Reflection

My first blog post at Theatrefolk went live 10 years ago (check it out here). Since then, I’ve realized that the most valuable lessons aren’t always about curriculum, rehearsal strategies, or theatre history. They’re about people — the teachers who show up every day, the students who challenge us daily but also rely on the drama classroom as their safe space, and the communities built around the work we do. Here are some of the things I’ve learned from 10 years of listening to, writing for, and supporting drama teachers. 1. Drama teachers are some of the most creative problem-solvers on the planet.Give a drama teacher a classroom with no stage, a budget of zero, and 30+ students of wildly mixed abilities, and they’ll create magic. I’ve heard so many stories of teachers turning cafeterias, libraries, and gymnasiums into theatres, transforming the most mundane objects into sensational props and costumes, and teaching lessons with nothing more than a rolling cart and a lesson plan. Drama teachers don’t wait for the “perfect” conditions, they build something meaningful with what they have. That’s real artistry! 2. Students don’t need to become actors to benefit from drama class.Not every student will go on to pursue theatre, but every student who takes drama class can walk away with increased confidence, resilience, collaboration skills, and communication skills. Teachers frequently share stories of shy students coming out of their shells, anxious students demonstrating bravery, and loner students finding their place. Drama teaches social-emotional learning skills, teamwork, and empathy — all things that students will use in their everyday lives. 3. Ensemble mindset is key.Having an ensemble mindset is vital for success. I’ve said it again and again: Theatre is a collaborative medium. In the drama classroom, students learn and practice how to listen, support one another, give and take space, grow and build trust, and fail (and recover) together. A strong ensemble mindset can bring the toughest group together into a team, while a poor ensemble can make even the best lesson plan fall flat. 4. Simple activities done well are more powerful than flashy activities done poorly.You don’t need the most complicated activities to keep your students’ attention. Exercises like Tableau Scenes from a Book and Scenes from a Bag are simple, fun, and they work. They teach communication skills, active listening, and teamwork in a way that is easy for students to execute. There’s no sense using an elaborate activity that students don’t fully understand. Same with productions — yes, it’s nice to have a fancy set, glamourous costumes, and the hottest technology, but you and your students can also make magic with just a few rehearsal cubes and your imaginations. Sometimes, simple is best. 5. Students take more risks when they feel safe.Drama requires students to show their vulnerable sides, which isn’t easy, especially for beginning drama students. The drama teachers who build trust first and create safer spaces for their students tend to see those students eventually take bigger risks in the classroom. Students aren’t generally afraid of performing, they’re afraid of being judged by their peers. Creating a drama classroom that is safe and accepting makes students feel more at ease. 6. Teachers need community just as much as students do.One thing I’ve heard from drama teachers is that they often feel isolated, misunderstood, shuffled to the side, or unappreciated. Frequently, they’re the only one in their school doing what they do. That’s why online communities and resources (like Theatrefolk and the Drama Teacher Academy!) matter so much. Teachers thrive when they can exchange ideas, celebrate wins, vent, ask questions, and feel seen. Theatre is collaborative — theatrical education should be too. 7. Students don’t need perfection, they need presence.The most impactful drama teachers aren’t the ones with flawless lesson plans and the most impressive productions. They’re the ones who show up fully and authentically. Students remember the teachers who believed in them, who made them feel safe, who laughed with them, and who saw them for who they really are. 8. Theatre education keeps evolving — and that’s a good thing.There have been huge shifts in the realm of theatre education, including more emphasis on inclusion, better understanding of trauma-informed practice, the rise of intimacy direction, increased use of technology in the drama classroom and productions, and more focus on student voice and choice, as well as the temporary pivot to online learning and production during the pandemic. Drama education is not static; it changes as the world changes. And teachers keep rising to meet these changes. 9. Reflection is just as important as action.Reflection is vital for students to really absorb moments of learning. Exit slips, check-ins, and class discussions help students develop self-awareness, process emotions, track their growth, and consider what worked well and what could be improved upon. Reflection also gives teachers the chance to get to know their students better and helps them to better understand what students got out of the lessons. Reflections help everyone to pause, consider, evaluate, and then move forward. 10. Drama education is work that matters.If you’ve ever doubted your impact as a drama teacher, please don’t! Drama class is where students learn to collaborate, communicate, create, take risks, build confidence, and express themselves authentically. For many students, the drama classroom is the one place they feel at home. Drama teachers change lives! A final word from Kerry: Thank you, drama teachers, for everything you do. The long rehearsals, the lesson planning, the emergency fixes, the hours spent caring about students who really need you. It has been an honour to be part of the Theatrefolk community for the past decade, and to share in the incredible work of the Drama Teacher Academy community. I carry every lesson — and the deep respect I have for drama teachers — with me on my journey ahead. Giant thanks as well go to the incredible team at Theatrefolk: Lindsay, Craig, Christy, and the rest of the crew. I am so grateful for this opportunity to share my love of theatre education with such a dedicated and passionate group of people.

