Theatre Arts Portion: Shakespearean Twists
OVERVIEW:
Theatrical productions have always been collaborative efforts. Now with social media and Web 2.0 tools, we can collaborate to work smarter and faster. Each group will explore set, props, costumes for this part of the lesson. We are using the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare. We will insure the designs utilized in the productions are credited to the ultimate designers - all of you. Everyone has a voice. We want to take full advantage of our social media, so if you are thinking something would look better or something is just not right, share immediately. CONCERNS BEFORE WE START:
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THE PLAN:
- This is a capstone project for what you have been working on in our class - Set, Props and Costume Plans.
- You will network via Social Media to gain insight and guidance to insure your creations convey in a modern sense what Shakespeare conveyed in the original period.
- Each group will research the same three areas in order to create Set, Props and Costume plans to support the script created in Mrs. Blackburn's English class. Combined with script, these plans will serve as the basis for Mrs. Beesley-Lazarki’s Digital Media portion of this plan. At the moment, your research is of interest here. A great way to learn and share is through Tweetdeck. I found a great resource via The Globe Theater in England. The twitter feed is @The_Globe. It is monitored by staff Monday through Friday. Feel free to visit one of their chats, communicate with them to gain insights with your plans, share links to your design choices and gain expert input. There are many others, @kcshakes - Kansas City, Missouri Shakespeare Festival, @osfashland - Oregon Shakespeare Festival of Ashland, Oregon to name a few (more complete list can be found here), and Tweetdeck will allow you to follow many others on one screen. (Here is a wiki on how to set up your own Tweetdeck. Please tweet your finds (whichever you choose to follow) through @bardtwists and share through our Edmodo group.
- You will use these new resources combined with resources you find as groups and as individuals to create your own set, props and costume plan. You will then post your findings to a variety of social media platforms. Continuing to utilize your peers, and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) you discover through Twitter, you will refine your plan, create a written set, prop and costume plan and post in a Google Doc. Furthermore you will refine your resources and images to curate your own group Pinterest board. You will then refine, yet again. Each group will then create a YouTube presentation to "sell" your concept to an imaginary production company, as though you each were vying to be on the creative team. Lastly, you will offer a reflection on the process.
HOW WILL IT ALL WORK / WHAT WOULD I DO?
- You must have read the play (scene if we are going with Act II, Scene 2). If you still have yet to do that, please do it immediately. No Wiki or play synopsis online will be enough to complete your tasks. Your group needs you and you need your group.
- All of our questions and all of our answers exist in the lines of the original play and your adapation. You might wish to explore the movies considered benchmark productions of Romeo & Juliet - Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet, 1968 and Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, 1996. Each chose different eras (Zeffirelli chose text-based setting and Luhrmann mixes period with modern props) as the time setting and each accomplishes this well. Your group should decide how you wish to perform your variation. What is important is what your group sees as the setting and does not lose sight of the original reference points. An example of how adaptation has become current is the Fox TV series, Sons of Anarchy. Kurt Sutter, the show's writer and often the director, based his script on Shakespeare's Hamlet. Using a modern-era biker gang, Sutter has still kept fairly true to the Hamlet roots through the storyline.
- Contact one of the Shakespearean Theater Festival companies via Twitter and solicit their assistance and coordination to speak to a docent or researcher in real time via Twitter chat, SKYPE or Google Hangout. Invite the researchers to participate in your Twitter, Google+, Diigo, and Flickr discussions to gain their insight into period research via Twitter. I have a wealth of former students who now make a living from teaching Theatre in college, performing, directing or as a Stage Manager on Broadway. All of them participate actively in social media and I would be happy to connect you once I have them establish an Edmodo account. (I do not wish for them or for you to contact them on their personal accounts for the same reasons I do not share my own.) Many of them have performed or worked on this play in the past. I will share that list shortly. In the meanwhile, I will share our hashtag, #bardtwists, with all of them. I will ask them to add #bardtwists to their respective Tweetdecks so they can join in conversations.
- Next, you will need to join our Diigo group. The username/group name is BardTwists and is a private group, although you must ask permission to join. Research the web to find resources to support your set, props and costume choices. Sift through to find your best to post. Seek advice from the SMEs and your Twitter network to help you. Post your resources to Diigo as a group.
