Class Project

A 48-hour theatre project can energize students, build community, and teach collaboration under pressure. The idea is that you have a play, you have your actors, and you commit to being together from Friday night at 5:00pm until Sunday night at 6:30pm when the play is over. Read a play, cast a play, play games, develop techniques and characters, build sets, create props, set lighting, and put on a play in 48 hours. Go from script to a full production in this immersive weekend event by following our top 10 tips.  1. Use the project as an exciting launch to the theatre season.The 48-hour event serves as a motivating kickoff for students returning to school, and creates excitement for students new to your program. It builds early enthusiasm before a major production later in the year. 2. Keep the creative time short on purpose.A tight deadline forces students to make decisions quickly, trust their instincts, and avoid perfectionism. You have 48 hours and you have to make a choice. You can’t ruminate on what’s going to be the best choice; you make a choice and run with it. The time crunch boosts creativity rather than stifling it.  3. Choose material that balances familiarity, simplicity, and challenge.Pick plays that feature characters similar in age to your students and explore relatable issues. This helps students connect emotionally while still experimenting with new roles and perspectives. The structure is great for encouraging students to try something out of their comfort zone in this limited time frame. And always ask yourself the question: Can we technically manage this in 48 hours? You want to choose something that you can put on its feet quickly; don’t get bogged down by complicated technical elements.  4. Plan, prepare, and get permission.A project like this needs a lot of pre-weekend prep. You need to secure administrative approval; arrange parent communication, support, and permission (perhaps have an information meeting beforehand); organize food (do you have a parent booster group who could do this?), where and how students will sleep and who is going to supervise; find out and repeat over and over the rules for spending the night in the theatre. This is a special circumstance and you’re going to have a lot of people on board to make it happen. Add to that you want to have available simple props, costumes, crafting materials, and set pieces that students can use.  5.  Establish a clear structure for the weekend.The time frame should follow a specific rhythm: Friday - ensemble building exercises, read-through and casting, Saturday - blocking and design, Sunday - run-throughs and performance. Having a clear routine will help when things get chaotic. On that note… 6. Embrace the chaos.It will be chaotic and you will be racing to beat the performance deadline. It will be challenging but it will also be extremely rewarding. Your students will be proud of what they’ve accomplished.  7. Keep the group small enough to bond.It’s easy to expand the scope of this project to include everyone who wants to participate, but consider limiting the event to about 20 students. A small group fosters teamwork, ensemble building, and keeps supervision manageable. It ensures engagement over “crowd control.”  8. Make auditions informal and low-stress.It’s all over in 48 hours. The longer you take with auditions, the less time you’ll have to rehearse. One suggestion is to cast the play based on the initial read-through and student introductions. Have students volunteer for certain roles and then switch it up after a few pages. This keeps the environment welcoming and maintains excitement rather than introducing competition. 9. Emphasize student input in design and tech.Make the whole process about student ownership. Students should contribute set ideas, create props, manage lights and sound. Have a student stage manager. Do you have students who play instruments? Have them create live music for the show. Include a student choreographer. Let them do it all! 10. Prioritize support, trust, and peer collaboration.These types of events bring students together like no other. Students help each other with their lines, cues, and quick-problem solving all with the goal to bring a play to life. To make that bond happen, trust is essential. Do ensemble building exercises and make sure everyone knows each other. It may feel like it’s taking time away from learning the play, but it will help you in the long run. 

It’s that age-old drama classroom conundrum: Final projects have been completed, but there are still a handful of school days to fill before the year officially ends. This can be a challenging time for teachers who are expected to keep their students occupied in creative and appropriate ways. To help fill this drama class downtime, here are four activities to keep your classroom engaged all the way to year's end. Theatre Game RoundupIf your classroom is anything like mine, you know that some classroom activities are more popular than others. Whether they are warm-up exercises, focus activities, or improv games, these are the games and activities students want to participate in again and again. So why not fill these extra days AND provide an informal review of previous classroom activities by leading your students through a re-playing of your classroom’s “greatest hits”? • Work with your class to generate a list of their favorite classroom theatre games and activities. Help them remember activities that happened earlier in the year they may have forgotten. • Write each item on a slip of paper. • Place the slips of paper into a hat (or bag, box, etc.). • Have a student pull a slip from the hat and read it out loud. • As a class, go through the steps of the game. • Have a student lead the activity. • At the conclusion of the activity, have a lightning round discussion asking students why they like the game and what they learned by playing it. • Draw the next slip of paper and go again! Lip Sync BattleA classroom lip sync battle is an engaging, high-energy activity where students perform choreographed routines, lip-syncing to popular songs. Groups can compete head to head, or in a round-robin format where everyone goes at least once. Here is how to structure a classroom lip sync battle: • Students work in small groups, either chosen or approved by the teacher. • All lip synced songs must be approved by the teacher. • Song cuttings will be between 30 and 90 seconds long. • Choreography must be included and must be school appropriate. • Props and costumes are welcome but not required. Personal or common classroom items can be used. • Groups are given a set amount of time to choreograph and rehearse their songs. • Determine how winners are chosen (e.g., enthusiasm of audience applause, teacher input). • Awards such as Most Creative, Most Dramatic, or Best Use of Props can be presented, making sure that every group receives an award. • If you want to use a rubric, review with students the rubric criteria ahead of time. Of course, it can just be for fun too! Click below for a Lip Sync Battle Rubric! Improv OlympicsOrganizing a classroom Improv Olympics involves dividing students into teams, setting up varied improv game challenges, and scoring based on creativity, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Here are some quick, simple improv games that are great for head-to-head competition: • Questions only: Players create a scene in which they can only ask each other questions. The first player not to ask a question will get buzzed out and a new player will come in to challenge the remaining player. • ABC Game: Two players will create a scene in which they must start each sentence with the next letter of the alphabet. Students can challenge each other by trying to successfully get through the alphabet in the shortest amount of time. Mistakes in the order of the alphabet result in a five-second penalty. • Operation Gibberish: Two teams of two compete in this game. • Both teams are sent into “isolation.” • While they are in isolation the class determines a secret objective that must be completed by the team (say a word, perform a simple task, etc.). • The first player of Team 1 is retrieved and told the task they must get their teammate to accomplish. However, the first player may only speak in gibberish. • Their teammate enters and the scene begins. Player one speaks in gibberish trying to get player two to accomplish the assigned task. • The scene is timed and the time ends when the second player completes the assigned task. • Player one from Team 2 is then brought in and given the same challenge. • Player two enters and the scene begins. • Team 2 plays until the objective is met. Their scene is timed. • The team with the quickest time wins a point. Click below for more games! Shakespearian Insult PostersIf you have a group of students who are reluctant to engage in performance, you can set them on this fun design project instead. Shakespeare was famous for his clever and cutting insults, and the imagery he used was quite colorful. Consequently, his insults are a perfect vehicle for visual interpretation in poster form. Here’s how to bring it into your classroom: Materials • Poster-sized paper • Markers, crayons, or other art materials To create poster • Put students into small groups. • Give each group a list of Shakespearian insults. (A list of insults is available for free below.) • Have each member of a group choose one insult they would like to illustrate. • As a group, have the students design the layout of their poster. Have them think of the following: • A “frame” element around the edge of the paper • A title block for the poster • The design of their individual images • The location of each illustrated insult • The uniform size of each illustration • A coordinated color pallet • Have students determine who is responsible for each section of the poster. • Give students a set amount of time to work on their poster. (If you have a large amount of time to fill, require more elements and details on their posters.) • When time is up, have students present their posters to the class. Their presentation should include information about: • Their design process • Why they chose their insults • The most challenging part of the project • What they enjoyed the most Click below for a list of Shakespearian insults!

