The Creation of Performance Text for Teaching in Acting Classes

Abstract

The purposes of this research were 1) to explore the needs for performance text among groups of instructors and students in the field of acting and directing, and 2) to create a performance text for teaching in acting classes. The qualitative research data was collected in the form of in-depth interviews with 20 university instructors and students who had used performance text for teaching and learning before. The research found that instructors started from scripts that contained lessons which focused on practicing various acting skills.  When students became more skillful, the instructors then selected scripts from plays, contemporary stage plays, television drama scripts, movie scripts, scripts adapted from novels and short stories, and scripts written as assignments in a script writing class.  Instructors usually prepared the acting scripts for class, but sometimes the students did so.  Based on the research findings, the researcher then created five acting scripts—each for a 10-minute-play, and 5 monologue scripts. The ages of the characters in the scripts ranged from students to adults. The plots revolved around the topics of work, love, life goals, and LGBT.