It’s incredibly rewarding to see your drama students grow and improve their skills during your time together. But sometimes it can be hard for students to see that improvement themselves. It’s easy for students to compare themselves to others, or only focus on the things they can’t do yet. Fortunately, reflection questions can help with this. They help students to pause, think about what they’ve accomplished, and realize that they’ve come much further than they thought. When students recognize their own growth, they build confidence in themselves and connect more deeply to their work. Here are three reflection questions you can use in your drama classroom to make growth visible to your students. You can have students respond to the questions individually (in writing or in a recorded verbal response) or use them to spark a class discussion. 1. What can you do now that you couldn’t do at the beginning of the semester (class, term, etc.)?This question encourages students to compare themselves to themselves, not to their classmates. They might notice they are now able memorize their lines faster, or that they feel less nervous performing in front of their peers. Maybe they can hold neutral for longer periods of time, they’ve written a monologue that they’re really proud of, or they’ve worked in a new technical area and gained skills there. Tip: Frame this reflection as a celebration, not an evaluation. Encourage your students to think about any bit of growth, be it small or big. Small wins might include improving their vocal projection in even one class or remembering to not look at the floor during scene work. 2. What surprised you about yourself in this class?Drama class challenges students to recognize their comfort zones, and then take a risk and push beyond them. By asking students what surprised them, you can help them to recognize moments of bravery, or an exciting discovery they experienced in class. Maybe a shy student found success in mime work or clowning, or a seasoned student performer realized how much they enjoyed stage management or costume design. Tip: Use this question midway through the term, as well as at the end. Surprises often show students both how far they’ve come and areas, topics, or concepts for further exploration. On that note… 3. What’s one thing you’d like to keep working on or learning about?Growth is continuous, and this question helps students to reach the next level. Students can use their reflections on their growth to set personal goalsthat they can work on going forward. Tip: You can use students’ responses to help shape your classroom curriculum focus, to create a choice board activity, or for students to create independent study projects.

“"The arts are a very human way of making life more bearable." — Kurt Vonnegut” Hey, drama teachers! Want to get students thinking about why they’re in your class? Let’s start with this powerful idea from Vonnegut. Think about it: why do people turn to the arts in times of joy, sadness, or struggle? Art isn’t just entertainment; it’s a way to process emotions, to connect, to heal. To make life bearable. Why Do We Create?Ask your students: When was the last time you turned to a song, a book, or a movie to help you navigate a tough moment? The arts offer comfort, expression, and understanding. Whether it’s the catharsis of acting out a dramatic scene, the emotional release of painting on a blank canvas, or the resonance of lyrics that perfectly capture what we feel - art helps us cope. The Arts as a Human NeedAsk your students: How has art helped you? Do you think it's a human need? Some may argue that art is essential, as it has been part of every culture throughout history. Others may see it as a luxury, something we enjoy but don’t need. Either way, it’s a great discussion starter! The Arts and ConnectionOne of the most beautiful aspects of the arts is their ability to create shared experiences. A play can bring an audience together in laughter or tears. A song can unite people across cultures. A painting can speak volumes without words. How have you seen or experienced this in your own life? Keep the Conversation GoingEncourage your students to reflect on these questions: • How do the arts help people cope with challenges or difficult emotions? Can you think of a time when a form of art - music, theater, visual art, or literature - helped you process something in your own life? • Vonnegut suggests that the arts make life "more bearable." Do you think art is essential to human life, or is it just entertainment? Why? • In what ways do the arts connect people and create shared experiences? How have you seen or experienced this in your own life? Let’s remind our students - and ourselves - why the arts matter. Let’s make drama (and all forms of art) purposeful, meaningful, and most importantly, human.

This rehearsal exercise takes its name from one of my favourite improv games, Scenes from a Bag. If your actors are feeling a bit shaky or uncertain with their lines during the rehearsal process, try one of these three simple rehearsal exercises. The basic premise of each variation is drawing a slip of paper out of a hat and starting a scene using the prompt that’s on the slip. This keeps your student actors on their toes because they don’t know what will be drawn from the bag! You’ll need some small slips of paper, a writing tool, a bag to draw the slips of paper out of, and a copy of the script for reference. Three Ways to Play:1. Write each actor’s name on a small slip of paper and put the slips in a bag. Draw a name. That student will say any line they have in the play — any act, any scene. The next student must say their line, then the next, and so on to continue the scene. When you get to the end of the scene or the beginning of a song (if you’re rehearsing a musical), draw a new name and start again. 2. Select some random lines from the script. Write the lines on small slips of paper, but don’t write the character name. Put the slips in a bag and then draw one at random. Start and continue the scene. For a bigger challenge, only put the first few words of the line on the slip of paper and have the student recite the rest of the line. (You may want to write the act, scene, and character name in small letters on the edge of the slip in case you don’t think you’ll know who is supposed to start the line — just don’t share it with the students unless they get really stuck.) 3. Write a selection of numbers on small slips of paper that correspond with the number of pages in the script. Then draw a number out of the bag and turn to that page in the script. Have a student choose a second number between 1 and 10 to determine the starting line. Count down the page to the selected line number — for example, if the number is 4, count down four lines from the top of the page. (If there are fewer lines than the selected number — like if the line is at the end of a scene — choose the closest applicable line.) Say the line aloud, but don’t include any vocal intonations or the character’s name that says the line. Students must continue the scene. If your students enjoy some friendly competition, divide them into two teams. Students who say their lines correctly and in the correct order earn points for their team — one point per correct line. The team with the most points at the end of the session wins. To make it extra challenging, if a student forgets their line or needs to be prompted to say their line, they lose a point for their team. This exercise is a good way to see for yourself how your students are doing with their line memorization work. After the exercise, you may wish to check in with your students and see how they’re feeling. Some students might be feeling anxious or unprepared. Ask them, “What is the next step? What action can you take today to help make you feel more confident for the next rehearsal?” You can share 9 techniques to help students memorize their lines to help them out. Then, re-visit the Lines from a Bag exercise at a later rehearsal to see how far they’ve come with their memorization work. Related Articles: Tips For Memorizing Lines and Advice to Actors If They Forget Their Lines Dealing With Rehearsal Rut Feeling Stuck? Go Back to the Basics How to Deal with Rehearsal Burnout