The end of the school year usually comes with a couple of school days that didn’t quite fit into the calendar. Final projects and presentations have been completed, but there are still one or two class periods left to fill. Add to that, everyone is tired and just wants to have some fun. When those days come along, try this project that combines creative problem solving with costume design. It’s hands on, encourages student collaboration, and is FUN! Recycled Fairytale FashionMaterials • A supply of tape — something cheap and plentiful such as masking, painters, or duct. • A large collection of clean, recycled materials: paper, styrofoam, plastic sheeting, foam peanuts, etc. Instruction • Assemble students into groups of four. In each group three people will be the Designers and one person will be the Model. • Tell the groups they will be designing and building the costume for a character from a fairytale. They may choose a character from one of the following tales, or suggest an alternative character (to be approved by you): • Cinderella • Red Riding Hood • Prince Charming • Puss in Boots • Give groups 10 minutes to plan the design of their costume. A Brainstorm Sheet is provided in the download to give students a place to think about the character’s personality, how that can be translated into clothing, and the look the group is going for with their costume. Body silhouettes are also provided so groups can sketch out their ideas. • Groups will present their finished costume and explain their fashion and design choices. A Costume Breakdown Sheet is provided in the download for students to gather their thoughts. • Give each group a roll of tape. • Groups will build a costume on their model using the tape and available recycled materials. The costume can include such items as: • Hat • Dress • Shirt • Pants • Shoes/boots • Cape • When all groups have completed their costumes, they have five minutes to figure out how they’re going to describe their costume, and how everyone in the group will participate in the presentation. • It’s fashion show time! Each group will present their costume and describe their fashion and design choices while the Model displays their work. Help your students start the design process with a set of body silhouettes, a brainstorm sheet, and a costume breakdown sheet. Click below!

The end of the school year is a challenging time for drama teachers. Teachers are tired, students are distracted, and the curriculum doesn’t always fit the remainder of the calendar. These issues are compounded when you have a classroom full of non-drama students who are reluctant to perform. So here are two projects that encourage your non-performers to tap into their artistic/creative side and allow you to finish the year on a high note. Recap MapThis is a great review activity that reminds your students of what they have learned and how far they have come over the course of a year. • Divide students into small groups and tell them they are going to document what they have learned in this drama class. • Students will work together to create a list of the most memorable units and lessons they participated in over the past year. The list should be between 5 and 10 items long. • The groups will then design a map. Each item on their list will be represented by a location on their map. For example: • The acting unit is a location. • The daily journal entry is a location. • The game Kitty Wants a Corner is a location. • Every location on the map will be represented by an image, depicting a lesson or unit, drawn by the students. For example: • The acting unit could be represented by a star on a stage. • The daily journal is illustrated as a book, a clock, and a question mark. • Kitty Wants a Corner is a picture of a cat. • Their maps should have a starting point, follow a chronological path, and end in the present. THE PATH SHOULD NOT BE A STRAIGHT LINE. • Groups will decorate their map, including all of the “locations” of memories. Encourage the groups to be as creative as possible when drawing their maps. Consider including: • A border/frame • Mythical creatures (fairies, sea monsters, yetis, etc.) • Geographic features such as lakes, rivers, and mountains • Groups will present their finished maps to the class, sharing why they chose the units/lessons they did, what made them memorable, and how they can take what they learned into future classes, or even into real life! • When all groups have finished presenting, display their maps in the classroom or hallway as a visual representation of how far the class has come. To help kickstart group discussions, download the End-of-Year Reflection sheet! Musical MemoriesThis project will allow students to interpret their memories of your class as a musical montage. • Put students into groups of five. • Lead a discussion reminding your students about various lessons and activities they participated in over the course of the year. What stands out? What did they learn that they could take into a different class? Or even into real life? • Ask each group to discuss and decide on five lessons or projects that were most memorable to them. What stands out about the lesson/project when they remember it? Groups are to write a description of each memory and why they chose it. • Tell students that each group is going to create a playlist of five songs that they believe best represent the memories they have chosen. • Each person in the group is responsible for one memory and its accompanying song. • Students may use either available classroom technology or personal technology to access their songs. • Groups will decide upon the final list and order of their songs. • Groups should also design cover art for their playlist and give the collection a title. • Once the groups have assembled their five songs, their order, designed a cover and decided on a title, their next task is to create a tableau (a picture using people) for each of the five memories and songs they have chosen. • Each tableau must include everyone in the group. • Each tableau is a single frozen image, not an active scene. • The person whose song/memory is being interpreted will act as the “director” of that tableau. They must also be included in the tableau. • When all groups have completed their five tableaux, each group will present their songs, their reasons why they chose them, and tableaux to the class. • For an extra challenge, have the groups present their songs and tableaux without providing any explanation, and challenge the rest of the class to correctly identify the memory they are presenting. Then groups can explain their rationale for each memory. To help your students kickstart their memories of your class, have them complete an End-of-Year Reflection Sheet. Download below!

