Teaching Drama

Do you notice any of these common issues when your middle school students perform monologues in competition? • They’re overcome with nerves. • They’re unable to grow their characters beyond...

Here’s a unit you can use that combines technology, drama, and cross-curricular learning. Talk about a multi-purpose activity! Since the unit involves speeches, it’s probably best-suited to...

““There are two ways of spreading light – to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” ~Edith Wharton” I was very lucky growing up where I did. I grew up in North Bay, Ontario, Canada....

How often do you self-evaluate?Teachers ask students to evaluate themselves all the time. Self-evaluation is an important part of the learning process; it cultivates critical thinking skills, it...

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...

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...

The importance of Arts Education is hard to quantify. The Arts excel at improving intangible skills (e.g. communication, self-expression, creative and critical thinking) which don’t graph as well...

TED is an organization that arranges conferences around the notion of “Ideas Worth Spreading.” Many of the talks centre around science and technology, but they also have a healthy amount of...

Enjoy this replay of our January 2014 LIVE Drama Teacher Hangout. The topic was “Directing First Time Actors” with Forrest Musselman, a theatre teacher who shared some very valuable tips for...

This is part four of Script Analysis. You can get part one here, part two here, and part three here. The first few Script Analysis articles focused on finding the information that the playwright...

I am a huge fan of tongue twisters in the theatre classroom. They have so many uses. They get a group focused & relaxed, they help warm up the voice, they get the lips and tongue limber and ready...

At a recent conference middle school teacher Adam Moreno from the University School of Milwaukee shared with me how he uses Agatha Rex in the classroom: students work on, self-direct, and present...

This is part three of Script Analysis. You can get part one here and part two here. Here’s an activity that will give you a great amount of detail on your character and their relationship with the...

I received the trailer below for a production of Tuna Fish Eulogy and I think it’s great. It’s basically a commercial for the show, but also gives a clear indication of the style of the production,...

“A dark ride is an indoor amusement ride where riders in guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music, and special effects. – Wikipedia” As a...

I’m working on a new play in a different way this month. It’s going to be from the ground up with a class. When we had the first meeting a student raised their hand and asked “What’s this play...

This post is the second of three posts about preparing for the typical high school competition. Part One looked at the most important question when choosing your competition piece, and in Part Two...

As teachers we share a lot with our students – from lessons to life skills. We recently asked drama teachers: What is the one thing I never want my students to forget? • It is ok to be different. –...