Drama Teacher Learning Centre

Our Learning Centre is dedicated to providing drama teachers with insightful and engaging information for all things theatre!

Whether you're looking for articles, exercises, tips, or resources for teaching theatre in the classroom or on the stage, you'll find it all here.

We're dedicated to sharing our passion for theatre while making sure you have everything you need to make your theatre program shine!

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Classroom Management

Quick Strategies to Reset Two Common Classroom Behaviours

No matter what subject you teach, unacceptable behaviours can be found in every classroom. Because of how theatre classes are structured, some of these challenges may be more prevalent in the drama...

Classroom Management

When a Drama Student Says “I Can’t Do This” — Here’s What to Do

It might happen in rehearsal, before an improvised scene, or just before a student is about to step onstage — the student freezes, panics, or shuts down, and the words “I can’t do this” fall from...

Classroom Management

3 Strategies for Dealing with Distractions in the Drama Classroom

Students in drama classrooms get distracted just like any other students. Even though our classrooms are more active and engaged, distractions can still throw off our lessons. So what do you do...

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Latest Articles

All articles

Acting Technique Ensemble Awareness

No Ensemble Left Behind

Ensembles! It’s not about creating a divide about the leads and the chorus, it’s about a collection of parts that come together as a whole. Each element works in relation to the other. A production...

Directing, Rehearsal, & Production Budgeting

How to Run a Haunted House Fundraiser for Your Theatre Program

Creating a haunted house fundraiser is one of the most exciting student-driven events a theatre program can take on. It brings together performance, design, creativity, and community involvement,...

Directing, Rehearsal, & Production Budgeting

10 Tips for Running Your Own Theatre “Coffeehouse” Fundraiser (Without Losing Your Mind)

Want a theatre fundraiser that’s creative, low-cost, and stress-free? This cozy open mic–style event might be right up your ally to raise money and build community. What’s a coffeehouse...

Classroom Management Substitute / Emergency Plans

Setting Your Students Up for Success With a Substitute Teacher

How do your students act when you’re not there? Do you dread getting feedback from a substitute? Here are five tips to set your students up for success with a substitute teacher. 1. Try to keep...

Directing, Rehearsal, & Production Rehearsal Process

Top 10 Tips for Directing a Large-Cast Middle School Play

Directing a middle school play is equal parts chaos, wonder, and pure magic, especially when your cast list could grow to 50, 60, or even 80 students. The following 10 strategies come from...

Curriculum & Lesson Planning Monologues & Scene Work

Writing a Monologue Lesson Plan

Monologue writing is a great exercise for students. The monologue is a mini play: It has a beginning, middle, and end, as well as character, conflict, and often a listener. This makes the monologue...

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Acting Technique

All Acting Technique

Acting Technique Ensemble Awareness

No Ensemble Left Behind

Acting Technique

Just Breathe! Breathing Exercises for Student Actors

Breathing is more than just the inhale and the exhale. This is especially true for actors. As a beginning actor, the relationship between you and your breath might be exactly the same as in...

Acting Technique

Learning from Movie Monologues: Positives, Negatives, and Reflection

When young actors look for a monologue, sometimes their first stop is the movies. There are so many monologue moments available on YouTube these days, and certainly, some of those moments are...

Acting Technique

Character Study in the Drama Classroom

Ideally, we want students to study characters and bring them to life through scene work. But what if you have students who have been away during rehearsals and you need a related activity for them...

Acting Technique

How Improv Helps Students in Real Life

If you’ve ever had a student ask, “Am I ever going to use this improv stuff in real life?” the answer is yes — we use improvisation skills all the time outside of the drama classroom. Improv isn’t...

Acting Technique

Introduction to Tableau for Middle Schoolers

Tableau is a fantastic introductory theatre topic for middle schoolers. The word “tableau” comes from the phrase tableau vivant, or “living picture.” In tableau, students use their bodies and...

Classroom Management

All Classroom Management

Classroom Management Substitute / Emergency Plans

Setting Your Students Up for Success With a Substitute Teacher

How do your students act when you’re not there? Do you dread getting feedback from a substitute? Here are five tips to set your students up for success with a substitute teacher. 1. Try to keep...

