Lesson 5: Narrative Devices

Objectives

• To familiarise students with the narrative devices prevalent in 19th-century Melodrama.
• To understand the function and impact of these narrative devices in shaping the Melodrama story and its emotional depth.

Materials

• Whiteboard and markers
• Laptop with projector for slides and video clips
• Handouts detailing various narrative devices
• Excerpts from classic Melodrama plays that feature specific narrative devices.

Instructions

Introduction (5 minutes)

1. Recap and Objective Setting: Commence the lesson by recapping the prior focus on character types in 19th-century Melodrama. Briefly outline the objectives of today’s lesson, which will centre on narrative devices.

Understanding Narrative Devices (10 minutes)

2. Defining Narrative Devices: Utilising the whiteboard, jot down the term “Narrative Devices” and facilitate a brief class discussion to generate student definitions of the term.
3. Handout Distribution: Provide students with handouts that elaborate on narrative devices often used in 19th-century Melodrama, such as soliloquies, asides, and foreshadowing.

Script Excerpts and Discussion (10 minutes)

4. Script Excerpts: Share selected excerpts from 19th-century Melodramas that utilise the narrative devices listed on the handouts with students.
5. Pair Work: Assign students into pairs and give each pair an excerpt to read. After reading, each pair should discuss the narrative devices evident in the excerpt and their impact on the story or character development.

Video Clips and Analysis (10 minutes)

6. Clip Screening: Present curated video clips that exemplify the narrative devices discussed earlier in the lesson.
7. Class Discussion: Following each clip, encourage students to identify and analyse the narrative devices depicted, probing deeper into how they serve the story or theme.

Group Exercise (10 minutes)

8. Group Activity: Divide the class into small groups and task each group with creating a short Melodrama scene that employs at least two of the narrative devices discussed.
9. Presentations and Feedback: Each group will then present their scene to the class. After each presentation, open the floor for peer reviews focused on the effective or ineffective use of narrative devices.

Summary and Homework (5 minutes)

10. Summary: Wrap up the lesson by summarising the key narrative devices typical of 19th-century Melodrama and their functional importance in the genre.
11. Homework: Ask students to choose a modern film or television episode that utilises one or more Melodrama narrative devices and write an analytical paragraph about it.

Lesson 6: Dramatic Tools and Tricks

Objectives

• To acquaint students with the dramatic tools and tricks unique to 19th-century Melodrama.
• To understand the impact of these elements in elevating emotional stakes and thematic depth.

Materials

• Whiteboard and markers
• Laptop with projector for slides and video clips
• Musical excerpts commonly used in Melodramas
• Props like a fake sword, a handkerchief, and a mask for demonstration

Instructions

Introduction (5 minutes)

1. Recap and Objective Setting: Open the lesson with a recapitulation of the previous class on narrative devices in Melodrama. Then, outline the objectives for the current lesson, which will focus on dramatic tools and tricks.

Defining Dramatic Tools and Tricks (10 minutes)

2. Listing and Describing: Use the whiteboard to list dramatic tools and tricks such as music, exaggerated expressions, and “tableau.” Briefly describe each element and its function within the Melodrama form.
3. Historical Context: Provide a historical background on how and why these tools and tricks became significant in 19th-century theatre.

Music and Melodrama (10 minutes)

4. Music Excerpts: Play musical excerpts often used in Melodramas to underscore moments of high emotion or dramatic importance.
5. Discussion: Engage the class in discussing how music interacts with dialogue and action to create a more emotionally charged atmosphere.

Physical Expressions and Props (10 minutes)

6. Demonstration: Utilise props like a fake sword or handkerchief to demonstrate how exaggerated physical actions could be used in Melodramatic performances.
7. Activity: Invite volunteers to practice exaggerated facial expressions based on given situations, such as horror, elation, or tragic sorrow.

The Role of Tableau (5 minutes)

8. Tableau Explanation: Explain the concept of “tableau”—a striking stage picture at the end of a scene or act—as a narrative punctuation mark in Melodrama.
9. Group Tableau: Divide students into small groups and ask each group to create a tableau that encapsulates the emotion or theme of a given scenario.

Summary and Homework (5 minutes)

10. Summary: Conclude the lesson by summarising how dramatic tools and tricks accentuate a melodramatic play’s emotional and thematic weight.
11. Homework: Assign students to either find or compose a short Melodrama script, highlighting where they would employ the dramatic tools and tricks discussed in class.

Lesson 7: Acting Style

Objectives

• To examine the specific acting techniques employed in 19th-century Melodrama.
• To understand how these techniques enhance the emotional and thematic depth of the Melodrama form.

Materials

• Whiteboard and markers
• Laptop with projector for slides and video clips
• Excerpts from classic Melodrama plays
• Costume pieces like capes, gloves, and bonnets for role-play exercises

Instructions

Introduction (5 minutes)

1. Recap and Objective Setting: Review the previous lesson, which covered dramatic tools and tricks in Melodrama. Outline the day’s objectives, focusing on the unique acting style of 19th-century Melodrama.

Acting Style: A Definition (10 minutes)

2. Defining the Melodramatic Style: Write “Melodramatic Acting Style” on the whiteboard. Discuss its characteristics, including exaggeration, declamation, and gesticulation.
3. Historical Context: Offer a brief historical overview explaining how this exaggerated acting style evolved and became integral to the Melodramatic genre.