The play adaptation project, where students adapt a text into a play, is a great end-of-year project for advanced drama students. It involves every aspect of the theatre process, from playwriting to performing. Students get to apply everything they’ve learned and they don’t have to worry about coming up with a story from scratch; they just have to focus on how they’re going to bring it to life onstage. Review the project steps and see if this is something that would work for your students and situation. Introduce the task and project criteria. 1. Introduce the task and project criteria.Students will work together to choose a text, write the adaptation, organize and execute technical elements, and perform it for a specific audience, for example, fourth and fifth graders from a nearby feeder school. The chosen text has to allow for a cast of a certain size (which will be specific to your own situations) and be appropriate for the specific audience. It also must be something that can be performed on a school stage and can be technically achieved by the class. Students are responsible for the entire process and are the actors, producers, directors, playwrights, and technicians. 2. Pick the source material.This is an area where you can give students ownership of the project from the very beginning, including picking the source material that they will adapt into a play. Once you have discussed the criteria, students should come to the next class with text suggestions. As a class, brainstorm title suggestions, discuss how each fits the criteria, make a final list, and then each student should be allowed a vote. The final text will then be chosen and students will read it as a class. 3. Cast the production.This may be a different step than you’re used to: casting the show before it’s even been written. In this process, the story is divided into scenes and the actors script their own scene during rehearsals. Do what works best for your situation and your students. Here’s how you cast early in the process: • Identify all the necessary characters. • Every student has to complete an audition “activity.” For example, they do a short improv scene related to the story. • Those watching take notes: What are the strengths of the actors in the scene? What are some areas of improvement? What character would be a good fit? • Students can identify a part they’d like to play. • All students then vote on who will play which part. All of the ownership for casting is on the students. • Consider having a conversation with students about how they may not get the role they want, or they may get a smaller role than they want. That is how casting works. Also, those who have smaller roles are given larger technical roles. 4. Assign technical roles.All students are assigned a technical role in the show. As stated above, if a student has a smaller acting role, they will have a larger technical responsibility. Students can choose what crew area they would like to work in (costumes, sets, props, sound, stage management, assistant direction), or if you feel it works better for your situation, you can assign roles. The role with the most responsibility is the stage manager. They will monitor progress across the different technical crews, and start writing daily rehearsal reports to identify what was done and what needs to be done. 5. Make a plan.Decide on and share a regular routine for rehearsals and technical work. For example, every Monday discuss with students the plan for the week when it comes to adaptation and technical work. Decide how students will divide their time between adaptation and tech responsibilities. During the week the stage manager will check in with each crew to see what they’re working on, what they need, and fill out the rehearsal report. These reports can let you know which groups need support or time management suggestions. Then Friday is the Production Meeting. Each technical crew will present what they have worked on and groups will share their scenes. More on the production meeting in a moment. 6. Begin scene-by-scene adaptation.Break the text into sections or chapters. The actors who are in each section are responsible for coming up with dialogue and determining action. To continue with the concept of student ownership, consider having a student director, or if you’re directing, assistant directors. Their task is to check in with each group, support consistency between the groups, and act as a coach. After scenes are presented on Fridays, the class will discuss and offer feedback. Groups will then rehearse scenes as they are finalized. The length of the play is going to depend on your situation, your selected audience, and how much experience you’ve had with this type of work with your students. Perhaps the first time you do it, it’s a 15-minute play. If you return to the project year after year, you can work up to something closer to an hour. Keep in mind that the longer the final product, the more time you will have to dedicate to the adaptation. 7. Have weekly production meetings.As mentioned above, every Friday is sharing day: a weekly production meeting. Each acting group will present the scenes they have worked on during the week, and each technical group will share their completed work and upcoming goals. As a class, students will discuss: • Continuity of story telling • Design cohesion • What is working and what needs adjustment • Any decisions they need to make Your directors, assistant directors, and stage managers will work as a team to take notes on these discussions and execute during the next rehearsals. 8. Facilitate rehearsals.The above routine should carry your students throughout the rehearsal process. Groups will continue building individual scenes, discussing and deciding on script choices, and directors/assistant directors will focus on consistency and cohesion of the overall product. As students finalize the script, they will then need to transition to traditional rehearsal activities, memorizing lines, solidifying blocking, practicing transitions between scenes. Your stage manager should keep an eye on how the different technical teams are progressing and if more time needs to be allotted during rehearsals to build technical elements. Your job is to remain as much of a facilitator during this process as possible, rather than a decision-maker. 9. Do final run-through and performance.Then it’s time for the final run-through and performance! Conduct dress rehearsals with a complete script and all the technical elements in place. Have students discuss what final changes need to be made. After students perform, emphasize how they did all the work themselves. Celebrate the ownership, collaboration, and final product! Final Thoughts for Teachers The first time you take on this project, you’ll probably experience a lot of trial and error. Let it happen and note any changes you’ll need to make for next time. Be open to flexible outcomes (like shortening the piece if needed). It takes time to build accountability and ownership. Students don’t always all of a sudden become self-managing and task-focused. Having a structure in place is helpful. Observe how students in leadership positions (like a director or stage manager) talk to their peers. Enjoy the process! It’s a great way to allow students to demonstrate what they’ve learned as well as practice important life skills like collaboration and communication.

This month, we’ve used the five senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch) as the basis for exercises and theatre games. For our final week, we’re taking all five senses and bringing them together to create a full theatrical sensory experience. As a recap, check out our previous sense-based posts: • Sight-based games & exercises • Games & exercises focused on hearing and listening • Storytelling inspired by taste & smell • Movement & physicality-based exercises (touch) Final Activity: Director’s Vision Choice Board• Students will select a play or musical to create their director’s vision for. • Students will decide on their overall concept/vision for the play or musical. • Students will complete various tasks for each of the senses, demonstrating how their choices contribute to their overall vision for the show. See below for student task ideas. Feel free to add additional choices or alter the ones suggested. This project can be completed individually or in pairs. Instructions 1. Describe your overall vision for the show in one phrase. For example: “Shrek the Musical in outer space,” or “a gritty Mafia-style Romeo & Juliet.” If students would prefer to just do the show as written, that’s fine too. 2. For each sense section, select two tasks to complete. For advanced students or for a larger project, complete all three tasks per sense. 3. Complete and submit all work, including a detailed list of different mediums used (video links, links to Spotify or Apple Music playlists, physical vs. digital mood boards, shoebox-sized dioramas, etc.). 4. If any choices require a live performance, you’ll need to book a time block to perform your piece(s) for the class and teacher. (Teachers: Be sure to block off class dates/times for performances, and provide students with a list of available dates and times so they can complete their tasks.) 5. Respond to the reflection questions (include this with your full submission) found in the giveaway below. Sight • Create a visual timeline of the show from beginning to end, using a long roll of newsprint. Include instances that occurred prior to the show that trigger the situations within the show. Find or draw images to add to the timeline and use appropriate fonts in the style of your director’s vision. • Create a connections board showing how all the characters in the show are related to each other: marriages, family members, friendships, work colleagues, and so on. Create or find images of each character in the style of your director’s vision and attach them to a bulletin board or poster board, use yarn or string to connect the characters, or create a digital version. Do not omit any characters; if someone isn’t connected to anyone, note that on the board. Include broken connections, such as former friends, exes, or enemies. Use a different colour of yarn to illustrate those connections. • Rehearse and perform a brief (five-minute maximum) selection from the play or musical. A live performance or video performance is acceptable. You may perform by yourself or have additional students assist you as needed. You can wear rehearsal blacks, use costumes/clothing from your own closet that support your vision of the show, or use one item to identify each character. The teacher will decide whether you may perform with script in hand or must have it memorized. Sound • Write a song for a musical adaptation of a play, or a new song for a musical (you may use an existing song as the melody/structure, or create an original song). For bonus points, record yourself performing the song (audio only or video/audio is acceptable) and submit it with your lyrics. • Create a playlist of music to play during pre-show, intermission, and post-show. Choose a minimum of 10 songs that demonstrate and complement your vision of the show. Include a write-up of why you selected each song. Note: If any version of the show has an existing soundtrack, none of those songs may be included in your playlist. • Create a soundscape of at least five sound effects and three pieces of incidental (background) music that support your concept of the show. Include a list of where each sound effect/piece of music is included in the script (act, scene, line/cue). Touch • Create a shoebox-sized 3D model or diorama of your set. Include small cutout figures of at least two characters, as well as models or cutouts of any moving aspects of the set. Include notes about any important transitions and scene changes and how they would work. • Create a texture design board/scrapbook for your show. Include tactile materials such as fabric swatches, trims and buttons for costumes, wallpaper samples or carpet samples for sets, or small hand props (any props must fit in a shoebox-sized container). Submit at least five textures/items, and include a write-up explaining the purpose of each item. • Create a hairstyle and makeup look for a character on yourself, another student, or a mannequin that supports your vision of the show. Include close-up photographs of the front, both sides, and the back of the face and head, and/or a time-lapsed video of you creating the look. Scent & Taste • Look through your script and note any references to food or drinks. This could include any scenes that are set somewhere people might eat and would require food props onstage, such as a wedding, BBQ, banquet, or picnic. Make a list of those items and estimate the quantities of what you’d need for a weekend run of four performances. For bonus points, look up or create a recipe for one of the food items. • Or, if there are no food references in the script… What types of food were served in the geographic area or time period your show is set in? Create a sample menu of what people would commonly consume. Consider factors such as the economic status of the characters; for example, royalty would dine better than peasants. • Create a signature drink and snack that could be sold at the concession stand for the show. For example: “Queen of Hearts’ cherry lemonade” or “Mad Hatter’s sweet iced tea,” and “March Hare’s tea biscuits” for a production of Alice in Wonderland. Include a design for how you’d style the price list and/or the actual snacks/drinks. For example, you might include “eat me” and “drink me” tags on the snacks and drinks for the Alice suggestion. • Create a written “scent tour” of the scenes in the play, using descriptive language. What does the world of your play smell like? For example, if the show is set in a carnival, describe in detail the scent of crisp fall air, the pungent odor of gasoline from the rides, and the various smells of the food vendors such as cotton candy, candy apples, popcorn, and French fries. Note any scent changes from scene to scene.

