Communication

Blind Robot is the ultimate verbal communication game. It requires players to CLEARLY communicate verbal commands to a “robot.” The robot then has to physically interpret those instructions in a way that makes sense to them, even if it’s not what the instructor had in mind. This ‘command and respond’ cycle leads to an entertaining, thought-provoking, and sometimes challenging communication loop. It teaches students the value of communicating clearly. Here’s how you play Blind Robot: • Choose one student to be the Robot. • Blindfold the Robot and send them from the room. • While they are out of the room, the rest of the class will decide on a simple action for the Robot to complete (e.g., sit in a chair, stand on a box, write the letter A on the board, etc.). • The students will form a circle around the perimeter of the room. • Bring the blindfolded Robot back into the room and place them at the ‘starting point’ in the centre of the circle. • Starting with the student closest to the Robot, each student — one at a time, and in order around the circle — will give one, and only one command to the Robot as a step towards the assigned task. • Commands should be simple actions: “Take three steps forward,” “Raise your right hand,” “Touch the object in front of you,” etc. Each student will give ONE simple command with no follow-up instructions. • The Robot will interpret the information as they understand it, without the assistance of any other students. The Robot may NOT react based on what they THINK the instructor wants. For example, if a student says, “Raise your right hand” expecting the robot to raise their hand completely above their head, but instead the Robot only raises their right hand to shoulder level, then it is up to the next student to try and solve this problem. • The next student can give a clearer instruction, such as “Raise your right hand above your head.” • Students will go around the circle, one command at a time, working together as a group, to get the Robot to complete the task. • If the task is not completed by time you reach the end of the circle, return to the first student and continue in order until the task is successfully completed. • When the task is completed, unmask the Robot and have a quick discussion about what kinds of instructions the robot found helpful and which ones were confusing or insufficient. • Choose a new robot and start the game again. As students become more adept at this game you can add more difficult challenges. However, it’s a good idea to assign a ‘Robot Assistant’ who will keep the blindfolded robot physically safe during particularly challenging tasks. More advanced versions of the game might include: • Multi-step tasks such as picking up an object and putting it in another object. • Creating an obstacle course that the Robot must navigate to complete the task. • Adding physical challenges to the Robot’s movement. For example, the Robot must walk backwards or crawl on their belly from point A to point B as part of their task.

Theatre in the classroom is more than lines, scripts, and stages. It’s about building a community. A strong ensemble creates a brave space for students to explore, take risks, and develop their own voice, both on and offstage. When students feel supported by their peers, they can create work that is collaborative, expressive, and powerful. One approach to developing an ensemble is through non-verbal communication and physical theatre activities. These activities encourage students to connect through movement, eye contact, spatial awareness, and shared focus, rather than relying solely on spoken dialogue. Ensemble-building is particularly effective when students are asked to work together on a piece without relying on dialogue. This can be especially empowering for groups with varied experience levels or for schools developing new theatre programs. In addition, non-verbal ensemble-building allows students to participate fully regardless of reading level, verbal confidence, or previous theatre experience. Why Ensemble MattersA well-developed ensemble: • Fosters trust and mutual respect. • Encourages collaboration over individual spotlight. • Builds the foundation for any performance style, from lighthearted comedies to serious dramas. • Gives all students a voice and sense of ownership. An ensemble-focused classroom emphasizes listening, awareness, and support. Students learn that they are responsible not just for themselves, but for the success of the group as a whole. That mindset carries into rehearsal, performance, and everyday classroom interactions.

Welcome to our video series, Calling All Theatre Teachers! In this series we’re going to answer questions that drama teachers have about stepping into a theatre program. QUESTION: How do I deal with angry parents/guardians?Watch the video of our discussion of this question where Laramie shares his biggest suggestion for dealing with angry parents. Click the button below for some giveaway docs! First, a tip sheet for dealing with parents. Second, a template audition packet and an example show contract that Laramie uses. Sometimes, you can circumvent angry parents by putting all the information out front and getting them to sign off on it. Note that Laramie suggests including a full rehearsal schedule for parents/guardians as well as a character breakdown. How do YOU deal with angry parents/guardians?

Having additional personnel working on a school production can be incredibly helpful. Co-director, associate director, assistant director, director’s assistant, artistic associate — they’re all different titles with different levels of involvement, leadership, and decision-making capabilities, and when used effectively, can really help to ease your workload. On a musical, they may double as the choreographer or musical director, or they may be in a separate position. The key to employing someone in this type of role is clear communication; otherwise, having an additional staff member can cause more issues rather than solve them. Here are some discussion points to consider when you’re working with an additional director. PURPOSE: To start, establish the purpose and responsibilities of the additional team member. Are you looking to have another adult around to supervise and lead rehearsals (especially when you’re working with large groups of students? Are you looking for someone to cover rehearsals while you’re away? Do you want to double up on rehearsal plans and have a small group of students working in one room with one director while you work with others in a different room? Are you looking to mentor a new director to take over the responsibility of running the school show? Conversely, do you expect them to take the lead on directing the production while you act in a supervisory role? Will you expect them to take on any administrative or producing tasks, such as budgeting, scheduling, or discipline, or are their contributions strictly artistic in nature? EXPECTATIONS: You also need to know what the additional team member’s desires and expectations are for their involvement in the show. Are they a new director wanting to gain experience, grow their skills, and build their resume? Are they an experienced teacher or director looking to move into a new role or job? Are they hoping to direct scenes for the show or learn by observing and shadowing you? Do they want to take over parts of being a “do it all director” to ease your load, such as create a lighting plan or design costumes or sets? Will they be responsible for a specific task during the show run, such as operating lights or sound, being backstage as an ASM, or calling the show? What do they hope to get out of the process? Do their expectations line up with yours? TITLE: What will their official title be? There are some perceived discrepancies between the various titles. Co-director implies that there are two directors of equal power, with equal decision-making privileges. The difference between associate and assistant director is less clear-cut — which is considered a higher-level role, especially if you have both an associate and an assistant. Will you also have a student assistant director, and if so, who does what during rehearsals and showtime? A director’s assistant is a non-artistic role. This person’s job is to help the director with tasks such as photocopying, running errands, liaising with others, and additional tasks as required. ARTISTIC INPUT: How much artistic input will they be allowed to give? Do they get to give ideas about the overall concept or aesthetic of the production? Will they direct full scenes or sequences, or help with aspects such as character development, line memorization, or technical acting elements such as vocal projection and diction? Are they allowed to give notes? Can they veto your artistic choices, or can you veto theirs? Who gets the ultimate say in artistic decisions? TIME COMMITMENT and COMPENSATION: What is their time commitment? Are they full-time or part-time? Are they going to come to all rehearsals or just the ones on Mondays and Wednesdays? Or are they not available on Thursdays after school? Will this affect their title designation? On top of that, do you have an available budget to pay for this person’s time, or is this role a volunteer position? Be sure to make this aspect of the role clear to the candidate, because it will affect whether or not they are willing to commit to the position and how much effort they may expend on the show. VIBE CHECK: Have you worked with this person before, and if so, in what capacity? Do you get along with them? What assets do they possess that will help the production? How do they react in stressful situations? Do they know and/or get along with any additional team members you have on the show? Do they know the students? If they aren’t a teacher at your school, have they worked with students before? Do you need to fill out any paperwork before they start working on your show? Do they need to submit any accreditation or complete a background check prior to working with your students? Will they benefit the production process or create more work?

