Shipwrecked! - Actors Theatre of Louisville

Bridgework
Building Connections Between Stage and Classroom
The following exercises combine creative drama, theatre concepts, and core content to connect the theatre experience with
drama activities in your classroom. By exploring drama as a mode of learning, students strengthen skills for creative problem
solving, imagination, and critical thinking. Core Content Connection – The activities are designed using the Elements of Drama:
Literary, Technical, and Performance (Core Content 4.1).
At Your Desk
Wide World Article
The Wide World magazine was
published from the late 1800s until the
1960s in Britain, and told stories of
travel, adventure and intrigue. Louis’
tale of shipwreck was one of many that
made the magazine famous. Cover
titles for the magazine included “How
I was Buried Alive” and “Aquanauts of
Inner Space.” Write a one-page article
for The Wide World magazine that
involves adventure and excitement. The
magazine’s motto is “Truth is Stranger
than Fiction,” but like Louis, your “true”
story may be more interesting if some
fiction is mixed in. Illustrate your article
and “publish” it by distributing the story
or compilation of class stories to other
classes/teachers.
Direct Shipwrecked!
As the director, you can set the play
in any time, any place. In what era
other than the late 1800s would you
like to set the play Shipwrecked!?
Assume the role of director and use the
elements of technical theatre (lights,
sound, set, props, costumes and
makeup) to enhance your new setting.
How would each of your ideas in these
elements support your choice of new
time period? Think about how the story
might change—slightly or drastically—
based on your new setting. How
are the important themes of the play
conveyed through the new setting?
Write a director’s note to your audience
explaining why you made each choice
in the areas of technical theatre, and
how they relate to the new setting.
Teachers may choose to have students
focus in on one technical element.
Be a Playwright
Donald Margulies wrote every scene in
Shipwrecked! from the prospective of
Louis de Rougemont, the main character,
so we only learn Louis’ thoughts and
descriptions of the world of the play.
Assume the role of playwright and rewrite
one scene from the play from
another character’s point of view. How
would an English reporter narrate a
scene about Louis’ return home? What
about Yamba’s point of view when she
first meets Louis and cannot speak his
language? How does Bruno the dog
experience the shipwreck? Think about
the history and personality of these
characters as you tell the story through
their eyes. Include at least ten lines of
dialogue in your scene.
Shipwreck Yourself
Louis did not have the power to control
the circumstances of his shipwreck. For
example, he did not get to choose when
or where he would be cast away for
30 years. Pretend that you are going
to be shipwrecked, and make a list of
what you think are the most important
conditions. To get started: What year
would you be shipwrecked—and how
would that affect your experience?
Where in the world (or out of this
world) would you be shipwrecked?
What three items would you bring?
Who would you want with you? What
other circumstances would you choose
to control?
On Your Feet
Be a Foley Artist
What does a shipwreck sound like?
Pick a scene from the play (or write your
own scene with dialogue) and create
noises and sound effects that will make
up your “soundtrack.” Make the noises
using your body (snap, clap, etc.) and
items found only in your classroom. As
a Foley artist, you decide how to best
re-create a sound (like a windstorm and
crashing boat) using your imagination
and your found materials, just like
the designers of Shipwrecked! d o .
Rehearse your scene and then perform
for your class while they close their
eyes and imagine they are listening to
the radio.
Shadow Play
Much of the story of Shipwrecked! is
told with shadows. Images such as a
giant octopus or Louis’ sinking ship are
created onstage by light and shadow—
making those images very simple, yet
very imaginative. Try making different
shadow puppets or images on the wall
by putting your hands or body in front of
a light source. Can you make different
animals? What about other objects
and figures? Create a story using these
shadows and rehearse a scene by
yourself or with a partner. Think about
the many variations: shadows of body
parts only or classroom objects only,
a silent play, a play with only sound
effects, etc. Once you are ready, turn
all the other lights out and share your
shadow play with the class!
“Yes, and…” Adventure Story
With your class or a group of students,
sit in a circle so that everyone can see
each other. You will tell a group story
of adventure, where each person in
the circle only tells one line at a time.
The first person in the circle begings
with the line “Once upon a time…”
and starts the story. For example,
“Once upon a time there was a orange
dragon.” After the first line, the person
next to them continues the story starting
with the sentence “Yes, and…” For
example, “Yes, and that dragon loved
ice cream cones.” The story continues
around the circle once (or twice if there
is a small group) and everyone starts
their sentence of the story with “Yes,
and…” You must always build upon
the sentence of the story that came
before yours so the story makes sense.
Challenge yourself and your classmates
to be adventurous and work together to
tell the greatest story ever told!
Tableaux Show
In groups of 4-8, recreate the story of
Shipwrecked! (or create your own if
you haven’t seen the play yet) through
tableaux (still images). Brainstorm the
five most important scenes of the play
or story, and create a tableau with your
body to depict each one. There should
be no sound except the voice of the
narrator, who describes the tableaux
as they are frozen. Rehearse moving
from one tableau to the next in order,
always working together, using your
bodies to create a freeze frame of each
scene. When your group is ready,
present to the class your performance
of Shipwrecked! through these frozen
pictures.
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