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AQUiLA MAGAZINE
GREEK MYTHS
LET’ S PUT ON A SHOW
The ancient Greeks loved their myths and they also loved watching plays and would compete in the Festival of Dionysus to entertain and move audiences. Famous playwrights like Euripides and Sophocles performed ancient Greek myths and stories of heroes fighting injustive and defeating an evil prophecy... you’ ve heard of Odysseus, right? They were the rock stars of 450 BCE!
Polly’ s Mission
So, you’ ve written your script, made your masks and chosen your actors, how can you make your opening night as impressive as possible? With a little bit of design inspiration, of course, courtesy of our favourite member of the art elite, Polly Chrome – or as she likes to be called now – Polly-cules.
GET STARTED
STEP 1: Decide where the stage begins and the audience ends There are lots of ways to stage a play. Do you want your audience to sit in a single block of seats facing the stage? That’ s called a proscenium arch. Maybe the stage could be like a catwalk, long and thin with audience members on either side. Or perhaps you could opt for a promenade performance, where audience members are dotted about and performers move around them? Your decision will be influenced by the space you are performing in, but also by the piece you want to perform. It’ s up to you.
STEP 2: Think about your themes What ideas are explored in your play? What colours, textures and images spring to mind when you think about it? Write all the answers down in a mind map, even if they sound a little strange. For example, if your play is about a conflict between a nature reserve and the city, your colours might be light spring green and dark smokey grey. Your textures might be gently ruffled like a meadow in the breeze( such a romantic, ed) vs. smooth, hard and jagged like glass. Collect colours and images and present them in a mood board – that’ s how we start every issue of AQUILA, by the way; with a collection of colours, textures and images. It’ s a great starting point for any creative project.
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ACTIVITY SKILLS
DIFFICULTY
YOU WILL NEED
More than one person( optional, but it’ s quite a lot of work for one)
Cardboard boxes Black tape
1 hour +
Blackboard paint White acrylic paint
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