Drama

When actors and actresses do their very best work, we forget they are acting at all. It seems as though they have effortlessly become the character they are playing. But in reality, there is a lot of work that goes into a single dramatic performance: the words, the costume, the makeup, the lighting, the sound, the direction, the sets, as well as the vocal, physical and emotional elements of the individual performance. All the world may be a stage, but the stage must be built on a solid foundation. To learn more about the many facets of drama, use the direct links on The Times’ Launch Point Web site: https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/.

Here are the best sites for getting your schoolwork done or for just having fun.

Level 1

Stagehand Puppets On-Line Puppet Theatre: You can be a designer, playwright, director and actor all at once. How? Puppets. Learn some performing tips and how to make several different kinds of puppets.

https://fox.nstn.ca/~puppets/activity.html

Aaron Shepard’s Tell a Story! An actor’s tools are his voice, mind and body. Discover the art of storytelling by learning how to select and prepare a story and how to use your voice and gestures to best effect.

https://www.aaronshep.com/storytelling/Tell.html

Reader’s Theater Edition #1: The Legend of Lightning Larry: What happens when outlaws like Dreadful Dave, Dismal Dan and Stinky Steve meet lemonade-sipping Lightning Larry?

https://www.aaronshep.com/rt/RTE01.html

Level 2

Acting Workshop On-line: Stage Positions: If you were told to exit stage right, would you know which way to go? Learn about the different parts of the stage and find out how different ways of facing the audience can have different dramatic effects.

https://www.execpc.com/~blankda/stage.html

Kabuki for Everyone: Immerse yourself in the world of Kabuki--a traditional form of Japanese theater created in the 17th century by a woman named Okuni yet acted only by men.

https://www.fix.co.jp/kabuki/kabuki.html

The History of Costume: Are you putting on a play but wondering how to dress the part? View color illustrations that show what people were wearing during the time of the ancient Egyptians on up through the late 19th century.

https://www.siue.edu/COSTUMES/history.html

Level 3

“Method” Acting Procedures: Try some acting exercises to help you relax on stage, improve your concentration and be a more believable actor.

https://www.theatrgroup.com/Method/

The Playwriting Seminars: Behind every play there is a playwright. Explore the primary components of playwriting: characters, content, structure, technique, format and even the how-to of submitting your own script.

https://www.vcu.edu/artweb/playwriting/seminar.html

Costume Patterns: Refer to this collection of instructions for making costumes, from tunics and tabards to cloaks, chemises and masks.

https://ares.redsword.com/dduperault/patterns.htm

Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This week’s Launch Point was designed by Susan Schattmaier, Angela Tyson, Erin Topping, Stan Woo-Sam and Anna Manring.

Explorer’s Quest:

The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.

In Kabuki, what is an onnagata ?

CLUE: See Kabuki for Everyone!

Find What You Need to Know: Have a project on California history? Need help doing a math problem? Launch Point now covers more than 40 topics for getting your schoolwork done. Go to https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/ for the full list of subjects and direct links to the best Internet sites.

Answer to last week’s Quest: Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin.