Ms. Lankin Presents....
the History of Theatre Assignment
The Task
A. THEATRE GENRE Select ONE of the following genres/styles of theatre to research and explore. Create a one-page colourful poster featuring:
• A big title of the genre/style you are researching
• A detailed description/explanation of the genre/style
• Some names of plays (and the playwrights) or performances (and actors) of that genre/style with reasons of why/how you know those performances or plays relate to the style/genre
• Mention if there was a specific time period when the style/genre was mainly used, and whether the genre/style is still used today (who uses it, when, why?)
• Pictures of performances, actors, examples of the style/genre Genres/Styles to choose from: Radio Play, Improvisational Theatre, Fringe Festival, Musical Theatre, or Off-Broadway OR a genre approved by your teacher!
OR
B. THEATRE HISTORY Research the early origins of theatre (where did theatre come from?). Focus on Greek theatre, Medieval Theatre, or Italian Renaissance Theatre. Create and complete a compare/contrast chart in your portfolio outlining the following aspects for two of either Greek Theatre, Medieval and Italian Renaissance theatre. You may want to use the website: www.theatrehistory.com
• The time period of each type of theatre (what years were they happening?)
• Types/themes of theatre created in that time (drama, tragedy, comedy, morality, etc?)
• Famous playwrights from the era and the names of one or two of their plays
• The way the stages and theatres looked in that time – how are they different from today?
• What it would be like to act in and attend (as an audience member) one of the plays
• Your ideas of how theatre from this era influenced theatre today
• Any other interesting information you find (technology, rituals, costumes, etc)
Tools to Use for the Creation of the Assignment
Doing Your Research - How to Search the Library Catalogue
Once you are at the main page, enter the subject/keywords of the topic that you are searching for. Keep in mind that spelling is really important! If you spell the word that you are looking for incorrectly, the system will assume we do not have it. We may not have books for some of the topics that you are looking for, but this is a good place to start! When looking for books on your topic, start your search for books on child development instead of starting with specifics. Use the table of contents and the index to find more specific information in the books. The link below will take you to the library catalogue for Louise Arbour S.S.
Accessing the catalogue is easy! Below are the ways that you can do so:
- Go to the applications page and click on the "Library Catalogue - Louise Arbour"
- Click on "BYOD" at www.peelschools.org. At the top of that page, you will see a Library option. Click on Library and the library catalogue icon will be at the top of the page in green.
To Google or not to Google....that is the question!
Doing Your Research - How to Use the Databases
Once you have found the databases you will need to start searching for your topic. There are many databases to choose from and it can be a bit overwhelming. The following are a list of databases that I would highly recommend that you start with for your search:
- Explora
- Britannica Online School Edition
- History Reference Center
- The Shakespeare Collection
- World History Collection
Try to use key words to help narrow down or expand your search. For example, if you want to find out about Asian Theatre, search for "Asian" and "theatre". If you are not getting enough information, try to keep your search broad and general until you can find what you are looking for. Do not type in your research question!! This is not Google and you will not find what you are looking for.
Please keep in mind that you cannot click the images below to get to the databases. However, you can click on the secondary eResources link below, and that will take you directly to the databases.
Using Google Scholar
Sometimes you might need additional places to go to to do you research beyond the databases that are reputable and contain credible sources. This is where Google Scholar can be useful. Unlike a regular Google search, the articles and sources contained in Google Scholar are often academically sound. If you are not finding enough information in the databases, please click on the link below to see what Google Scholar has to offer.
How to Do a Boolean Search
MLA 8 - The New Way to Cite your Work in MLA 8th Edition Format
Creating a Works Cited Page in MLA 8 Format
MLA 8 was designed to simplify the process, helping writers accurately and intuitively cite sources more easily, requiring that every source type follow the same format. This means that books, websites, periodicals, videos, photographs, and all other types of sources now use this same standard format.
MLA 8 requires researchers to locate the same “core elements” from their sources and place them in a standard order in order to create their citations.
The “Core Elements” of an MLA 8 citation, along with their corresponding punctuation marks, include the following (in this order):
1. Authors.
2. Title of the source.
3. Title of container,
4. Other contributors,
5. Version,
6. Numbers,
7. Publisher,
8. Publication date,
9. Location.
The appropriate punctuation mark will follow each core element, unless it is the final piece. In this case, the punctuation mark would be a period.
Example of an MLA Eighth Edition Works Cited Page:
Patterson, James, and Chris Grabenstein. House of Robots. Little, Brown and Co., 2014.
Patterson, James, and Chris Tebbetts. Middle School: Get Me Out of Here. Little, Brown and Co., 2012.
Sparks, Nicholas. Dear John. Grand Central, 2007, p. 82.
– – – . A Walk to Remember. Warner, 1999.
Twenty-Eight Days Later. Directed by Danny Boyle, produced by Alex Garland, Fox
Searchlight Pictures, 2002.