“I don’t want to be an actor!” is one reason why students may not want to take drama class. However, there are a whole host of careers in the theatre that aren’t acting. The following individual exercise gives students the opportunity to discover and explore different jobs in the theatrical world, including experience needed, responsibilities, and possible salaries. If you want your students to take a deeper dive into their learning, they will then investigate a real person with the role they’ve researched. Instructions1. Assign each student a different theatrical career to research that is not an actor/performer. Here are some suggestions: • Producer, executive director, company manager, box office administrator, marketing director, outreach officer, stage manager, assistant stage manager, production manager, technical director, artistic director, show director, choreographer, fight director, intimacy director, playwright, musical director, accompanist, pit orchestra musician, vocal director, set designer, sound designer, lighting designer, costume designer, props designer, audio technician, makeup artist, hair and wig specialist, dresser, theatrical carpenter, theatrical electrician, front of house staff. • If a student wishes to explore a theatrical role that is not on this list, have them check in with you first. 2. Answer the following questions: • What are the responsibilities of the position? • Who does this role report to? Who reports to them? • What training, experience, or skills do you need to have this job? • What is a typical salary for this role? • Be sure to include all sources referenced in your project. 3. If you wish, have students present their research to the rest of the class, or amass the projects into one big resource about different theatrical careers. 4. Students will complete a reflection, responding to the following questions (length: 1 page): • What is the most interesting thing about the job you researched? What do you think would be the most challenging part? • Would you be interested in doing this as a career? Why or why not? 5. Extension Exercise: If you wish for students to go more in-depth, have them research a real person with the job they studied. Have them search for interviews (written, podcast, YouTube), articles, or web/social media profiles for a suitable subject and answer as many of the following questions as they can: • What is this person’s specific job? Where are they located? • Are they a freelancer or do they work for a company? • How did they get to where they are (i.e. training, previous experience, etc.)? • Why did they choose that job? • What is a typical day like for them? • Have they received any awards or accolades? • Include photos or links to their work. • Again, include all sources referenced in your research. Note: Be sure that students are specifically referencing people who work in theatre. There is often crossover with film or television work — focus on theatre. 6. For bonus points, reach out to the individual via their website or social media and see if they respond! 7. Exit slip: What is one new thing you learned about this role after completing the extension exercise?

Here is a group project that is a great complement to our last blog post, Theatre in the Real World: Theatre Company Profile. Your students have been introduced to various theatre companies, all with unique histories, facilities, and artistic goals. Now, they’re going to create their own theatre companies, specially tailored to their unique interests and personalities. It’s time to dream big! This project can be purely researched and written, or you can have students present their plans to the rest of the class to give them the opportunity to practice their oral presentation skills. If your students choose to do a presentation, they will need to create an accompanying display board or PowerPoint slideshow. Instructions1. Split up the class into small groups or partners. 2. Each group will create their own theatre company by completing the following requirements: • What is your company called? Be sure to consider acronyms that might be associated with your company’s name. For example, Blue Umbrella Musicals is a fun name, but you might not be thrilled about the abbreviation customers use. • Design a logo for your company. Include a sketch or digital rendering. • Where is your company located? Why? • What’s your company’s mission statement? A mission statement describes the reason why your company exists. It says what you do and for whom, and it can be as broad or as niche as you wish. For example, your company might decide to only produce musicals. Or, your company might decide to only produce modern rock musicals in outdoor venues that feature BIPOC performers and technicians under the age of 30. Perhaps your company will feature only new works by emerging playwrights. Your company might exist to provide opportunities and jobs for high school students. Maybe your company will produce shows entirely written and staffed by women, or only shows about baseball, or only shows performed in mime. It’s your company — you decide! • Choose three shows for your opening season. Describe why they are great choices for your theatre company and how they relate to your mission statement. • What sort of venue will your theatre company require? Choose three existing venues that would be great for your company to perform in. Include the name of the venue, at least one photo of each venue, and the venue’s seating capacity. (Don’t worry about the actual location of the venue; this is for inspiration purposes.) 3. Information must be presented in full sentences, with attention paid to spelling and grammar. For ease of reading, students should organize their information under appropriate headings. 4. If you wish, you may also have students include an oral presentation along with their written work. Oral presentations should be no longer than five minutes. 5. Students will complete and submit individual reflections (found in the giveaway below). Extension Challenge: For an additional challenge, you can have students present an elevator pitch, imagining that you are a potential investor in their company. Groups will identify and describe their company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and convince you to fund their opening season.

The following project is a research assignment, where students will research and present a written profile of an existing theatre company. To complete the project, they will need to make a number of choices: • Which theatre company to research (the caveat is that there can be no duplicates within the class), • Whether they will complete the project as an individual or with one partner, and • How they will present the profile: as a written paper, a PowerPoint presentation, or a physical display board. This project can be purely researched and written, or you can also have students present their research to the rest of the class to give them the opportunity to practice their oral presentation skills. Alternatively, you may wish for students to complete the project using physical display boards, and present them at an upcoming school event (similar to a science or history fair). Instructions1. Each student/pair will select a theatre company to research. Remember, there can be no duplicates! You may have students do a quick search and select their own theatre company, or prepare a list of companies for students to choose from. Here are some theatre companies from Canada to get you started: • Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, Catalyst Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Lighthouse Festival, Port Stanley Festival Theatre, Arts Club Theatre Company, Neptune Theatre 2. Students must include the following information in their projects: • Location of the company (if it’s located within your city/state/province, include directions on how to get there) • Date of establishment • Name(s) of founder(s) • A brief summary of the history of the theatre • Mandate / mission statement • What type of theatre company it is (commercial / professional, community, not-for-profit, dinner theatre, educational theatre, etc.) • What shows were presented in their first season • What shows are playing currently or are upcoming (include dates) • Notable productions • Notable alumni • Awards / distinctions received • Any special programming, especially aimed towards high school students • Social media presence (include links) • What makes this company unique • A minimum of three photos, with proper photo credits • A works cited / references list (minimum of three sources; Wikipedia doesn’t count!) 3. Information must be presented in full sentences, with attention paid to spelling and grammar. For ease of reading, students should organize their information under appropriate headings. 4. If you wish, you may also have students include an oral presentation with their written work: either a lecture or presentation of their display board/PowerPoint. Oral presentations should be no longer than five minutes. 5. Students will also complete a reflection, responding to the following: • Individual: What are the pros and cons of working on a project as an individual versus working with a partner? • Partner: Describe your contribution to the research assignment. How were you an effective partner?