It’s not always easy to get students to answer questions in drama class. Some students who are great performers avoid sharing their thoughts in an open discussion. Even when a participation mark is at stake, many students shy away from answering questions or speaking up in group discussions for a variety of reasons. Some students are shy or introverted and find it easier to perform a character rather than answer a question “as themselves.” Some students enjoy studying drama but don’t like speaking in front of large groups. Some students think they’ll look foolish or stupid in front of their peers if they don’t know the answer to the question being asked. Some students are intimidated by the more outspoken or opinionated students and don’t feel like they can get a word in edgewise. And some students, for whatever reason, simply don’t want to participate. However, it’s important for students to be given the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions, as well as for them to actually speak up and join the conversation. Students need to feel that their contributions are valued, and hearing from different students is a great way for the class to consider new, creative ideas and points of view that they may not have thought of. This can lead to all sorts of interesting new scenes, improvisations, and playwriting adventures! Here are five suggestions for encouraging your students to participate more fully in discussions and answer questions in class: 1. Rotate responses.The simplest way to get responses from all your students is to just pick students to answer, rather than asking for volunteers or waiting for hands up. Let your students know that you will take volunteer responses, but you will also select students to answer if the same students keep raising their hands. This basically forces students to answer questions, but can stress some students out if they feel like they’re being put on the spot. 2. Treat it like a game.This is a more fun version of the first suggestion. Have students sit or stand in a circle during the discussion. When you are looking for an answer, toss a ball or beanbag to a student. The student who catches the ball answers the question, then tosses it to another student who answers the next question, and so on. The rule is that each student has to pass the ball to a new student each time before it can go back to a student who has already answered. 3. Post a schedule.Post a calendar on the wall and either assign students dates or let students sign up for dates. These dates are when students will be responsible for answering the questions in class. That way everyone will know when it’s their turn to answer questions, and they can prepare for it. 4. Try small group discussions.Divide students into partners or small groups and have them discuss the topic. It may be less intimidating for some students than answering questions in front of the entire class. Visit each group to check in with them and see how the discussion is going. Have groups take notes on what was discussed, indicating each group member’s contribution. You may wish for students to report back on what they discussed, either by submitting the written notes or orally. If you choose for students to present orally, they will still be speaking in front of the class, but they’ll have some time to prepare their thoughts in advance. This will hopefully alleviate some stress. 5. Offer different methods of answering questions.Some students are more successful responding in different ways than simply answering questions in class. If possible, try different methods of having students respond. Consider having students make brief voice or video recordings of themselves responding to your questions and submit them after class. This can be done using various smartphone apps, and gives students the opportunity to respond verbally – just in a different way. Written exit slips and reflections are always another option for students to answer your questions as well.

Whenever you receive a new list of students for your upcoming drama class (or classes), you aren’t just about to teach X number of students – you’re also going to be dealing with many (or most) of their parents. But before you stress yourself out over possible parental issues, read on for five tips for dealing with the parents of your drama students. We hope this will help you stay calm and cool this semester. 1. Remember that parents are only focused on their own kid, while you have to focus on the full class/cast.It can be hard for parents to remember that your focus is not solely on their own little darling; you have many students to keep tabs on. Drama class in particular is different because of the large frequency of group work and collaboration involved. Many parents don’t realize that their child’s actions often affect the rest of the drama class. While it is important to listen and reassure parents that you have their child’s best interests at heart and are focused on their learning and growth, you have to keep a full group awareness at all times. Which leads us to our second tip… 2. Encourage students to advocate for themselves before their parents get involved.I am grateful that I haven’t had to deal with this too often, but in the past I have had to speak with parents because they were upset that their child wasn’t cast into a particular role or because their child was apparently unhappy about something that happened in the classroom. In these cases, I listened carefully to what the parent was saying, particularly if it had to do with bullying, or the student’s health. However, it was always important to try and discover whether what we were discussing was a genuine concern from the student, or if it was the parent who was actually upset. In these cases I always ask the parent, “Have you spoken to your child about this? What did they say?” and then encourage the student to come and talk to me directly about the issue. You will often find that it is the parent who has the bigger problem than the student, and frequently the parents are contacting you without having spoken to their child about the perceived issue. Of course, every situation is unique, but most problems can be dealt with if the student comes to speak to you directly. This also is a good life lesson for students and parents alike to learn – that parents will not be able to solve their child’s problems for them all the time, and that students need to be brave, speak up, and advocate for themselves if they have concerns. 3. You may have to educate the parents too.I once spoke with a parent whose daughter had been in a number of productions, but had yet to be cast into a leading role. She was always in the ensemble. The parent was considering pulling her kid out of the current production. I asked this parent, “How does your daughter feel about this? Has she told you she is unhappy in ensemble roles?” The parent eventually admitted that their daughter loved being in the productions, regardless of the role, and it was the parent who in fact wanted their daughter to have a larger role and was annoyed about having to drive their daughter to and from rehearsals for (in their words) “a nothing role.” The parent also admitted that their daughter would be mortified if she knew they were calling me (which was touched upon in tip #2), and that the world of the theatre was unfamiliar to them, as they had come from a sports background. In this case, I explained the similarities between theatre and sports (teamwork, collaboration, practicing/rehearsing to increase endurance and improve skills, and so on) and made a comparison between first string in sports and leading roles in the theatre – not everyone is going to be the star player, but everyone is an important part of the team as a whole. I also encouraged the parent to speak directly to their daughter about the show, both to learn what she loved about theatre and to learn about the process. While you may not be dealing with parents who are sports enthusiasts, it’s important to remember that the world of drama and theatre can be a foreign place for many people, including parents. Have patience and take some time to educate parents on the ins and outs of drama class and/or the production process, and encourage parents to talk to their kids about what they’re learning and enjoying about theatre. You may also consider having an experienced theatre parent write up a letter to new parents explaining their perspective and learning process as their child went through drama classes and school shows. Experienced “theatre parents” are an asset, as they have “been there and done that” and can reassure other parents that what they are experiencing is normal. 4. Get parents on your side right away with regular updates.Parents like to be kept updated with what is going on in their kids’ lives, especially when they are trying to extract details from them. (“What did you do in class today?” “Nothing…”) It can be frustrating for parents who might feel like they’re totally out of the loop. If you have a teacher’s website, try to update it at least once a week with whatever you are working on in class, for each drama class you are teaching. Alternatively, you may wish to send a mini newsletter to your students’ parents – perhaps weekly, or at the very least, once a month. Be sure to include important dates (such as performance dates or tests/exams/assignments due), opportunities for volunteering (if applicable), and fun photos whenever possible. Parents love seeing photos of their kids! 5. Email templates are your friends.If you frequently write emails of a similar nature over and over, create a series of email templates to save your time and sanity. This way you can simply copy/paste and adjust the “Dear Mr./Ms. So-and-So” and you won’t have to reinvent the wheel each time you receive a similar question from yet another parent. Frequent messages I’ve received include: • Information requests about assignment due dates • Questions about bringing particular costume items from home • When and how to purchase show tickets • Why didn’t my child get cast into the role that they desperately wanted • Requests to explain the audition process (both before and after auditions) • Where and when is the graduation ceremony • Requests for letters of reference for job applications or scholarships

