We are doing a storytelling unit in Double Performing Arts. One of the first things we did in this lesson was mind map what made a good storyteller. The main things we came up with were as follows:
- Pace and pauses
- Intonation and emphasising certain words
- Eye contact with the audience (or not)
- Body language
Campfire Stories
We were each asked to bring in campfire stories to read out to the rest of the class. At first, we all sat in a circle on the floor. Whenever somebody read their story out, the rest of the class had to sit with their eyes shut and listen. The reason we shut our eyes was so we purely focused on the speaker's voice, rather than getting distracted by their body language and/or facial expressions. As soon as each person finished their story, we opened our eyes and gave them feedback. This feedback often either included where we think pauses should go, what words should be emphasised or pace.
After we each read our story to the whole group, we divided into pairs. In our pairs, we read our story to our partner whilst they watched us. This time, as they were watching, we had to be aware of our body language and facial expression. We also, had to decide where we wanted our audience positioned and where we were going to be positioned in relation to our audience (and if we were going to move, how we would use the space). Once we helped our partners and we were all happy with our stories, the group reunited and each of us performed our stories to the rest of the group.
Soundscape
Six different lines with a horror theme were put on the whiteboard in class. Each of us had to pick a different line; I chose the phrase "tick, tock, tick, tock". We stood anywhere we wanted to in the room, facing whatever direction we wished. The main lights were turned off and our stage lights were positioned outlining our stage space facing in on a red light. We began by saying our lines one at a time and in order of which they were written on the board. Once we had all read our lines once, we then could say our lines whenever we wished; they could overlap and didn't have to be in order.
Our next stage was to alter the volume. We began by saying our lines quietly, and on each repetition we got gradually louder. Miss Cordell indicated for us all to stop when she felt like we had repeated our lines enough times. Once Miss Cordell gave the signal and everybody stopped saying their lines, I repeated my line, "tick, tock, tick, tock", once more but very quietly.
- Pace and pauses
- Intonation and emphasising certain words
- Eye contact with the audience (or not)
- Body language
Campfire Stories
We were each asked to bring in campfire stories to read out to the rest of the class. At first, we all sat in a circle on the floor. Whenever somebody read their story out, the rest of the class had to sit with their eyes shut and listen. The reason we shut our eyes was so we purely focused on the speaker's voice, rather than getting distracted by their body language and/or facial expressions. As soon as each person finished their story, we opened our eyes and gave them feedback. This feedback often either included where we think pauses should go, what words should be emphasised or pace.
After we each read our story to the whole group, we divided into pairs. In our pairs, we read our story to our partner whilst they watched us. This time, as they were watching, we had to be aware of our body language and facial expression. We also, had to decide where we wanted our audience positioned and where we were going to be positioned in relation to our audience (and if we were going to move, how we would use the space). Once we helped our partners and we were all happy with our stories, the group reunited and each of us performed our stories to the rest of the group.
Soundscape
Six different lines with a horror theme were put on the whiteboard in class. Each of us had to pick a different line; I chose the phrase "tick, tock, tick, tock". We stood anywhere we wanted to in the room, facing whatever direction we wished. The main lights were turned off and our stage lights were positioned outlining our stage space facing in on a red light. We began by saying our lines one at a time and in order of which they were written on the board. Once we had all read our lines once, we then could say our lines whenever we wished; they could overlap and didn't have to be in order.
Our next stage was to alter the volume. We began by saying our lines quietly, and on each repetition we got gradually louder. Miss Cordell indicated for us all to stop when she felt like we had repeated our lines enough times. Once Miss Cordell gave the signal and everybody stopped saying their lines, I repeated my line, "tick, tock, tick, tock", once more but very quietly.