It’s easy for students to downplay their accomplishments, brush off compliments, and outright tear themselves down mentally or verbally. Negative self-talk can seriously affect students’ confidence and self-esteem. However, in drama class, we can work on this with our students. Below, you will find a variety of warm-up questions to give to your class to help them think and speak more positively about themselves. Have students choose one of the questions below and respond to it. If they are feeling bad about themselves for any reason, have them choose two or more and respond to them. • Choose three positive words or phrases to describe yourself. Why did you choose them? • What are three things that you like about yourself? • What's something you did recently that made you feel proud of yourself? • Describe something kind you did for someone recently. How did that person react? How did it make you feel? • Think about a compliment, kind word, or uplifting comment you gave to someone recently. Apply it to yourself. If you wish, you can follow up with: • Do you feel any resistance to thinking or saying kind words to/about yourself? If so, why? • Are any negative statements you’re telling yourself true or untrue? How can you determine this? If you think your students are up for a challenge, try this warm-up exercise. Have students write down three negative things they’ve said about themselves in the past, leaving a space in between each sentence. Then, have them cross out the negative thought and replace it with a positive one. It can be a full replacement of the sentence, for example, changing “I can’t do xyz” to “I’m great at abc and I’m proud of how hard I worked to achieve it.” Or, it could be as simple as changing “I can’t do xyz” to “Yes I can” or adding the word “yet,” i.e., “I can’t do xyz yet, but I will keep working at it.” If your students are really struggling with coming up with positive things to say about themselves, have them try the following roleplay mini-exercise. It can also be used as an additional standalone warm-up exercise. Have students pair up. One student will say something kind, positive, or uplifting about their partner, and their partner will say thank you and agree with them. For example, Partner A might say, “(Partner B), you work really hard in drama class and you’re a great actor.” Partner B would respond with, “Thank you, I do work really hard and I think I’m a great actor as well.” Partner B will then give Partner A a compliment and Partner A will respond in kind. Again, check in with your students to see if they’re feeling any resistance towards speaking positively to themselves. At the end of class, have students respond to the questions in the reflection below. You can revisit these warm-ups anytime your students need a pick-me-up, or sprinkle them throughout your usual activities during the term to improve their confidence. You may wish to track when you incorporate these warm-ups into your lessons to see how they affect students’ performances (hopefully they’re improved!).

Students often come to drama class with big goals: Get the lead in the show! Become a performing star! And while some students might make great steps towards achieving those big goals, most don’t really know how to start, or want too much too fast and fizzle out. They might even think that the work is too hard. So how can we help our students achieve their goals and grow as performers? Encourage them to start small! Start with asking your students this question of the day: What is one small thing you can focus on this week to improve your performance in drama class? Have students brainstorm a list of tiny action steps related to their performance that they could improve on. The actions must be very small and specific. If it’s longer than a single sentence, they need to pare it back even more. Here are some suggestions for students to start with: • Enunciating “ings” or “ts” while speaking and/or singing • Increasing spoken volume by 2% • Lowering shoulders (Release the tension! Relax your body!) • Noticing, then adjusting eye contact (Where are you looking? Where are you supposed to be looking?) • Releasing tension from the jaw (Try removing your tongue from the roof of your mouth.) • Standing up straight • Uncrossing your arms during blocking instructions or note sessions • Taking your hands out of your pockets • Pointing your toes during dance combinations • Extending your fingers during dance combinations • Volunteering to answer one more question per class • Staying quiet between scene runs (It’s common for drama students to immediately chat with their neighbours when the teacher/director calls for the team to stop.) Small actions add up. During a week that you’re focusing on scene work or performances, have students go back to the brainstorm list and choose one micro-action that they’d like to personally focus on. Their goal is to apply that action to their acting work that week, whether in rehearsal or performing in front of the class. Have students take a fresh piece of paper out and write their micro-focus action at the top of the page, along with their name. Draw a table with four columns and six rows. In the left hand column, write each day of the week, leaving space between each heading. (You can also use the practice log found at the bottom of this article.) Each day for one week, at the end of class, have students complete the following exit slip: • Rate out of ten how successful you were at remembering and applying your micro-action to today’s class/rehearsal/performance (10 being you remembered and applied your action to every aspect of your performance, 1 being you never remembered or applied your action to any part of your performance). • Write down two pieces of feedback for yourself (one positive, one constructive) on your work on your action during today’s class/rehearsal/performance. At the end of the week, have students look back on their in-class work on their small actions. Have them respond to the following reflection questions: • Were you successful at applying and practicing your micro-action? Why or why not? • What changes have you noticed since beginning work on your micro-action? • How has working on your micro-action helped you to become a better performer? If you wish, have students do a second check-in after a month on their micro-actions: • Since the start of the month, what changes have you noticed since working on your micro-action? (Or did you forget about it?) • How has this small action affected your performance in drama class? • What will your next micro-action goal be going forward?

