Digital and Social Media Application -- Ode to an Orange

The project of re-imagining “Ode to an Orange” is something that brings up interesting conversations in a theatre classroom. First it could be used in discussing the performance of a non-theatrical text, or the performance art of every day life. This particular project, in relation to this poem, could be very interesting as well if you made sure that the orange was the central characterized focus of your new medium. It would pose its own set of challenges, but it would also allow students to look at what makes a character come to life as they bring to life this inanimate object.

Another adaptation of this assignment could have students also look at the subject of this poem and devise a character off of what is known about him, and create a social or digital media resource off of that, whether it be a Facebook page or a Tinder profile.

Naturally, this poem lends itself to storytelling as well, and this project could be used as part of a greater storytelling unit. A unit that involves telling the stories behind this poem could also start with finding the modern stories that exist in social and digital media upon converting this poem. Finding a story and creating just that story would allow students to engage with the text in a familiar language, making the story a part of who they are as students in a digital era, and allow them to find parts of these stories that engage them.