The following exercise is a large-scale culminating project for your entire class. Students will form small groups and work together to create design concepts for a play in six areas of technical theatre: sound design, lighting design, set design, costumes, props, and hair/makeup. Each group is responsible for completing four components: • an inspiration component • a research component • a practical component • an analysis component This is a great way for students to demonstrate what they’ve learned throughout the semester or challenge themselves to explore a new technical area. Students will gain a broader appreciation of all the factors that go into creating a cohesive theatrical design. Before you start: Don’t worry if you’re not a technical expert! Check out our Technical Theatre section in the Theatrefolk Learning Centre for lots of technical advice. Three good articles to start with are: Tech Exercises for the Non-Technical Teacher Tips for Success When Tech Isn’t Your Specialty Tips for First-Time Lighting Designers Instructions:1. Select a play that the entire class will design for. 2. Divide students into six groups. Assign each group one of the following areas of technical theatre: sound design, lighting design, set design, costumes, props, and hair/makeup. 3. In this exercise, you (the teacher) will act as director of the selected show, and share your overall vision/concept with your design teams (your students). For example, Romeo & Juliet under the sea, Alice in Wonderland in outer space, a steampunk Beauty and the Beast, or a film noir Antigone. Feel free to give as many or as few details as you wish. If you’d like to give students more artistic freedom, try one of the following options: Option B: Have each group pitch a vision/concept (for example, Romeo & Juliet in the jungle, Wild West Romeo & Juliet, or Romeo & Juliet in the year 3000) and allow the class to vote on one. Option C: Scrap the director idea and have each group come up with their own original design concept for the selected play, without consulting other groups. 4. Once the design concept is settled, each group must complete their design projects, which will consist of the following four parts: a) Inspiration: An inspiration collage or mood board featuring colours, textures, sketches, photographs, or cutouts that illustrate the concept. (Minimum size: 12 inches by 12 inches) b) Research: A written (or audio/video recording if that works better for your students) research component on one aspect of the concept. For example, if the concept is “in the jungle,” which specific jungle is the group focusing on? What plants and animals are native to the area? Are there any films, television programs, or documentaries set there? Are there any major current events or important historical events that occurred there? Tailor the questions as appropriate to the selected design concept. (Minimum length: 1 page) c) Practical: A practical sample element that is relevant to the technical design area, such as a sound playlist, a lighting plot and gel sample display or a found lighting demonstration (live or filmed), a scale model set, an original costume design or built costume, a built prop, an original hair/makeup design, a designed wig, or a makeup demonstration (live or photographed). Students may have their own suggestions as well. d) Analysis: A written (or audio/video) component describing how and why the group made the design choices they did. (Minimum length: 1 page) 5. Have your students share their projects with the rest of the class, either as group presentations or as a fair-style presentation around the classroom. 6. Discuss how each group approached their design work. Do the different theatrical areas work together as a whole? Why or why not? Do they support the director’s overall vision? What could be adjusted to work better together? 7. Each student will complete and submit an individual reflection (found below).

This is a fun project to do with your students at the end of the year. At first glance it looks like an art project (and it is!) but when you peel back the layers, you’ll see that it helps students develop their decision-making and reflection skills as well. On top of that, the final piece is a visual representation of students’ successes and happy memories in their drama class. So grab your markers and get to crafting! And if you aren’t artsy or craftsy yourself, feel free to let your students take the lead on this one. Materials Needed• Small, colourful pieces of paper to make cutouts (approximately post-it note size, but use whatever is appropriate for your students) • Scissors • Markers • Tape or glue • A large piece of poster board (or another item to make the base of the poster/art piece) • Any additional decorations you wish Instruction1. As a class, have your students choose a small symbol that is easy to reproduce or cut out. You might choose hearts, snowflakes, speech bubbles, stars, clouds, leaves, or whatever you like. You can also use found items such as postcards, Instax photos, ribbons, magazine cutouts, leaves that have fallen to the ground — whatever makes sense for your class and is easily available to you. Students will be writing on the cutouts — more details on that below. Ideally, your class will choose something personalized and representative of the subject or the students themselves. If you did a class production, you might choose something related to your show. For example, if you studied The Gorgon Sisters in your class, you might make cutouts in the shape of snakes (representing the snake-hair strands). If your class really enjoyed a unit on technical theatre, you could use cutouts of lights and microphones, or you could use fabric swatches for a class that loved costume work. If your class went on a field trip or had a guest speaker that really made an impact, you could design the cutout symbols around that. 2. Each student will take one of the cutouts and write down something they’ve achieved during the class (a success, a moment they’re proud of, something they learned, etc.). Keep the memories positive and encourage students to write in their own words: “I loved playing Heracles in The Gorgon Sisters,” “I learned so much from our stage makeup unit,” “I’ll never forget laughing really hard during improv class,” “I made so many new friends this semester,” “I’m proud of myself for performing a monologue for the first time.” It’s up to you whether you want your students to sign their cutouts or not. 3. Use the cutouts to make a poster or art piece, and display it with the class title and date, semester, or year. There are many different ways to create the piece. Going with the example of The Gorgon Sisters above, you might try one of the following: • Mount the production poster or a group photo of the students on a piece of poster board and attach the students’ cutouts to it. • Have a student who is a good artist draw or paint Stheno’s head on the poster board and place the snake cutouts around her head like hair. • Create a 3D art piece by decorating a mannequin head or foam head and attaching the cutouts. • Get a snake plushie and attach the cutouts to it with safety pins. 4. Eventually, if you continue this project over different classes and semesters, you can create an art installation with celebration posters/pieces from multiple drama classes to use as classroom décor. This way your drama students can look at the pieces and remember the good moments and their successes, and new students can look at the pieces as inspiration for the future. 5. If you wish, have students complete an exit slip at the end of the class (click the link below to get it!).