In this round-up, we’ve gathered a whole host of useful warm-up games that you can use in your drama classroom that focus on different aspects of communication. Communication isn’t just students talking to each other – it encompasses many different ways of sharing stories, thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Vocal Technique & ClarityWe’re starting with the basics – vocal technique and clarity. If your students are speaking too quickly or garbling their words, the audience won’t be able to understand the story they are trying to communicate. A simple, yet effective warm-up for vocal technique and clarity is to recite the alphabet out loud, as a full group, in a slow, over-enunciated, and exaggerated manner. Have students open their mouths and eyes wide, and really focus on drawing out every single sound from each letter. And yes, you will all look silly together! For an additional challenge, once you have gone through the alphabet once slowly, you can either speed up the tempo of the group alphabet (without losing any clarity), recite the alphabet backwards, or have students do a gesture (such as bending their knees or clapping their hands) on every third letter. Try these warm-ups too: • A Vocal Workout for the Articulators • Tongue Twister Teamwork (and other exercises) • Breath Control for Actors & Singers • Listening / Teamwork Tongue Twister Exercise Active ListeningAre your students listening to understand, or are they just waiting until they get to speak again? Active listening is a huge part of effective communication. There is nothing more frustrating than talking to someone and feeling like you aren’t being listened to. Here’s a fun warm-up game for students to practice active listening while practicing their improvisation skills. Have students sit or stand in a circle. Going around the circle, give each student a number in succession – 3, 5, and 7. Give the students a topic to talk about or a story starter prompt. The first student starts the story with 3 words, the second student continues with 5 words, the third student continues with 7 words, the fourth student continues with 3 words, and so on. It’s up to you to decide whether the story should be silly or serious. For example, here is a story about birds: Student 1: A bird named Student 2: George decided to go to Student 3: South America to visit his friend. So Student 4: he purchased a Student 5: ticket for the train. However, Student 6: once he arrived, he realized he forgot Student 7: his favourite suitcase. Students need to listen to each other to continue the story in a way that makes sense. Feel free to mix up the number of words each student gets to use. Try these warm-ups too: • Listen! Focus! • Three Things in Common • Shakedown / Numbered Bodies / Numbered Tableaux • The End of the Word (and other exercises) Nonverbal CommunicationIt’s not just about what your students say, it’s how they portray it with their bodies and faces. Try this warm-up exercise (which is also great for working on active listening). Narrate a simple, yet descriptive story of a student walking to school. While you are narrating the story, have students move about the space, acting out their interpretations of what you’re describing. For example: “You exit your house and lock the door behind you. You heft your backpack across your back. It’s heavy with textbooks and binders, but it’s a nice sunny day with a slight breeze. You’re feeling good – your homework is done, you’ve packed a lunch, and you’re wearing your favourite shirt. As you’re walking, you notice a strange feeling on your foot. You pause and look at the bottom of your shoe and see that you’ve stepped in a large wad of gum. You don’t want to touch it with your hands, so you try different ways to scrape it off, but it stays stubbornly stuck. While you’re trying to get rid of the gum on your shoe, you notice an odd, wet feeling on your back. You look behind you and notice that your water bottle is leaking through your backpack onto your clothes…” And so on! Make the story as long or short as you need to for the warm-up. Try to leave your descriptions clear enough for students to come up with ideas on the fly, but open enough for students to come up with creative ways of acting out your narration. Try these warm-ups too: • Who’s Knocking? • Silent Line-Up Game • Magic Putty • Nonverbal Emotions (and other exercises)

