Costumes are such a fantastic way of making the story of a show come alive. Costumes help students really understand and embody their characters. Costumes can also clearly and easily demonst…
Getting to try on a new costume for the first time is one of every student's favourite parts of the rehearsal process. A costume helps so much to tell the story of the show, and helps stu…
It's rare that a student will select the absolute perfect monologue to show exactly everything they're capable of doing onstage. One monologue can only go so far in showing a student's actin…
Cold reading (or sight reading) is where actors read aloud from a script, scene, or text with little to no advanced preparation. It's frequently used in auditions either instead of or in …
In our last post, we talked about creating a monologue notebook to help students collect and reflect on various monologues that could be useful for any upcoming auditions. In this post, we'l…
Finding the perfect monologue for an upcoming audition is often challenging. Students want to have the best piece possible, but may not know how to go about finding a good monologue, or what…
When you've reached the end of the semester or completed your school show, it's likely your students will be dealing with some post-show blues or wondering " what is the next step? Hopefully…
"Special needs" is a broad term that describes individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Every student with special needs is differen…
As drama educators, we obviously believe that the arts should be a crucial part of a student's academic experience. Do a quick web search of "why study the arts?" and hundreds of articles in…
In a scene from the Broadway production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the lead character Christopher explains how he solved a difficult math problem for his A-level e…
You've gotten the go-ahead from your school's principal to produce a show this year! You have an awesome show in mind that would be absolutely perfect for your students, and you can't wait t…
It's never a question of "if" something will go wrong during a theatrical production…it's completely a case of "when" something will go wrong! But when things do inevitably go wrong, will …
Show programs (also known as playbills) are the easiest way to share important production information with the audience. Programs are a method of acknowledging all the hard work done by the …
The role of the producer is often a mysterious one and hard to define. No two producers are alike, and each producer sees his or her job differently. In the simplest terms, a producer's job …
When students are looking to get involved in theatre, do they have the needed skills? We aren't just talking about "hard skills." Hard skills are the specific abilities or knowledge needed t…
Creating a theatrical production is a group effort. For every student who appears onstage, there are even more students, staff members, and volunteers who help breathe life into the producti…
Real talk: Teachers, it is likely you won't have every item on your props, costume, and set wishlists for the show. It is also unlikely that you are staging your show with an unlimited budge…
Producing a musical is a big job " the cast sizes are generally bigger, the costs to produce the show are usually higher, and of course the artistic staff team is bigger. In addition to the …
In our recent post 3 Tips for Keeping Your Voice Healthy, we discussed three ways for students to focus on vocal health and vocal hygiene, working from the inside out (focusing on good healt…
Isn't it funny how some students are loud and enthusiastic during break time, but once they're onstage, their voices seem to disappear? No, you haven't lost your hearing " it's one of the ma…
Student actors often find it challenging to create a character with a unique-sounding voice " that is, to make their character not sound just like they do themselves. Whether students are tr…
Vocal health and hygiene are crucial for drama students. Whether students are working on monologues, group scenes, or musical numbers, having a healthy voice is a must. It's important for dr…
One of the exciting aspects of rehearsal is experimenting with the text of the script and figuring out what the characters are saying and how they should say it. Each approach to the text wi…
Teachers and directors " have you ever watched a run of your show, noticed a particular student, and wondered, "Now where did that performance come from?!" I'm talking about the student who …
For those students who love dancing, simply mentioning the word "dance" gets them up on their feet and immediately moving. For other students, the idea of pirouettes, step-touches, and fan k…