Tools for the Entertainer
• Set- Sets are a great way to set the stage and convey information, but whatever is created has to be dragged around (probably by parents) to contest venues. Students have five minutes to set-up.
• Props- Like sets, props will need to be carried to and from contest locations. Keep it simple. Use items that will help set the stage.
• Costumes- Costumes do not need to be entirely authentic, but should help provide an atmosphere. Like props, it can stay simple. Costumes can be used to help change characters. Changing a hat, apron, or adding a vest or jacket can help transform from one person to the next.
• Blocking- Actors use this term to mean the movement on stage. When blocking is well considered, students don’t just wander back and forth across the stage. It gives purpose to movement and makes a more powerful performance.
• 1st or 3rd person- A performance can be done by a number of viewpoints. Students can do a first performance interpretation of a historical person or a fictional person from the time period. A performance can be done in third person or with a narrator in third person with first person scenes.
• Scenes- Unless a student is doing a monologue, a performance will have scenes. With ten minutes, these scenes need to be carefully crafted to make the best of the time and information.