It’s easy for students to get hyper-focused on their lines when they’re working on a scene or on a show – counting how many lines they have, memorizing the lines, knowing what order the lines come in a scene, understanding what the lines mean. However, lines are not the be-all and end-all of theatre. There are so many ways to communicate a story without words. Try the following game with your students to work on exploring dramatic storytelling without using words. It’s inspired by the episode “Hush” from the fourth season of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the episode, the heroes have their voices stolen by a group of villains called the Gentlemen, and they are challenged to communicate with each other silently to figure out what happened and how to defeat the bad guys. They come up with a variety of useful and funny ways of communicating, to varying levels of success. The inspiration for the silent episode stemmed from critical praise for the show, stating that the dialogue was the most successful aspect of the show. In response, the series creator of Buffy, Joss Whedon, decided to write an episode almost entirely devoid of speech. For this game, students will work in pairs or small groups. Teachers, you will need to provide your students with a short scene (approximately 1-2 minutes in length). All the groups will work on the same scene. You can find some great two-person scenes and group scenes here or you may select or write your own scene. Read through the script with the full class and answer any questions that students may have about the content. Then students will re-read through the script in their groups, decide who will play what role, and start to prepare the scene to present to the rest of the class. (Memorization isn’t necessary – students will prepare their scene to be presented on-book until the twist is revealed.) Partway through the “rehearsal process,” share the game’s twist – all of a sudden, everyone’s voices have disappeared. Groups can’t use words to perform their scenes. How will they still be able to communicate what’s going on in the scene? What are the most important plot points and details that need to be conveyed? This is where each group is challenged to come up with a creative way to communicate the story without using their voices. Students might try using silent theatrical techniques such as mime, tableaux, facial expressions, body language, different kinds of alternative visual communication (such as pointing to words, using whiteboards, and so on), playing a charades-style game, puppetry, creating a dance, or coming up with another way of communicating the story visually. Sounds and noises from their mouths can’t be used, but other methods of creating sound (such as using instruments or music from their phones) are acceptable. Presentations should be approximately the same length of time as the scene would have taken to present as written – about one to two minutes in length. What makes this game fun is that, even though each group is presenting the same scene, each group’s interpretation of the scene will be different, depending on what technique they use to present the scene and what plot points and details they deemed most vital to the story. Encourage students to push themselves to make big and clear physical choices. Each group will present their interpretation of the scene. After each scene (if time permits), allow students to share the thought processes behind their presentations. Students will complete the game by completing and submitting an individual Reflection. Distance Learning Adaptation Exercise (minimum 2 classes + homework) 1. Discussion: How can actors perform on a digital platform without using words? Here are some ideas to get their brains going: • What is different from performing in person to performing online? • What limitations occur when performing online? How might they be overcome? • What advantages are there to performing online versus performing in person? • What household items could be used to facilitate a nonverbal performance? • What alternate methods of performance or storytelling could be used for online performances? 1. Assignment: • Divide students into groups. • Distribute scripts to the group members. • Assign each group their own digital breakout room. • Students will have the remainder of the class time to read the script and figure out a way to tell a one-minute long version of the story of their scene online, without using words. • Groups will need to decide if they will perform their pieces live, or record their piece and submit it. • Groups will need to meet outside of class time to either rehearse their live presentation or record their pieces OR assign an additional class period for rehearsal/recording. • At the next class, students will present their live or recorded pieces. • If time permits, allow students to share the thought processes behind their presentations. • Students will complete and submit an individual reflection.

After every run-through of a show, directors will have a notebook or word document packed to the brim with notes – praise, corrections, problems, solutions, changes and adjustments that need to be made. This way the next run-through can be even better. But your students aren’t psychic, so how will you communicate your notes to your students? Here are three methods of communication that you might already use, or that you could try out at your next rehearsal. 1. The Classic: Reading notes out loud right after a run-throughIt’s a classic for a reason: This is the most standard method of communicating notes. After a run-through, students return back to the stage and/or sit in the audience seats, while the director (and musical director and choreographer as appropriate) give notes verbally to the cast and crew. It’s beneficial because everyone is already there and the notes are fresh in the director’s mind. You are also still at the theatre and can do actual physical reviews and fixes right then and there, before everyone leaves. However, it’s not always the most useful method. Students are generally exhausted and/or super-hyper after a run-through, and their focus is not always the best. Students may be more focused on chatting with their friends (particularly after having to be quiet backstage for a long time) and doing their own analysis of what happened during the run-through. This may also just be something I personally need to take more ownership in, but I have found that when my casts are getting into run-throughs, they are less likely to take written notes. Giving notes out loud in a group setting can also lead to students asking questions or giving excuses as to why something happened, which makes the note session take even longer. Be sure to let students know that note-giving time is not discussion time, and any questions need to be addressed afterwards. 2. The Post-Run Rundown: Typing up notes and emailing/posting digitallyIn the post-run rundown, teachers/directors take the notes home, type them up in a list format, and either email them to the cast and crew or post them digitally for the cast and crew to see (such as on a private Facebook group, on Google classroom, or on other digital communication resource). The teacher may also elect to send some notes privately as appropriate. This is beneficial because it allows students to go home right after rehearsal and rest, and it gives them time to read and absorb the notes. They can think about them, practice at home, and then apply them at the next rehearsal. It also gives teachers/directors time to collect their thoughts and review their notes in a different setting than at the theatre (where emotions may still be running high). The most obvious challenge with digital communication is that the notes are easily ignored, missed, lost, or simply not read. If teachers/directors decide to employ this method, they will need to figure out a way to ensure students can prove they have actually received and read the notes. As well, depending on the rehearsal schedule, there may be a tight turnaround between typing up the notes and sending them to allow students time to actually read the notes. 3. The Checklist: Posting notes backstageThis is a method I have not used personally, but many of my colleagues have used it and found it to be effective. Similar to the post-run rundown method, students are dismissed after rehearsal and the teacher/director types up the notes from the run-through. However, the notes are formatted as a checklist, with a small space next to each note point for the applicable student to initial that they have received and understand the note. The note list is then printed and posted up in the backstage or rehearsal area, and students are responsible for consulting the list and ensuring that they have received their notes before the next rehearsal. This method is beneficial because it puts the onus on the student to get their notes. It reduces the stress on teachers/directors and it teaches the students responsibility. A student didn’t get their notes? That’s on them now. It’s also easy to track who read the notes and who didn’t, as students must initial to indicate that they got their notes. The downside to this method is that, again, it’s easy enough for students not to read the notes. It can also cause some stress in the backstage/rehearsal area if many students are trying to crowd around the note sheet. (It may be beneficial to print multiple copies of the note sheet and post them in various areas to avoid congestion.) It also doesn’t allow a lot of time for students to read and absorb their notes before the next rehearsal. Students might think they can simply read the notes once they arrive at rehearsal, which can waste group time. Teachers/directors may have to specify that students must come and read the notes on their own time before rehearsal.