Classroom Management

Quick Strategies to Reset Two Common Classroom Behaviours

Classroom Management

When a Drama Student Says “I Can’t Do This” — Here’s What to Do

Classroom Management

3 Strategies for Dealing with Distractions in the Drama Classroom

Students in drama classrooms get distracted just like any other students. Even though our classrooms are more active and engaged, distractions can still throw off our lessons. So what do you do...

Classroom Management

Forms and Paperwork You Need to Get Your Drama Classes Started Out Right

The beginning of a new term is a busy time: getting to know your students, establishing classroom routines, building trust, and creating an ensemble mindset. While it may not be as fun and...

Classroom Management

How to Keep Drama Class Chaos Under Control

Drama classes are chaotic by design. A good drama class should be an active and energetic environment where students are exploring and creating with their peers. That means groups of students...

Curriculum & Lesson Planning

All Curriculum & Lesson Planning

Curriculum & Lesson Planning Monologues & Scene Work

Writing a Monologue Lesson Plan

Curriculum & Lesson Planning

The Power of Rubrics in the Drama Classroom

In many drama programs, teachers are often building curriculum from scratch, sometimes as the only drama instructor in their school. Without a clear framework, assessing performance-based work can...

Acting Technique

Learning from Movie Monologues: Positives, Negatives, and Reflection

When young actors look for a monologue, sometimes their first stop is the movies. There are so many monologue moments available on YouTube these days, and certainly, some of those moments are...

Games, Exercises, & Activities

Drama class ideas for after the final project

It’s that age-old drama classroom conundrum: Final projects have been completed, but there are still a handful of school days to fill before the year officially ends. This can be a challenging time...

Curriculum & Lesson Planning End-of-Year / Back-to School Planning

End-of-Year Drama Project Ideas for Non-Performers

The end of the school year is a challenging time for drama teachers. Teachers are tired, students are distracted, and the curriculum doesn’t always fit the remainder of the calendar. These issues...

Curriculum & Lesson Planning

End of Year: Play Adaptation Project

The play adaptation project, where students adapt a text into a play, is a great end-of-year project for advanced drama students. It involves every aspect of the theatre process, from playwriting...

Directing, Rehearsal, & Production

All Directing, Rehearsal, & Production

Directing, Rehearsal, & Production Budgeting

10 Tips for Running Your Own Theatre “Coffeehouse” Fundraiser (Without Losing Your Mind)

Want a theatre fundraiser that’s creative, low-cost, and stress-free? This cozy open mic–style event might be right up your ally to raise money and build community. What’s a coffeehouse...

Directing, Rehearsal, & Production Budgeting

How to Run a Haunted House Fundraiser for Your Theatre Program

Creating a haunted house fundraiser is one of the most exciting student-driven events a theatre program can take on. It brings together performance, design, creativity, and community involvement,...

Directing, Rehearsal, & Production Rehearsal Process

Top 10 Tips for Directing a Large-Cast Middle School Play

Directing a middle school play is equal parts chaos, wonder, and pure magic, especially when your cast list could grow to 50, 60, or even 80 students. The following 10 strategies come from...

Directing, Rehearsal, & Production Budgeting

Top 8 Tips for Producing Shows On a Small Budget

Are you the only drama teacher trying to build a thriving theatre program on minimal resources? Theatre can happen anytime, and anywhere. You can produce powerful theatre experiences without fancy...

Directing, Rehearsal, & Production

Top 10 Reasons the “Show Must Go On!”

Everyone has a “show must go on” story. Sets collapse, lines are forgotten, and sometimes the light board even catches fire. I’ve seen an actor run offstage while the rest of the cast improvised...

Directing, Rehearsal, & Production

10 Tips for a 48-Hour Play Project

A 48-hour theatre project can energize students, build community, and teach collaboration under pressure. The idea is that you have a play, you have your actors, and you commit to being together...

Diversity & Inclusion

All Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity & Inclusion

Divergent Learning in the Drama Classroom: Why Theatre Is the Perfect Place for It

Divergent learning is all about extending from a common point in many different directions — seeing multiple solutions, embracing different ways of thinking, and acknowledging that every individual...

Games, Exercises, & Activities

All Games, Exercises, & Activities

Games, Exercises, & Activities

Drama class ideas for after the final project

Games, Exercises, & Activities

My Favorite “End of Class and We Need Something Fun” Project

The end of the school year usually comes with a couple of school days that didn’t quite fit into the calendar. Final projects and presentations have been completed, but there are still one or two...

