PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIES


HOW DO WRITERS CREATE A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT DOWN SYNDROME?


(Common Core Code: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4) Prior to watching Amy and the Orphans, students develop their understanding of Down syndrome through a creative project. PREPARE


Explain that public service announcements (PSAs) are unpaid advertisements which raise awareness and change public attitudes about an issue. Today they will create a PSA to raise awareness about Down syndrome. Some examples of noteworthy PSAs for other issues may be viewed here: Smokey the Bear | Safety Belt Education


RESEARCH WRITE


Working in groups of 4-5, students research Down syndrome on the National Down Syndrome Society website HERE. Make sure they also review the preferred terminology on page 6 of this Upstage Guide.


Have students write a script and/or a storyboard for a PSA with the goal of raising awareness about Down syndrome. They may address causes, facts, preferred language, or advocacy policies. Challenge students to engage their audience, using narrative, emotional connection, and respectful humor, in a PSA that would run between 30-60 seconds.


SHARE DISCUSS


Students act their PSAs for the class. If your class has time and technology, students may film their PSAs using phones or iPads.


How has your understanding of Down syndrome changed through this process? Why is it important for more people to understand DS? Tell students they will be seeing a play about a character with DS, played by Jamie Brewer or Edward Barbanell. They may wish to read Jamie's interview on pages 12-13 before seeing the show.


HOW DOES A DIRECTOR STAGE A DRIVING SCENE? (Common Core Code: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C) Before attending Amy and the Orphans, students attempt to stage a scene set inside a moving car. ANALYZE


Share with the class that Amy and the Orphans is about three adult siblings driving across Long Island on Thanksgiving weekend. Some of the action takes place inside a car on the highway. Using a smartboard, analyze the view of the stage [found HERE] and the seating chart [found HERE]. What type of stage is this? How would you describe the theatre overall? What’s the relationship between the actors and the audience in this theatre? How might we create a similar stage configuration in this classroom?


REHEARSE


Break the class into groups of five (four actors and one director) and pass out this excerpt [found HERE] from Amy and the Orphans. Hold a table read of the script, either having the class watch one group or work individually in groups. After the table read, give students time to rehearse the scene, staging the scene using only set pieces available in the classroom.


SHARE


Have each group perform for the class, using the stage space defined at the beginning of this activity. What were the challenges of staging a road trip scene? What techniques did the actors and director use to keep it visually interesting? What might you ask a set designer to create to help stage this scene?


20 ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY


FOR EDUCATORS


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