Playwright Discovery Award Teacher's Guide - The John F. Kennedy ...
Playwright Discovery Award Teacher's Guide - The John F. Kennedy ... Playwright Discovery Award Teacher's Guide - The John F. Kennedy ...
Considering Language When considering language, some terms are preferred and some are considered inappropriate or rude. The difficulty is, a word can be acceptable one day and out-of-date the next. Language used to describe disability also changes often and quickly. Since the 1980s, many within the disability community have embraced a language known as People First. This emphasizes the person first and the disability second. For example, instead of saying “an award-winning paraplegic chef,” People First language encourages us to write “an awardwinning chef who has paraplegia.” Within a play, it may be possible to identify this shift in language by having one character use the out-of-date term and have another character correct this choice. Speaking with Awareness: People First Language The following is an excerpt from Access and Opportunities: A Guide to Disability Awareness, a publication written and distributed by VSA. The complete guide can be found online at: vsarts.org. Language shapes the way those around us speak and act toward one another and conveys the respect we have for others. The use of appropriate language about people with disabilities can be an important tool in building a community that accepts all people. Appropriate language is both sensitive and accurate. VSA promotes the use of People First language that puts the focus on the individual, rather than on a disability. People First language helps us remember that people are unique individuals and that their abilities or disabilities are only part of who they are. Suggestions to Improve Access and Positive Interactions • Avoid euphemisms such as “physically challenged,” “special needs,” “differently abled,” and “handi-capable.” • Avoid discussing disability by using terms such as “afflicted with,” “suffers from,” or “crippled with.” These expressions are considered offensive and inaccurate to people with disabilities. • When referring to people who use wheelchairs, avoid terms such as “wheelchair bound” or “confined to a wheelchair.” • When writing or speaking about people with disabilities, emphasize abilities rather than limitations, focusing on a person’s accomplishments, creative talents, or skills. This guideline does not mean avoiding mention of a person’s disability, but doing so in a respectful manner and only when relevant to the situation. Considering Physical Performance When actors take on the persona or physical life of a character, they engage in a complex process of changing who they are to best represent someone totally different from them. Sometimes the characters speak or look differently, but the actor always searches for ways to become the character in a way that is respectful and true. Unlike people who perform to get a laugh or make fun of someone, actors seek to present the character as a full person. A strong actor knows that any movements or speech patterns that illustrate difference are not exaggerated or 14 ACT I: PREPARATION
presented for entertainment. Instead, the gestures and language are based in true experiences and are rarely presented as large or broad gestures— like a clown. When considering how to perform a character with a disability, consider how the character resembles the actor and then begin to craft or shape their differences. Building a character slowly and with subtle gestures will allow for a truer, more realistic, less comic, or hurtful portrayal and performance. • For the Love of Goldfish by Ali Pavuk Photo: Scott Suchman Actors: Tony Nam, Michael Vitaly Sazonov, and Lauren Williams ACT I: PREPARATION 15
- Page 1 and 2: vsa Playwright Discovery Resource G
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- Page 5 and 6: PROLOGUE The Changeling by Paul Bau
- Page 7 and 8: A goal of this guide and project is
- Page 9 and 10: 3/4 of a Mass for St. Vivian by Pho
- Page 11 and 12: ACT I PREPARATION: Exploring Disabi
- Page 13 and 14: heats up quickly. Isn’t it much m
- Page 15: Discussion Questions 1. What charac
- Page 19 and 20: ACT II PLAYWRITING: Igniting the Im
- Page 21 and 22: FOR THE ARTIST’S NOTEBOOK: The Bu
- Page 23 and 24: PLAYWRITING EXERCISE 1 continued PA
- Page 25 and 26: PLAYWRITING EXERCISE 2 continued Wh
- Page 27 and 28: Creating Narrative and Dramatic Act
- Page 29 and 30: PLAYWRITING EXERCISE 3 continued Po
- Page 31 and 32: PLAYWRITING EXERCISE 3 continued PA
- Page 33 and 34: PLAYWRITING EXERCISE 4 : Changing t
- Page 35 and 36: PLAYWRITING EXERCISE 4 continued PA
- Page 37 and 38: PLAYWRITING EXERCISE 5 : Putting Wo
- Page 39 and 40: PLAYWRITING EXERCISE 5 continued DI
- Page 41 and 42: ACT III DRAMATURGY: Shaping What Yo
- Page 43 and 44: FOR THE ARTIST’S NOTEBOOK: The El
- Page 45 and 46: DRAMATURGY EXERCISE 1 continued PAR
- Page 47 and 48: FOR THE ARTIST’S NOTEBOOK: The Dr
- Page 49 and 50: DRAMATURGY EXERCISE 2 continued PAR
- Page 51 and 52: DRAMATURGY EXERCISE 3 : The March o
- Page 53 and 54: DRAMATURGY EXERCISE 4 : What Are th
- Page 55 and 56: DRAMATURGY EXERCISE 4 continued In
- Page 57 and 58: ACT IV PRESENTATION: Sharing Your W
- Page 59 and 60: ACT I Scene 1 1 A Classroom. Upstag
- Page 61 and 62: ACT V ASSESSMENT: Discover Your New
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presented for entertainment. Instead, the gestures<br />
and language are based in true experiences and<br />
are rarely presented as large or broad gestures—<br />
like a clown.<br />
When considering how to perform a character<br />
with a disability, consider how the character<br />
resembles the actor and then begin to craft or<br />
shape their differences.<br />
Building a character slowly and with subtle<br />
gestures will allow for a truer, more realistic, less<br />
comic, or hurtful portrayal and performance. •<br />
For the Love of Goldfish by Ali Pavuk<br />
Photo: Scott Suchman<br />
Actors: Tony Nam, Michael Vitaly Sazonov,<br />
and Lauren Williams<br />
ACT I: PREPARATION 15
Change language