349 stories by "Kerry Hishon"
"I don't want to be an actor!" is one reason why students may not want to take drama class. However, there are a whole host of careers in the theatre that aren't acting. The following indivi…
Here is a group project that is a great complement to our last blog post, Theatre in the Real World: Theatre Company Profile. Your students have been introduced to various theatre companies,…
The following project is a research assignment, where students will research and present a written profile of an existing theatre company. To complete the project, they will need to make a n…
In this small group exercise, students will write a creative summary of the plot of a play using the ABCB, or "simple 4-line" rhyme scheme. This exercise focuses on creative thinking and tea…
Advertisements and commercials can be entertaining, educational, heart wrenching, and hilarious. Ultimately though, the goal is to grab your attention, tell you about the product, and get yo…
Many students take drama class not because they want to, but because they have to. They might need an arts credit to graduate, or there aren't any other options for them to have a full class…
The following theatre game is a variation of the exercise "The 20 Step Process". In The 20 Step Process, students are challenged to make a simple task comically complicated. In Origin Story,…
Speed up! Slow down! Hurry hurry " but hang on! Sometimes you need some speed-related prompts for your improvisation games or playwriting projects, and we won't keep you waiting. Here is a c…
The following exercise challenges students to explore character movement by focusing on the speed of movements. This exercise is mental and physical " students will brainstorm a list of char…
We recently discussed how to help students who are rushing their lines and movements. Now we're solving the opposite problem: what to do when the scenes are dragging and putting the audience…
A director friend recently sent me a message asking for advice about how to help her students with their upcoming show. Hi Kerry, Any tips on helping my students to slow down and sto…
Stage combat is more than simply memorizing choreography and learning proper technique. Yes, those are extremely important for ensuring that the stage combat is safely and properly executed.…
A fight captain is a vital part of the artistic team. They are a member of the cast who assists the fight director and helps to maintain the stage combat choreography during the run of the s…
So, you've decided to produce a show at your school that requires some stage combat. Awesome! Now, it's time to reach out to a qualified and experienced fight director (FD) to choreograph th…
This month, we are diving into the world of stage combat. If you dream of directing an action-packed show like The Three Musketeers, Robin Hood, or Treasure Island, then you'll have to deal …
This exercise is inspired by the theatre game The Machine, where students work together to create parts of a factory machine with repeated movements and sound. In The 20-Step Process, we tak…
There are times when you need a game that doesn't require much explanation to get started. This is a great game to play with your students at the end of the term when they (or you) are feeli…
The following exercise is a large-scale culminating project for your entire class. Students will form small groups and work together to create design concepts for a play in six areas of …
If you've spent approximately 3.1 seconds on the internet, you'll have encountered a meme. If you've seen or heard of Grumpy Cat, Condescending Wonka, Surprised Pikachu, Woman Yelling at a C…
What better way to welcome students into the drama department than allowing them to make a grand entrance through a decorated door? Many teachers enjoy door decorating for holiday contests, …
Sometimes you just need a tiny prompt to serve your purpose, but other times you need a whole bunch of big, huge, and GIANT prompts! To get your students thinking big, we've got a giganti…
"Bigger! Louder! More, more, more!" We always want our drama students to push themselves to be larger than life onstage and in class. How can we help our students raise the stakes and bring …
One of the (many!) wonderful things about theatre is that magic becomes real on the stage. Fantastical stories are brought to life in the most inventive and interesting ways to keep audience…
The following exercise gives students the opportunity to practice active listening, teamwork, taking direction, and problem solving as a group. Acting as an ensemble with a student director,…
Good things come in small packages, and with that, we've got a big collection of tiny prompts to get your students thinking big about small things. If you'd like even more prompts, you can f…