Reflecting is an important tool in the drama classroom, and an essential part of personal growth. If your students ask you why reflections are important, here are five reasons you can give them: 1. Students can contemplate what was taught and work towards applying it.Sometimes students need some time to process the lessons learned in class. Writing out their thoughts can help students gain a deeper understanding of the lesson and how they can apply it to future lessons, performances, and even their own day-to-day lives outside the drama classroom. Reflecting on their experiences after the fact often leads to “aha!” moments and connections that they aren’t aware of while in the thick of the process. 2. Students can grow their self-awareness and think about what could be improved for next time.No exercise or performance is perfect. Reflection gives students the opportunity to acknowledge their mistakes and shortcomings and learn from them privately, as reflections are just between the individual and the drama teacher. Students can practice looking at their participation and performances objectively and point out any areas they’d like to improve upon, rather than just doing the same thing they’ve always done. 3. Students can notice what went well and celebrate their achievements.Conversely, we are always so focused on “fixing” everything, analyzing every little mistake, and moving onto the next task, that we often forget to celebrate the good things. Reflecting allows students to notice what they did well and celebrate those victories. It may take some time for students to be able to savour those successes but it’s so worth it for them to practice being proud of their accomplishments. 4. Students can notice trends and growth in their learning.Have students keep their reflections filed together in their drama folders or binders (preferably by date) after submitting them for grading, so they can look back on their work and notice trends and growth. Are there certain words, phrases, or feelings that keep coming up in their reflections? Is there perceptible progress in any areas? Any growth, no matter how seemingly small, is worth celebrating. 5. Students can set goals and evaluate the pursuit of their goals.At the beginning of the term, have students set goals (you might like to try “The Wish Jar” exercise for this) for what they’d like to learn or achieve in drama class. Have them note their goals in their reflection and write about why they want to achieve them. Check in periodically and have students reflect on their progress. Use the Goal Setting Reflection giveaway at the bottom of this article for this process.

We are all about reflecting here at Theatrefolk. You’ll notice that the vast majority of exercises and lessons here and in the Drama Teacher Academy include an exit slip or reflection questions. Reflecting helps students in so many ways, including allowing them to pause, think about what they’ve learned, make sense of the material, and relate it back to themselves and their individual situations. Reflecting is also great for teachers to look back on the work they’ve done, see what worked and what didn’t, and think about what they can do going forward. Below, you’ll find a great collection of reflection-focused articles. The end of the year is a natural time to look back on the work you’ve done, but these reflections can be modified and adjusted to suit just about any reflection need that arises. For Students• Exercise: Year-End Reflection A series of year-end questions that can be mixed and matched to fit the needs of your drama class. • 20 Self-Reflection Journal Prompts These questions are focused on the five areas of social and emotional learning: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. • Reflection: Looking Back and Looking Forward At the end of the term/semester, students reflect on their time in drama class and create a document to help future drama students. • Reflection Exercise: Positive/Negative Post-Its Students use post-it notes to write positive and negative words and phrases they think about themselves and have heard others say about them. Is it easier for your students to come up with positive or negative traits? • Post-Exercise Exercise: Rate Yourself A multi-purpose exercise that helps students develop awareness of the effort they display in class and how it relates to their performances. Production-Related• Putting On a Class Production: Post-Show Reflection This is the final article in a five-part series about putting on a class production with your students, and gives them the opportunity to reflect on the full process of putting on a show, from play selection to casting to the production itself. The questions can also be applied to an extracurricular production if you wish. • What’s Changed? A Rehearsal Reflection This article focuses on helping students stay motivated throughout the rehearsal process, keep things fresh, and notice what’s different and what they’ve learned each rehearsal day. • Coming to the End: Reflecting On Your Process A series of questions for students to reflect on their time rehearsing and performing in a show, with 15 additional questions for teachers. For Teachers• A Classroom Skills Reflection for Teachers 25 questions for teachers to reflect on what went well and what could be improved upon for their next class. • 12 Days of Drama Teacher Self-Care A series of feel-good tasks for teachers at the end of the year, including reflecting on happy memories and creating a “happy” file for nice messages and positive feedback. • Drama Teacher Self Check-In It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle of daily tasks. Take a moment to reflect on what went well, what you’ve learned, and what you accomplished. • _Do You Still Have Passion for Teaching Theatre? _ An important question to ask yourself, regardless of how long you’ve been teaching.

Negative self-talk is so common and can be very difficult to overcome, not only for students but also for teachers. It’s easy to fall into the trap of berating ourselves over mistakes and telling ourselves we aren’t good enough. We would never speak to a friend or even a stranger like that, so why do we do it to ourselves? If your students need a bit of a pick-me-up, the following exercise can help them become aware of their own negative self-talk and dismiss it. Instructions: 1. Individually, have students write a list of up to three negative things that they have thought or said about themselves. Allow them to share some of the negative thoughts and write them on the board if they want to. (This can help students see that others may have had similar negative thoughts about themselves, and that they aren’t alone.) • Another suggestion is to have students write out their negative thoughts on Post-it Notes and submit them to you so you can display them anonymously where everyone can see. Then students can see that others have similar negative thoughts but no one has to volunteer their thoughts. 2. Take a moment to think about this negative inner voice in your head. RuPaul (from RuPaul’s Drag Race) calls this negative voice the “inner saboteur.” Alberto from the movie Luca calls it “Bruno.” Give your negative inner voice a name. It can be anything except for your own name. 3. Come up with a character for the negative inner voice. What do they look like? What does their voice sound like? How do they move? If time permits, have students draw a sketch of the character, have them get up as a group and move around the space as their character, or have them partner up and try out different voices for their character. 4. How would you tell your negative voice to be quiet or stop putting you down? Make up a phrase. Alberto says “Silenzio Bruno!” when his negative inner voice talks to him. For example, students could say “Thanks for your input,” “That’s not true,” “Stop lying,” “Be quiet,” or any other phrase that dismisses the negative thought. 5. Have everyone stand up. Choose a negative thought to say. At the same time, have students say their thoughts out loud in their negative inner voice’s character voice/persona. 6. Then, students will stand up straight in a strong position — standing tall, feet flat on the floor, shoulders back, chin up. At the same time, in a powerful voice (their own), they will say the phrase that they chose to dismiss the negative thought. Feel free to repeat this step as many times as you wish. 7. Have students make a big show of scrunching up their original lists of negative thoughts and throwing them away. 8. Students will respond to the exit slip below.

