Challenges Articles for Drama Teachers

Divergent learning is all about extending from a common point in many different directions — seeing multiple solutions, embracing different ways of thinking, and acknowledging that every individual...

What do you do when you enter the drama classroom, ready to teach, and half your students aren’t in class? Maybe it’s due to illness, a field trip, it being the last week before winter break, the...

It might happen in rehearsal, before an improvised scene, or just before a student is about to step onstage — the student freezes, panics, or shuts down, and the words “I can’t do this” fall from...

Creativity often flourishes in the face of challenges. When we lack certain tools, resources, or ideal circumstances, we are forced to think differently, adapt, and innovate. Instead of viewing...

In Part 1 of our How to Use a Small Cast Play in Your Drama Classroom article, we shared two different analysis-based exercises that focus specifically on small cast shows. Now we’re going to focus...

In our last post, we challenged students to create elevated costume looks using only black clothing and accessories. This time, we’ll have one costume item and challenge students to style it...

If you’re working on a show with a tiny budget, one way many drama teachers have saved funds is by having student actors wear “rehearsal blacks” onstage — plain black pants and long-sleeve shirts....

Have you ever had a student come up to you after drama class or rehearsal and say, “I can’t do (xyz) that we’ve been working on. It’s too hard!” That can be difficult to hear, especially if you’ve...

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 character and...

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.” But...

We reached out to you, our amazing community, through social media to ask, What are your biggest props/costume challenges for your productions or upcoming show?.Turns out, there are lots of...

Do you consider yourself a theatrical specialist with one definite focus? Or are you more the multi-passionate type? I certainly don’t ascribe to the “jack of all trades, master of none” train of...

It’s never a question of “if” something will go wrong during a theatrical production…it’s completely a case of “when” something will go wrong! But when things do inevitably go wrong, will you and...

Our next casting challenge is the exact opposite of our last post. What happens when you have fewer actors than named parts in the script? This can be a great acting challenge for students, as it...

Imagine this: You’ve just completed your audition for the school production. You’re feeling really confident and happy with your performance. You can’t wait to find out who is going to be playing...

Student actors are frequently cast into a role that is totally outside their comfort zone. They might have to portray someone completely different than themselves, with radically different beliefs...

How do you get students to work together in a creation? Try this pre-exercise to have students practice collaborating to make a finished product. It’s an exercise that has been around for years but...