Blog Response 5

Hobbs' principles of analysis fit perfectly into a theatre classroom. As theatre practitioners, whether we are directing, acting, designing, or even producing, we always have to think about the art we are creating. What message is it sending? What will audiences take away from this? What am I trying to say with this piece?Hobbs' quotation of Cary Bazalgette's questions on page 57 of the reading were created in reference to media literacy, but are easily transferred to theatre:

1. Who is the author and what is the purpose?
2. What creative techniques are used to attract and hold attention?
3. How might different people understand this message?
4. What lifestyles, values, and points of view are represented?
5. What is omitted?

Applying these questions to theatrical productions is all too easy. Did the production use spectacle to hold the attention of the audience? What did the playwright intend? Is it possible the director had a different intention with their concept and execution of the show? What might someone from another country think of this production? etc. These questions are more fully fleshed out in chapter 4 of the reading, but the same principles are there. The critical questions Hobbs expands upon in the reading can help us help our students analyze the world around them more closely. To think about the intention, context, audience, and representation of a piece not only will help our students develop critical thinking skills, but it will also encourage them to engage with the world (not just media, even) around them; to not be mindless consumers.

To place these ideas into a theatre lesson would be natural. If you were teaching a directing unit, a lesson about using all theatrical elements to enhance your intended concept could easily incorporate these critical questions - with a few theatrical modifications. You could either take your students to a production in the area, or have them watch a filmed version of a play (many can be found on YouTube - extra points for media usage!) and talk about the directing decisions that were made in the clip. For example, this clip could be shown:

After previewing the scene (or after seeing a production), ask the students what messages were coming across. Ask what the director might have intended. What the composer intended. Who the intended audience was when this was written as opposed to the audience it was intended for when performed as opposed to when it was filmed (if watching a clip). What might a child have thought of this scene as opposed to an adult, and on and on and on. There is an endless amount of critical questions that could be asked.

Once there has been a class discussion regarding the messages, authors, audiences, themes, and representations of the production, have the class look at the text itself in groups. What messages can they see in text alone, without the costumes, scenery, lights, sound, and actors? Are there other messages that might have been pulled from this piece, other than the one the director highlighted in that specific production? Once they have discussed a few other possibilities of the meaning of a text, have them come up with a different concept/look/feel/design for the show you saw or the clip you watched as a group, and then present it to the class. Obviously, the designs and concepts will vary from group to group, but it will be for the same show. This will further emphasize the idea that not all people will interpret a piece the same way (another critical question explored).

This simple lesson has the big idea of critical thinking. This skill can be used over and over in future lesson plans and in looking at all other forms of media. If you are going to show a movie version of a play you are reading in class, be sure to discuss the audience, authors, and messages in that particular production of the play. If you are having your students design a website for an assignment, make sure you that you take a look at several different websites as a class and discuss the designs, colors, shapes, and organization of the website (i.e. what does this color make you feel as a consumer? Do you trust this website's information? Why?). Training your students to look at all media and performance analytically will help them to create art and media that is well thought-out.

This reading (funnily enough) tied in very nicely to my experiences with the Heroes and Monsters exhibit.When I went to the exhibit at the MOA, I was trailing slightly behind a tour group. The tour guide kept asking the group "What do you see? What do you think that means?" and as I eavesdropped on the different answers people gave about the same piece I was looking at, I was surprised to find they inferred meanings that I hadn't even considered! The critical questions and deeper analysis of the art brought out themes and messages that weren't apparent to me before. It made me wonder what made a hero and what made a monster/villain. What does it mean to be a hero? What values and morals do heroes have?

You could also use the exhibit to enhance or introduce this idea in a lesson. Because theatre is so visual, having students tackle these critical questions in regards to art will help  them make that transfer over to theatre. If it were possible to take your students to this exhibit (or any exhibit, for that matter), you could ask students to pick one piece in the exhibit and discuss those five questions (see above) with a partner, and then write a brief page paper outlining what they discussed with their partner. If I can teach my students to think critically about the art and media around them by using those critical questions, I can teach them to be more open-minded and to see things in a new light. I can help them become artists and creators of media who engage and analyze what they are putting out there.