In “Drama Class ABCs,” students work together as a class to create a children’s alphabet book of important theatre-related words and phrases. This project can be done in person or virtually. It challenges students to select and define 26 important theatrical vocabulary words and phrases, and explain those words and phrases in simple language that young children or non-drama students would understand. Materials Needed:• If you’re making a physical book, you’ll need: • 26 pieces of paper (one for each letter of the alphabet) • 13 page protectors (two letters per protector) • Art supplies – pens, markers, paint, magazines, printer, etc. • A binder, duotang, scrapbook, or access to a binding service • If you’re making an ebook/PowerPoint presentation/video, you’ll need: • Computers or Chromebooks with appropriate design or editing software Step 1: Word ChoiceAs a class, go through your drama and theatre vocabulary and choose one word or phrase for each letter of the alphabet. This part will be done as a group to avoid coming up with words or phrases that are too similar, and for students to help each other out when they get to more challenging letters. Here are some examples: • “A” is for Actor, or Audience, or Assistant Stage Manager • “B” is for Backstage • “C” is for Cheat Out, or Costumes, or Cables, or Characters • “D” is for Downstage, or Dressing Room, or Dress Rehearsal • “E” is for Entrances and Exits, or Ensemble Students will need to form a consensus on what word or phrase is most important to include and why. If your class is more specialized, you may wish to relate your words and phrases to that topic (e.g., musical theatre, dance and movement, famous playwrights, technical theatre). Some letters might be more difficult — what might your students choose for letters like Q, X, or Z? Step 2: Simple DefinitionsOnce students have selected a word or phrase for each letter of the alphabet, assign each student a letter (or more, depending on the number of students in your class). For each word or phrase, students will create a brief sentence using the word. For example, if your word for the letter C is Costumes, students might write, “Costumes are clothes worn by actors onstage to show their character.” Focus on keeping definitions clear and easy to understand. Alternatively, you might wish to challenge your students to create rhyming definitions, write the definitions in iambic pentameter, or use alliteration (“Creative Costumes keep Characters looking Cool”). Step 3: Design the PagesStudents will then design and illustrate their assigned letter page. They can draw, paint, use magazine tear outs, create a collage — whatever is creative and colourful and appropriate for the letter, word, and sentence. Students must include the letter, word, and sentence in the design in a way that is clear and easy to read. If your class is creating a physical book, choose a consistent size of paper that is easy to bind together using page protectors (such as 8.5 x 11” notebook-sized paper, or 12 x 12” scrapbook paper). If your class is creating an ebook, PowerPoint presentation, or video, give students layout and size proportions in advance so you don’t have to edit the images down and risk cutting off a portion of the design or skewing the size. Students will submit their completed page(s) as well as a response to the exit slip question below. Once your book is amassed, you can gift it to a local elementary school drama class, or keep it in your classroom as both a reference material and a memento of your current class. Be sure to note the year and the students’ names somewhere in the document. You may also want to enlist a student to design a cover image, perhaps for extra credit.

The exercises listed below can be adapted to distance and online learning opportunities. Students work individually (rather than with partners or in groups). Group work and discussions can be completed using video conferencing programs (such as Google Hangouts, Skype, or Zoom). Written work can be submitted electronically via email or uploading to Google Drive or similar. Performances can be done live via video conferencing programs, or filmed on a smartphone or digital camera and uploaded to a service such as YouTube or Vimeo (privacy settings can be adjusted to accommodate your school’s internet safety policies). Check out our round-ups of exercises for Vocal and Physical Performance, Monologue and Individual Performance, Playwriting & Written Drama and Analysis and Technical Theatre as well. Larger Projects / ISPs (Independent Study Projects)These are longer assignments that may be used as independent study projects (ISPs) or longer-range group assignments. With distance group projects, students should devise a way to divide up the work equally and can come together to discuss their work via video conferencing. Groups can use project management programs such as Basecamp to assign specific tasks and due dates to each other, and mark them as complete as they go. Written assignments can be submitted via email or Google Drive, and group oral presentations can be done via video conferencing with the teacher. Directing Challenge: - Script Analysis for Directors, Part 1: Scanning the Script - Script Analysis for Directors, Part 2: Going Deeper - Communicating Your Directing Vision Through the Senses - How to Pre-Block a Scene - Problem-Solving for Student Directors - Casting Challenge: Not Enough Actors! - Casting Challenge: Too Many Actors! Global Citizenship Challenge: - Global Citizenship in the Drama Classroom - Global Citizenship: A Cross-Curricular Opportunity Looking Back and Looking Forward Students will look over what they’ve learned and create a manual for future drama students Pitch Your Project: A Cross-Curricular Performance Challenge Putting on a Class Production Challenge: For this exercise, you might have every student select a monologue on a specific topic and then create a livestream for the public to watch. Alternatively, you could go through the process of producing a hypothetical show. • Part 1: What to Produce? • Part 2: Who Does What? • Part 3: Casting • Part 4: Problem-Solving • Part 5: Post-Show Reflection Staging Your Show: “Same Show, Different Stages” The Three-Dimensional Theatre History Project

This is the fifth part of a five-part class production series. Check out Part 1: What to Produce?, Part 2: Who Does What?,Part 3: Casting and Part 4: Problem-Solving. Putting on a class production is challenging, but rewarding. Once the curtain has closed on your production, your class isn’t done yet. First comes cleanup (your students wouldn’t dream of leaving the theatre a mess, would they?), and then reflection. Reflecting on the process is important because it gives students the chance to think about how far they’ve come, what they’ve learned, and what they have accomplished. Students can go back over their successes and failures, and use the lessons they learned in their future classes, productions, and lives outside the drama classroom. The following questions can be used for your students as an in-depth reflection assignment, or split up to use as reflections/exit slips throughout the entire process. Feel free to rearrange or omit questions as applicable. Look back at the process of selecting what to produce.• Were you satisfied with the production that was chosen? Why or why not? • What was the reasoning behind the final selection? In other words, why was the piece your class produced chosen? • Did you think the selection process was fair? Did everyone get an opportunity to contribute? Why or why not? • What do you think was your greatest contribution to the production selection process? If you think you did not contribute effectively, how could you improve in the future? Look back at the offstage role decision-making and production process.• How were offstage roles assigned? What method was used? • What offstage role were you responsible for? How effective were you in your role? • Did you enjoy your offstage role? Why or why not? • If you had the opportunity to try another offstage role, what position would you try and why? • What was your greatest success in your offstage role? • What was the most significant thing you learned from completing your offstage role? Look back at the casting process.• What method of casting did your class employ for this production? Auditions, cold readings, “dream casting,” or another method? Was this an effective method of casting for your production? Why or why not? • Were you satisfied with the casting process? Why or why not? What would you have done differently? • Were you satisfied with the role you were cast in? Why or why not? What role would you have preferred to play? Why? • How did your onstage role affect the backstage role you were responsible for? Or, how did the backstage role you were responsible for affect your onstage role? Would you change anything, and if so, what? Look back at the rehearsal process.• Was rehearsal time used effectively? Why or why not? • What problems (if any) occurred? Describe a problem that occurred, from your perspective. How did the problem affect you? • How was the problem solved? Were you involved in the solving? Was the solution effective? Why or why not? • How could the problem have been solved in a different way? How would that have affected the production? Look back at the process of creating your class production as a whole.• What worked? What didn’t work? • What was the best part of the process? Why? • What was the most challenging part of the process? Why? • How did your class work well together? • What do you think was your greatest contribution to the production process? • What would you do differently if you had the opportunity to re-do a portion of the project? • Finally, if you had to rate the process on a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best), what would you rate it? Explain your answer.

This is the fourth part of a five-part class production series. Check out Part 1: What to Produce?, Part 2: Who Does What?, and Part 3: Casting. By this point your students are in the thick of the rehearsal process for your class production, as onstage and offstage roles have been assigned. But at some point, problems will likely arise. With class productions, two common problem areas involve students working together effectively, and students having to take on leadership roles. In a collaborative effort like a class production, students may be in leadership roles for the first time and not really know what they are doing. They may feel uncomfortable giving instructions or constructive criticism to their peers, or let other group members steamroll over them. For example, students may dislike a costume presented by the student costume head, or disagree with a direction given to them by the student director. Because they are working with their peers, students who are uncomfortable or inexperienced in their leadership roles may feel that they have to acquiesce to their peers to avoid conflict. On the other end of the spectrum, some students may think that leading means barking orders or bossing people around. Both can lead to students not working together effectively, which then derails students’ confidence, and slowly but surely, the class production can fall apart. Before things spiral out of control, check out the articles below, which offer useful tips, tricks, and exercises to help students develop their leadership skills and practice working together effectively. This will help them solve problems that will inevitably arise. At the bottom, you’ll find an additional exercise called “Warm-Up Quirks” that you can use with your students to practice both leadership and problem solving skills. Helping students develop their problem solving skills will only benefit your class production process! Working Together Effectively• What happens when students don’t work well together? • This is an excellent process to get students to brainstorm together as a group. • Do some of your students try to avoid group work? This blog post can help encourage them to work with their peers more effectively. • What’s the difference between collaboration and teamwork? And why do productions need collaboration? • A round-up within a round-up? Why not? This blog post gives five common rehearsal problems and lots of solutions. Leadership• Here are some exercises for student directors to help practice solving problems. (The exercise is aimed at student directors but is useful for all students looking to grow their leadership skills.) • This blog post contains exercises and reflections to help students grow and develop their leadership skills. • These tips will help you keep your rehearsals running efficiently and effectively. Here is more advice on this topic from drama teachers.

