Physical Theatre and Mask Work

Vickie Smith
Friday, February 1, 2019

The aim of this scheme of work is to allow the students to explore Physical Theatre and Mask Work with a particular focus on Trestle masks – although this can be adapted to suit any masks. The aim of the scheme is: ▸ To explore the use of the body in Physical Theatre▸ To use the body to express emotions, stories and characters rather than the verbal work▸ To encourage students to be more expressive with bodies and space when performing on the stage▸ To understand the rules of mask work and experiment with getting them right▸ To explore how to use a mask effectively in a piece of theatre▸ To use narration to tell a story and communicate a message clearly to an audience. The scheme explores key Physical Theatre skills such as the Seven States of Tension, centring, mime and mask work. It can be used with KS3 but could also be effective with KS4 students at the beginning of their GCSE course. The stimuli can be changed for anything that you deem appropriate for your students. Finally, the scheme of work utilises narration which can be used to communicate a story using Physical Theatre and Mask Work effectively.