Drama and Destiny sets a course of exploration for eighth grade Theatre students to learn about themselves, their country, and the possibilities that the future holds for them. The unit includes two main sections: 1) Why America?, which addresses the cosmology and geology involved in creating our world and subsequently the country we live in; 2) What is Justice?, which focuses on issues of racism, segregation, and discrimination in America and how such issues are represent in two plays - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. A short concluding section follows, titled What Does the Future Hold?, which take a look at technological advancement - past, present, and future - and the impact our inventiveness has had and will have with respect to progress, ethics, and survival for America and for humanity.
In accordance with National Arts Content Standards, the unit includes warm-up exercises, key questions, discussions, acting exercises, readthroughs, improvisation, scenework, and creative writing. By demonstrating historical events through reading plays, discussion, analysis, acting, and playwriting, it is the intent of this unit to foster in the students an understanding of history in order to deal with the present and foresee future problems and possibilities.