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…
Episode 167: Drama Teachers: Solving problems within play production Two drama teachers and co-directors talk about the process of putting on a play, the choices that have to be made and the…
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…
You need scripts. For your classes. For your after school program. For competition. But where do you start? How many catalogues are stacked on your desk right now? Sometimes it's a jungle ou…
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…
Episode 166: Theatre Etiquette 101 When teaching students who are brand-new to theatre, it's important to discuss and apply the expectations of the drama classroom, and the theatrical world.…
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…
You need scripts. For your classes. For your after school program. For competition. But where do you start? How many catalogues are stacked on your desk right now? Sometimes it's a jungle ou…
Cross-Curricular Success Stories "Cross-curricular" is a huge buzz word. We've talked in previous posts about how you can explore other subjects through drama, but what about drama in other …
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…
Episode 165: Drama Teachers: Theatre is community. Michael Wehrli thought he was going to be an actor. Â Then he thought he would be a director. Â And finally found a love for teaching a…
The phrase "a picture tells a thousand words" is pretty well-worn, yet the concept has proven true time and time again. Look at any picture that captures a moment in action – the words…
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…
You need scripts. For your classes. For your after school program. For competition. But where do you start? How many catalogues are stacked on your desk right now? Sometimes it's a jungle ou…
Do you include student directing in your program or are you thinking about introducing it this year? Tfolk playwright Clint Snyder reveals some tips for student directors. Directing can b…
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…
Episode 164: Drama Teachers Directing A Midsummer Night's Dream Four drama teachers talk about their vision, their experience, their successes and their struggles directing A Midsummer Night…
Q&A with Pilar Orti Lindsay Price talked with Pilar Orti, author of Your Handy Companion to Devising and Physical Theatre, about her experiences with devising in the drama classroom. Her…
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 …
You need scripts. For your classes. For your after school program. For competition. But where do you start? How many catalogues are stacked on your desk right now? Sometimes it's a jungle ou…
For some of you, school has already started. For others, that first day is looming right around the corner. Either way, it's easy to get tossed into the whirlwind that is the beginning of th…
As a teacher and director, one of my first priorities at the beginning of a new class or rehearsal process is to learn everyone's names as quickly as possible. It makes students feel importa…
Episode 163: Engaging the Non-Theatre student in the drama classroom The nonÂ-theatre student is a fact of life for every drama teacher. There are those who end up in drama by accident, b…
The following exercise has lots of variations and ways to adapt it for your classroom. No matter what variation you use, however, the ultimate goal (see what I did there?) of the exercise is…
There are many ways to give participation marks in the drama classroom. How do students engage in classroom discussion? How do they participate in warmups and exercises? How do students work…