349 stories by "Kerry Hishon"
Respect and inclusivity are vital in the drama classroom. One way to demonstrate respect and inclusivity is to use students' personal pronouns correctly. How does a person wish to be referre…
Teaching is an incredibly rewarding profession; many even consider teaching to be their calling. Theatre and drama teachers have the privilege of sharing their passion for performing arts wi…
Working from home has become the new normal for many of us, and with it comes new challenges. The line between home life and school life has become increasingly blurred with distance learnin…
As we are quickly discovering, distance learning has its share of challenges. There's new technology to navigate, lessons and assignments to adapt for use outside of the classroom, near-cons…
The term "self-care" is often met with eye-rolling and sarcastic laughter. We equate self-care with basking in a Jacuzzi with a fancy drink, taking a luxury cruise, or "treating yo'self" wit…
We're in the midst of a global pandemic and we've been thrown into a situation with many unknowns. We don't know when we'll be able to safely see our friends and family in person. We don't k…
The following exercise has a straightforward premise: watch a movie musical and analyze it! This written exercise helps students practice skills including analytical and critical thinking, o…
It's fun and interesting to imagine alternate endings to our favourite musicals. What if Annie had ended up being adopted by Lily and Rooster in Annie? What if the Von Trapp family wasn't ab…
The following exercise challenges students to take on the role of costume designer and come up with a modern look for a character from a different era. Students will learn about the characte…
Distance Learning Note: This blog post is written for an in-class scavenger hunt. But, this is an activity that can easily be adapted for distance learning. Students can work independently t…
The purpose of this group exercise is to see how technical effects can change the mood and atmosphere of a performed scene. Students will have the opportunity to perform and observe others, …
The exercises listed below can be adapted to distance and online learning opportunities. Students work individually (rather than with partners or in groups). Group work and discussions can b…
The exercises listed below can be adapted to distance and online learning opportunities. Students work individually (rather than with partners or in groups). Group work and discussions can b…
The exercises listed below can be adapted to distance and online learning opportunities. Students work individually (rather than with partners or in groups). Group work and discussions can b…
The phrase "technical theatre" can be intimidating for some drama teachers. They may feel that they don't have adequate experience to teach technical theatre, or that they just aren't "tech-…
The exercises listed below can be adapted to distance and online learning opportunities. Students work individually (rather than with partners or in groups). Group work and discussions can b…
The exercises listed below can be adapted to distance and online learning opportunities. Students work individually (rather than with partners or in groups). Group work and discussions can b…
We all know the value of a great stage manager, and it's important to give students the opportunity to take on this vital role. However, if your student stage manager has never done the job …
Technical theatre is not my specialty. I admire the creative types who create artful mood lighting, whip together fabulous costumes, make props with little more than glue and glitter, and bu…
Rehearsing for your school production is hard work. There is an abundance of decisions to be made, students to manage, and schedules to maintain. It can be overwhelming to even the most orga…
Warm-ups are vital for the rehearsal process, to get students' bodies and minds ready to work. They should include three parts " physical, vocal, and mental. Some students will resist warmin…
Cancelling a show is a difficult decision. There isn't a "one answer fits all" solution " it must be handled on a case-by-case basis. As much as possible, I believe that "the show must go on…
We all have grand plans when we're directing shows. We want our students to engage with the material and rise to the challenges presented. We want our shows to look spectacular. However, in …
Creating an effective rehearsal schedule is a crucial part of a school production's success. There are many important rehearsals to allot time for, including this one: the off-book rehearsal…
This month we're focusing on helping different types of students in your drama class succeed. In the fourth and final part of this series, we're focusing on the class clowns. Going back to t…
