SKIT PRODUCTIONby

Chris Ssennyonjo Ssebunnya ssebunya@mail.com

As an interactive learner centered teaching method

In the presentation…

• What is a skit?• Important elements.• Making a skit story.• Scripting a skit.• Roles and responsibilities in skit production.• Challenges and solutions to them.• Our task in the next days.

What is a skit?• A skit is a short piece of humorous writing or a

performance that makes fun of somebody or something by copying them. It is a mode or type of drama.

• Skits are mainly meant for correcting wrongs in society in a humorous biting way.

• However, they can be purely educative without really making fun of any situation.

Classification of skits•The tragedy•The omedy •The tragiomedy

Skits for educational purposes

• These are skits set to communicate an educative/developmental message in an entertaining manner. They mirror out the society i.e. the evils, ills, exemplary behaviors among others

• These are the ones we are mainly interested in. we need the issue, causes, effects, solutions, repercussions.

• We need skits that will positively affect the audience.

Skit ideas

Sources for skit ideas include among others;• Societal issues• Personal experience• Reading •WSWM lessons •Any other?

Story telling…• This involves creating the skit story. • The best way to create a skit story is by

brainstorming on the issue in detail. • In discussing or brainstorming, people

should e given time to bring out as much information as possible on the issue.

Continuation….

• We develop our skits on the basis of knowing the issue, its causes, its effects and the solutions for the issue. So our brainstorming sessions should aim at addressing these. • We shall have a session on “Digital story

telling” later on which will be the story telling mode we shall adapt for our skit production in this workshop.

Developing the story

Next steps: moving forward

Step 1: Situational analysisMembers of each group should identify and discuss in details the one or more SRHR affecting young people that has or have been assigned them to develop a skit on.

Discussing in detail…

Continuation….

Step 2: Creating a storyA realistic story similar to what is experienced by young people should be created. This will help the audience to know that the issue raised is actually their problem seeking a solution and not a mere show.

Step 3: Conflict developmentA conflict in a play creates sufficient curiosity and emotional attachment among the audience to the issues discussed/ raised. Two sides i.e. good (protagonist) and Bad (antagonist) should be clashed. The conflict should be resolved by giving the audience a way forward. It is the way forward which is the learning point for the audience.

Important elements of the story

• The story is the basis for the plot and a good plotted skit has the following;

• Exposition to introduce characters, setting and mood• Rising action to introduce the conflict• Conflict to introduce the main character’s problem which may be internal

(eg. Guilt, greed) or external (eg. Poverty, an accident)• Climax, the moment of greatest emotion; the turning point of the story

when the conflict begins to be solved• Falling action and resolution, what the character decides to do. Bear in

mind the lessons to be learnt from your skit.• Having paid attention to all this, write a summary of the story down. This

is what we call a plot synopsis and it is the most immediate explanation of any skit story. From this we develop the actual script.

Important elements of the whole skit

• Story

• Plotting

• Setting

• Time (duration)

• Characterisation

• Themes and ideas

• Dramatic techniques

The story

• A narration or recital of that which has occurred; a description of past events; a history; a statement; a record.

• A story forms the basis of the skit. It is the foundation upon which all other elements of the script base. It can purely be fictitious without really having happened but with prospects of happening.

• Fiction is writing that uses characters, setting, and plot to convey stories that are not real. Fiction-means not true.

• Your story must be generated from the ideas you decided upon. So, again here you need to work as a group.

Plotting

• This is the sequencing of events in scenes and sub-scenes, each one contributing and developing the theme to the climax. i.e. logical growth of the story from beginning to the end. It thus involves the sequencing of interrelated events arranging to form a logical pattern and achieve an intended effect

• We break the story into more detailed parts and give it a shape or rearrange the events in sequences that we want them to take.

• A plot may move chronologically or otherwise depending on how best the group thinks they will have an effect on the audience.

Setting

• Setting is the place from where particular events occur in a skit.

