349 stories by "Kerry Hishon"
Students often come to drama class with big goals: Get the lead in the show! Become a performing star! And while some students might make great steps towards achieving those big goals, most …
Do you want your students to show you MORE onstage during a heightened emotional scene? "Joshua, can you be more sad here?" "Sannah, I think your character needs to be more angry right now."…
The following exercise gives students the opportunity to explore different ways of approaching and performing a two-person scene, using two different levels of volume: only whispering and sh…
Can you tell a great story in six minutes? How about in six seconds? You definitely can. Prior to TikTok, there was Vine " a short-form video hosting app where users created and shared six-s…
As a director, I cannot stress enough to my students how frustrating it is to have to give the same note over and over during rehearsals. It feels like I'm not being listened to, and it wast…
We do TONS of group work in drama class, and it's important for students to have the opportunity to work with a variety of their peers. Working with different classmates allows students to g…
I have yet to meet a student who didn't cringe (inwardly or outwardly!) at the start of a new semester or the first rehearsal when they hear their teacher say, "Ok, let's go around the circl…
It's a new school year and in the hustle and bustle of getting classrooms organized, learning students' names, and completing all the start-of-term tasks, please take a moment to pause, brea…
In improvisation, one of the first rules that drama students are commonly taught is to always say, "Yes, and…" to continue the story. Basically, agree with presented concepts to keep the s…
The following warm-up exercise is simple, but can evoke some powerful feelings and reactions. It's a great exercise to help students develop their self-awareness and practice consent and …
Consent can be a touchy subject in the classroom. Many students immediately think that consent refers to intimacy, such as embraces or stage kisses. While that is an important part of consen…
We've got another prompt collection here for you! These prompts are all animal-related " thinking about unusual animals, moving like animals, speaking like animals, encountering animals, and…
One of the biggest predictors of a student's success in the drama classroom and their school productions is whether or not they're putting in the work on their own outside of the in-school r…
Picture this scenario: You're in drama class with your students. They've been divided into small groups, each group has a scene to work on, and you've given them the instructions: "You have …
Have you ever had a student come up to you after drama class or rehearsal and say, "I can't do (xyz) that we've been working on. It's too hard!" That can be difficult to hear, especially if …
This article was inspired by a situation that happened to me. Recently, I was directing a production of Disney's Descendants: The Musical with a cast of 23 amazing students in grades 8, 9, a…
Teachers are special people. Yes, you are! You do so much for your students and wear so many different hats. But teachers are human as well. You may feel frustrated with your students' appar…
The following is a choice board exercise about making tough decisions, within a theatrical context. Students will select one of the six activities below to complete. Some of the options are …
A choice board is a visual tool that teachers can use in their classrooms to allow students to… make choices! Choice boards consist of two or more options of activities for students to com…
Starting your class with bell work or a journal prompt is a great way to get students into the drama class mindset. Some teachers like to have students brainstorm a list of ideas or respo…
The phrase "educate yourself!" gets thrown around a lot, especially online. It's tough when, as a teacher, you are trying to learn more about topics you're unfamiliar with so you can better …
Time is one of the biggest challenges for a drama teacher trying to put on a production. There's never enough rehearsal time. Some rehearsals drag on forever, while others speed by in the bl…
Mindfulness is all about being fully present in the moment without judgement. Practicing mindfulness is helpful for drama students, because it can help them combat pre-show jitters. Instead …
Being organized before a performance keeps everyone calm and prevents offstage drama. A great way to stay organized is to create a pre-show checklist " a list of all the tasks each theatrica…
Giving and receiving feedback are skills that take practice. Students may worry that they will offend their peers or hurt their feelings while giving feedback. It also takes practice for stu…
