Before I begin to give specifics, I would like to share several things with you. You have noticed that the students did the pieces more than once — it is very important that whenever possible they get a chance to truly explore their characters. By doing the following assignments they can see their characters in several different lights. They also will become much more at ease with their memorization and the final product will be something they can be very proud of. As we all know, acting is so much more than just memorization, and I think we do our students a disservice by having them do a monologue or a scene only once. Grading: I started with 10 points for the reading and added 5 points each time they performed. I never failed any student who tried every activity, even if their grades were very low. Helpful Exercises As soon as class started and roll was taken, I had the students take out their piece at their desks and practice it quietly. Then they were to move to various corners of the room and speak their piece out loud while talking to the wall, floor, etc. Next, I called out various emotions/characters and had them say their piece however I said: mad, happy, sad, as a little child, old people who are deaf, sexy, stupid, scared, etc. Yes, the room was very, very noisy but no one was put on the spot and they were rehearsing. When they were working specifically on memorization, I added working with a partner for about 5 minutes. 10-Second Rule: I never called on my students. They were to volunteer. I gave them 10 seconds to get up and perform – any more time and I felt class time was wasted. They had to make up their own minds about doing or not doing the assignment. If no one got up, then whoever had not gotten up would receive a 0. Yes, to answer your question, there were classes who tested me and yes, they received a 0. But interestingly, the next day they did perform! Pick a Number: If the 10-Second Rule seems too extreme, another option is to have a cup filled with the numbers 1-30 written on individual pieces of paper. In advance, you have given each student a number — maybe it is the number in the grade book or a random number. You could even have each student draw his or her number from the cup. Do what is easiest for you. I always found there were one or two people who always volunteered. After they had performed and no one volunteers, the student who presented last picks a number from the cup. That person can choose to go up or take a 0 and another number is drawn and so on. The students always did the number selecting. Days Four through Seven Day Four: I started with the exercises mentioned above. Then, the students presented their characters for the first time by reading their piece. They needed to work vocally. They should have practiced it enough so that they did not stumble and had all the words pronounced correctly. Peoria was one that was difficult. I never corrected them while they were reading. I tried to do it after they had finished. A discussion then ensued over paraphrase. I would take one of the pieces the students were not presenting and we, as a class, created the paraphrase. Day Five: The students read their paraphrase to the class. The students would explained if there were any questions from the class. Often they referred back to the original piece. You could combine the reading and the paraphrase. Then you could spend day 5 on the analysis and some memorization. I also passed out the Spoon River Analysis sheet. This took a great deal of time explaining. It would be best to help them fill out the first two questions as a class by going around the room giving a bit of individualized instruction. You will also need to state that there are no wrong answers, provided they have truly understood their piece. The analysis was due on Day 8. Day Six: After doing our exercises, it was time to perform. Each performer could give their piece to another student to prompt them. I explained before we started about prompting and they would be allowed two prompts and not have their grade reduced. I gave them as much time as they needed to begin their piece, but once they started they had to continue. I stressed that they could not do over. This is the example I used: In basketball, if a player tries to make a basket and doesn’t, he/she can’t go up to the referee and ask to do it over. Day Seven: Now came the time to do the monologue with a variety of activities. The first was a doing activity. I went around the room and assigned each student a task, listed below. First, I explained that the task would not generally fit their character but that their job was to make the task the primary goal and the lines secondary. Obviously, not everyone can juggle or knit, but I told them to do the very best they could. They would be graded on how well they did the activity rather than perfect memorization. I told them they could bring any props that would help them complete the task. They could again give their piece to another student for prompting; however, I emphasized concentrating on the activity if they were having trouble with their lines, and generally the lines would come. Of course, sometimes they didn’t! Tasks: -5 different walks -Angry -Chewing gum -Crying -Drawing a picture -Drinking (Of course non-alcoholic. I had a foreign exchange student come in to class with a can of beer — yes, really!) -Dusting -Dying -Eating -Itching -Juggling -Jumping -Keeping cool -Keeping warm -Knitting -Laughing -Looking for their missing $100 -Making paper airplanes -Playing with a ball -Pounding nails -Problem with wallet/purse -Putting on makeup -Re-arranging room -Scared -Sleeping -Smelling something and taking care of it -Stealing something -Teaching a dance -Touching everything in the room -Trying to swat fly/mosquito -Using at least 8 hand gestures -Whining -Wide awake | 
