Empathy

If you’ve ever been part of a theatre production, you know that drama isn’t just about acting — it’s about teamwork, trust, and putting yourself out there. That’s why kindness in the drama classroom isn’t just nice to have; it’s essential. Think about it: theatre requires students to take risks. They have to speak in front of others, step into unfamiliar roles, and sometimes even make themselves look a little silly. That’s not easy! But when students know they’re in a supportive, kind environment, they’re much more willing to try, fail, and try again. So how can we, as drama teachers, actively cultivate kindness in our classrooms? Here are a few simple but effective ideas: 1. Make encouragement the norm.• Start class with a “shout-out” circle where students recognize something great a classmate did. • Encourage students to give positive feedback before offering constructive criticism. (A simple “I loved how expressive you were!” goes a long way.) 2. Model kindness in your feedback.• When giving notes, focus on growth rather than just what went wrong. • Use “and” instead of “but” when offering suggestions: “Your character choices were strong, and if you add a bit more energy, it’ll be even stronger.” 3. Foster a “we, not me” mindset.• Remind students that theatre is a team sport — every role, onstage or off, matters. • Have students switch roles occasionally so they appreciate all aspects of a production. 4. Create a no-mocking zone.• Establish a rule that everyone gets to try things without fear of being laughed at (unless it’s intentional comedy!). • Call out unkind behavior gently but firmly. Drama class should be a place where students feel comfortable being brave. 5. Celebrate effort, not just talent.• Applaud students who take risks, even if the result isn’t perfect. • Acknowledge growth and improvement, not just natural ability. When kindness takes center stage, everything in the drama classroom becomes better: students feel braver, performances improve, and the whole experience becomes more fun. After all, theatre isn’t just about putting on a great show; it’s about building a great community.

We reached out on Facebook and Instagram, asking educators what qualities they admire in drama students. We received so many fantastic responses and have compiled a list of 10 of the most frequent admirable qualities mentioned. Your students undoubtedly already possess many of these qualities, which will also serve them in the real world. We’ve included some tips and links to articles that will help you nurture these qualities in your students, and help them grow and develop these qualities and skills even more — because practice makes progress. 1. Problem-solving skillsWhen problems arise, do your students figure things out themselves, or do they wait for you (or someone else) to step in? We want students to be able to problem-solve if something goes wrong, which it inevitably does in the theatre. Not only will this ensure that the show goes on, it’s an important skill that will serve students in their everyday lives. You can help your students practice problem solving with the following exercises: Problem-Solving for Student Directors, Last-Minute Fill-In, and Putting on a Class Production: Problem Solving. If your students are having trouble working together in groups, you can use these tips to help them learn to figure out their issues. 2. Taking initiative and willingness to help outThe next step up from solving problems independently is taking the initiative to identify what needs to be done and then doing it. Have students practice their management skills by doing the Plan, Execute, Reflect Exercise. They can also work on their leadership skills by leading warm-ups. If they have aspirations of working on a show in the future, they can work on developing the skills needed to do so, which includes taking initiative and helping out wherever they can. So many students are conditioned to ask an adult before attempting anything, or don’t have the social awareness to think about what’s going on around them. Try the OTA Challenge (Observe, Think, Act) found in the giveaway below to help students practice taking initiative in the drama classroom. 3. Risk-taking and willingness to step outside their comfort zoneWe encourage our drama students to take risks and step outside their comfort zones all the time. It’s not easy — students are often afraid of looking silly, and it can be hard to be vulnerable in front of your peers. It’s important to start with a strong foundation and build trust with your drama students through warm-up exercises and your own actions. This helps to instill confidence in your students to take risks and try new things, such as playing a difficult character. Knowing they are safe in the drama classroom to try different things, make mistakes, and try again allows students to take those risks. Which leads us to… 4. PerseveranceA famous quote attributed to Thomas Edison goes: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Our students are going to make mistakes and even fail at times. What matters is how they deal with it. They must pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and try again. So their scene fell a bit flat, or their audition wasn’t up to par. If students can extrapolate what they learned and apply it to their next attempt, they’re going to do great things. Never give up! To help your students practice persevering through difficult situations, have them try scenario exercises such as Production Challenges or the “What If” Game. This will help them come production time, when they are working through the last few weeks before showtime, which can be challenging. 5. CommitmentThere’s no way around this: drama class and participating in shows is a commitment. There are only so many hours in the day — are your students using them effectively? Drama students need to hold themselves accountable to honouring their commitments to drama class and/or the show they’re working on, and avoid overcommitting themselves, which leads to burnout and stress. This article focuses on distance learning but can be applied to many situations concerning commitment, whether the student is learning in person or online. Remind your students that sometimes they need to make tough choices, but if they want to be part of the drama scene, they need to show up. And while they’re there… 6. Strong work ethic and driveFor a student to succeed in drama class, they have to want to be there and be willing to put in the work. Many students assume that drama is an easy A, which we all know isn’t the case. Sometimes students will realize that drama class is challenging, and will try to push back against the teacher. The length of the rehearsal process may frustrate other students, who forget that they spend more time in rehearsal than on the final product. Have these students circle back to perseverance and remember that putting in the work will pay off in the long run. The successful drama student takes their work seriously and makes the time to improve by memorizing their lines early, practicing at home, and using their time in class effectively. 7. Being a team player and collaborating with othersUnless your students are doing self-produced one-person shows, they’ll need to get comfortable working with others. In drama class and in the theatre, it’s necessary. And frankly, it’s more fun! Teach your students about the difference between collaboration and teamwork using these tips and expert advice. Then, have them practice their teamwork and collaboration skills by creating a giant onstage, completing the Marshmallow Challenge, or trying various improv games for collaboration. 8. Ability and willingness to listenDrama class is all about actively listening to peers, scene partners, and instructions and advice from the teacher. Whether it’s receiving notes and feedback, participating in an improvised scene, or collaborating on a group project, listening is so important, and a great drama student will actively listen and then put the learning, advice, and notes into practice. If your students need practice actively listening (rather than just hearing), have them try these Hearing or Listening? and What Did You Say? activities. If your students need some help receiving feedback or giving effective feedback, we’ve got tips and activities for that too. 9. HumilityKeep the “drama” on the stage, within the confines of the play, not in the drama classroom. Nobody wants to work with a diva, so students need to learn to keep their egos in check. That being said, it can be difficult for students who aren’t happy with the role they’re given or feeling discouraged about being in the ensemble. We need to teach students about keeping an ensemble mindset and remembering that everyone is there for the same reason: to learn and put on a great show together. While we’re at it, remember those unsung heroes: the technicians, stage crew, and stage management. It’s easy for student actors to forget that unless they wish to appear onstage in the dark, in their street clothes, without music or sound, they need to respect the tech and stage management teams. They are the ones who truly make the show happen. 10. Compassion, empathy, and kindnessWhen it comes down to it, kindness, compassion, and empathy are king. These traits are essential for being a good human being, regardless of drama class. However, we can nurture these qualities in drama class with different exercises, such as finding empathy for the villain in a show you’re studying, analyzing your character without judgment, or literally walking in their shoes in rehearsal. You can then take these exercises a step further and use exit slips and reflections to think about how students can apply these exercises and activities to their everyday lives. Theatrefolk also has many plays focused on empathy that students can really sink into. So many students have expressed that drama class is a place where they can truly be themselves, so let’s continue to be that place where compassion and kindness are at the forefront of our teaching.

