1,392 stories from Theatrefolk
What makes a good monologue? What criteria do you give to your students? Before students start writing their own monologues, it's important for them to be able to identify and assess the ele…
See the bottom of the post for a PDF printable form of the exercise to share with your students, complete with Monologue Checklist and Post-Exercise Reflection! Who is the most interesting p…
Episode 125: Costuming with a Vision Does the thought of costuming a show fill you with dread? Are you always resorting to colourful t-shirts and jeans because that's all you have time for? …
Whether you’re performing your first role or your fortieth, Theatrefolk has a great roundup of guides to help you prepare for your role, to analyze the script from a few different a…
Character Analysis can be done in many forms. You can analyze a character in a play you're studying. You can analyze a character you're playing in a production. You can analyze a character i…
How do people create illusion out of harsh reality? In the play A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche Dubois works hard at creating an illusion. She tells lies about her past so that others see …
Episode 124: Using Theatre in China Nick Cala is a high school teacher in China. He's putting up a play for the first time with Chinese students who are studying to attend American un…
Have you ever listened to a singer who hits all the right notes but there's still something missing? When you sing, especially in a musical, there are necessary elements. Having proper techn…
“Shakespeare is too hard… Shakespeare is too old… I can't relate to Shakespeare….” It's one thing to tell students that they should study Shakespeare, it's another thing to…
"When planning drama experiences teachers should provide students with many opportunities for reflection and self-evaluation. Through reflection students may extend and clarify their underst…
Ideas are not magical ponies. They don't appear instantly. Writers know they have to look for ideas. The more they look for them, the more ideas they have. The key with ideas is not to focus…
Episode 123: Teaching Life Skills Through Drama Has anyone ever said to you "It's just drama. It's just theatre. It's not important." All drama teachers know the importance of their progr…
The biggest obstacle to writing a play often comes before the first word. It happens in the idea stage. Â I want to write, but my ideas are stupid. I know I could write something gr…
Characters come alive in the smallest details: a favourite food, a favourite type of music, a fear of spiders, an allergy to plums, a scar from a fall at two years of age, a love of reality …
Critical Thinking is a buzzword. It's one of the keystone 21st century skills. How do we incorporate critical thinking into the drama classroom? Provide steps not buzzwords Critical thinking…
Episode 122: Copyright Cleared Up Do you  have to pay royalties on a show if there's no ticket price? Are adaptations are always in the public domain? Craig Mason. Theatrefolk's own co…
Copyright Law affects all Drama teachers, students and educators. Anyone who has anything to do with a play – be it photocopying the text for class, performing it in front of an…
Drama is one of the few classes that teachers real world skills. This is something that every drama teacher knows well. You know this. Despite resistance you may receive from parents,…
Episode 121: Middle School Play Mania: multiple plays with multiple classes Middle School Teacher Jessica Stafford isn't just doing one play. She's doing a play with multiple classes. And sh…
The first week of drama class can be the toughest week of the semester. A drama class is quite different than a “regular” class. Students need to be comfortable with each other b…
The start of a new year holds many promises. I will make a resolution! I will change my life! I will….do something for two weeks and then go back to my old way of doing things. Â Becaus…
You hate teaching Shakespeare. It happens. You're just not one of those people who are beholden to the bard. But he's in your face. He's in your classroom. And the only way you're going to m…
Picture Prompt:Â The Unexplainable November is Picture Prompt Month here at Theatrefolk! That means we've got a month of Picture prompts for your Saturday exercise. Each picture comes with…
Episode 120: Writing the Reflective Review Do you tear your hair out when students write play reviews? "It was good…it was ok….it sucked." Writing an objective and reflective review …
We have a guest post this week! Please welcome Mel Bondar of brokeGIRLrich Everything about the arts seems dramatic and romantic " especially to middle school and high school students (and l…
