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"Set the Stage"
Warming Up Your Body- Three Chairs and a Blanket Warming Up Your Designer Mind- Design Your Bedroom Read the Script- Host Your Own Play Reading Showtime - Design a Setting from the Play |
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You can also download a printable PDF of these exercises!
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To build the world of a play, theatre designers use costumes, props, sets, lights, and sounds as their tools. This series of activities will help your family put your designer hats on to imagine how a set designer might imagine, draw, and build the set of a Young Playwrights’ winning elementary play.
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Warming Up Your Body:
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WHY DO WE WARM UP?
When we want to be creative, it’s always good to warm up our body first! Sometimes our bodies have tension in them because of other things we did during our day. Physical warm-ups help us loosen our muscles, take bigger breaths, and focus our imagination.
When we want to be creative, it’s always good to warm up our body first! Sometimes our bodies have tension in them because of other things we did during our day. Physical warm-ups help us loosen our muscles, take bigger breaths, and focus our imagination.
DIRECTIONS:
Find three chairs that are easy to move and reposition and one blanket. Folding chairs, plastic outdoor chairs, or straight-backed wooden chairs are great options! Your mission is to reposition these three chairs to create a set that suggests each of the locations listed below. Our sample photo is how we used three chairs and a blanket to make a MOUNTAIN.
Find three chairs that are easy to move and reposition and one blanket. Folding chairs, plastic outdoor chairs, or straight-backed wooden chairs are great options! Your mission is to reposition these three chairs to create a set that suggests each of the locations listed below. Our sample photo is how we used three chairs and a blanket to make a MOUNTAIN.
Here is how we arranged our three chairs for a mountain.
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Then, we added the blanket to make our mountain shape.
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Finally, Mindy used a climbing pose to show off the mountain set!
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Now you try one: arrange your three chairs and blanket to make a MOVIE THEATRE.
When your movie theater set is finished, place yourself in your set in a frozen pose that makes the setting even more clear, just like Mindy became a mountain climber in our sample picture. Bonus: have a family member take a photo of your set and poses and post it on social media to see if your friends and family can guess “where” you are!
Now that you got the hang of it, try these locations next: RESTAURANT, JUNGLE, and HAUNTED HOUSE. Get creative with how you position the chairs and see what you can discover!
When your movie theater set is finished, place yourself in your set in a frozen pose that makes the setting even more clear, just like Mindy became a mountain climber in our sample picture. Bonus: have a family member take a photo of your set and poses and post it on social media to see if your friends and family can guess “where” you are!
Now that you got the hang of it, try these locations next: RESTAURANT, JUNGLE, and HAUNTED HOUSE. Get creative with how you position the chairs and see what you can discover!
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Warming Up Your Mind:
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WHY DO WE WARM UP?
A set designer is like a detective. When they read a script, they ask themselves key questions to find out important information about every location in the play. Then, they use that information to draw what each location could look like and build it on a stage. It’s good to practice being a set detective by starting with a place you know - your bedroom!
A set designer is like a detective. When they read a script, they ask themselves key questions to find out important information about every location in the play. Then, they use that information to draw what each location could look like and build it on a stage. It’s good to practice being a set detective by starting with a place you know - your bedroom!
DIRECTIONS:
Print out our stage template or use a big piece of paper or cardboard. Get out your crayons, colored pencils, or markers, too! If you wrote a play that took place in your bedroom, what set details would you include for it to be performed in a theater? Use the three prompts below to help you decide and then draw a version of your bedroom for the stage!
Amazing work! Will you share your set drawing with us? You can do that by tagging @PYPlaywrights on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
Print out our stage template or use a big piece of paper or cardboard. Get out your crayons, colored pencils, or markers, too! If you wrote a play that took place in your bedroom, what set details would you include for it to be performed in a theater? Use the three prompts below to help you decide and then draw a version of your bedroom for the stage!
- What items would help an audience know that they were looking at a bedroom? Set designers use items big and small, like a bed or a pillow, to show where the play is taking place.
- What personality (style) can you give these items to help the audience know it’s a bedroom from the year 2020 on Earth, and not a Queen’s bedroom or an alien’s bedroom? Set designers use the materials an item is made of - is the bed made of straw or a mattress on a wooden frame, for example - to show the type of world and time period where a play takes place. Colors and shapes can help to show this, too.
- What items can you include to help the audience know it’s YOUR bedroom? If the location belongs to someone, set designers will place special objects on the set, like baseballs or magic wands, to give clues about the character.
Amazing work! Will you share your set drawing with us? You can do that by tagging @PYPlaywrights on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
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Read The Script:
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Now that you’re warmed up and ready to put your set designer hats on, download Rappers Delight and read it together. As you read, listen closely for details that the playwright shares about each location in the play that may be important to consider for your set drawing. You can even make a list of these details so you don’t forget!
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Showtime:
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Pick a location from the play you just read. Print out our stage template or use another big piece of paper or cardboard. Use the prompts below to draw a place from the play you just read:
Now you know how a set designer makes a set on stage for a play. Don’t forget to share photos of your design by tagging @PYPlaywrights on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
- What items would help an audience identify this location? Set designers use items big and small, like a bed or a pillow, to show where a play is taking place.
- What personality (style) can you give these items to help the audience learn about the time period or the world of the play? Remember, you can think about what materials the objects are made of, colors, or even the size and shape of items to give clues!
- If the location belongs to a character, what items can you include to help the audience know which character it belongs to? Set designers will place special objects on the set, like baseballs or magic wands, to give clues about the character.
- Are there any specific details the playwright mentioned about the time period, location, and world of the play that you need to add to your drawing? Add any last details the set needs to tell the story!
Now you know how a set designer makes a set on stage for a play. Don’t forget to share photos of your design by tagging @PYPlaywrights on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
Rapper's Delight
by 5th Grade Playwrights at Meade Elementary
Instead of giving Julian, J.J., and L.J. detention for tapping beats on their desks during class, Mr. Alex offers to help them record their raps on tape. When L.J. has to leave town for awhile, Julian and J.J. learn how hard it is to recruit new talent when everyone has different opinions. Will the new group be able to collaborate? Their demo depends on it.
by 5th Grade Playwrights at Meade Elementary
Instead of giving Julian, J.J., and L.J. detention for tapping beats on their desks during class, Mr. Alex offers to help them record their raps on tape. When L.J. has to leave town for awhile, Julian and J.J. learn how hard it is to recruit new talent when everyone has different opinions. Will the new group be able to collaborate? Their demo depends on it.
| rappers_delight_5th_grade_meade_elementary.pdf |