Continuing on with our focus on Social and Emotional Learning (check out our other posts about SEL here), this post is filled to the brim with self-reflection journal prompts. Teachers can use these prompts for start-of-class brainstorming, end-of-class exit slips, journaling exercises, or classroom discussion prompts. You can also have students answer the questions as if they were a character in the play you are currently studying, or as an acting exercise in character if you are currently producing a play. Self-reflection is a useful tool for students to help them learn more about themselves. You’ll find various prompts below, plus some bonus prompts in the giveaway. Encourage students to go into as much detail as possible when responding to the prompts. If students are responding to these prompts in character or about a character, have them include evidence from the text. Self-Awareness1. List five things you are good at. 2. List five things that make you happy. 3. Name a goal you’d like to achieve in the next six months. 4. What is important to you? Why is it important? Self-Management1. How do you keep track of your responsibilities? 2. What motivates you? 3. How do you cope when things go wrong? 4. How do you manage stress? Social Awareness1. What is your definition of social awareness? 2. Have you ever imagined being in someone else’s shoes? Describe it. 3. How do you show respect? 4. When was the last time you paid someone a compliment? Who could you compliment today? Relationship Skills1. Are you an effective communicator? Why or why not? 2. What does a healthy relationship look like? 3. What do you do when others disagree with you? 4. Why do relationships fail? Responsible Decision Making1. How many decisions have you made today? 2. Is it easy or difficult for you to make decisions? 3. What was the last mistake you made? What did you learn from it? 4. Have you ever purposefully made the wrong decision?

In this article, we’re focusing on self-management, 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: Social and Emotional Learning in the Drama Classroom: What Is It?. Self-management is the ability to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviours in different situations effectively, and to achieve one’s goals and aspirations. This includes concepts such as taking responsibility and ownership for your actions, developing coping strategies, prioritizing, time management, demonstrating initiative, and goal setting. These are all important skills for students to develop in order to succeed both in and out of the drama classroom. Here are some questions you can ask your drama students to get them thinking about different aspects of self-management. You can use them as journal prompts, exit slips, or classroom discussion starters: • How can you demonstrate responsibility in the drama classroom? • How do you keep track of your responsibilities on a daily/weekly/monthly basis? (Our blog post Theatrical Time Management for Students) might be helpful for this question!) • You have a big soccer game the day before an important scene presentation in drama class. How will you prepare for both events? • On Monday, you are assigned a monologue to memorize and present on Friday. How will you use your time most effectively? • You have several big assignments all due around the same time. How do you deal with the potential stress? Then, try the following exercise with your students: Plan, Execute, Reflect. If possible, start this exercise on a Monday. 1 Have students make a list of all their responsibilities for that week. Think about school assignments, tests, after-school activities, part-time jobs, chores, family events, etc. 2. Then, using the provided weekly template (click the link below!), have students write down all their responsibilities for that week, when these responsibilities happen, and any due dates. 3. Have students complete the Start of Week Plan questions: • What’s my #1 priority this week? • How will I ensure that I complete my #1 priority? • What’s one thing I can do to reduce stress this week? 4. If necessary, break bigger tasks into smaller chunks. For example, if students have a scene presentation on Thursday, what do they need to do on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to prepare? 5. On Friday, have students respond to the End of Week Reflection questions: • What went well this week? • What didn’t go so well this week? • What can I do to prepare myself for success next week? You can tie this in with more questions about how this exercise could benefit people in various theatrical professions, or how they can adapt it to their use. How could a stage manager use the template? How can planning their week benefit a professional actor? Why is it important for a lighting designer to have good time management skills? Why is it important for us (drama students) to develop these skills now?

Wow — we’ve made it to the end of the year. Teaching has looked very different recently, but give yourselves a pat on the back for a job well done. We have the opportunity now to rest, reflect, and rejuvenate, so we can start the new year fresh, armed with the knowledge and experiences that have gotten us through the year. Take a few moments to think back over your teaching experiences, and jot down any feelings or ideas that arise. Think about how your experiences this year have shaped you and your style of teaching. Whether you’ve been teaching online, in person, or a combination of both, you have accomplished a lot! Be proud of the work you’ve done, and enjoy a well-earned break. 1. How do you feel right now compared to the start of the year? How are you the same? How are you different 2. What have you learned this year? 3. What has worked well? How can you do more of that next year? 4. What hasn’t worked so well? How can you adjust it to make it work better in the future? Or, could you eliminate it entirely? 5. How have you grown and changed as an educator? 6. Did you feel supported by your administration this year? Why or why not 7. How were you able to advocate for yourself/your students/your program? 8. What has been your biggest win this year? Describe it in detail. How did you feel afterwards? How can you continue this success going forward? 9. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced? How did you overcome it? Can you re-frame it to become a learning experience? 10. What was the funniest thing that happened this term? Check out the following articles for more reflection questions: • Exercise: Year End Reflection (For Students) • Do You Still Have Passion for Teaching Theatre?