Real talk: Teachers, it is likely you won’t have every item on your props, costume, and set wishlists for the show. It is also unlikely that you are staging your show with an unlimited budget, a massive design team, and an extensive props and costume storage warehouse. In that case, it will be necessary to reach out to other schools and drama departments in your area, community theatre groups, or other resources, to rent or borrow items for your show. Renting and borrowing items is a great way to help you to fill your costume, prop, and set requirements without having to create or buy everything yourself (and eat up your entire budget), and to forge relationships with fellow community members. Here are some tips to help you navigate this situation, and thoroughly impress your rental sources with your professionalism – which will make it more likely that they’ll rent to you again in the future! 1. Give the source as much information as you can.When you approach the potential resource, give them as much pertinent information as possible right away, including: • Your name, as well as the names of any other people who may potentially act on your behalf (assistants, parent volunteers, etc.) • The name of the school you represent, as well as the age/grade level of your students (this gives the rental sources an idea of how roughly their items might be handled) • The title of your show • The performance dates of the show, how long you’d like to rent the items for, and when you would be able to return the items • Your budget allocation for rentals or, if you have no budget, some way to “pay” for the rented/borrowed items (advertising space in the program or an exchange offer, such as loaning items from your stock to their production) 2. Have a clear and specific list of what you need.Please don’t contact a source without having a clear list of what you’re looking for, along with sizes and quantities. Yes, it’s easy to say “I need costumes for our production of The Lion King, I’ll take anything you have,” but that doesn’t give your source much information. Be specific – for example, if you need to costume fifteen hyenas and twelve lionesses who range in size from small to extra large, your life will be much easier if you know exactly how many students are what size! This way you won’t end up with a bunch of useless costumes that don’t fit, or only five matching costumes when you needed twelve. Or, if you’re looking for a particular set piece or prop, have the ideal measurements of the item, or the measurements of your performance space available to compare. There is no sense in trying to rent a prop coffin for Oliver or a torture rack for The Addams Family, only to find you can’t get the item through the door of your space. (Side note: Be sure you have a large enough car or truck at your disposal to pick up the item. Don’t expect the source to deliver to you unless they offer.) 3. Have a clear idea of the design vision for the show.Are you setting your show in the period in which it is written, or are you setting the show in a different time period? There’s no sense getting a renaissance-style cottage flat if your Hamlet is set in outer space. Having a Pinterest inspiration board or inspirational sketches to show your source can help them to help you find exactly what you’re looking for – no wasting time looking at ruffs and robes when blasters and space suits are what’s needed. This will also help your source to quickly identify what they have in stock that will work for your show. For example, you and your source may both have done Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but they may have dressed their Oompa-Loompas in orange overalls, while you were hoping for green. Would the orange overalls work with your show, or will you have to look elsewhere? 4. Be flexible and prompt.The rental sources are doing YOU a service by lending or renting their items to you, so be as flexible with your time as possible. If their office hours for pickup are between 10 am and 4 pm, don’t ask them to stay until 7:30 just for you. Make arrangements to go at the time they indicate to you, and arrive on time. This may mean sending someone on your behalf if their hours are during school hours, or going on your lunch hour or during your prep time if that is possible. Being extra early can sometimes be as inconvenient for them as being late – sources usually book their meeting times for a good reason, and if you arrive super early, they may not have had a chance to pull the items in question out of storage. 5. Do not alter borrowed or rented items without the express permission of the source.The pants you got for your leading actor are nearly perfect – they’re just a little bit too long for the student. It’s fine to go ahead and hem the pants, right? NOPE! Always be sure to contact the source and ask permission if you want to make alterations, and be sure that any alterations are reversed before returning the item unless arranged otherwise. For example, if you hem a pair of pants, be sure not to hack off the excess material – hem the pants carefully and then remove the hemming stitches after the show. Or if you have permission to paint a flat, paint it back to its original colour after the show. 6. Return items in the same or better condition than you got them, and in a timely manner.Make a detailed list of every item you rented or borrowed, and which source it came from (especially if you rented or borrowed from multiple sources). It might be useful to photograph all rented/borrowed items for this purpose. If you can, label each item as well. That way, rented items are less likely to go missing. Find out how to properly care for all the items, and return the items in as good or better condition than you got them. Make sure all costume pieces are properly washed and/or aired and that there are no rips, stains, or missing/broken trims. Make sure that the props are in good working order, and that flats or set pieces are touched up and looking fresh. If something happens and an item does get broken, contact the rental source right away. This is to not only inform them that the incident happened, but to find out how they’d like to proceed – do they want you to fix the item, do they want to fix the item themselves, do they want the item back or not, will there be a damage fee, and so on. Honesty is the best policy in this case. You also need to ensure that your items are returned in a timely manner – on or before the source’s due date. They may have the items going out to another production after yours, or they may be planning to use the items in an upcoming show of their own. Be respectful of the source and return all the items on time. Don’t make them have to hunt you down to get their items back! 7. Be courteous.Find out the full name of the person in charge of rentals so you can credit them in the program (such as in a “Special Thanks To” or “_________ Provided By” section), and send a thank you card afterwards. Small gestures like this go a long way to creating a positive relationship with rental sources.

We recorded a podcast featuring 9 teachers from all over the country, in both middle school and high school programs, to find out what makes them able to do it all when directing a play. Here are 10 of their best tips: 1. Build a program that allows students to develop responsibility and grow their skills.“I give a lot of the responsibility to the students. When we get ready to move our show onto the stage from the shop, kids each have a specific task to do. And they’ve kind of come up in the ranks so they’ve earned that responsibility and they’re very competent, very hard-working, and very talented. I do leave the majority of it up to them. That helps me a lot because it frees me up to be more of a director than someone who’s in the trenches backstage.” 2. Have patience.“Just have patience that, in the end, the result is most of the time going to be excellent: the kids are going to be excited, the parents are going to be happy, and the school system and the community are going to benefit. You know, the show doesn’t have to be perfect. We’re going to miss sound cues. Sometimes, the light board is not going to come on. Whatever the situation, you’ve just got to be a little patient and a little bit flexible and just proud that the kids get the opportunity even if every show is not to perfection.” 3. Plan carefully and well in advance.“I always make sure that I’ve got my season picked out at least by June of the previous year. That allows me to spend a good deal of the summer planning. It also allows me to give roles to students and that’s been a huge asset– training kids. “Hey, Noah, we’re doing these shows next year and I need you to be the sound designer so I need you to start researching.” Being able to give different roles to students, give them the time to work on it, and then as well as for me to come up with, “Okay, we’re going to build this so we need that, that, and that.” I try to set up our rehearsal schedule as early in advance as possible.” 4. Pick one thing and do it well.“Choose one thing to learn each year and really concentrate on it in your production. I tried to do everything and it just was very overwhelming. I was way too scattered on my first production, to have everything at the level that I wanted it to be at. I know that in maybe five years I will have it at a level that is a little bit more professional, but I’m just going to have to really concentrate on studying one area each year and work on that. Then, that’ll carry through to the next year and I will pick another area.” 5. Set high expectations for your students.“I ask them (my students) to be little bit more mature and, you know, if I run into something, I have to say to them, “Guys, if you can’t help me do this, we can’t do this.” So, I just really put it out there for them and they really step it up , so I’m pretty lucky.” 6. Don’t give up.“Eventually, it gets better. You find things that work. A lot of times you fail and a lot of times you make mistakes. But that’s how we learn and that’s how we grow as educators and directors. Don’t give up because there are times that it’s hard and there are times that you just feel like you want to throw in the towel and you think to yourself, “What is this for?” But then, on those opening nights, when those kids are standing onstage taking their bows and the audience is standing and giving them a standing ovation–that’s what it’s for. It’s for them.” 7. Use recycled materials.“One year, I used all recycled materials for every piece of scenery. We had to have a great big wall that got knocked down in the middle of a particular play. We just asked people to bring in their garbage boxes and we used craft paper that had been used to cover the tables in the art room and we covered them all with that and then we wrote graffiti on them. And so, the whole set was this big recycled project.” 8. Involve the parent community with specific tasks.“I have found that the parents of my students and cast members are not unwilling to become involved. It’s that they literally don’t know what to do. I think that the first and foremost step should be communicating with them the exact jobs that are needed. Be as specific as you can: “We need somebody who is skilled with carpentry to volunteer some time–any time you have–to help us build some acting blocks or to build some canvas flats for us.” Listing off as specifically as possible what is needed is an important element. I think what winds up happening is you start to develop a culture that’s sort of (for lack of a better term) an underground culture of knowledge of what’s needed.” 9. Use a contract.“It’s in the student contract that the parents actually have to contribute to the production and that helps take some of that stress of actually getting it all done off of me. We try to offer enough different kinds of jobs, like bringing water backstage for the kids. That’s not something that requires a whole lot of time, but it’s time that somebody has to take, and it helps out the production.” 10. Count on your students.“When people are feeling the struggle, I think that the answer is always right in front of you–to use your students and to give them responsibility. What a wonderful teaching moment!”

