Classroom Exercises

Looking for a quick activity, a skill-building exercise, or a fresh way to get students on their feet? This collection of classroom exercises is here to help.

Explore practical, ready-to-use drama exercises designed to build focus, creativity, collaboration, confidence, and performance skills. Whether you’re warming up the room, introducing a new concept, or giving students a chance to explore character, movement, voice, or ensemble work, these exercises are a great place to start.

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Games, Exercises, & Activities SEL/Reflection Activities

Student Goal Setting Exercise: The Wish Jar

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 to get...

Games, Exercises, & Activities Improv

“What did you say?” Active Listening in the Drama Classroom

““Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” -Stephen R. Covey” How many times have you been giving instruction in class and when you get to the...

Curriculum & Lesson Planning Lesson Plans & Projects

Life is Meaningless: Theatre of the Absurd

Theatre is all about change. Not only do we want to look back and identify origins, but it’s also important to explore theatre history to see how the form evolves. Often that evolution comes from...

Curriculum & Lesson Planning Cross-Curricular

Connecting the Past to the Present: Modernizing a Scene

When working with historical theatre pieces by playwrights like Shakespeare and Marlowe, a common complaint is that their diction is difficult for students to understand. One way to help students...

Games, Exercises, & Activities Classroom Exercises

Nonverbal Communication Exercises for the Drama Class

How do we communicate without words? We communicate without words every day. A frown and crossed arms communicates a clear message, as does a nod, wink, or a “come here” gesture. There’s the...

Acting Technique

Top 5 Acting Exercises for Drama Students

Need acting exercises for your drama classroom? Here are 5 of Theatrefolk’s most popular exercises to help inspire student actors, from monologues to ensembles. 1.“Channel That Fear”Fear is such a...

Games, Exercises, & Activities Classroom Exercises

12 Days of Classroom Exercises

We’re counting down the 12 Days of Christmas with 12 of our most popular Classroom Exercises! No matter which holidays you celebrate, these exercises are a useful tool to keep in your back pocket –...

Games, Exercises, & Activities Classroom Exercises

Mixed Messages: Communication Exercise for Drama Students

A mixed message is when someone communicates two conflicting ideas at the same time, making it unclear what they really mean. This can happen through: • Words vs. actions (saying one thing, “I’ll...

Games, Exercises, & Activities Classroom Exercises

Lesson Plan: Focus & Listening Exercise

Communication skills are important in life and in the drama classroom. Whether you want your students to be focused on their scene partner, active listening in an improv scenario, or doing both in...

Games, Exercises, & Activities Classroom Exercises

Silent Communication Exercise for the Drama Classroom

Communication is not just what we say – nonverbal actions play a huge part as well. How we stand, gesture, make eye contact, all of these physical choices communicate. Use this nonverbal exercise...

Curriculum & Lesson Planning Cross-Curricular

Shakespeare Exercise: Reframe the play

This is a great classroom exercise to not only have fun with Shakespeare but to also see how well students can re-frame which ever Shakespeare play they are studying. Take a character from one...

Games, Exercises, & Activities Classroom Exercises

Worst Case Scenario Exercise

How does your class collaborate in a crisis? To collaborate is to work together as a group to produce something. In this case, each group has to work together to create a list. But it’s not just...

Games, Exercises, & Activities Classroom Exercises

Mirror Game: Modified!

The mirror game is a great stand-by in the theatre class. Students are grouped in pairs and face each other. One acts as the leader, moving their arms, legs, head, face, in a slow steady pattern so...

Games, Exercises, & Activities Classroom Exercises

Classroom Exercise: Round Robin

One of the keys to Classroom Management is getting students to work well together. Group work is tricky if students don’t know one another. Why should I share something with this guy who doesn’t...

Games, Exercises, & Activities Classroom Exercises

Relationships in Romeo and Juliet

“Go, counsellor: Thou and my bosom henceforth shall be twain.” Juliet, Act III, scene v There are more relationships in Romeo and Juliet than just the one between Romeo and Juliet. We have...

Games, Exercises, & Activities Classroom Exercises

Exercise: Create a World

Students often get hung up on the notion that in the theatre, sets, costumes, and props all have to meet the standard of the movies. The world of the play has to be three-dimensional and real. A...

Games, Exercises, & Activities Classroom Exercises

Exercise: Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast

““I’m just one hundred and one, five months and a day.” “I can’t believe that!” said Alice. “Can’t you?” the Queen said in a pitying tone. “Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes.” Alice...

Acting Technique Character Development

Character Analysis Exercise

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 in...