We always ask our drama students to reflect on their experiences, and for good reason. Reflecting helps students gain a deeper understanding of the lessons taught, skills learned, and experiences practiced in the drama classroom. Students can consider what they’ve learned and how they can use those skills in the future. The end of the year (or semester, or term) is a natural time for students to reflect on their theatrical process – what they’ve learned, what resonated with them, what they liked or disliked, what surprised them. These reflections can also benefit you. Your students’ thoughts and opinions can give you insight and help you shape your lessons and classes in the future. The following questions can be used together as a long written reflection assignment, or used individually as exit slip questions. Feel free to include or omit questions as appropriate. Alternatively, challenge students to record themselves on their smartphones responding to these reflection questions verbally, and submit them electronically. • Why did you decide to take drama? • What expectations did you have coming into the class? • Did your experience live up to your expectations? Why or why not? • What skills, topics, or lessons were you hoping to learn (or learn more about) in drama class? Were they covered to your satisfaction? • What skills, topics, or lessons would you have liked to study, that weren’t covered in drama class? • What unit did you enjoy the most? Why? • What unit did you enjoy the least? Why? • What unit was the easiest? Why? • What unit was the most challenging? Why? • What was an ah-ha or lightbulb moment for you? (In other words, what was a moment that strongly resonated with you or stuck with you?) • What was a moment in drama class that you’d like to do over, if given the chance? • Describe a moment in drama class when you felt proud of yourself. • Who was your favourite scene partner? Why? • My most memorable moment in drama class was __________. I’ll never forget it because __________. • What is one thing you know now that you didn’t know before taking drama class? • What was a lesson you learned in drama class that could be applied to the real world? • Will you take another drama class in the future? Why or why not? • What advice would you give to a future drama student after having taken this class? For more thoughts on reflections, check out the following articles:• Coming to the End: Reflecting on Your Process • Reflection: Looking Back and Looking Forward • A Classroom Skills Reflection for Drama Teachers

Social media often portrays students as fragile, sensitive snowflakes who can’t handle receiving feedback, especially if it’s negative. However, students need to learn to accept feedback if they want to improve and develop their skills, as well as gain resilience and confidence. Here are three tips for dealing with students who have trouble receiving feedback, and three action steps to help students practice receiving feedback. 1. Feedback is not the same as criticism.This is difficult for many students to grasp. Yes, feedback is aimed at students individually to help them improve, but it is not meant to be a personal attack. Feedback is not inherently negative; in fact, it can include praise and compliments as well as advice, suggestions, and observations. There is a difference between feedback (which can be positive or negative, but is meant to help students improve) and criticism (which is generally negative). “Constructive criticism” is a phrase that is used frequently in schools but isn’t particularly useful, because too many students focus on the “criticism” aspect. Receiving feedback does not mean that the student is a bad actor/writer/student/person – it means the teacher sees potential for improvement and cares enough to help them grow. ACTION: As a class, brainstorm examples of feedback that students have received in the past that they thought were criticisms or that they took personally. Write down how the student took the feedback personally. Then examine each piece of feedback and rewrite it to demonstrate how students can frame the comment in a way that helps them improve rather than as a personal attack. For example: “I couldn’t understand what you were saying during your monologue” doesn’t mean “I’m a terrible actor who nobody can understand.” A student can turn that into “Next time I will slow down and enunciate more clearly.” 2. Feedback is necessary for improvement.Without feedback, students won’t know how they are progressing or what they can do to improve in the future. Emphasize to students that they are going to receive feedback for the rest of their lives, particularly when they enter the workforce. Discuss with students that every job in existence (performing arts-related or otherwise) comes with feedback in various forms, such as auditioning for roles, applying for positions and/or promotions, receiving client testimonials, and getting performance reviews. Accepting feedback gracefully and being able to apply it and move forward are necessary parts of students’ growth and development. ACTION: Have students improvise job interviews where one student plays a hiring manager and one student plays the interviewee. Allow the students to give feedback about both their own and their partner’s performances. Have other students observe and give feedback about how both students approached their roles, and then have students switch roles and try again. 3. Ask students how they think they did.Most students are aware of their efforts and when asked, will give a fairly honest assessment of their work. I’ve had a lot of success during rehearsals by asking my students how they thought a run-through of a sequence went: “If you had to rate that performance out of ten, what would you rate it?” “Was that run-through ready for an audience?” “What do you think the group needs to do to make this sequence better?” They are usually right on point for what needs to be fixed or adjusted, and sometimes even harder on themselves than I would have been. They’re giving themselves feedback without even realizing it! In a classroom setting, this can be applied to how an exercise or game went, and could be done together as a class or individually as an exit slip or reflection. ACTION: Help your students develop their self-awareness. After completing a game/exercise/rehearsal, ask them how they think they did. Ask students to rate the class’ performance of the task out of ten. Why did they choose that rating? How could they improve next time? Compare their feedback with your own. How is it similar or different?

