ACT I

SCENE I. A desert place.

Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches

First Witch
When shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

Second Witch
When the hurlyburly’s done,
When the battle’s lost and won.

Third Witch
That will be ere the set of sun.

First Witch
Where the place?

Second Witch
Upon the heath.

Third Witch
There to meet with Macbeth.

First Witch
I come, Graymalkin!

Second Witch
Paddock calls.

Third Witch
Anon.

ALL
Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air.

Exeunt

Source: Macbeth, by William Shakespeare (Kenneth Muir, ed.), New York: Methuen & Co., 1987.

SECTION A:
Acting Challenge

Part A1

Practice (20 minutes)

• Hand out the scene
• Have the class form groups of three
• If there is one extra student, have them join with another group to make one group of four
• If there are two extra students, have them form one group of two
• Give each group 15 minutes to come up with a staging of the scene
• Groups of three should use the line assignments in the script
• Groups of two or four can assign the lines as they see fit
• They can set it wherever they like and make use of any props or costume pieces in the room, but:
• The assignment is to make the scene compelling to watch as a result of their acting

Part A2

Performance and Watching (10 – 15 minutes)

• Have each group perform their scene for the class.
• Viewers should be ready to answer the question: what did you see happen?
• The answer must be based on what happens in front of them, and not on their own understanding of the scene.

Part A3

Discussion (10 minutes)

• What was it about the performance that made a scene compelling to watch?
• Did you know what was going on?
• When were you confused about what was going on?
• If you were confused, do you think that was Shakespeare’s intention?  Was it the performer’s intention?
• What did you notice about the words that were being spoken (rhythm, alliteration, consonance, assonance, rhyme)?
• Did you understand the language?

SECTION B:
Exploring Shakespeare’s Language

Part B1

Practice (15 minutes)

• What did all the words mean?  You can’t act a scene well without a specific understanding of what you’re saying.  Look the following words up for sure:
  • hurlyburly, ere, heath, Graymalkin, Paddock, anon
• Rehearse the scene again (repetition and rehearsal are key to success in this class).
• They must still make the scene compelling to watch, primarily through their acting, but each group will have one of the following as an additional assignment:
  • Make us hear any alliteration
  • Make us hear any assonance or consonance
  • Make us feel the rhythm
  • Make us understand why the lines rhyme
• They have 15 minutes to do so.  The lines should be coming to them easier.

Part B2

Performance and Watching (15-20 minutes)

• The task for the viewers:
  • Is what is happening in front you clearer?
  • What do hear that’s different from the first time?

Part B3

Discussion

• Did your experience of the scene change because of the sounds of the words?  In what way did it change?
• Did your experience change as a performer? In what way?
• Were you less/more confused about what was actually happening?  At what points were you confused?

ACT I

SCENE I. A desert place.

Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches

First Witch
When shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

Second Witch
When the hurlyburly‘s done,
When the battle’s lost and won.

Third Witch
That will be ere the set of sun.

First Witch
Where the place?

Second Witch
Upon the heath.

Third Witch
There to meet with Macbeth.

First Witch
I come, Graymalkin!

Second Witch
Paddock calls.

Third Witch
Anon.

ALL
Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air.

Exeunt

Source: Macbeth, by William Shakespeare (Kenneth Muir, ed.), New York: Methuen & Co., 1987.

SECTION C:
Shakespeare & Stanislavski

Part C1

Practice (20 minutes)

• Break the scene into beats.
• A beat is a unit of action.
• At the end of a beat, one or more characters involved in the beat make a discovery or recognize something that is new, and often follow that with a decision as to a new course of action.
• The transition from one beat to the next for each character may instantaneous or it may take some time depending on the size of the discovery, and the seriousness of the decision.
• Determine what discoveries, recognitions and decisions each character is making at the junction of each beat.
• Rehearse the scene as a series of actions, discoveries, recognitions, and decisions from beat to beat, including the beats before and after the scene begins and ends.
• The task is to make the scene compelling to watch by addressing everything we’ve covered to now, but primarily a result of specific, committed action.

Part C2

Performance and Watching (10 – 15 minutes)

• Have each group perform their scene for the class one last time.
• For the viewers:
  • Is what’s being said and what’s happening clearer? Why or why not?
  • Is it more/less compelling?

Part C3

Discussion (10 minutes)

• Did your experience of the scene as a viewer differ? How?
• Was what was being said and what was happening clearer? Why or why not?
• Was it more compelling? Why or why not?
• Did you experience of the scene as a performer differ? In what way?

Possible issues:

• Low stakes, commitment, energy
• Lack of specificity in given circumstances

ACT I

Beat 1: Before…?

SCENE I. A desert place.

Beat 2: When?

Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches

First Witch
When shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

Second Witch
When the hurlyburly’s done,
When the battle’s lost and won.

Third Witch
That will be ere the set of sun.

Beat 3: Where?

First Witch
Where the place?

Second Witch
Upon the heath.

Beat 4 (optional): Why?

Third Witch
There to meet with Macbeth.

Beat 5: Familiars

First Witch
I come, Graymalkin!

Second Witch
Paddock calls.

Third Witch
Anon.

Beat 6: Spell

ALL
Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air.

Exeunt

Beat 7: Next…?

Source: Macbeth, by William Shakespeare (Kenneth Muir, ed.), New York: Methuen & Co., 1987.