CREATING YOUR OWN MUSICAL

LESSON 1: CREATING YOUR OWN MUSICAL

OBJECTIVE
To introduce devised theatre

DESCRIPTION
In this lesson, we define devised theatre and use a piece of music for students to create their own
performance inspired by the music.

MATERIALS
•  A copy of the song “A Bad Trip” by the Night Trains
○○ Feel free to use another song if that works for you. I have found that songs without
lyrics work the best for this lesson. Also, the tone of the song will impact the devised
scenes students create.
•  Ability to play music so everyone can hear.

INSTRUCTION
1. Beginning-of-Class Routine
a. By this time in the year you probably have your own routine to start the class. Whether
it’s a warm-up, a student led warm-up, or a journal prompt, focus your exercises toward
musical theatre and devised theatre.
b. For example, a good journal prompt might be “Why is it important to say, ‘Yes, and . . .’
when improvising a scene?”
c. You could play a few rounds of “Freeze!” improv as a warm-up.
i. “Freeze” begins with two performers who are given a relationship and a location.
They begin the scene (remember to encourage them to say, “Yes, and . . .”).
When an audience member sees an opportunity to begin a new scene, they call
out, “Freeze!” That audience member replaces one of the frozen actors, then
“unfreezes,” creating a completely new scene with the other actor. The scene
continues until another audience member “freezes” the scene and begins a new
one, etc.
2. Devised Theatre Introduction
a. Define devised theatre: An ensemble creating theatre as a response to a stimulus.
The stimulus (which can be an event; an idea, issue, question, or theme; an image or
photograph; a dramatic or non-dramatic text; an object; a person; a piece of music; a site;
street art, graphic novel, or comic strip) offers the ensemble an idea, which they develop
into a performance by working together and using improvisation.
b. Explain to students that by the end of this unit they will be creating their own devised
theatre pieces in groups.
c. Explain to students that they will be listening to a piece of music that will inspire them as
they work together in a group to devise and perform a story. The story will be timed to the
music.
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3. Devised Theatre Activity
a. Instruct students to spread out, lie down, and close their eyes (you may want to encourage
them not to fall asleep.) Tell them that you will play the piece of music several times. For
the first time, instruct them to take it in and listen to it closely, paying attention to tone,
rhythm, and places where the music changes or where some new element is introduced.
With the song I use, the entire song is over six minutes. I only use the first minute and a
half. You don’t want something too long—less than two minutes is best. After that, begin
to fade the song out manually.
b. After the music is through, have everyone sit up and open their eyes. Ask them: What tone
or mood did the music create?
c. Tell them that you will play the music again. This time, they should allow the music to
conjure up a specific story. They should imagine the characters performing their actions
timed along to the music. The story should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Have
them lie back and close their eyes. Play the same selection of music again.
d. After the music is through, have them sit up and open their eyes. Tell them that you’ll
play the music again, and this time they should clarify and solidify their story. Who is
the main character? What do they want? What obstacles stand in their way? How is the
story resolved in the end? Remind them to time the story beats and changes along with
the music as much as possible. Have them lie back and close their eyes. Play the same
selection of music again.
e. After the music is through, have them sit up and open their eyes. Tell them that you’ll play
the music again. This time, they should solidify the story firmly in their imagination.
f. After you play the music this time, they will be put into groups to share their stories with
other students. Ask them again: Who is the main character in the story? What do they
want? What obstacles stand in their way? How is the story resolved in the end? Instruct
them to imagine it performed in the space you use. Have them lie back and close their
eyes. Play the same selection of music again.
g. After the music is through, have everyone stand up and stretch. Put them in groups of four
or five.
h. Tell students you will continue to play the music while they share their stories. Each story
should take 30 seconds or so to share. After each story has been shared, the group will
choose one to dramatize, adapting it for the specific people in their group. Everyone in
the group must participate.
i. Share the rules for devising the scene:
i. The story should include a clear main character with a clear objective. How can
you physicalize this character through movement?
ii. Performers should allow movements and story changes to be tied to the music.
iii. There should be no spoken dialogue. Performers may mime. How can you use
movement to tell the story?
iv. Performers should listen to the long stretch of music where nothing seems to
change and make sure to fill it with action.
v. The performance should entertain the audience. They should be asking “What
will happen next?”
vi. Performers should avoid moments that go on for too long or are too repetitive.
vii. Performers should make sure that the story has a clear resolution.
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4. Devising and Rehearsing
a. Continue to play the music as the students share their stories and begin to rehearse.
Encourage them to tell the stories quickly but thoroughly and to get on their feet as soon
as they can. This may take some prompting.
b. Save time for three final “dress rehearsals.” Tell the performers you will play the
music three more times, and they should make certain that they are prepared for the
performance before the class: their scene times along with the music, each character is
clear, the action is clear, and the ending is clear.
5. Performance
a. Perform each scene, playing the music each time.
b. After each scene, ask the class to define their favorite parts of each story and where they
might have been confused.
c. Ask the performers and the class about the value of timing and how the music helped or
hindered their timing of the story during the performance.
d. Ask the performers what they might do for the next devised theatre activity. How can you
use this exercise in your own plays?
6. End-of-Class Routine
a. Use your regular end-of-class routine in the last five minutes of class.
b. A possible exit slip question: What are the two most important words when improvising?
(Answer: yes, and!)
c. A possible reflection question: What was your favorite part of the story you created and
why?

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