**This is the third part of a five part class production series. Check out Part 1: What to Produce? and Part 2: Who Does What?. Things are moving along well with your class production. You’ve decided what exactly your production will be, and you’re in the process of figuring out who will do what in terms of offstage roles. Now it’s time to think about what role(s) your students will perform onstage. Every production needs some sort of performance aspect, of course, and your students will be eager to get their production cast and start working on their roles. The first thing that comes to mind when casting a production is holding auditions. Students prepare a piece (usually a monologue that is similar in nature to the show you are producing, as well as an appropriate song if the show is a musical) and present it to the audition panel – the director and stage manager, as well as any other appropriate staff (musical director, choreographer, producer, etc.). Consider whether you want to hold open or closed auditions. Closed auditions are when students audition privately for the audition panel, one after another in a separate room from the rest of the class. Open auditions are when the full class is present in the room while each student presents their audition. There are advantages to both methods. Open auditions are very transparent. Students can see who is well prepared and confident, and it gives them the chance to prove that they can perform under pressure. Open auditions also give you the opportunity to see how students support each other and how they behave when they aren’t the immediate focus of your attention. Closed auditions help students feel less nervous because they are only performing for a small group of people. They may reduce stress for students who are worried about making a mistake or looking silly in front of their peers. However, there are some other methods of casting to consider. For example, cold reading (or “sight reading”) is where actors read aloud from a script, scene, or text with little to no preparation. You can read about the pros and cons of cold reading here, and help your students practice cold reading using this exercise. Cold reading is a great way for students to show what they’re capable of without the pressure of having to select and prepare a monologue. An interesting exercise you may also want to try with your class is “dream casting.” Either individually or in small groups, students take a copy of the dramatis personae (character list) and cast their classmates into the role(s) they think their peers would be best suited for, using their knowledge of their classmates’ skills and abilities. They write the name of the student next to the role. It’s important for your students to consider their choices critically and not simply cast their friends into the “best” roles. Prior to “dream casting,” you may want to have your students include a pitch to the class of what role(s) they think they would be best suited to, or what role(s) they’d most like to play, and why. You can then take the sheets, compile the information, and cast the show using the choices that the students made. Alternatively, you may want to ask the full class to come to a consensus about casting the roles. This is easiest with a smaller class, but no matter what size class you have, it can be an interesting challenge. Some topics to discuss with your class on the topic of dream casting include: • What criteria do you consider when suggesting certain students for certain roles? • How can students make suggestions for casting in a thoughtful and tactful manner? • Is it possible to cast a show in an unbiased way? • If there is a disagreement regarding casting, how do you overcome the disagreement? (I have colleagues who have experienced this – the director wants to cast a certain student while the musical director and/or choreographer want to cast someone else.) • What other challenges may arise when trying to cast a show? For example, what if you have too many actors or not enough actors?

This is the second part of a five-part class production series. Check out Part 1: What to Produce?. So you’ve decided to put on a class production and you’ve chosen your play. Now you need people power! Your students will undoubtedly be curious to find out what role they will play in the production. This doesn’t just mean onstage roles. (We’ll talk about that in Part 3!) Putting on a production requires more than just actors – it takes all sorts of contributions from talented crew members. This includes, but is not limited to, roles such as stage management, costumes, props, sets (both design and creation), technical designers and operators, publicity and front of house. There is a lot to do to get a production on its feet. Some class productions become a collaboration between two classes, such as a production class and an acting class, or an upper year and lower year drama class. When the production is a collaboration between two regular drama classes, the younger grade class typically takes on the crew roles while the older students perform the onstage roles, but feel free to switch this up. Most likely, your class production will require each student to take an onstage and offstage role. It will be a lot of work, but nobody said drama class was easy! How will you determine who does what? Here are some things to consider:• Make a list of what crew roles are needed for your production. This will depend on what you plan to produce and the location of the performance. For example, will your production require elaborate costumes or will your students perform in rehearsal blacks that they bring from home? If it is the latter, then you will not need to assign a costume designer, sewers, or shoppers. However, you may still wish to have someone in charge of ensuring that all actors have brought in their required clothing items. • Certain roles, such as stage manager, assistant stage manager, and technical operators, will either need to be performed by someone who will not appear onstage (and if so, they will need a different evaluation rubric, since they’ll only have a crew role and not an onstage role), or by someone not in the class – perhaps a drama student in a different class, a teacher, or another volunteer. • Consider what onstage role each student will play when determining what crew role they will take on, and vice versa. Obviously, some roles are larger than others, and certain crew roles require various levels of hands-on work and time commitment. You don’t want to overload your students or create an uneven distribution of labour. You should also take care to avoid favouring one role (onstage vs. offstage) over the other. Your students will probably think that the acting roles trump the backstage roles, so a student with a lead role should have a small crew role, while someone with a smaller acting role should have a bigger crew role. Have a discussion with your students about the equal importance of onstage and offstage roles. One way to decide who will take on which crew roles is to have your students pitch their top three choices to you. Have them tell you why they want the roles they’ve selected. You might also have them note which role they definitely would NOT want to do, and why. Alternative methods include posting a crew sign-up sheet, drawing names out of a hat, and simply assigning the roles yourself. Whichever method you choose, there will inevitably be some students who are happier than others with the final decisions. But no matter which crew role they are assigned, your students will be challenged, learn a lot, and gain practical theatrical experience.

