You are on page 1of 4

INSTRUCTOR: Kristin Richins

DATE: 3/5/2012

COURSE TITLE: Theatre Methods

LESSON #: 2

UNIT: History in Plays and Musicals

SPECIFIC TOPIC:
Introduction to The
Scarlet Pimpernel
and the French
Revolution

INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL: (Goals for the entire unit)


-Students will see that history and theatre are intertwined.
-Students will understand how historical topics impact plays.
-Students will gain a greater understanding of the French Revolution
based on their play project of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
-Students will understand how to develop a character, set, costume,
and make-up depending on the historical aspects of the play/musical.
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE:
-Present projects that demonstrate their understanding of history and
a specific time period.
-Research the details within the time period and how it relates to
a character, set, costume, and make-up.
-Become more familiar with great plays and their authors, understand
how these plays deal with historical time period and themes.
LESSON CONTENT:
Introduction to the Scarlet Pimpernel. Play the song Madame
GuillitoneHow many people are familiar with the story line? To
understand the Scarlet Pimpernel it is essential to understand

the French Revolution!


Day 1: Background to the French Revolution
o What is the French Revolution and when did it happen?
The French Revolution is a period of radical social and
political upheaval in France from 1789-1799.
o Why did the revolution occur? Economic factors were
some of the leading causes of the revolution. People were
starving! The lowest class of the people couldnt feed
themselves or their children. There was a combination of
bad harvests, a rise of food prices and taxation prices, and
an inefficient way to transport food to the masses.
Meanwhile the King and Queen at the Palace at Versailles
were seen as being indifferent to the hardship of the
masses and refusing to make reforms that would help out
the people.
1 Why werent there reforms made that would help out
the masses of France? The Estates-General (What is
the Estates-General??) Organized into 3 estates: the
clergy, the nobility, and the rest of France. Each
group only had 1 vote and 2 could override the 3rd.
(The clergy and nobility accounted for only 2% of the
population!)
1 *Activity: Journal entry of a member of the
lower class. You want to get a bill passed that
would lower the taxation on bread, but its not
in the interest of the other 2 estates so they
overrule you. How do you feel? What are you
going to do? How are you going to feed your
family?
o The Revolution! Storming of the Bastille
1 The 3rd Estate reconstituted themselves as the
National Assembly refused to pay their taxes to King
Louis XVI. The National Assembly stormed the
Bastille prison (a symbol of the royal authority). The
prison was overtaken and the Governor of Paris was
decapitated, his head was placed on a pike and
paraded through the city. The king temporarily

abdicated the throne and relocated this family


outside of Paris.
1 The National Assembly demanded the king and
his family to move back to Paris as a sign of
good faith in addressing the widespread
poverty. The women of Paris (about 7,000)
marched to Versailles bringing weapons and
cannons. Because of this the king and his family
moved back to Paris.
o The Reign of Terror
1 Under the control of Maximilien Robespierre was
unleashed the Reign of Terror.Under this reign over
16,700 people died under the guillotine including the
King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
1 Play the song Madame Guillotine What are
the emotions in this piece? Is this piece
historically accurate?
2 *Activity: Divide the class into about half. One
half is given the role of the lower class and the
other half is given the role of the upper class.
The classes will meet with each other and
discuss their motivations. What do they each
want? How strong is this desire?
1 Play the song Madame Guillotine again
with each group acting their part. And
then switch. Which side do you agree with
more? How did you feel as you were
acting out the scene? Is it different now
that you know the history behind whats
going on?
Summary of the Scarlet Pimpernel storyline and reading of the
story tomorrow!
EVALUATION PROCEDURES: (How you will measure outcomes to
determine if the material has been learned?)
-Journal entries and class discussions

MATERIALS AND AIDS:


-Music from Scarlet Pimpernel
-PowerPoint with pictures

You might also like