Romeo and Juliet Time Project

Rewriting Romeo and Juliet Act 3

Act III- Many good men die, Juliet is distraught, Romeo is devastated, and after spends the night with her new husband, Juliet learns she is going to be forced to marry another!

Step One

You can choose to do this yourself or in maximum groups of 3. The very first job you will have will be to read the scene designated to you from Romeo and Juliet that you will be working with over the next several days.Then you must pick a time period in which to set the entire scene. Choose from these four:

The WildWest

1920's Chicago

1950's Rock n Roll

1960's Counterculture

The Wild West

Wild West

The American West in the late nineteenth century was a rough place. Gangs of cowboys roamed the often lawless territory, robbing banks and trains, stealing horses and cattle. There are many interesting figures: both crooks and lawmen. Some that you might have heard of include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Wyatt Earp, the James brothers - the list goes on. Find out more about these and others, and use what you learn about their escapades to turn the Montagues and Capulets into true frontiersmen!

1920's Chicago

1920

The Mafia was around for along time before the 1920's and existed in almost every major city in the United States. But 1920's Chicago is particularly noteworthy because of what was going on in American policy at the time: Prohibition. The Mafia got involved in huge bootlegging rackets, bringing alcohol to the masses illegally. This was a risky business involving huge sums of money. Whenever such large amounts of money are involved, greed, deception, and murder tend to follow. Learn more about the Mafia, and use what you learn to bring the play into the Twentieth Century!

1950's Rock ‘N’ Roll Culture

1950

Post World War II America was a place of seeming peace and prosperity as thousands of servicemen returned home to pick up their young families and move to the suburbs, starting "The Baby Boom" generation. Children played with hula hoops. Teenagers shocked their elders by listening to the new "rock and roll" music. Television began to play a large role in defining society as people began to get not only their daily news from the TV, but also their entertainment, from such shows as "I Love Lucy" and "Gunsmoke". However, there is also a serious side to this decade. The Korean War raged, the first hydrogen bomb was detonated, and the U.S. Supreme Court declared racial segregation to be unconstitutional, setting off a fight for racial equity that would continue for decades to come. The Cold War began, and this threat of Communism led to a veritable witch hunt for Communists in America.

1960's Counterculture

1960

The 1960s was one of the most turbulent time periods in American history. The decade was full of events that had a major effect on how people viewed the world: President Kennedy's assassination, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the constant threat of nuclear attack, racial strife, and especially, the Vietnam War. Some people saw the war as a waste of American money and lives, and protested against it. This group of people, often called "hippies", was unhappy with the state of America. They marked a new stage of American culture, full of new thoughts and ideas, some of them revolutionary, some unremarkable. With its theme of "sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll", this "hippie counterculture" upset many members of society, and was the source of much conflict. Research to understand how this time period is the perfect setting for your version of Romeo and Juliet!

Step Two

You have your scene and you've picked the perfect time period. Now what? Each member of your group needs to choose a task for which you willcomplete research and incorporate that information into the presentation of your Scene. Remember to use what we’ve learned about research. Cite your research, create a Works Cited, etc. You must complete at leastten notecards, containing one fact per notecard. You must use at least twotrusted sources.

Just as every person possesses different talents and interests, each of the roles requires the use of different skills. Your group should carefully read the Role Descriptions listed below and decide together who is best suited for each.

The Linguist
You must research the language/slang of your chosen time period. You must also research why slang is formed? How is slang formed? Include examples of slang from your time period, and analyze how/why they were used during the time period. In addition, you must write your research into a one page transcript for your group’s presentation. Turn in your written transcript, complete with in-text citations and Works Cited.

The Costume Designer
You will need to research the fashion of the time. What was the fashion of the time? How did the fashion of the time period reflect the culture and ideals of the people? In addition, you must write your research into a one page transcript for your group’s presentation. Turn in your written transcript, complete with in-text citations and Works Cited.
For yourgroup’s presentation of the R&J Scene, don’t forget to prepare all
of the characters’ costumes!And don’t forget props 
The Historian
You will be in charge of making sure your act is historically accurate. Therefore, you’ll need to research important events of the period. How did these events change the face of North America and affect her people? Who were the people behind these events? What ideas/agendas drove these events? In addition, you must write your research into a one page transcript for your group’s presentation. Turn in your written transcript, complete with in-text citations and Works Cited.
For your group’s presentation, be sure at least one-two historical eventsare
incorporated into your script. Highlight them in green.Also, create a backdrop for your
group’s presentation that is relevant historically.

Step Three

You’ve read the original Shakespearean version of your Act, you’ve researched your time period, and now it’s time to rewrite your script into its new time period! Since all of you have different knowledge of your time period, you should rewrite the script as a group, including all the new information you have learned about this period. Keep the idea of the main conflict and the characters’ feelings, etc., but make it relevant to your assigned time period. Have fun with it. Don’t forget to practice your script, and have enough copies for everyone on the day you act it out!

Step Four

You may choose to ACT it out live, on video through a puppet show… you choose the medium. Make the scene come alive in a way that we all understand exactly what has happened. REHEARSE!!! PRACTICE!! Presentations will be the TUESDAY after the break.

Group Evaluation

(5 points) / (4 points) / (3 points) / (2 points) / (1 points)
Rewritten Script / All elements of the script are authentic to time period. All elements of the original plot & conflict are retained. Group was innovative and creative. All highlighted portions are present & creative. / The script is authentic to the time period. All elements of the plot & conflict are retained. Group was creative, and the research is all present. / The rewritten act sticks to the original plot and conflict, and it is set accurately into the new time period. All parts of the research are correct, and the script is original. All highlighted portions are present. / The act is rewritten into the new time period, but part of the conflict or plot is left out. There may errors in the research which aren’t authentic. Some highlighted portions missing. / The act is missing major elements of the original plot or conflict. Errors in research are distracting. Several highlighted portions were left out of the script.
Class Presentation / Presentation is convincing, well thought out, organized, and original. Group works well together and the scene is well- rehearsed. / Presentation is lacking in 1-2 of the elements mentioned in “outstanding” column. / Presentation is complete, but may have benefited from more rehearsal or organization.Background, props, and costumes are authentic, neat, and complete. / Presentation is not thorough. Presentation is disorganized. There may be something missing or incomplete. / Group clearly didn’t rehearse. Group was so disorganized, it was impossible to glean anything from the script.

Individual Evaluation

(5 points) / (4 points) / (3 points) / (2 points) / (1 points)
Analysis of Research –how wellyou answer and discuss the questions / Creative/original ideas and insights; extensive commentary, refreshing; goes beyond obvious and basic commentary / Analysis is believable and convincing, a few assertions may lack thorough explanation, but assertions are still clearly connected to argument. / Analysis supports your thoughts, but ideas are obvious and basic. / Ideas lack development; misunderstanding of information researched; illogical or doesn’t completely answer research question. / Analysis not present; simply relaying information from research; doesn’t answer research question.
In-Text Citations / In-text citations are correct and complete in the transcript for video/presentation. / In-text citations are correct for the most part, but all are present. / In-text citations are all present, but there are 3-4 errors. / An in-text citation may be missing, or there are distracting errors within the citation(s). / Several in-text citations are missing, or there are distracting errors within the citations present.
Works Cited / Works Cited page is complete and formatted correctly. / 1-2 errors on the Works Cited page / 3-4 errors on the Works Cited page / 5-6 errors on Works Cited page or something isn’t on Works Cited page which is in transcript. / More than 6 errors in formatting or severe plagiarism present.