Project: Shakespeare vignettes

Description: We were challenged with making a spin off of a Shakespeare play, where we were given creative liberty and then presented it in front of the class. This play was required to be a minimum of six minutes, and a maximum of eight minutes. Our group decided to do a gangster spin-off version, with a rap battle included.

Script: here

Criteria met:

Communication and Collaboration:

1: I used digital spaces to plan and execute collaborative projects with my peers.

For this project, because we were in a group, when we went to work on the project outside of school, we decided to coordinate our efforts by using digital platforms to increase the amount of total work we could get done, because only one block a day isn’t enough time. We decided to use a Digital platform to house the information because it allowed us to create and edit different parts of the script and have the rest of the group knew about and could criticize as it was written. The other benefit to having the space digital was to allow us to practice at any time, and even if one person forgot their device the script was still accessible from other places. 2: I tailor my work to appeal to my intended audience, and use language and visual design elements appropriate for them.

2: I tailor my work to appeal to my intended audience, and use language and visual design elements appropriate for them.

Our group chose the theme of “gangsters” with the idea in mind that we could change the original play to make the theme interesting for a class of teenagers. We altered the old English to be mainly modern, to make the lines more understandable for the audience and therefore more enjoyable to watch. Because of the theme, we had to dress a bit different than we would normally. For me personally, when I wore both a leather jacket with jeans, and a crop top with tighter pants in order to play both of my roles. All of this together made our play more appealing to our audience. 

Creativity, Innovation, Technology Operations and Concepts:

7: I design my work with consideration given to aesthetics and design, such as consistent color schemes, symmetry, or organization of visual elements, and overall layout.

We made sure that all costumes that were used in the performance were consistent in regard to the theme, but still different enough in appearance that you could tell the difference between characters. We also used props, and although they were minimalistic in that we only had two, they had a large impact on the story that was told and made the performance more engaging. Whenever there was a change of scenery, although we didn’t have any props for the surroundings, we made it pretty obvious what was happening, where we were going, and why we were going to the place that we were.

8: I challenge myself to increase my technological literacy by working with apps, software, or mediums I have not worked with in the past. 

Due to the collaborative nature of this project, my group members and I decided it would be easier to use Google Docs instead of Microsoft word, just because there’s a free mobile version and it would make it easier to work on, and more likely that we work on it if it was more portable. I have never used Google Docs before, mainly because school always asked us to use Microsoft Office, and I take my notes on notepad, so this was a good learning opportunity for me because I’m going to bet that this won’t be the last time I use it.