PRE-PERFORMANCE LESSON PLANS Educational Package ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’ Navan Theatre Group 2012

THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE In drama we express our feelings and needs through:  The words we say  The way we say them  Our body language We do this in real life too!

 Write down what you think is happening in this picture and how you think these three people are connected to each other

PUT THE PICTURE INTO ACTION:  In groups of 5: 3 take the roles A, B, C with 2 monitors  A has brought B home, and C isn’t happy about it  Constraint: B is trying to keep the peace without getting involved in the argument Monitor 1 take notes on the language  What kinds of words are used?  Is there swearing?  Do all three use the same language Monitor 2 take notes on the way the characters talk  Is there shouting?  Is there a variety of pitch?  What does their body language say?

 Monitors share with the Role players on what you have observed  Groups can perform for other groups in the class followed by the monitors explaining their observations after the performances

RELATIONSHIPS  Study the two photos carefully. In pairs describe what kind of relationship the mother and daughter have based on your observations

Alter Ego  In groups of 4, devise an improvisation on the picture below where both characters are happy in each other’s company  2 students take the roles of the characters as seen below with 2 standing by alter egos. The alter ego gives a deeper insight into what the character is actually feeling which is not necessarily shown in their body language