Characteristics and Techniques (10 minutes)

4. Characteristics of Melodramatic Acting: Delve into the distinct differences of melodramatic acting, such as vocal modulation, physical exaggeration, and emotive expression.
5. Examples: Show video clips from classic Melodramas to illustrate these techniques. Discuss the clips with the class, focusing on the actors’ methods.

Role-Play Exercise (10 minutes)

6. Script Excerpts for Role-Play: Distribute excerpts from Melodrama plays where the acting style can be prominently displayed.
7. Practical Application: Divide the class into pairs or small groups and assign each a script excerpt. Allow students time to rehearse, incorporating Melodrama acting techniques.

Costume and Acting (5 minutes)

8. Incorporating Costumes: Introduce costume pieces like capes for heroes or bonnets for damsels and discuss how costumes can exaggerate or enhance melodramatic acting.
9. Quick Costume Role-Play: Allow volunteers to enact short lines or situations using the costume pieces to accentuate their Melodramatic acting.

Summary and Homework (5 minutes)

10. Summary: Sum up the session by revisiting the key points about 19th-century Melodrama acting techniques.
11. Homework: Assign students to watch a modern Melodrama performance (film, television, or theatre) and write a brief analysis focusing on the acting style and its effectiveness or limitations.

Lesson 8: The Theatricality of Performance

• To understand the concept of theatricality as it pertains to 19th-century Melodrama.
• To analyse how the amalgamation of theatrical elements enhances the genre’s overall impact.

Materials

• Whiteboard and markers
• Laptop with projector for slides and video clips
• Excerpts from Melodrama plays that demonstrate heightened theatricality
• Various props and costume pieces for demonstration

Instructions

Introduction (5 minutes)

1. Recap and Objective Setting: Commence by summarising the previous lesson on acting styles in Melodrama. Proceed to outline the objectives for the current session, emphasising the exploration of theatricality in 19th-century Melodrama.

Defining Theatricality (10 minutes)

2. What is Theatricality?: Write “Theatricality” on the whiteboard. Initiate a discussion to elicit student definitions and interpretations of the term, particularly in Melodrama.
3. Contextualising Theatricality: Provide a concise theoretical framework that explores how theatricality manifests in the Melodrama form, considering its historical development and cultural significance.

Interconnected Elements (10 minutes)

4. Elemental Synergy: Discuss how various elements like acting, staging, narrative devices, and dramatic tools collaborate to heighten the theatricality of Melodrama.
5. Examples and Analysis: Show video clips or read excerpts that exemplify the effective confluence of these elements. Facilitate a class discussion to dissect the theatrical elements at play.

Practical Exploration (10 minutes)

6. Group Work: Divide the students into groups and provide each with a brief Melodrama scenario.
7. Element Integration: Instruct each group to act out their scenario, incorporating as many theatrical elements as possible—such as exaggerated acting, striking tableaus, and dramatic music cues—to heighten theatricality.

Props and Costumes (10 minutes)

8. Prop Utilisation: Demonstrate how the use of specific props can enhance the theatricality of a scene.
9. Costume Integration: Discuss the role of costumes in elevating theatricality and offer students an opportunity to incorporate available costume pieces into their scenes.

Summary and Homework (5 minutes)

10. Summation: Conclude by summarising the essential components that contribute to the theatricality of Melodrama, underscoring the seamless interplay between them.
11. Homework: Assign students the task of attending a theatrical performance, either in person or online, and writing an analytical essay focusing on its theatricality, drawing parallels with 19th-century Melodrama when possible.

Melodrama Group Scenarios

• Haunted Past: A character is haunted by a past action or trauma and must face it head-on to move forward, often requiring a moral choice or sacrifice.
• Sibling Rivalry: Siblings vie for an inheritance, a lover’s affection, or societal recognition, leading to ethical quandaries and eventual moral lessons.
• The Outsider: A character from a different social, ethnic, or economic background enters a new community and must navigate prejudice, ethics, and personal dilemmas.
• False Accusation: A character is falsely accused of a crime they didn’t commit and must prove their innocence while evading law enforcement or societal scorn.
• Vengeance and Retribution: A character seeks vengeance for a real or perceived wrong, leading them down a path where they must choose between retribution and moral integrity.
• Romeo and Juliet Redux: A romantic relationship is forbidden due to social, racial, or familial constraints, culminating in dramatic choices and consequences.
• Escape from Captivity: A character or group of characters must escape from imprisonment or captivity, confronting moral dilemmas about leaving others behind or taking justice into their own hands.
• Quest for Knowledge: A scholar or explorer risks moral and ethical dilemmas in their quest for forbidden or hidden knowledge, leading to dramatic repercussions.
• Political Intrigue: Characters navigate a web of political deceit and ethical ambiguity to achieve or maintain power, usually leading to moral downfall or enlightenment.
• Prodigal Child: A wayward child returns home after years of estrangement or disgrace, leading to a familial and ethical reckoning.
• Business Betrayal: A character must navigate the murky waters of business ethics when a partnership or venture is betrayed or compromised.
• Marriage of Convenience: Characters marry for social standing or financial security rather than love, leading to a variety of ethical and emotional complications.
• Survival Tale: Characters are stranded in a perilous environment and must make difficult ethical choices to survive, such as rationing food or determining leadership.
• Dishonour and Redemption: A character who has fallen from grace due to a past action or false accusation seeks redemption through ethical and moral challenges.
• Heist and Double-Cross: Characters team up to pull off a heist or scam, only to face ethical dilemmas about loyalty, greed, and betrayal.