- You will then embark on an individual assignment seeking pictures (Creative Commons Reuse permission, please, or original pictures you own) that support your script for set, props and costumes. Depending upon your script, there should be many choices out there. Keep in mind how other productions have used all three to convey images. West Side Story is a musical adaptation of a modern-era Romeo and Juliet. Post your choices to your own Flickr account. Instructions to create an account are on the Home page.
- After collaborating with your peers, begin creating your group plan for set, props and costumes in Google Docs. Work to reach agreement on your combined resources and Flickr images. Share your ideas with your SME and your enhanced Twitter network to pick the images and resources that enhance your script best.
- Curate a Pinterest board that best highlights your resources and your set, props and costume plan. Flickr allows you to collect lots of pictures. Pinterest allows you to curate them. Organize them in a way they convey a powerful message. Use the best of your best. Be selective and purposeful in what you choose to use as a group.
- Now it is time to “sell” your plan. Using your collaborative document and your Pinterest board, create a brief movie (3 minute minimum, 5 minute max) that presents your designs. Imagine you are submitting your design concepts to a production company. Use your SMEs as critics. Revise and then upload your final product to YouTube and submit to the Edmodo page.
- After reviewing your feedback from presentations, reflect on the entire process in your blog. Share a significant takeaway from the SME contributions and chats. Share what worked in your collaborative process and what fell short.
REFLECTION:
- Please reflect on the entire process by responding to a Reflection Blog on the last tab of this Weebly website. Your blog should focus on your takeaway from Twitter chat through one of the Shakepeare Festival feeds and how that influenced your group decisions and goals.
TO DO:
- Starting immediately, due before Jan 16 - Twitter Chat, SKYPE, Google+ with SME for idea input. Record and/or screenshots for evidence. Post via Twitter, Edmodo. (Group)
- Jan 6, 2015 - Brief introduction on Edmodo including Romeo & Juliet character you identify most and why. (Individual)
- Jan 16, 2015 - 20 Diigo Resources (5 set, 5 props, 10 costumes) per group via screenshots posted to Edmodo. (Group)
- Jan 16, 2015 - 20 pictures (5 set, 5 props, 10 costumes) cross-posted in your own Flickr account, post link in Twitter and Edmodo. (Individual)
- Jan 23, 2015 - Curate 20 pictures and resources to create a unique, thoughtful Pinterest board. Cross post link via Twitter and Edmodo. (Group)
- Jan 23, 2015 – Post your group plan for set, props and costumes in a collaborative Google Doc. Cross post the link via Twitter and Edmodo.
- Jan 30, 2015 - Upload presentation to YouTube in a short 3-5 minute movie. Tweet your product and post link to Edmodo.
- Feb 2, 2015 - Post reflection on the entire process (SME advice, individual and group work, collaboration, and significant takeaway to Weebly blog. Post link to Edmodo.
ASSESSMENT:
- Please see the rubric below to determine how your contributions will be evaluated.
- Take personal responsibility for the grade you earn. Ensure you meet the criteria for the points you desire.
Social Media Used:
- Twitter - Don't just be about it. Tweet about it! Use Twitter to share resources, initiate SME Twitter chats, learn from peers and others. Educator will use Twitter to highlight exemplary work.
- Tweetdeck - Keep track of multiple Twitter feeds at one time. (You can tweet from here too!)
- Flickr - Post pictures of set, costumes, props. Don't just post, comment!
- Diigo - Post your resources and comment on yours and others.
- Pinterest - Curate your best pictures and resources as a group to present a well-thought and detailed board to highlight your group's choices.
- Google+
- Google Docs - Collaborate, plan, chat in document, discuss choices
- Google Hangout - Collaborate and plan with your group, learn from SMEs and share your content with them.
- YouTube - Present your final choices and lobby for their use. "Sell" your selections as though you were bidding for the job.
- Edmodo - Share, participate, discuss, post Flickr/Diigo choices, comment more, discuss and debate kindly. Educator comments and instructions will be through Edmodo. Group progress will be monitored here as well. Keep us all informed.