Performance Assessment: Performing and Analyzing a Scene of Romeo and Juliet

Assignment
Your assignment is to work with a group to interpret, rehearse, and perform a scene from Romeo and Juliet as
well as to provide an actor’s or director’s notebook for this scene that analyzes your character and the overall
scene.

Steps

1. Read your assigned scene several times to become familiar with it and to clarify meaning.
2. Confirm who will play which roles. Remember, in Shakespeare’s time men played all roles, so
do not allow gender to dictate your casting choices.
3. Decide how you are going to perform your scene: videotaped or live on stage.
4. Decide the time period: are you using the original text, the modern text, or are you rewriting
the text to fit into another time period/setting?
5. Complete the Company Report as a group.
6. Complete the Prewriting/Performing Analysis and Costume Drawing/Description for each
character portrayed (preferably the character in which you are going to portray)
7. The Director needs to complete the Director’s Notebook taking the group ideas into
consideration for props, costume pieces, and background music that will enhance the
performance.
8. Begin the rehearsal process—
a. Say the lines naturally and clearly, with emphasis.
b. Move with purpose. Use appropriate hand gestures and facial expressions. Look at and
interact with the other actors. Avoid turning your back to the audience.
c. Use props, costume pieces, and background music as soon as possible.
d. Pay attention to your distance from one another, your position on stage, the pace of
your speech, and the volume of your voice.
9. Remember, the goal is to perform an interpretation of a scene to which everyone in the group
contributes. The test of the group’s success will be how well you work together to create a
polished performance.
10. Possibly ask another group to watch your dress rehearsal and provide feedback on how you
might improve your performance.
11. Perform your scene!
12. After your performance, describe the process you went through to complete this project, the
challenges you faced, how you worked to overcome them, and your evaluation of the final
performance.
Romeo and Juliet Acting Groups
Group # Act. Scene Characters /Roles
Pd. 2: Table 5 3.1 Director:
Mercutio:
Pd. 3: Tables 5 & 7 Benvolio:
Tybalt:
Romeo:
Pd. 4: Tables 5 & 7
Citizen of the Watch:
Prince:
Pd. 5: Tables 5 & 7 Lady Capulet:
Lord Montague:
Pd. 6: Tables 5 & 6 (No lines—Lord Capulet, Lady Montague, Mercutio’s page)
Pd. 2: Table 1 3.2 Director:
Juliet:
Pd. 3: Table 2 Nurse:

Pd. 4: Table 2

Pd. 5: Table 2

Pd. 6: Table 2

Pd. 2: Table 4 3.3 Director:

Friar Lawrence:
Pd. 3: Table 3 Romeo:
Nurse:
Pd. 4: Table 3

Pd. 5: Table 3

Pd. 6: Table 3

Pd. 2: Table 2 3.4 Director:

Lord Capulet:
Pd. 3: Table 4 Lady Capulet:
Paris:
Pd. 4: Table 4

Pd. 5: Table 4

Pd. 6: Table 4

Pd. 2: Table 7 3.5 Director:

Romeo:
Pd. 3: Table 6 & 1 Juliet:
Nurse:
Lady Capulet:
Pd. 4: Table 6 & 1
Lord Capulet:
Pd. 5: Table 6 & 1

Pd. 6: Tables 7 & 1

Romeo and Juliet Performance: Company Report

Company Name: _________________________________Act:______ Scene:______ Line(s): _______

After you have read your scene as an acting company, answer the following questions together—

1. What happens in your scene? Outline the basic events.

2. What do you think are the key purposes of your scene? That is, why do you think Shakespeare included
this scene in the play? In what way(s) is it important to the story?

(Keep these purposes in mind as you make decisions about blocking and characterization.)

3. What are your reactions to this scene?

Romeo and Juliet Performance: Prewriting/Performing Analysis

Be sure to answer each of the following thoroughly.

1. Describe the character from your scene. What are his/her personality, attitude, and emotions?

2. Describe some of your gestures, movements, voice, and facial expressions that you plan on using to
capture some of what you identified in #1? Be sure to explain why you are using them. Point to specific
lines from the play.

3. Copy out TWO significant lines from your scene spoken by your character. Why are these lines
significant?

4. How do you plan on performing the lines you identified in #3? Think about movement, gestures, voice,
and so on.

5. Describe one significant interaction between your character and one other character. How are you
planning on performing this interaction?

