Fourth Graders Identify Given Circumstances

Inside the Red Barn, Lower School drama teacher Zack Fryman challenged Lotspeich fourth graders to create tableaus, which are silent, still scene snapshots where actors must perform an emotion or story without moving or talking.

Fryman also asked students to identify the given circumstances of scenes, meaning the situation and conditions that would influence the characters.

Examples of given circumstances could include the character’s who, what, when, where, and why:

• Who: Age, gender, job, and personal relationships
• Where: Geographical location, physical room, and climate
• When: Date, time, historical period, and season
• What: Actions, events, and what is happening in the scene
• Why: A character’s backstory and reasons for being at the setting

According to Fryman, the exercise helps students work on three things: it prevents fake acting; it builds instant focus; and it fuels the imagination.

“Young actors often try to show an emotion — like making a sad face or yelling to show anger. Identifying the given circumstances shifts their focus from acting an emotion to responding to a situation. [It also] grounds young performers on stage, reducing stage fright by replacing self-consciousness with character motivation,” Fryman said.

Given circumstances help students understand how to bring their characters to life.

“Without them, a line is just words on a page; with them, a line becomes a purposeful choice,” Fryman said.