dramatic Pauses

Suspense

Stage Whisper
An Aside

Stage Left, Stage Right, Up Stage, Down Stage, Center Stage

Back Stage

Wings

Audience/House

Black Box

Proscenium Stage

Thrust Stage

Theater in the Round

Arena Stage

Immersive Theater

Verbatim Theater
Scenery

Props

Costumes/Costume Design

Makeup and Hair Design

Set Pieces

Scenic Design

Backdrop

Digital Projections

Spotlight

Follow Spot

Lighting Design

Set Design

Sound Design

Color

Actor Preparation Techniques

Rehearsal Techniques

Uta Hagen’s 9 questions

Improv

Emotional Memory

Muscle Memory

Given Circumstances

World of the Play

Character Backstory

Motivation

Objectives/Goals

Obstacles

Tableaux/Stage Pictures

Levels

Layers

Relationships/Connections/Status/Power

Stanislavski Method

Other Theater Theorists

Naturalism/Realism

Declamatory Style

Straight Play

Musical Theater

The Fourth Wall

Suspension of Disbelief 

Director

Dramturg

Call Time

Places

Table Read

Tech Run

Dry Tech

Sitzprobe

Run Time
Intermission
Program

Silent Movies #2 and #3

https://youtu.be/du2b7hoWbQ8

https://youtu.be/OPj0YTI_vwk

Music and Movement and Emotion -- Silent Movie #1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWWOZub4i2o&feature=youtu.be

Writing Tip -- for blog posts or life in general

Welcome to the 2018-2019 Season of IB Theatre

Our class this year is going to be great! Here are some quotes to get you thinking about theatre:

Summer Reading

1. Read the play you chose for your Director's Notebook project.

2. Take notes.

3. Be able to summarize it and share your ideas about it when we return to school in Fall 2018.

Director's Notebook

Task 2: Director’s notebook

 

Introduction

Students at HL and SL independently choose a published play text, read the text and record their personal responses. They then:

•                           research and record the cultural and/or theoretical context of the play and identify ideas the playwright may be addressing and how these are presented

•                           explore the entire play and record their own ideas, explorations and responses prior to forming their directorial intentions

•                           reference live theatre performances they have experienced as a spectator that have influenced, inspired or informed them as directors. They explain how directors of these productions have created moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning. The live theatre performances must not   be productions of the same play text selected for study in this assessment task.

•                           explain their directorial intention(s) and intended impact on audience for the entire play supported by production and performance ideas

•                           explain how they will stage two particular moments of the play; these can be moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere or which communicate the meaning(s)  of  the play; they must demonstrate  an understanding of how performance and production elements function together to create these moments

This process is recorded and presented in the form of a director’s notebook (20 pages maximum) which is made up of visuals and words.

This is a theoretical exercise. The play text is not actually staged as part of the assessment task though a student may choose to work practically as part of the process of exploring the play or examining particular moments. Students are not permitted to edit, make additions or alterations to the play text selected for study. All sources must be acknowledged following the protocol of the referencing style chosen by the school.

Perspective—candidates should approach this task from the perspective of director.

Aim—the aim of this task is for students to explore the processes involved in transforming a play text into   live action by developing a directorial vision for staging the play text.

Understandings—through  this  exploration  students  will understand:

•                           the importance of research into the context of a play text and how this can inform directorial intentions for staging the play text

•                           the artistic processes required to transform text into action

•                           how meaning is communicated on stage and how to create moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere how performance and production elements function together to create an intended impact for an audience

•                           how live performances they have experienced influence, inspire and inform their work as directors.

Preparation process

In preparation for this task within the core syllabus students at SL and HL must have had experience of:

		THEATRE IN CONTEXT	THEATRE PROCESSES	PRESENTING THEATRE
SL and HL	Working with play texts	Researching and examining the various contexts of at least one published play text and reflecting on live theatre moments they have experienced as spectators.	Taking part in the practical exploration of at least two contrasting published play texts and  engaging  with the process of transforming a play text into action.	Directing at least one scene or section from one published play text which is presented to others.

Each student chooses a play text that they have not previously studied, and for which they can clearly identify the potential for success in transforming it from page to stage. Once selected, the chosen play text cannot be used by the student in any other assessment task for this course.

Assessing the task

Students then undertake the following process for assessment.

Theatre in context

•                           Each student carries out research into the cultural context from which the play originates and/or research into the play text’s theoretical context, focusing on its style, form, practice or genre.