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 subtext in the mixed message of a tense body combined with words of love. Because theatre is a visual medium and today’s students are visual learners, it is a great idea to incorporate nonverbal communication exercises into your program. • Gestures List. Ask students: How do we communicate without words? What are some common gestures? Divide students into groups and ask each group to come up with as many ways of nonverbal communicate as they can in 1 minute (eg: shrug, hands on hips, finger to lips, shake head, nod head, make a face, smile, wink). • Silent Scene. Divide students into pairs. Have each pair create a one-minute scene that takes place in one location and has a problem that needs to be solved. Neither person in the scene can talk. All communication has to be nonverbal. Can the audience guess the content of the scene without any dialogue to help? Remind students to refer to the gestures list. • Nonverbal Communication. Give students a list of sentences and have them come up with a way to nonverbally communicate them. Remind students to refer to the gestures list. (A sample list is included in the PDF.) • Nonverbal Emotions. Students choose an emotion by drawing slips of paper out of a hat. Have them present the emotion listed on the slip of paper in a wordless performance where they enter a space, then sit, get up, and leave the space. Their goal is to “show” their emotion well enough that the audience can guess. (For example: Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Surprise, Fear, Jealousy, Boredom, Disgust, Nervousness, Excitement, Relaxation, Tenseness, Stress, Fatigue). • Nonverbal Picture Prompt. Show students a picture of a person. What is their body language communicating? Write an inner monologue for this character. (A sample picture is included in the PDF.) • High Status/Low Status. Have students walk around the room and explore the physicality of high status and low status. What defines a high status body? What defines a low status body? How do they walk? How does this physicality affect how they interact? Divide students into pairs with one high status character and one low status character. Each pair presents a nonverbal scene that shows their status. (A description of high and low status physicality is included in the PDF.) • Subtext Scene. Divide students into groups. Create a scene in which at least one character has lines that say one thing while their body language tells another thing (eg: a student tells another student they are happy that they won the contest, but their body language is tense, with arms folded across their body). • Good Listener/Bad Listener. Have two volunteers come up to the front. Person A has to tell Person B a story. The first time through, Person B is a “good listener.” Ask students what a good listener looks like? How do you communicate engagement nonverbally? Do the scene again with Person B telling Person A a story. This time, Person A is a “bad listener.” What does a bad listener look like? What is their physicality? How do you communicate boredom nonverbally? Ask the audience if they can see the difference. • One Talker/One Not. Divide students into pairs. Have each pair create a one-minute scene that takes place in one location and has a problem that needs to be solved. Person A is allowed to speak their lines but Person B can only use gesture, body language, and other nonverbal communication. Afterwards, switch sides so that Person A is the nonverbal communicator. • Judging. Ask students: Have you ever judged someone by what they look like or by how they move before you talk to them? What is it about someone’s physicality that affects you? Have students create a scene in which a character is judged not by what they say but by their nonverbal communication.

Strong writing takes practice - and the right kind of practice makes all the difference. Explore five of our most popular playwriting exercises for middle and high school students, designed to strengthen storytelling skills, sharpen character development, and build creative confidence. Each exercise includes a free downloadable PDF or classroom-ready handout so you can put it to work right away. 1. “Hurdling the First Line” Playwriting Exercise It’s always easier to give in to writer’s block than to overcome it. Use this exercise to jump over that hurdle. 2. “Name Game” Title Exercise Whether it’s a movie, novel, or play, the title acts as a doorway into the piece. Use this exercise to practice creating a variety of titles based on a photograph. 3. “Inner Monologue” Playwriting Exercise If you get into the habit of observation–noticing the details about people, places, and things–you‘ll never run out of material to write about.Try this inner monologue exercise to sharpen students’ observation skills. 4. “Subtext” Playwriting Exercise Subtext adds depth. There’s the verbal conversation that two characters are having, then there’s the nonverbal conversation underneath the verbal conversation. This exercise includes 4 sets of writing prompts for students to uncover the meaning behind the words. 5. “Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast” Creativity Exercise Being creative means being confident that you can solve a problem in a new way, regardless of what other people think. This post comes with an “impossible scenes” exercise and a downloadable poster for your classroom!