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

Countless hours are spent in rehearsal: learning, reviewing, and practicing material. Let’s focus on the first aspect: learning. At the beginning of the rehearsal process, everything is new. From the content of the play to insights about the character, students discover new and exciting things during each rehearsal. Then, near the end of the rehearsal process, all sorts of other new aspects pop up: props and costumes; working with sets, lights, sound effects, and music; making discoveries and changes when students are actually on the stage instead of in a rehearsal room. But what about the period in the middle of the rehearsal process? That’s where things tend to get a little blurry – students are still learning their blocking and developing their characters, but the newness of the show has worn off and opening night seems far away. How can we keep our students on track and keep them moving forward in a positive way?When approaching a scene, directors often focus on what has changed from the beginning of the scene to the end of the scene. What happened? What new information have the characters learned? What is different? This pushes the action forward. We can take that similar thought process and apply it to the actual practical work that is being done in rehearsals. Encourage students to continue to focus on “newness.” Your students’ goal at every rehearsal should be to come away with something new, something different, or something that has evolved or changed. Thinking about what has changed at each rehearsal helps students to heighten their awareness of what’s going on around them. It encourages them to keep a curious and open mind when approaching their rehearsal work. This could be artistic or theatrical – something related to their character, or something they have discovered about the show in general. Or it could be practical, such as a new rehearsal technique, or a new theatrical skill that they’ve learned that will benefit them in future rehearsals. Focusing on what has changed can be challenging, because it’s going much deeper into self-reflection. This takes courage. Acknowledging what has changed since their last rehearsal forces students to take responsibility for their own learning and development. Students must look honestly at their rehearsal habits and effort given to figure out what they’ve learned and what has changed. If they feel that they aren’t growing and changing, then why is this not happening? What has changed is going to be different from student to student, and will have different effects on each student. Learning a new piece of choreography may be no big deal to one student, but to another student it may be a huge success. Not all changes are going to be big ones, but students should not discredit or judge what they learned. (Oftentimes, a series of small learned lessons grows into a big breakthrough!) It’s also important for students to acknowledge their failures as well as their successes. If they had a bad rehearsal, what did they learn from it? How can that negative experience be turned into a positive, or at least be used to increase the potential for success in a future rehearsal? Use the Reflection questions below to help students think about the work they’ve done in each rehearsal. Have students keep a rehearsal journal and take five minutes at the end of each session to jot down some notes about what happened at rehearsal and what has changed. This will be a great tool for them to look back on at the end of the theatrical process and see how far they have come in their learning.

After a production closes, reflecting on your process and thinking about the future are the natural next steps. They’re definitely an important part of the process, for you as a teacher and for your students. Reflections are intended as an opportunity to look back on your own personal thoughts about a particular topic – in this case, how students felt about their theatrical process. But this information could then be reshaped into something that would be very useful for incoming drama students – a way for the next wave of students to learn from their peers and for your current drama students to lead by example by sharing their lessons learned and shaping their learning experiences into useful advice. Here is an exercise your current students can use to reflect upon their experiences and new knowledge – and then to turn that information into a useful document for future drama students, such as a “drama transition manual” or a “what to expect during your production” brochure. Steps:1. Students will complete individual Reflections about their experiences and their feelings about their current production, based on this post. Be sure to include all students, whether their roles were onstage or offstage. 2. As a group, decide the following: • What format would you like to use for your document? Ideas might include a brochure for incoming drama students, a “drama class survival guide,” a transition manual, a production handbook, a top ten list, a video, a PowerPoint presentation, or an e-document that could be uploaded to a teacher website. • Which Reflection questions would be best suited to being adapted into advice? What is the most important information that you’d pass along? If you could share only one piece of advice or information, what would that be? • Will your document be text-based information only, or will you use visual content such as photos or videos? Or both? What are the advantages and disadvantages of your choice? • You may wish to have some students in charge of completing the advice portion , while others head up the design and/or production side of the document. Depending on the size of your cast and crew, you may also wish to separate your documents into “onstage” and “offstage” versions. 3. Compare Reflection questions to see if there are any common or repeated answers. Those should definitely be included in your document. 4. Using the Giveaway document, students will r e-format their selected Reflection questions into advice for future students. Students should try to write as if they were giving advice to a friend or a younger sibling. 5. Collect the written portions and assemble them into your selected document format. This could involve creating a written document, or having students present their thoughts/advice on video, or a combination of both. You may wish to include production photos as well.

Different venues can have a huge effect on a production. They can create beautiful and intriguing staging options for directors and designers, and really surprise and enchant audiences. They can also pose many challenges to the production. For this exercise, students will compare and contrast different types of stages/venues and look at how different stages can affect how a show is performed. This exercise will help students think outside the box and come up with creative ideas about staging a show. Types of StagesHere are seven different types of stages/venues that shows could be performed on/in: • Proscenium stage (stage facing the audience, straight on) • Traverse stage (stage is surrounded on two sides by the audience) • Thrust stage (stage is surrounded on three sides by the audience) • Theatre in the round or arena stage (stage is surrounded by audience on all sides) • Black box theatre (a simple, unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor) • Outdoor venue (student’s choice as to exactly where the outdoor venue is) • Site-specific or alternative venues (like a show set in a warehouse, hotel, hospital, etc.) Pre-KnowledgeYou might want to start this exercise by showing pictures of the seven types of stages. Project them on a screen so everyone can see. Instruction 1. Students select partners. Have each pair select a play or musical that they would be interested in staging. Each partner will then draw out of a hat one of the seven stages/venues listed above. That way, each pair has two different locations to compare. 2. Students will create a pro and con list for both venues they selected, comparing and contrasting strengths/weaknesses and advantages/disadvantages. Students should aim for a minimum of three pros and three cons per stage/venue. Here’s an example: Romeo & Juliet on a Thrust Stage PROS CONS - Easy to create a large unit set. - Can have a huge audience; lots of seating available around the stage. - Reminiscent of Stratford Festival, which is a classic venue for this kind of show. • Blocking is challenging on a thrust stage (sightline concerns; need to ensure all audience members can see properly). • Stage combat is also difficult to stage on a thrust stage (audience all around = more angles to see fake punches/slaps). • Where to store large set pieces?Romeo & Juliet in an Outdoor Venue PROS CONS • A great option for a special summer show (i.e. “Shakespeare in the Park” – marketing perk). • Could have a real balcony for the balcony and garden scenes. • No need to create extensive sets if we use a venue that is already beautiful (i.e. university courtyard). • What if it rains? • Can be difficult to hear outside; actors will really have to project. • Do we need special permission and/or a permit to perform stage combat outdoors (could be perceived as violence)? 3. Once students have created their charts, each pair will join another pair (to make a group of four) and the groups will share their charts with each other as well as make suggestions and thoughts. Once each group has completed their discussions, students will complete an individual reflection.