•                           Each student identifies the key ideas presented by the playwright in the entire play (such as intended meanings, motifs, themes or throughline). As the author(s) of the text, the playwright might be one person, more than one person or in some cases a theatre company.

•                           Each student documents this in their theatre journal.

Theatre processes

•                           Each student records their artistic responses, creative ideas and explorations of the entire play text prior to formulating their directorial intentions.

•                           Each student makes links to live theatre performances they have experienced as a spectator that have influenced, inspired or informed them as directors. They explain how directors of these productions have created moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning. The live theatre performances must not be productions of the same play text selected for study in this assessment   task.

•                           Each student documents this in their theatre journal.

Presenting theatre

•                           To what extent does the student clearly explain their directorial intentions for the staging of the entire play text, supporting these intentions with a range of imaginative production and performance ideas?

•                           To what extent does the student explain their intended impact of the entire play on the audience and explain how their performance and production ideas would together create this intended impact on the audience?

•                           Each student explains their directorial intention(s) for the staging of the entire play text, supporting these intentions with a range of imaginative production and performance ideas, explaining performance space, performance style and production elements (scenic and technical).

•                           Each student explains their intended impact of the entire play on the audience and how their performance and production ideas would together create this intended impact on the audience.

•                           Each student explains how they would stage two specific moments of the play and explain how they would use production and performance ideas in these two moments of the play to effectively create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning for an audience.

•                           Each student documents this in their theatre journal.

Task details

Selecting the play text

Students choose a published play text that  they  have  not  previously studied, which  they  are  interested in exploring as a director and which would allow them to successfully fulfill the assessment requirements   and criteria of the task. Students should have little or no previous experience of researching or practically engaging with the published play text they select for study.

It is expected that students will consult and refer to a number of play texts prior to their final selection.        It is important for teachers to allow students to select their own play text. The key to success in this task        is for students to select a text that excites their imagination and that they would be passionate about transforming into action.

The play text must remain unaltered. Students are not permitted to edit, make additions or alterations to the original printed work. They may, however, in communicating their vision for the staging of the selected play text, add as much additional action or introduce additional elements of design if this will help them to realise their vision for the staging. In every case this should be appropriate to the play text and students must clearly identify and justify these additions.

The play text does not necessarily have to be set within the original practice or style for which it was originally intended. Students may wish to set the play in a contrasting practice or style in order to bring out    a particular idea or theme appropriate to the work.

Students are permitted to work with play texts written in any language. Any descriptions of plot or direct quotations, however, must be translated into the language in which they are being assessed.

Students must address the context, ideas and staging of the entire play text and not just the selected two moments of theatre.

Discussing live theatre performance

Students are required to  discuss and make links to  live theatre performances they have  experienced    as a spectator during the theatre course. Students should identify performances that have influenced, inspired or informed them and should pay particular attention to how directors employed production and performance elements to create effective moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere or moments that communicated meaning in the live theatre performance experienced.

The live theatre performances identified must not be productions of the same play text selected for study     in this assessment task. Students are not permitted to write about productions in which they have had involvement, for example school plays in which they helped backstage or local productions in which they performed.

Use of sources

As well as the more obvious sources (books, websites, videos, DVDs, articles) valid research may also include the student’s own practical explorations of the play. Students are also required to refer to theatre experiences they have had as a spectator. All sources consulted must be acknowledged following the protocol of the referencing style chosen by the school and be presented in a bibliography and as footnotes, endnotes or within the body of the text of the director’s notebook.

The role of the teacher

Teachers must ensure that their students are appropriately prepared for the demands of this task through  the careful planning and delivery of the core syllabus activities outlined above.

Teachers are required to meet with students at each stage of inquiry, action and reflection to discuss the progress made to date, and to verify the authenticity of the coursework being created by each student. The key outcomes of these one-to-one interactions, which might be formal meetings and/or informal discussions

in the classroom, must be summarized by the teacher on the  DP  theatre Coursework authentication form (CAF), which is submitted to the IB as part of the upload of assessment material. This form can be found on the theatre page of the OCC.

While the student is working on the assessment task the teacher should:

•                           discuss each student’s choice of play text; it is important that the play text selected is the student’s  own choice

•                           guide the students’ explorations and discuss their ideas, without prescribing them; this process may involve questioning and encouraging the students to expand on their vision and its feasibility, but should not involve making decisions on their behalf

•                           ensure that the students have access to live theatre performances in which performance and production elements are employed effectively

•                           ensure that the students are acknowledging all sources used and referencing them appropriately

•                           give feedback on one draft of the director’s notebook.