6. If you had no limitations on cost or time, describe the costumes, props and sets you might use for your
scene. Please remember, though, that it is a stage production, not a film.

7. Describe the process of rehearsing and performing. What do you like/not like? Why? How does your
group work together?
Romeo and Juliet Performance: Costume Drawing/Description

Character: ___________________________________ Actor: __________________________________

Costume Drawing

Front View Back View

(OR)
Description of Costume:
Head/Face: ______________________________________________________________
Arms/Body/Shirt: _________________________________________________________
Hands: __________________________________________________________________
Pants/Legs: ______________________________________________________________
Feet: ___________________________________________________________________

AND
Justification (Why your character is wearing this particular costume, instead of something from another
setting or time period): _____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Romeo and Juliet Performance: Director’s Notebook
The Director’s Notebook Includes—
 A diagram of the set: include a sketch of the set from the audience’s perspective as well as an aerial view (a view from
above).
 A plan for lighting and sound: for both lighting and sound, include an explanation as to why you think your choices
are appropriate for your scene.
 A list of props
 An introduction for the scene: You will present this introduction before your acting company performs. In addition,
your teacher may expect you to be prepared to fill in for an actor (should one of the actors be absent on the day of the
performance) or take an acting role (if there are a small number of players in your group). Be sure to tell the audience
the time period in which your play is set (especially if it is different from the original).
 Romeo and Juliet Performance: Scoring Guide

Standard Exceeds Expectations Meets Expectations Does Not Yet Meet

Expectations
 Creates an Interpretation of Actions, facial expression, Actions, facial expression, Actions, facial expression,
a character and voice/emotions are and voice/emotions are and voice/emotions are not
 Speaking: Demonstrate used to create a powerful used effectively to portray a used in a way that portrays
and apply knowledge of the and believable portrayal of character. a character.
elements of an effective a character.
oral presentation

 Draw conclusions about the The performance, staging The performance and The performance and/or
author’s purpose. notebook, and analysis staging notebook reveal a staging notebook reveal a
reveal an insightful analysis careful analysis and clear limited analysis and
 Analyze characterization and mature understanding understanding of the scene understanding of the scene.
of the scene and the and characters.
character(s).

 Analyze how dramatic Carefully chosen and/or Props, music and sound Props, music and sound
elements are used to created props, music and effects, lighting, and effects, lighting, and
develop characters/mood sound effects, lighting, and costumes create a mood costumes are minimal and
through dialogue, costumes work together to appropriate for the scene. may not create a mood
soliloquies, asides, create a mood appropriate appropriate for the scene.
character foils, stage for the scene.
directions.

 Actively solicit another The planning time and The planning time and The planning time and
person’s comment or performance reveal a performance reveal a performance reveal a lack
successful endeavor to sincere effort to work of effort to work together to
 Offer one’s own opinion produce an effective together to produce an produce an effective
assertively without presentation. Obstacles are effective presentation. presentation.
dominating overcome with cooperation
of the whole acting
company.

After Performance Self-Evaluation:

__________________________________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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Romeo and Juliet Performance: Scoring Guide
Acting Company: ______________________________

Members: ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

______________________ ______________________ ______________________

Group Performance

/5 Preparation: on time, all items ready to be submitted, ready for performance

/5 Stage Set: resembles the design, matches time period

/5 Props/Costumes: Used and used well, matches time period

/ 10 Clarity to Audience: who's who, what's going on (introduce cast & scene)

Acting - Line delivery: projection, showing understanding through tone, language reflects
/ 15 the time period

/ 15 Acting - Physical: showing understanding through blocking and body language

Group Performance Total

/ 55 (*If there is unequal participation in the group, an individual rubric will be used)

Group Planning

/ 10 Director’s notebook: set design, prop list, lighting and sound plan, introduction

Individual Character Line Break-down: the company's lines with paraphrasing, and some delivery
/10 and blocking notes for each character (may be on notecards or script paper)

/5 Company Report: one per acting company

/ 10 Prewriting/Performing Analysis: one per character portrayed

/ 10 Costume Drawings/Descriptions and Justifications: one per character portrayed

Group Planning Total

/ 45 (*If there is unequal participation in the group, an individual rubric will be used)