1. Soap Operas

2. Lesson Objectives By the end of the lesson pupils will have:
Learnt about the origins of Soap Operas
Considered the different characters that you find in typical Soap Operas
Used multi-role play to create a short ‘episode’ of your own Soap Opera
Watched and evaluated the group’s work
We are aiming to work between a level 4 and 6 today!

3. The History of Soap Operas
Soap Operas or ‘Soaps’ for short are fictional dramas which are broadcast regularly throughout the year
They were first broadcast in the 1950s and are hugely popular today
Soap operas get there name from the soap manufacturers such as Proctor & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive who originally sponsored the shows
Most Soap Operas follow the lives of a group of fictional characters who live and work in a particular place
A Soap Opera episode will feature multiple storylines and typically end with a cliff-hanger

4. Can you give an example of a Soap Opera?
There are a few key characteristics which you can use to work out whether a program is a Soap Opera or not
Is the program shown weekly throughout the year in regular episodes?
Is the program about the lives of a made up group of people?
Does the program have several storylines which span several episodes and feature cliff-hangers?

6. The Characters
Although all Soap Operas will have a variety of different characters, there are often a few stereotypes who feature in all Soaps
Can you think of any examples of ‘typical’ Soap Opera characters?
Why do you think it is so important for Soaps to have such a wide variety of characters?

7. The nosey neighbour

8. The tough guy

9. The cheeky chappy

10. The family who run the pub

11. The local businessman

12. The trouble maker

13. The ethnic family

14. Your Task
Working in groups of 4-5 your task is to improvise three different scenes of a new soap opera.
As there will be different characters in each scene you will need to use multi-role play
Q: What Drama skills will you need to use to make your multi-role play effective?
A: Voice, posture, gestures, gait, facial expressions etc.
Scene 1…..
The discovery of an affair in the local pub with everyone present
Scene 2…..
Secret plotting to blackmail somebody who lives on the same street
Scene 3
A typical storyline of your choice

15. Plenary
How can you tell if a program is a Soap Opera? What are the key characteristics?
Can you give an example of a typical Soap Character?
What is multi-role play and which group used it most successfully?