Structuring the director’s notebook

The director’s notebook, which can be up to 20 pages in length, should be a combination of creative ideas, presented in both words and visuals, along with detailed ideas and explanations. The director’s notebook should be written in the first person and present the student’s personal interpretations, responses, ideas, discoveries and intentions for the proposed staging of their selected play text. Students should be as precise and specific as possible when discussing performance and production elements. The use of subject specific terminology may help to give a sense to this precision.

Students may use any relevant illustrations, annotated text, charts, mind maps, visuals, diagrams, designs  and so on. These must be clearly annotated and appropriately referenced to acknowledge the source, following the protocol of the referencing style chosen by the school. When students include any of their    own photographs or images, these must also be identified and acknowledged in the same way. There is no lower limit on the number of pages that students can submit for this task and teachers are encouraged to remind students that their work will be assessed on how it best fulfills the assessment criteria for the task  and not judged on how many pages are submitted.

The director’s notebook should contain a table of contents (which is excluded from the page count) and all pages should be numbered. The main body of the director’s notebook should be structured using the following subheadings:

1.                       The play text, its context and the ideas presented in the entire play

2.                       My artistic responses, creative ideas and explorations for the entire play prior to the forming of directorial intentions

3.                       My own experiences of live theatre as a spectator and how directors use performance and production elements

4.                       My directorial intentions for the entire play and the intended impact on an audience

5.                       How I would stage two moments of the play

Students are required to submit a separate list of all sources cited.

Formal requirements of the task

Each student submits for assessment:

•                           a director’s notebook (20 pages maximum) which includes:

–            the student’s research into the published play text, its relevant contexts and the ideas presented in the entire play

–            the student’s artistic responses and explorations of the entire play text as a director

–            the student’s experience as a spectator of live theatre performances that have influenced, inspired or informed them and an explanation of how directors have created moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere or meaning

–            the student’s presentation of their final directorial intentions and the intended impact of these  on an audience

–            the student’s ideas regarding the staging of two specific moments from the play and how these would create the desired impact on an audience

•                           a list of all sources cited.

The size and format of pages submitted for assessment is not prescribed to enable students to be creative with how they record and present their work. Submitted materials are assessed on screen and students must ensure that their work is clear and legible when presented in a digital, on-screen format. To ensure that examiners are able to gain an overall and legible impression of each page without excessive scrolling, students are recommended to use common page sizes (such as legal, A4 or folio). Overcrowded or illegible materials may result in examiners being unable to interpret and understand the intentions of the work.

The procedure for submitting the assessment materials can be found in the Handbook of procedures for      the Diploma Programme. Students are required to indicate the number of pages used when the materials   are submitted. Where the submitted materials exceed the prescribed page limit examiners are instructed to base their assessment solely on the first 20 pages.

External assessment criteria—SL and HL

Summary

Task 2: Director’s notebook		Marks	Total
A	Theatre in context: The play text, its context and the ideas presented	8	32
B	Theatre processes: Artistic responses and live theatre experiences	8
C	Presenting theatre: The director’s intentions and intended impact	8
D	Presenting theatre: The staging of two moments of the play	8

Criteria

A.   Theatre in context: The play text, its context and the ideas presented

Evidence: the director’s notebook

•                           To what extent does the student research and explain the theoretical and/or cultural context(s) from which the play text originates?

•                           To  what extent does the student explain the ideas addressed by the play text and explain how these  are presented by the playwright? (As the author(s) of the text, the playwright might be one person, more than one person or in some cases a theatre company.)

Mark	Descriptor
0	The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1–2	This work is limited: •                           the student lists the theoretical and/or cultural context(s) from which the play text originates •                           the student lists the ideas addressed in the play text but these are obvious or contrived.
3–4	This work is underdeveloped: •                           the student presents their research and outlines the theoretical and/or cultural context(s) from which the play text originates •                           the student outlines the ideas addressed in the play text and how these are presented by the playwright.
5–6	This work is good: •                           the student presents their research and describes the theoretical and/or cultural context(s) from which the play text originates •                           the student describes the ideas addressed in the play text and how these are presented by the playwright.
7–8	This work is excellent: •                           the student presents their research and explains the theoretical and/or cultural context(s) from which the play text originates •                           the student clearly explains the ideas addressed in the play text and how these are presented by the playwright.