In this article, we’re focusing on social awareness, which is one of the five areas of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). If the concept of SEL is new to you, check out this article to get a basic overview of it: Social and Emotional Learning in the Drama Classroom: What Is It?. Social awareness focuses on the ability to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. Social Awareness is all about demonstrating empathy and compassion for others, acknowledging and appreciating the views and feelings of others, and cultivating respect and understanding of others. This is so important, particularly in the drama classroom, because theatre is all about students from all walks of life coming together to create theatrical art. We’re jumping into this with both feet and exploring a challenging topic: finding empathy for villainous characters. We’ve talked about theatrical villains in the past on the Theatrefolk blog, in the posts The Other Side of the Story: The Villain and Creating Conflict with the Supervillain. Some students are resistant to studying or portraying villains because of their own personal moral compasses or beliefs. When approaching villainous characters, challenge students to delve deep into how the villain ended up that way. There’s always more to the story than meets the eye. Try the exercises in the linked posts with your students, and help them peel away the layers of the villainous characters to discover something they can empathize with. Here are some discussion questions that can help your students along this path: • What is the difference between empathy and sympathy? • What does it mean to be empathetic? • What does the saying “to walk a mile in someone’s shoes” mean? Have you ever done this? Could you do this for a villainous character? Why or why not? • Does empathizing with someone’s point of view mean you have to agree with them? • What does the phrase “pushed to the breaking point” mean? How does this relate to a particular villain? Have you ever felt this way? What caused that feeling? And try the following exercise with your students: Many villains have a moment in their lives where a major event occurs that triggers their descent into villainy. Think about a particular villainous character (from a play or musical, movie, book, comic, etc.) and identify the major event. • What might have happened to the villain had that event not occurred? What might their life be like? • What if the event had happened to someone else (e..g, the story’s hero, a sidekick, a member of the villain’s family, a random stranger)? What might have happened? • In small groups (three to four students) write a brief scene illustrating one of the following: • A day in the life of the villain had they not turned to villainy • The event that triggered the villainy happening to someone else • The hero and villain in a stand-off, with the villain explaining their descent into villainy and the hero starting to demonstrate understanding • If time permits, perform the scene.

