Outcomes

In this activity students will:

  • Use visual clues and body language to create a character
  • Explore ways of using their speaking and singing voices to create a character
  • Learn Tisbe’s Song and understand how it reflects her character
  • Begin to understand there are different ways to tell a story

Summary

In this lesson we explore the way a performer creates a character using their voice, face and body.

Session Outline

Warm up activities:

It is important to do a number of warm ups to start each session, not only to prepare the voice and body for activity, but to focus the children for a change of activity.

  1. Revise the game Eyes Up, Eyes Down
  2. Revise bean bag vocal projection activity
  3. Angelina work warm up

Learn the Tisbe Warm up: sing the syllables “Me-ya” up the scale and finish on me, accenting the word me each time it is sung. (Capturing the character of Tisbe)

Learn the tongue twister: Angelina you must do

Add some dramatic gestures for each line, asking the children to make creative suggestions

Now say it:

  • in a haughty voice
  • in a mocking voice
  • as fast as you can
  • as a round in 2 parts, whispered

Introduce the character of Tisbe, a young woman, the daughter of Magnifico. She thinks she is special and important. She is very self-centred: everything is about her and having people do things her way. She speaks without thinking and is a complete extrovert. She does not like Angelina and keeps telling her to know her place.

Listen to Tisbe’s Song while following the words:

I am Tisbe, I am Tisbe
Oh so glam’rous and so glitzy.
Now’s my time, the time is ripe for Tisbe.
Soon the world, the whole world will know my name.

Ask the class: What do we learn about Tisbe from the words of her song?
What does the way she sings it suggest about her character?

Sing Tisbe’s song imitating her high squeaky voice.

Read to the Plot Point 2.

Conclude by revising Scrappy Little Nothing

Cross curricular option

Comparison activity:
Watch 2 different versions of the same story e.g. These two different interpretations telling the story of Jack and the Beanstalk:

Class discussion:

Discuss the differences between the two versions?

  • What things are the same?
  • What did you notice about the way the story was told in each?
  • What differences were there in the characters, their costumes and the scenery?

This is a first task in understanding you can put your own interpretation on a story, when you direct a production.