B.   Theatre processes: Artistic responses and live theatre experiences

Evidence: the director’s notebook

•                           To what extent does the student present a variety of artistic responses, creative ideas and explorations of the play text (prior to formulating their directorial intentions)?

•                           To what extent does the student make links to a range of experiences of live theatre they have experienced as a spectator, explaining how directors have created moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning?

Mark	Descriptor
0	The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1–2	This work is limited: •                            the student lists their artistic responses, creative ideas and explorations of the play text prior to the development of their directorial intentions. This is limited in scope •                            the student makes little reference to live theatre experiences. The student lists how directors create moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning. This work contains mainly irrelevant information.
3–4	This work is underdeveloped: •                            the student outlines their artistic responses, creative ideas and explorations of the play text prior to the development of their directorial intentions but these are underdeveloped •                            the student makes some links to live theatre experiences. The student outlines how directors have created moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning in the live theatre they have experienced as a spectator.
5–6	This work is good: •                            the student describes their artistic responses, creative ideas and explorations of the play text prior to the development of their directorial intentions •                            the student makes clear links to a range of live theatre experiences. The student describes how directors have created moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning in the live theatre they have experienced as a spectator.
7–8	This work is excellent: •                            the student explains their artistic responses, creative ideas and explorations of the play text prior to the development of their directorial intentions •                            the student makes clear and effective links to a range of live theatre experiences.    The student explains how directors have created moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning in the live theatre they have experienced as a spectator

C.   Presenting theatre: The director’s intentions and intended impact

Evidence: the director’s notebook

•                           To what extent does the student explain their directorial intentions for the staging of the entire play text, supporting these intentions with a range of imaginative production and performance ideas?

•                           To what extent does the student explain the impact they want the entire play to have on the audience and how performance and production (scenic and technical) elements would together create this intended impact on the audience?

Mark	Descriptor
0	The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1–2	This work is limited: •                            the student lists their directorial intentions for the staging of the play text with little or no consideration of production or performance ideas. This is limited in scope •                            the student lists the impact they want the entire play to have on the audience and  lists how performance and production elements would together create this intended impact on the audience but this is limited.
3–4	This work is underdeveloped: •                            the student outlines their appropriate directorial intentions for the staging of the entire play text. This is partially supported by some imaginative production and performance ideas. •                            the student outlines the impact they want the entire play to have on the audience and outlines how performance and production elements would together create this intended impact on the audience but this is underdeveloped.
5–6	This work is good: •                            the student describes their appropriate and feasible directorial intentions for the staging of the entire play text. This is well supported by an appropriate range of imaginative production and performance ideas •                            the student describes the impact they want the entire play to have on the audience and describes how their performance and production elements would together create this intended impact on the audience.
7–8	This work is excellent: •                            the student clearly explains their appropriate, effective and feasible directorial intentions for the staging of the entire play text. This is consistently supported by an appropriate range of imaginative production and performance ideas. •                            the student clearly explains the impact they want the entire play to have on the audience and explains how their performance and production elements would together create this intended impact on the audience.

D.   Presenting theatre: The staging of two moments of the play

Evidence: the director’s notebook

•                           To what extent does the student explain how they would imaginatively stage two specific moments of the play ensuring the play text is not edited, cut or altered?

•                           To what extent does the student explain how they would use their performance and production (scenic and technical) elements in the two specific moments of the play to effectively create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning for an audience?

•                           Candidates who only address one specific moment of the play will not be awarded a mark higher than 4 in this criterion.

Mark	Descriptor
0	The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1–2	This work is limited: •                            the student lists how they would stage two selected moments of the play. This work is limited in scope •                            the student lists how they would use performance and production elements in the two selected moments of the play to create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/ or meaning for an audience. This work contains mainly irrelevant or superfluous information.
3–4	This work is underdeveloped: •                            the student outlines how they would stage two selected moments of the play. The play text is not edited, cut or altered •                            the student outlines how they would use performance and production elements in the two selected moments of the play to create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/ or meaning for an audience, but this is underdeveloped.
5–6	This work is good: •                            the student describes how they would stage two selected moments of the play. The play text is not edited, cut or altered •                            the student describes how they would use performance and production elements   in the two selected moments of the play to effectively create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning for an audience.
7–8	This work is excellent: •                            the student explains how they would stage two selected moments of the play. The play text is not edited, cut or altered •                            the student explains how they would use performance and production elements   in the two selected moments of the play to effectively create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning for an audience.