This is Part 1 of a 5-Part Class Production Series. Putting on a class production is a great opportunity for your students to use the skills they have learned in drama class in a practical way, while having a lot of fun. This blog series will give you some tips to help your students through this process. First, you’ll need to decide what to produce. Will you, as the teacher, select a show for the class to do and act as director/producer? Will your students get to contribute, and if so, how much? Or, will your students go through the entire process of putting on a class production from the ground up themselves? Once you have decided how much your students will contribute to the production process, you’ll need to iron out the details of the production. No matter who is making the decisions (you, your students, or a combination of both), here are some points to consider: GOAL• What is the goal of the production? To entertain, to educate, to protest, to inform, to explore? This is your WHY. Why are you producing a show as a class? • What theme or topic will the production focus on? Will the production be tied into something the class has already studied that term? SCRIPT• Will you use an existing script or a student-written script? • If the class selects an existing script, what is the cost to purchase the rights/royalties? (Just because this is a class project doesn’t mean you are exempt from going through the correct channels to acquire an existing piece.) • If the script is student-written, will the piece be devised by the full class, a small group or groups, or one student author? How much will the production timeline have to be adjusted if the script is student-written? • If your students are contributing to the process of selecting a piece, you may challenge them to pitch their project or create a SWOT analysis to convey their ideas. These 5 tips for selecting a play for production might also be helpful! STYLE• What style of piece will the class produce? A “regular” play or a vignette play? Comedy, tragedy, history? Play or musical? Musical, spoken word piece or movement piece? What about a combination of all of these? LOGISTICS• How will the class determine how decisions will be made? Voting? Selecting a student production head that makes the final decisions? Polling the class? Pulling suggestions out of a hat? Teacher makes the final decisions? • Where will the production be performed? Your classroom? Your auditorium? Another location? • Who is the production for? Who is your audience? • Will you charge admission? • Do you have a budget? If not, how will your class create their show on a shoestring? • How long will the production be? Establishing a time limit will keep your class production from going on too long. • What’s your timeline? When in the semester will you start this process? When will the final performance(s) take place? ASSESSMENT• How will students’ contributions be evaluated? Since this is a class production, students will have to be graded. What learning points will you focus on? Can students suggest criteria to add to the rubric?

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 from Barack and Michelle Obama to Beyoncé and Jay Z. What is especially fantastic is the #EduHam program, which has brought thousands of high school students to the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City. This program gives students the chance not only to see the production, but also be able to go up onstage and perform their own raps based on themes they learned in American history class. (How cool is that?!) Why not a take some inspiration from Lin-Manuel and use theatre as a medium to share and celebrate history in your own classroom? This could be a great cross-curriculum project with the history department at your school. As a starting point, chat with the teachers in the history department to find out what subjects they’re focusing on this semester. There are so many areas of history that the possible topics are virtually endless: • Local History (I live in London, Ontario, Canada, so perhaps I might get inspired by the story of the disappearance of Ambrose Small, owner of the Grand Theatre in London, or an account of Guy Lombardo, the famous bandleader.) • Provincial or State History (For Ontario residents, how about the forming of Upper and Lower Canada in 1791, Alexander Graham Bell inventing the telephone in Brantford, Ontario, or Agnes Macphail becoming the first woman elected to the House of Commons?) • National Historical Events or People (Canadians could write about Laura Secord, James Naismith, Terry Fox, Sir John A. Macdonald, Lucy Maud Montgomery…or even events like when Canada became a country in 1867!) And these are just a few suggestions for Canadian history classes. What suggestions could you come up with from where you live? Imagine what students might be able to explore through every era of history. The real trick will be to narrow down the topics. The important aspect will be for students to find a connection between their chosen topic and themselves (either through the topic itself or through the medium by which they create a piece). Perhaps they will choose to focus on the life of Terry Fox, because they have a family member who fought cancer. Or maybe they are interested in unsolved mysteries, so they decide to focus on Ambrose Small. Perhaps students will discover a famous historical person that either grew up in their hometown or is distantly related to them. The connection might also come through the style of theatre in which they choose to present their topic. Maybe they will go the LMM route and present a theatrical rap based on a historical figure. Or (if rap is not to their liking) what about a mime piece about a local invention, or a full-out classic musical theatre Song and Dance piece about a specific event? Students should choose a style of theatre that really speaks to them and really make it their own, whether or not they connect with the historical event or person. A project like this provides a lot of freedom to explore various types of theatrical presentations, whether it be through puppetry, tableaux, monologue, musical theatre, radio plays, or one of the other many, many types of theatre! If this seems like a daunting task, take heart. It took Lin-Manuel Miranda over six years to create Hamilton in its entirety! So, get laser-focused. Divide students into groups of 4-5, and challenge them to create a theatrical presentation with the following rules: • One moment in a historical event of their choosing, • In the style of theatre of their choosing, • To be presented to the class with some sort of visual representation to establish the time period (costumes, props, set pieces, puppets, etc.), • In a performance presentation that lasts four minutes or less. Whatever the topic or method of presentation, the goal is the same: to get students excited about history, to have them connect with the material in an engaging and interesting way, and to encourage students to think about and present the material in a fresh, original way. Who knows what cool new creations will arise from this exploration – you may have a future Pulitzer winner in your class! Kerry Hishon is a director, actor, writer, and stage combatant from London, Ontario, Canada. Explore her blog at www.kerryhishon.com.

Theatre History is a necessary unit in any drama curriculum. To understand where we are, we have to explore where we’ve been. For example, to understand the role of the actor, it’s important to know that there was a specific point when Thespis (according to lore) stepped out of the ancient Greek chorus and began speaking individually. But the danger with a theatre history unit is that you might slide into a pool of data, stats, and facts. In an age where information is at our fingertips, it’s not necessary to memorize in order to learn. We don’t need to know the year Thespis won his first competition because it’s a two-second Google search away. The 21st century student is fully aware of this and thus it’s become more and more difficult to get today’s students to connect to the distant past. Furthermore, the drama class is more than pen and paper. In the drama classroom, we approach topics in a three-dimensional fashion. We don’t just read Shakespeare, we breathe life into the plays through performance. The question then becomes: “How do we approach Theatre History in a way that avoids plotting dates on a timeline?” “How do we explore theatre history in a theatrical context – make it active, alive, and three-dimensional?” The Three-Dimensional Theatre History ProjectObjective: To have students research a theatre history era from which they will demonstrate comprehension, apply knowledge, and design an original activity. Description: Students will work in groups to research an era of theatre history from a specific perspective. From their research, students will prepare an oral presentation which includes a power point, and a short performance. Lastly, they will design an activity based on their era for the entire class. Instructions: 1. Divide students into groups and either have them choose or assign a theatre history era. 2. Give students a set time limit to research that era. 3. Each group will need to define the focus of their presentation. That way, instead of an overly general presentation, groups will present the information from a specific viewpoint. For example, have them examine three playwrights from the same era and explain why they are important to that era (eg: Shakespeare, Marlowe, Jonson). Or have students pick three plays from the same era. Or have them come up with an essential question for their project, like “How does Shakespeare’s audience compare and contrast with the 21st century theatre audience?” 4. Oral presentations should be 10 minutes long. Every member of the group must speak during the presentation. A power point should be included as part of the presentatio. What visuals can groups include to portray their focus? Remind students that their presentation should not be a list of facts, but an exploration of their specific focus. 5. As part of their 10-minute presentation, groups will include a performance. It could be a scene from one of the plays of the era. It could be a modern scene that illuminates their focus. (For example: What was it like to be a groundling in Shakespeare’s day?) It could be original monologues from the perspective of individuals from the era. The point is to bring life to the era and to demonstrate comprehension of the era beyond the basic facts. 6. After the presentation, each group will teach a 5-minute activity to the entire class. It could be a modern game that is adapted to suit an element of the era. (For example: Use the principles of the game Huckle Buckle but come up with actions that fit the Globe Theatre – say “Huckle Buckle groundlings” and have everyone run to their partner and lie flat on the ground.) Notes: This is a three-week project. It will take students time to extend traditional research beyond an expression of mere facts and data. You will need to check in with the students consistently to make sure they are working and that tasks are distributed equally throughout the group. Emphasize to each group that part of their mark will be derived from acting tips and techniques they have learned in other units: projection, articulation, stage presence, self-confidence, and physical action.