La Bohème - San Francisco Opera

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Role on the Wall Summary of Activity Students participate in basic character analysis using drawing and writing. This exercise is a basic preparation for understanding and development of characters in creative writing and in performing arts. Time: 30 – 60 minutes Setting: Classroom Materials: Chalk and chalkboard, or flipchart and markers Pens/ pencils, paper Subjects: Writing/ literacy, literature, art Objectives � Students will imagine the full life of each character. � Students will identify external and internal elements of each character. � Students will make creative, interpretive choices about the life of each character. � Students will work in pairs, developing skills in creative collaboration. Procedure � Prepare the students by using the synopsis and preview tapes and/or other materials to introduce the students to the story of the opera. � Working with the full class, ask the students to choose one character from the opera whom they would like to get to know. � Draw a large, informal outline of the character (like a cookie cutter) on the board/ flipchart, leaving plenty of space inside the character. � Ask the students what they know about the character and write their answers in single words or short phrases either inside or outside the character, according to whether they describe internal or external life. (i.e. “tall” and “poor” would go on the outside, and “lonely”, “dreamer”, and “cold” would go on the inside.) � Ask the students what they can guess about the character, that they might not know already (i.e. what kind of food they like, and where they might go to eat it when they have some money). � Review the information with the students. (You may want to start writing this out in sentence form- the beginnings of a story.) � Break the class up into pairs and have each pair complete the same exercise with the other main characters in the opera. � Pairs share their interpretations with the rest of the class. Options for further development: � Students write a short, short story about one character’s day. � Students create a storyboard (see next page) for the story that they have just written. 26
From Bohème to Rent Summary of Activity Students compare language, poetic structure and cultural influences between the lyrics from La Bohème and RENT, and explore the process of updating. Time: 3 - ? class periods Setting: Classroom Materials: • Excerpts from La Bohème and RENT “candle” scenes • Pens • Paper Subjects: Creative writing, literature/ poetry, social studies Background RENT is a musical currently running on Broadway and a recent movie that is based on La Bohème. The story line of RENT closely follows the story line of La Bohème, but it has been updated to New York City’s Lower East Side in the 1990’s. Objectives • Students will examine poetic structure of two sets of lyrics. • Students will read the pieces for clues to the social context of each. • Students will develop their own writing in response to these pieces. Procedure • Full class: Read through the two “candle” scenes on the following page. • Full class: Brainstorm- What are the differences between the pieces? In language? In place, situation, lifestyle? What are the similarities? What might be the differences between Paris, 1830, and New York City, 1994? What might the differences and similarities be between the characters in La Bohème and in RENT? Review the specific details (time, season, place, characters' situations) amid which each "candle" scene takes place. • Full class: Complete the "Role on the Wall" exercise for each character. • In small groups or pairs: Read the scene in role. • Paraphrase/ Update the dialogue, setting it in your own city or town. What are you changing to make it sound “real”? What stays the same? • Read/ share the updated scenes. 27
Page 1 and 2: La Bohème San Francisco Opera Guil
Page 3 and 4: Many thanks to the proud sponsors o
Page 5 and 6: Table of Contents La Bohème ......
Page 7 and 8: SYNOPSIS ACT I It is Christmas Eve
Page 9 and 10: ACT IV It is now several weeks late
Page 11 and 12: many revisions, less than a year la
Page 13 and 14: From Page to Stage The story of La
Page 15 and 16: Bohemians in Paris, 1830 Paris in 1
Page 17 and 18: Mimì's Illness One of the stronges
Page 19 and 20: Curricular Connections The Bohemian
Page 21 and 22: Character Creation Think about the
Page 23 and 24: Prompts for Discussion and Activiti
Page 25: • Restaurant operation: • Decid
Page 29 and 30: RENT, “Light My Candle”: Roger:
Page 31 and 32: Composition and Design Be a Compose
Page 34 and 35: Operatic Voices Operatic singing de
Page 36 and 37: Opera Glossary Accompaniment - An i
Page 38 and 39: Librettist - The person who writes
Page 40 and 41: Careers in Opera San Francisco Oper
Page 42 and 43: Another big part of San Francisco O
Page 44 and 45: Production Questions and Activities
Page 46 and 47: Opera and the California State Fram
Page 48 and 49: Bibliography Barber, David W., When
Page 50 and 51: How would you describe your student

La Bohème - San Francisco Opera

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