Drama is one of the few classes that teachers real world skills. This is something that every drama teacher knows well. You know this. Despite resistance you may receive from parents, administrators, or even other teachers – the drama class is a vital and necessary component to a well rounded education. It’s not computers or television that ruins the lives of students. It’s the square peg in the round hole. It’s testing. It’s the methodology that every single student must conform to one way. Students do not need to learn how to parrot back facts. That is the sole purpose of a test. Teenagers know everything is at the swipe of a finger, so why bother? How soon will it be before today’s visual learners rebel? Students do need to know how to think on their feet in the 21st century. We have given them information at their fingertips, how do we take them to the next level? They need to know how to use their brain to create, to communicate, to innovate, to collaborate. These are the real world skills of the modern world, the 21st century skills. And they are happening in every drama classroom right now. Are you shouting that from the rooftops?The drama class is a microcosm for 21st century skills.Throw that on a poster and slap it on your classroom door. Make it your mantra. If you want parents, administrators, other teachers to take you seriously and to take your program use this sentence on a constant basis. My class promotes 21st century skills.The skills of the 21st century are not about technology, even though every teenager is fully wired. It’s about teaching students to think in a new way. Click on each link for classroom exercises and articles on these important skills. • Critical Thinking • Creative Thinking • Communication • Collaboration ** ** The act of being in a play promotes all of these skills. Critical Thinking:• We apply close reading to the script • We analyze our characters and make inferences • Weask and answer questions based on the script Creativity:• We interpret the script • We develop choices for our characters • We design the costumes, sets, and props based on the script Communication:• We construct a vision both visual and thematic • We offer feedback and suggestions during therehearsal process • We receive and process feedback from the audience Collaboration:• We work together onstage and off • We develop a community • We problem solve You may be thinking – Hold on. This is not why I teach drama. I teach drama not for the administrators. I am there for the students. I am there to create the only safe space they have in a day. I am here to bring theatre to life. I am not a spouter of buzzwords. You don’t have to be. In the classroom it’s just you and your kids. But how are you advocating for your program outside the classroom? Is your administrator in your corner? Are the parents? What are you doing to keep your program alive? What language do you use to make administrators sit up and take notice? Click here to download a brainstorming activity that asks: How does my class promote 21st Century Skills?

Is what you say in the classroom hitting home? Communication is a two way street. It’s not just about sending information out into the world, there’s a receiving aspect as well. Give and take. If you dive into a topic – (i.e. What is Melodrama?) – can your students explain the concept in their own words back to you? You want your students to engage, comprehend and apply what they’re learning. But how do you know if what you teach hits home? Use exit slips. An exit slip is a question, a prompt, a rating, or a response to the day’s lesson. A student can express their thoughts and reflect on what they’ve learned. Find out immediately if the way you’ve communicated during class has been received and understood. Use exit slips for informal assessment by asking students to answer a specific subject question. You can also use them to find out how well you’ve taught the lesson. If the majority of the class is confused by the same thing, that’s a red flag. If you’re in a class with a variety of learners at different levels, exit slips can help you organize for the next day. You’ll know who needs review, and who can move ahead. In the last five minutes of class, write a question or prompt on the board. (You could also project it on a screen, or hand out half sheets of paper for students to write on.) The point of the exercise is that it can easily be completed in that last five minutes. One question, one prompt, or a couple of multiple choice phrases. Exit slips are then handed in as students “exit” the classroom. You can also use exit slips to test prior knowledge. If you want to find out what students know on a topic, have them complete an exit slip the day (or week) before you introduce the subject.

Here’s a great warm up that also works as a communication exercise. Magic Putty. Instructions:1. Everyone stands in a circle, including the teacher. The teacher cups his/her hands and says, “I’m holding something amazing in my hands. It’s magic putty. I can use it to make any kind of toy that I want. For example…” 2. The teacher mimes shaping the putty into a toy (e.g. a Barbie doll, a tennis racket, etc.), plays with said toy for a few seconds and then shapes the toy back into the ball of magic putty. Be specific with each step. Take the putty, shape it into the toy, play with the toy and then re-shape it back into putty. Make each step clean and defined. 3. The putty is passed to the next person and the game continues around the circle. This is a great game for beginners because it doesn’t ask students to play a role, to be funny, to be impressive. It just asks them to think of a toy and communicate what that toy is through mime. Some tips:• Don’t worry about the amount of putty you start with and don’t worry about being realistic. A handful can make an entire baseball stadium if you so desire. It’s magic! • Encourage physicality. Coach the students to make toys that use the whole body (e.g. a bicycle). • Do the steps. Coach students to follow each step cleanly – accept the putty, shape the putty into a toy, play with the toy, shape it back into putty. • Take the word “toy” loosely. It doesn’t need to be a traditional toy. It can be any object that you interact with in a physical way. Variations:Charades: Interact with the toy until someone is able to guess what it is. Share your toy: Instead of collapsing the toy after playing with it, it gets handed to the next person in the circle, who also plays with it for a few seconds, then collapses it to make a new toy. Speed round: Do a round as quickly as possible, keeping the movements/steps as clean and clear as possible.

Drama teacher Joshua Hatt started using Google Drive as a response to the frustration of having his students lose curriculum booklets time and time again. His work developed into a powerful online home whereby students and teachers can communicate, contribute, collaborate, edit, and house all their documents online. Here, Josh shares 5 reasons why you should incorporate the online Journal (using Google Drive) into your classroom. Check out his course, Google Drive in the Drama Classroom, in the Drama Teacher Academy! 1. Harness the power of reflection.• Reflection is such a powerful tool in the drama classroom. Students who can reflect and use their analytical skills are the students who learn and can connect their drama to various situations in real-life contexts. • Thoughtful journalers are better prepared to articulate their intentions, plans and goals. They can also distinguish between needs and wants in a performance, based on the experiences with devising script work and improvisations. • Online journalling takes it to the next level! 2. Plan with the end in mind.• Presenting an online journal workbook at the beginning of the year helps both you, the teacher, and your students stay on track. • As educators, we always need to know where our students should end up in order to scaffold them correctly. A journal helps get us there. 3. Don’t lose any papers!• By moving to an online journal through Google, students are able to reflect on their work using actual photographs, video files, and audio as tools for more meaningful reflection exercises. • Creating this online resource means no more carting journals back and forth, having students lose their curriculum books, or wasted time hunting through files. It’s all right there on Google Drive, 24/7. 4. Engage in meaningful, timely feedback.• Google Docs allow for ‘commenting’ by anyone sharing the document – it’s a teacher’s feedback dream come true! • This real-time function allows you the opportunity to communicate with your students right away. Rather than giving them feedback formatively and having to wait until you cart your journals all the way back to the classroom, they get feedback instantly and can access it anywhere! 5. Collaborate in real time, wherever you are!• Students these days are all about chat and text – that’s their online language. If you’re using Google for journalling, you can enable the Chat feature and you can actually chat with your students live as they work. • Another way to use this feature is to set up some online office hours. You can access the journal from wherever you are. Students can ask you questions in the chat forum and get instant help. • Students can even chat with each other if they are sharing their journals with each other – amazing for collaboration. Are you sold? Are you ready to implement Google Drive in your classroom and try the online journal approach? Click here to see an example of a Journal you can use on Google Drive for drama students. If you want to learn more and get the hands-on skills to implement this in your classroom, check out Josh’s course Google Drive in the Drama Classroom, available at the Drama Teacher Academy – for a preview, see the video below!

