349 stories by "Kerry Hishon"
As a busy teacher and director, having a great artistic team is essential to a successful school production. Having a great team in place means that you have a supportive, enthusiastic group…
Theatre is such a collaborative art form. As the saying goes, "many hands make light work." Theatrical production assistants come in many forms. Pretty much any crew member or artistic…
If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to get organized, then this post is for you! Teachers are busy people and have a million things to remember. Remembering every student who has …
The following exercise gives students the opportunity to pitch their dream show to the rest of the class. This is a great exercise to do with students after you've polled your class. Now …
"I've got so much to say / if only you would listen!" That's one of my favourite lyrics from School of Rock: The Musical. Students truly wish to be heard, and as teachers, it's our responsib…
It's a new year and a fresh start! If you've been teaching the same classes for a long time, your curriculum might be feeling a bit stale. Yes, it's always going to be different when you tea…
Success in the drama classroom can be a challenging thing to measure. Not all students who take drama want to go on to become professional performers or technicians. Many students take drama…
A class showcase is a great way to share and celebrate what your class has learned in drama class. It gives your students the opportunity to demonstrate the skills they have acquired and put…
So, you've decided to produce a play at your school this year. You've considered all the possibilities of shows to produce and have made a great selection. You have a vision for the show and…
Coming to the end of a show's run is an incredibly emotional experience. You've put hours and hours of work into a project that, in the end, has ceased to exist. Yes, you have the memories y…
Directing a show for your students can be a daunting task. Teachers are busy people! On top of in-class time, lesson planning, marking, administrative tasks, and all the other jobs that aris…
Teachers, when working in rehearsals with your students, are you more of a planner type or a go-with-the-flow type? Do you map out all the blocking and movements in advance, or do you allow …
When directing a show, it can be very useful to "pre-block" a scene ahead of time. "Pre-blocking" means to plan all basic character movements in advance of the rehearsal. This can save a lot…
Rehearsal time is precious"there's usually never enough of it"so when rehearsing a school production, you and your students will want to use your time together as effectively as possible. Pr…
All right! You've decided on the show your school is going to produce this year. You've obtained the performance rights and paid for the royalties. You've got the show dates in place, and yo…
Choosing a show for your school to produce can be challenging. But once you have selected the show, the hard part is done, right? Well, it's one thing crossed off your list, but your list is…
The experience of working on a show is a multifaceted experience, but I think it can really be broken down into two main parts: the product and the process. The product is the final theatric…
So, your school is mounting a production this year? Fantastic! Mounting a school production is a wonderful learning opportunity for students and staff alike. It's also a big challenge. Teach…
A Small Group Writing Exercise Iambic pentameter is a style of poetry, which refers to a certain number of syllables in a line and the emphasis placed on the syllables. While he did not inve…
Spoken word is poetry that is meant to be performed for an audience, rather than just read on a page. Spoken word has a freedom to it. Spoken word poems can use alliteration, rhyme, repetiti…
Radio plays are theatrical performances that are purely auditory; they're meant to be performed on the radio, hence the name! There is no visual aspect, so performers must rely on their voca…
Unless you've been living under a rock, you're hyperaware of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical Hamilton, which has won Tony Awards, a Grammy, the Pulitzer Prize, and the accolades of everyone fro…
Drama classes are naturally noisy, chaotic places. Take a whole bunch of energetic, creative, enthusiastic students who have been sitting down in other classes for hours, fill them to the br…
During the first week of class, it's imperative to inform students about classroom rules and expectations in order to get started on a positive note. However, how boring is it to just stand …