• Setting also encircles the time when particular events take place.

• Setting also encircles the prevailing situation and the people around.

• These should portray real life situations

Deciding on a setting

Things to consider:• Nature of the skit. (general setting)• Type of Activity. (abortion, dancing, an

outing ) • Available facilities (props)• Time when the events take place. (period

and specific hours of the day.) • People around (social setting)

Time (duration)

The total time for the skit determines:• The number of SRHR issues to be raised. (The

fewer, the easier to handle.)

• The number of scenes

• The number of characters ( each character must have sufficient reason for appearance.)

• Duration of each scene.

Note: Our skits should last between 7 and 10 minutes only.

Character and Characterisation

• A character is a person that takes on the action as specified on the script.

• It is a process of making the character posses the desired traits to bring out the message effectively. Through what they say, what they do and what is said of them by other characters.

• Clear characters that are similar to the people in the community should be developed. This helps the audience to identify themselves with the people on stage.

How would you make someone acting rapist or drug addict appear real?

What do we want?

In particular there should be:-1.Good characters: Those that the audience

would like to emulate or copy.1.Bad characters whose actions and character the

community should avoid.2.Transitional characters: For an educative skit,

these should move from bad to good.3.Supportive characters. These help the good

and transitional ones to sustain the good or positive behavior.

Themes and ideas

• A theme is a subject or topic on which a person writes or speaks.

• Ideas are other issues that may arise in the process of building the main theme of the skit.

Dramatic techniques, style and language

Dramatic techniques mean the ways used in the skit to bring out the message.

StyleStyle is way an author chooses words, arranges them in sentences or in lines of dialogue or verse, and develops ideas and actions with description, imagery, and other literary techniques

LanguageLanguage refers to the way the writer chooses to use the language in the skit. E.g there are many words used in schools that only students understand, another case is that used by the ghetto people. What kind of language are you going to use in your skit? Why? Language communicates and so you need to use it appropriately

DialogueConversation between two or more characters. Choice of words should be selected in such way that they are all useful, meaningful and educative as well as entertaining.

MonologueA long speech made by a person in a conversation. However in Drama it means along speech in a skit, spoken by one actor/actress, especially when alone.

SoliloquyThis is a technique where an actor speaks out his thoughts aloud when other characters are off stage.

Chorus A group of characters utter/comment certain words in unison to emphasize a message.

Flashback

Apart that shows a scene earlier in time than the main story.

IronyThis is a way of acting where the characters say something to men its opposite.

Asides•Here words are said on stage by an actor/actress intended to be heard by the audience and not the other characters on stage.

Others include…

• Sound effects (music and dance)We may use sounds like music, drums beats, screams e.t.c in a skit to create mood, emphasis, relief, humor etc in the skit.

• Different situations in the skits require specific sound effects in case the group has decided to use this technique. The sounds hosen must be well thought and effectively complement the situation. For example….

Continuation

• MimeAn actor/actress communicates without using words but through expressions and gestures.

• Others include; understatement, overstatement, foreshadowing, metaphors, similes e.t.c

Scripting a skit

A script is a written document that shows the actual words that characters are supposed to say on stage. A script, besides the words of characters, explains the setting and stage directions to be followed by the actors of the drama there written.

Continuation

• On the script we create the words that we want our characters to say. We make the characters say those words rather than explain what we want them to say.

Continuation

• We also decide on the scenes; divisions on the script that show change of setting, idea, characters e.t.c. These are very important in making the action develop and eliminating monotony. At the end of this, each group should have a storyline where a summary of each scene is given to help the post production crew follow the story closely.

• Very important; all our skits MUST HAVE TITLES. A title is a statement, sentence, word or phrase that names the skit.

Continuation

• A script should be the final stage of paper writing. It should be the end of the “SPSS process”: Where S=story, P=plot S=storyline and S=script. • For example….