““… I recommend they keep a diary, at least a page a day, and faithfully, and also to get into the habit of letter writing to other writers. The advantages that come with doing this seem obvious—both are exercises which hone the communicative skills.” George Plimpton, Advice to Writers” Both of these are great habits to put into your repertoire. Think of the diary not so much as a dumping ground for emotional angst, but as a writer’s tool. Write down what you observe on a daily basis. What did you experience? What came across your world view? Can you describe something using the five senses? But using the diary in this way, you are sharpening your skills at observation and observation is my number one most often used tool for finding play ideas. I agree with Mr. Plimpton – having honed communication skills are essential to the writer. That is all we do with our work, isn’t it? Use words as a vessel for communication. I have never written a letter, not a proper one, to another playwright. Who would you write to? What would you say? Would you tell them how they inspired you? What you you remark about their work? Sounds like an exercise. Communication Exercise1. Write three letters to three different artists who have inspired you. 2. Write a proper letter, with salutation and fully constructed sentences (no text shorthand here). 3. Explain to the artist why they inspired you and what it is you love about their work. 4. Decide what you want to communicate with the letter. Don’t just make it a one line letter: “I love your work.” Why? Be descriptive. Give the letter purpose. What is going to make the artist read your letter over all the others? What is going to make them keep going after the first line? What will make them respond to your letter? Reflection: Reflect on the exercise. Are letters a useful communication tool? Why or why not? Would you send your letters, or file them away never to be seen again? Why?

One of the issues in student artistic work (whether it be as a playwright, an actor or a director) is intention vs. presentation. There is often a difference between what students intended to put on stage, and what they actually did. More often than not, young artists have a clear picture of what they want for a character, what they think about a moment, what they intend. They do spent time thinking about their characters. They have a director’s concept. They are smart and articulate when they describe what’s going on inside their heads in terms of a specific moment. But just as often, the execution of their intention does not find its way into the final product. There are a lot of reasons for this. Sometimes it’s difficult for young actors to manifest a thought – to bring the “idea” of a character into a three-dimensional representation. Ideas and thoughts are hard for an audience grasp. They only know what they see. It doesn’t matter what an actor/director/writer intended – if it’s not on the stage, the audience won’t know. One way to solve this issue is to have student actors physicalize their ideas. Encourage students to turn their thoughts into physical action – something tangible. A physical stance, a gesture to another character, a movement across the stage. Show who the character is through action, instead of through ideas. And what about the thoughts inside a student director’s head? How do young directors make sure their intentions are clear in the presentation? Again, go for the tangible – make sure there is some kind of physical action that matches each idea. For the director, this could be a blocking pattern, the choice of set and costume, a gesture that shows the relationship between two characters, a specific picture. Encourage student directors to build stage pictures that represent the thoughts and words in their head. Visualize the theme, visualize the concept, visualize the interpretation. Another tactic is to get an outside eye to look at the production. This is especially important when taking a production to competition. Don’t get involved with likes or dislikes of the person providing feedback – there is really only one question and one answer: “This is my intention. Is my intention clear on stage?” That’s what a student director needs to know. Lastly, there is the student writer. How do you make intention tangible for a student written work? Have them write it out. Ask four questions: • What is the main theme of the play? • How do my characters fulfill the theme? • How does the conflict fulfil the theme? • How do I want the audience to respond? Theme/Character/Conflict are the backbone of all good plays. And no play exists without audience response. When student writers can define the purpose of the play (theme), the audience response and the who/what of the play (character/conflict), their intention will become clear on the page. Exercise:1. Give your students a monologue. Have them fill out the Intention Questionnaire. (You can download a sample monologue and Questionnaire below). The Questionnaire asks students to define their thoughts on the character. 2. Ask students to turn their thoughts about the character and the monologue into physical action. What blocking will they use? Come up with three specific actions. 3. Ask students to link up their thoughts and ideas to their blocking in a reflection. Why did they choose a particular stance, movement or gesture to show inner thought? What does it mean to turn thoughts into action? Why is it important to visualize your intention?

How do you communicate when you can’t talk directly?Have you ever been in a situation where you see something or someone and you want to comment out loud, but it’s just not possible? Perhaps you’re in public. Perhaps you don’t want the person you’re observing to know what you’re thinking. You desperately want to say something but it’s just not appropriate. How do you engage in the act of observation in public? How do you communicate when you can’t talk directly? Create a secret code of course! For example When I go to Disney World, one of the groups of people I like to observe are newly married people. More often than not, these couples broadcast their status by wearing bride and groom Mickey ears. The bride ears are ok. The groom ones are a little goofy. They’re fun to watch. It would be inappropriate to call out, “look at the guy in the goofy hat,” or “look, it’s newlyweds!” If I want to communicate these phrases, I need a secret code. 1. It has to be subtle. It can’t be obvious. You can’t shout out “Married People!” Not cool. 2. It has to be something you’ll remember. There’s a song about getting married in one of my favourite musicals, Sondheim’s Company. The song is called “Getting Married Today.” It’s a little ironic because the character singing the song is actually talking about not getting married to her fiance Paul. I know the song well and I know exactly what it’s about. 3. It has to be short. Instead of singing a whole line from the song, I chose a short phrase “Don’t Tell Paul!” If you yell out “Don’t tell Paul!” no one, except Sondheim fans, will have any idea what you’re talking about. Unless the guy’s name is Paul. Secret Code ExerciseHow can you use secret code observation language in the classroom 1. Divide the class into groups. 2. Each group has to come up with an observational phrase derived from a theatrical source. The phrase must adhere to the following criteria: • The phrase must be subtle. • The phrase must be memorable and the group has to explain why it’s memorable. • The phrase has to be short. 3. Remind students: the point is not to be mean, but to comment on something so no one else knows what you’re talking about. And remember, it can’t be obvious: Don’t Tell Paul=newlyweds in funny hats. 4. Once groups have their phrase, they have to create a scene which uses the phrase. Give students 10 minutes to create a 1 minute scene. 5. Groups present their scene. Ask the class to see if they can decode the secret phrase. What are they commenting on? 6. At the end, each group explains the origin of the phrase. 7. Reflection: Reflect on the exercise. What was it like to create a secret code? What was it like to communicate in secret?