Design and make a theatrical costume for one of the novel's main characters, such as Pip, Estella, Miss Havisham or Magwitch -- for an art or theater studies project. The objective of the project is to portray the dual aspect of a character's personality or life's fortune through the costume design. For instance, Pip's costume could combine the essence of the working-class boy together with the rich gentleman he became in the story. Likewise, Miss Havisham's costume can display the sad contrast of the once young and happy bride and the decay of sadness, disappointment and a wasted life. This project requires extensive research into period costume, the novel and an innovative playful approach.
In this project, design a set for the stage or television of a specific chapter scene in "Great Expectations." The designer can interpret the book in a traditional, contemporary manner or a mixture of both ways, but the set design must only reflect the themes of madness and cruelty that are personified through the characters of Miss Havisham and Estella. Produce a sketchbook of potential design drawings or a mounted full-color sketch of the selected set design and make a small-scale paper set model.
Musical expectations is an idea suitable for a collaborative group project. The students will write a short musical and contemporary adaptation of the novel in a stage play format, accompanied by musical lyrics and music recorded onto a CD. Finally, they will produce a group performance of the short musical on stage or on DVD. This project requires thorough research of the story and co-operative and creative teamwork.
Make either a short stop-motion animation or an editorial-style cartoon strip based on the plot line of "Great Expectations." In the cartoon or animation, the focus is on the time before the story opens or after the story ends, which gives a cartoonist or an animator the creative license to offer a new perspective on the famous story. The story angle can also take place from any character's life or point of view before or after Dickens' novel.