Design Project – Reimagining a Fairy Tale
Contributing Educator: Matthew Peters
In this Design Project, student groups act as Artistic Directors and Designers for an imagined theatre company, reimagining a classic fairy tale in a new time period chosen by the group. For the culminating project, each group member will specialize in a design area—such as set, costume, publicity, hair/makeup, lighting/sound. Groups will create living mood boards, which will contain posters, press releases, set models, costume renderings and more. In the culminating project, groups will perform the reimagined fairy tale as a staged reading using a script they adapted. The goal is to create a cohesive vision through collaboration.
Lesson Plans Included: 8
Materials: Printable Resources and Activities are included to help guide your work and support student learning.
Grade Levels: High School
Lesson Plan Topics
- Fairy Tale & Time Period - Set groups, choose your story and historical era (TH:Cr2.1.I.a, TH:Cn11.1.I.a)
- Publicity Designer - Communicating and promoting your company’s show (TH:Cn11.2.II.a VA:Cr2.1.I.a)
- Set Designer - Creating the physical space for your fairy tale (TH:Cr1.1.II.a, TH:Cn11.2.I.b)
- Costume Designer - What your fairy tale characters wear in your time period (TH:Cr1.1.II.a, TH:Cn11.2.I.b)
- Hair & Makeup Designer - Choices that convey character through time period hair and makeup (TH:Cr1.1.II.a, TH:Cn11.2.I.b)
- Sound and Lighting Designers - Exploring how sound and lighting create mood and tell story (TH:Cr2-II.b, TH:Re9.1.I.b)
- Script Writers & Actors - Rewrite your fairy tale; keep the story but adapt the message to a new era (TH:Cr3.1.I.a, TH:Pr4.1.I.a)
- Presentation of the Fairy Tale Design Project - Performances and presentation rubric (TH:Pr5.1.II.b, TH:Pr6.II.a, TH:Re9.1.I.a)
