Learning Goals

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

  • experiment with dramatic forms such as Inverted Lens tableau
  • demonstrate the element of relationship between the characters in the myth
  • analyse elements of a tableau to make meaning (e.g., reading the subtext of facial expressions, body language)

Minds On

Small Groups > Inverted Lens Tableaux

  • Introduce students to the concept of the Inverted Lens tableau, in which one tableau “morphs” as it transitions into a second tableau to show us hidden sub-text beneath the surface. Example: a) a tableau of a happy wedding photo b) a tableau that shows us that the father disapproves of the daughter’s new husband.
  • Have students invent their own Inverted Lens tableau scenarios and present.

Action

Small Groups > Persephone Family Portraits

  • Students, in small groups, create a “family portrait” tableau of Persephone’s family featuring the major players: Persephone, Zeus, Demeter and Hades.
  • The family portrait should tell us more subtext about the nature of these relationships (i.e. Is Persephone a spoiled brat? Do Demeter and Zeus love/trust one another? What is Hades’ relationship with his brother?)

Consolidation

Whole Class > Sharing and Debrief

  • Present family portraits to the class.
  • Have student spectators comment upon the subtext they see in each portrait. 
Key Questions: 
  • What are the relationships depicted in these tableaux?
  • What does the facial expression and/or body language suggest about how these characters feel about each other?
Assessment as Learning (AaL)
  • Peer analyses through discussion

Suggestions:

  • Student journal reflections about the experience of reading subtext; how might this influence their future tableau creations?
Assessment for Learning (AfL)

Suggestions:

  • Side coaching students as they prepare tableau as feedback
  • Use a tableau checklist (see CODE's Tableau resource)
  • Use Anecdotal Records about student analyses of the tableau subtext

Extensions

  • Moulding Images: Student volunteers “mould” characters like clay to suggest more subtext, such as putting distance between characters that might not like each other.
  • Hot-Seating Characters: Student spectators Hot-Seat each character by asking them questions to reveal their true motivations.
  • Flashback Scenes: Create short scenes/tableaux of past events (i.e. Demeter and Zeus’s wedding, Persephone as a young child, Zeus and Hades’ relationship as brothers, etc.)