Success in the drama classroom can be a challenging thing to measure. Not all students who take drama want to go on to become professional performers or technicians. Many students take drama simply because they enjoy it. There is also that group of students who only take drama because they need an arts credit or because they think it’ll be an easy class. (And boy do they find out quickly how untrue that is!) While of course grades are important and required for students to advance, it’s important for students and educators to look beyond A’s and B’s and think about all the great learning opportunities that arise through the study of drama. Let’s look at the different ways that success can be measured in the drama classroom: Active participationThis is a big one. Learning in the drama classroom is definitely an active practice. It’s much more “get up and try” rather than “sit down and take notes.” Are your students showing up, on time, and ready to work? Are they answering (and asking) questions and contributing to discussions? Are they getting up and trying the exercises? Are they conversing with other students in the class (at appropriate times, of course)? Not everyone is good at every type of theatre, nor are they going to be. But are students willing to get up there and give it their best shot? Then they’re on the right track to success. Improvement: learning new skills and practicingThere are so many different types of theatre, all with their own nuances, challenges, and connections. No matter how skilled or experienced actors are, they are constantly learning and practicing to improve their skills. Successful drama students are those who are willing to put in the work necessary to learn new skills; practice to improve those skills; and (going forward) make connections between skills – for example, using miming skills to help with improvisation, then using improvisation to practice clowning, and so on. Problem solving and critical thinkingIn the theatre, it’s not a case of what will go wrong–it’s when something will go wrong! And when it does go wrong (like if a prop breaks or someone forgets their lines), what will your students do? If it’s figure out a solution and make it work however they can, then they’ve succeeded. Drama class also challenges students to think critically–to look beyond “I liked it” or “I didn’t like it” and get to the WHY. Why did they like or dislike a performance? What worked or didn’t work, and why? Why do they prefer mime over monologues, or vice versa? Being able to articulate the “why” in drama class means that your students are on the road to success! Confidence and braveryIt takes courage to try new things in a drama class, especially exercises that push students outside of their comfort zone. Taking risks doesn’t come naturally to everyone, especially when there is the potential for students to look foolish in front of their peers. Drama class helps students gain confidence to take these risks and push themselves to try new things. Learning transferable skillsWhat I love most about studying drama is that the skills used in drama class are transferable to “real life” situations. Participation, dealing with groups of people, working individually and as a team to complete a project, time management, public speaking, leading and following, problem solving, rote memorization, critical thinking and articulating thoughts, and multi-tasking. These are all skills used both in drama classes and while working on productions. They’re also all skills used in everyday life. Even something as simple as a breathing exercise can be used to de-stress yourself before an exam or making a presentation in another class. Successfully using these skills in the drama classroom can certainly lead to transferring these skills outside of the classroom, in “real world” situations. It helps to think about students’ progress like a road–the “road to success,” if you will. Some students will fly down the road at a million miles an hour. Some students might only move an inch or two forward. But at least they’re going in the right direction.

Coming to the end of a show’s run is an incredibly emotional experience. You’ve put hours and hours of work into a project that, in the end, has ceased to exist. Yes, you have the memories you’ve created and the friendships you’ve grown, and maybe some mementos (backstage photos, posters with autographs from the cast and crew, show shirts, etc.). But the creation process of a show is truly intangible. It’s not like painting a picture and then having the finished canvas to display, or creating a musical composition and having sheet music to share with other musicians. You’ve created an experience. Once the show is complete, the costumes are put away, the set is stripped, and you’re left with an empty theatre and a group of students who have post-show blues. Whether you’ve completed an extracurricular production or a classroom show project, it is important to take a step back and reflect on the process. This is an important step of the process because it provides closure–the final steps of your theatrical journey! Reflecting on your experience lets you re-visit your successes and failures, your areas for improvement, and what you’ve learned. It can also help you look towards the future–what worked really well and what you would do differently next time. The following series of questions can help you and your students reflect on your experiences and process of the show. Be sure to focus on YOUR experiences and process. While things like selling out a show and positive reviews are great things to celebrate, they aren’t something you have control over. Go deeper and focus on your journey–where you started and where the process has taken you. The purpose of these questions is for you and your students to reflect on the process of the show, but feel free to adapt them for weekly logbooks or journal entries, as well! For students:• Think back to your audition. How did you feel after you finished? Were you satisfied with your performance? Why or why not? • Think back to when you found out you were cast into the show and/or when you found out what role you’d be playing. Did the results match your expectations? Were you happy with your role? Why or why not? • Think back to the first rehearsal. What was the atmosphere like? Did you know everyone in the cast? What did you do in that first rehearsal? • Think back to a time during rehearsal when you had that “breakthrough” or “ah-ha!” moment, when something just clicked and fell into place and things made sense. What was going on in rehearsal? What triggered that moment? How did you feel at that point? • Think about the experience of tech and dress rehearsals. How did they compare to other shows you’ve worked on? What was different? • Think back to just before opening night. How did you feel? What was the energy like? • Think back to just before closing night. How did you feel? What was different between opening night and closing night? • Name one personal success you had during the process of the show. What will you take from that moment? • Name one failure you had during the process of the show. What did you learn from that moment? • What will you keep doing for the next show you participate in? What will you do differently? • Name one thing you learned during the process of the show. • Name one memory from this show that will stick with you forever.