Welcome to our second series of exercises for 2021: The Other Side of the Story! This series of exercises will focus on exploring, expanding, and creating new stories from the perspectives of different characters from books, television shows, films, plays, and other media. First up: Let’s explore those dastardly villains! The hero of a story is written in a way that allows the audience to support and sympathize with them. But a story isn’t very interesting without a conflict, and that’s where the villain comes into play. The villain tries their best to thwart the hero at every turn, which makes audiences cheer for the hero even more. However, as we mentioned in our Villains article in the Superhero Series, in a villain’s mind, they are the hero of the story. They believe so strongly in their desire to achieve power that they feel their deceitful deeds are justified. So let’s put those villains in the spotlight and tell their stories. As a class, brainstorm a list of famous fictional villains. (Fairy tales and Disney movies are a great place to start!) Some examples might include Jafar from Disney’s Aladdin, Lord Voldemort or Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter series, Miss Trunchbull from Matilda, the White Witch from the Narnia series, the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, or Count Olaf from _A Series of Unfortunate Events. _ You may also wish to have students think about modern story adaptations that feature the villain as the main character, such as the musical Wicked, the movie Despicable Me, the Disney Descendants series of books and movies, or the Maleficent movies starring Angelina Jolie. How do the stories with the villain as the main character differ from stories featuring the hero as the main character? Students may complete the following exercises individually, in pairs, or in small groups: • Students will select a villain as their focus character. • Students will fold a piece of paper in half, or using a computer, create a table with two columns. • In the first column, they will write a list of all the bad things the villain did or said. • In the second column, they’ll write the villain’s reason (in their minds) for doing or saying what they did. • If students don’t know the reason, they can invent reasons that make sense for the character/story. Students don’t need to stick religiously to the existing story — encourage them to see where their creativity takes them! Then, have students complete one or all of the following writing exercises: 1. Write a monologue in which the villain explains to the audience why they really aren’t the bad guy. For example, Ursula from Disney’s The Little Mermaid might say that she wasn’t to blame for all the troubles that happened, as she was only trying to help Ariel in her quest to win the heart of Prince Eric. (“Ariel should have read the contract more thoroughly, she chose to disobey her father, and how was I to know that King Triton didn’t know about this prince?”) 2. Write a monologue in which the villain defends their actions in front of a lawyer or judge, courtroom-style. Students might use similar phrases or reasons from the previous monologue, but the tone will likely be different — perhaps more defensive than conversational. You could even have students write both versions and compare how they would adjust certain words, phrases, tone of voice, or even how the villain might “alter” the story to serve their purposes. 3. Write an alternate scene to the story where the villain wins. How does the villain win? Where in the timeline of the story would the scene occur? How does that change the story? How can you dramatize the scene? For example, do you see the villain succeed onstage, does a narrator tell the story after the fact, is it told through a montage of action, or perhaps through song and dance? From here, you can have students rehearse and read/perform the monologues or scenes in front of the rest of the class. If you wish, have them swap scenes with other students for a fresh interpretation. You could also put the monologues and scenes together to create your own classroom “twisted tale.” Have fun being bad!

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays About….Empathy. Based on the idea that empathy is the act understanding and sharing another person’s experience, these plays open the door to looking out to others rather than looking in. Use these plays to spark to an empathy discussion. Click the link and you’ll be taken to the webpage for each play. There you’ll get the details and read sample pages. Hand this list over to your student directors and see what they think. All the best with your search!

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. We’re excited to introduce a brand new play to our catalogue! If you’re a fan of Hoodie and Box, then you definitely want to check out Boat by Lindsay Price. Sometimes it’s easy to see the world as your own personal sinking ship. It’s way easier to look into our own whirlpool than look out at what’s going on with others. I don’t care about them. Why should I? They’re not like me. They’re wrong. In this one-act middle school vignette play, characters come face-to-face with the fact that there are other people in their boat. Some are different. Some only seem different. Who will learn to paddle together? Who will spin in circles? Who will realize we’re all in the same boat and we always have been? Let’s hear from the author! 1. Why did you write this play? Boat is the third play in a trilogy of vignette plays I wrote about middle school life – the others being Hoodie and Box. Middle school is a time when students are so focused on themselves and how they present in the world. To that end, for this play I wanted to put the emphasis on looking outward rather than inward. 2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences. The theme of the play is empathy. How do we empathize with others? How do we realize that we’re all in the same boat and always have been? 3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play? The first visual that comes to mind is two boys who hate each other, find common ground in a fear of falling elevators, and cling to each other for dear life. 4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be? The opening movement section will take practice – walking in lines can be tricky because it’s hard to get everyone moving at the same pace and the same foot stride. I’d suggest video taping your efforts so students can see when the movement is sharp and crisp and where it looks messy. That’ll be way better than trying to verbally explain any issues. Also, when the two groups are on stage, think in shapes and levels. Make sure the audience can see everyone at the same time, and create an interesting stage picture at the same time. 5. Why is this play great for student performers? This play is about middle schoolers, with middle school aged characters, and addresses middle school issues. It’s great for them!