Group Work Articles for Drama Teachers

In this activity, students will demonstrate their knowledge of a selected play or musical and combine it with their creative and artistic skills to make their own theatrical board game. They’ll...

In this small group exercise, students will write a creative summary of the plot of a play using the ABCB, or “simple 4-line” rhyme scheme. This exercise focuses on creative thinking and teamwork....

This exercise is inspired by the theatre game The Machine, where students work together to create parts of a factory machine with repeated movements and sound. In The 20-Step Process, we take this...

The following exercise gives students the opportunity to practice active listening, teamwork, taking direction, and problem solving as a group. Acting as an ensemble with a student director, group...

We do TONS of group work in drama class, and it’s important for students to have the opportunity to work with a variety of their peers. Working with different classmates allows students to get to...

Some students take drama class with the intention of becoming an actor, director, or playwright in the future. Many others take drama class simply because it’s fun. Some students take it because...

Distance Learning Note: This blog post is written for an in-class scavenger hunt. But, this is an activity that can easily be adapted for distance learning. Students can work independently to get...

Encouraging students to work together is often a challenge. Some students worry that they’ll be saddled with peers who won’t pull their weight. Some students are super-shy and the idea of...

Here is a brainstorming exercise that you can use with your students when they have selected a broad topic and are trying to narrow it down or flesh out their ideas. For example, they may have...

Group work is an enormous part of drama class. Students are always working in groups, whether for warm-ups, improvisation, scene work, playwriting, working backstage, and more. Even if your entire...

The following exercise gives students the opportunity to pitch their dream show to the rest of the class. This is a great exercise to do with students after you’ve polled your class. Now that...

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...

A mixed message is when our words say one thing and our bodies/vocal tones say another. (tight, deadpan voice) _ I love you._ Good communication is all about being clear across the board. Use this...

“Devising: A project that starts with an idea/concept/source material rather than a completed script” The culminating activity for collaboration in the drama classroom is to have your students work...

“The number one problem in the classroom is not discipline: it is the lack or procedures and routines. – Harry Wong, The Well Managed Classroom” The Drama Classroom is a unique place. Often there...

One of the keys to Classroom Management is getting students to work well together. Group work is tricky if students don’t know one another. Why should I share something with this guy who doesn’t...

How do you take a monologue (meant for one person to deliver) and act it out as a group? How do you create an Ensemble Monologue? Analyze the MonologueHere’s a monologue from my play Funhouse....

““I’m just one hundred and one, five months and a day.” “I can’t believe that!” said Alice. “Can’t you?” the Queen said in a pitying tone. “Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes.” Alice...