Roles and responsibilities in skit production

• A number of roles are usually available to be taken by the people in the group. However, it is important to know that whatever role or responsibility has been assigned, all group members must work together to produce the skit. There must be co-operation and teamwork.

No man is an island!

Lone struggle Working together

Who will you be?

• The director

• The actors and actresses

• The costume designer

• The location manager

• A working committee

The director

Each group will need a director whose responsibility will be to supervise and instruct the performers.Roles

• Facilitates the process of script development. • Interpreting the entire script, situations and characters.• Blocking the skit into a meaningful sequence of acts and scenes

according to the plot.• Proper castings and role definition for each character.• Guiding the characters in interpretation of their roles through hot sitting.• Harmonization of different dramatic technique to suit on skit.• Interpretation and harmonization of different aspects of the skit. E.g.

music, dance, entries, exits, costuming.• Determine the props and costumes to be used.• Guiding actors/actresses to achieve their roles in the skit, the appropriate

setting and spectacle.

Actors and actresses

The role of an actor/actress is to take up a particular character in the skit.

Qualities of a good actor/actress:-

• Ability to memorize lines in a skit.• Understanding and interpreting the character you are to act.• Ability to interpret the different situations and internalize the story.• Ability to interpret different characters and how they relate to one another.• Ability to use body language to effectively communicate.• Ability to learn stage movements effectively.• Ability to use eye contact effectively.• Good communication skills ( one self, other people on stage-team work,

audience).• Ability to create and find solutions incase one has forgotten lines or something.• Skills in voice. (Projection, Varying voices, articulation and emphasis)

The costume designer.

Which costume is this? Whose costume can this be?

The costume designer

• In charge of all costumes. (What are costumes?

• Helps the director decide on who should put on what and makes sure it is available when needed.

The location manager

• Helps the director to identify the different settings as specified by the scripts and sees to it that they are appropriate for the action. (If the script specifies a bar, let it be a bar.)

• Also sees to it that the props are available, and are appropriately set.

A working committee..

A working committee

• Sees to it that the group has everything that it needs and carries out assessment at the end of every session to demand accountability through finding out if everyone has carried out their responsibility well.

• It is also very important in solving any wrangles that may arise.

Possible challenges/problems

Continuation…

• Drama can be a very challenging activity as many other activities in life. The challenges that come with it can be viewed in the three forms here identified…

General challengesPersonal problemsTechnical problems

• These affect everyone and the project or task ahead of us as a whole.

• To these there must be solutions

General challenges

• Poor time management.• Weather• Wealth• Lack of some resources- props in particular.• What other challenges do you anticipate?

Personal problems

• Attitude- unwillingness to work with others.• Thinking that you know more than others

hence minimizing others.• Misuse or poor use of available resources.• Selfishness• Gossip• Any other?

Technical problems

• Failure to agree on a story and other issues.• Failure to beat deadlines.• Failure to do as our assigned responsibilities

specify.• Any other?

We need solutions….

Solutions to the challenges

• We should be responsible- being in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

• Go for all the meals, it’s not wrong but very healthy.• Respect each other and respect everyone’s views.• Avoid making other people uncomfortable in anyway. Treat

them as you would like them to treat you.• Work as a group.• Keep to task.• We have set ourselves well as you instructors co do not

hesitate to seek guidance please.

Our task in the coming days

• We are going to be randomly divided into 3 groups and in our groups we are supposed to…

• To develop a 7-10 minute educational skit based on the SRHR issues that you are going to identify as affecting the young people in the areas we come from.

• Each group will have an opportunity to choose the issue they want to produce their skit about.

Probing questions as we work…• What is the title of the skit? Is it appropriate?• What is the story?• Would you classify the skit as a skit? Why?• Who are the characters?• What do the costumes communicate about the characters?• How appropriate is the director’s selection of the characters? • What is the setting?• What are our major dramatic techniques?• What plans do we have to deal with challenges? • Is our skit interesting ?• What lessons do we have for the audience in our skit? • Are we proud of our work?

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THE END