Games, Exercises, & Activities

Active Listening Exercise: ABC-123-COLOR

Listening is an important skill in any classroom, but it’s especially important in the drama classroom. From classroom instruction, to game directions, to focusing on their fellow performers on...

Games, Exercises, & Activities

Communication Game: Blind Robot

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...

Games, Exercises, & Activities

Round-Up: Essential Exercises and Great Games for Beginning Drama Students

These games and exercises are my go-to activities for teaching beginning drama students. They’re fun, engaging, effective, and give students a well-rounded overview of topics such as drama...

Games, Exercises, & Activities

What to Do When You’re Burnt Out on Theatre Games

Theatre games are a vital tool for drama teachers. They help build relationships in the drama classroom, teach important theatre skills, and give students a chance to practice those skills and take...

Playwriting

All Playwriting

Curriculum & Lesson Planning Monologues & Scene Work

Writing a Monologue Lesson Plan

Playwriting

Playwriting Prep Work

The first day of a playwriting unit should not be the first day your students start writing. There are so many barriers and pre-conceived notions when it comes to writing that to dive in on day one...

Playwriting

When Students Want to Write a Play… Until It’s Time to Write

Let’s talk about resistant students. They don’t want to be in your class, they don’t want to participate, they don’t want to do anything, except… write a play. Great! But is it? A resistant student...

Playwriting

Resource: Tons of Oddly Specific Character Prompts

Sometimes you need a prompt that’s a bit more than just a word or two. “Oddly specific” prompts are great for improv, devising, and playwriting because they instantly spark students’ imaginations...

Games, Exercises, & Activities

Kindness Improvised Scenes

When you can improvise a scene about anything, why not focus on kindness? Incorporating kindness into drama class activities helps students develop the ensemble mindset and creates a more positive,...

Playwriting

Playwriting Prompt: Stories About Stuffies

Stories about cherished toys and stuffed animals (plush toys, stuffies, cuddly toys, soft toys, etc.) are abundant: Winnie the Pooh, The Velveteen Rabbit, Paddington, Corduroy, Calvin and Hobbes,...

Podcast

All Podcast

Podcast

Theatre as a Teaching Tool

Episode 214: Theatre as a teaching tool The drama classroom is not just a place for games and play time. You can use theatre as a teaching tool – perhaps the most important one students will ever...

Podcast

Happy Birthday Frankenstein!

Episode 213: Happy Birthday Frankenstein! It’s Frankenstein’s Birthday this month! Or more accurately, it’s the birthday of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the author of the classic gothic romance...

Podcast

Drama Teachers: Take back the classics

Episode 212: Drama Teachers: Take back the classics Julie Hartley wants you to take back the classics. Lose the idea that Shakespeare is high brow and just for people who only have a grasp of the...

Podcast

Putting together a touring high school show

Episode 211: Putting together a touring high school show How do you put together a touring show with your students? Drama Teacher Mike Yoson and his advanced production class completed their first...

Podcast

Facilitating a student led production

Episode 210: A Facilitating a student led production Have you ever sat back and let your students take control of a play? How do you let students learn from the struggles throughout the process,...

Podcast

Page to Stage: What can you learn in 48 hours?

Episode 209: Page to Stage: What can you learn in 48 hours? What can you learn when you put up a show from page to stage in 48 hours? Teacher and playwright Scott Giessler shares his experience. If...

Selecting Scripts

All Selecting Scripts

Acting Technique Ensemble Awareness

No Ensemble Left Behind

Selecting Scripts

Theatrefolk Featured Play: Look Me in the Eye

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Looking for a powerful one-act that gives students rich character work and makes a strong competition piece? You need Look Me in the Eye by Lindsay Price....

Selecting Scripts

Theatrefolk Featured Play: Master of Puppets

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Looking for teen characters who actually feel like real people and not stereotypes? Start with Master of Puppets by Jeffrey Harr. The guidance counsellors of...

Selecting Scripts

Theatrefolk Featured Play: The Magic Diary of Mozambique

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Are your students tired of fairy tales? The Magic Diary of Mozambique by Chris Stiles is a challenging, character driven, story driven piece for middle...

Selecting Scripts

Theatrefolk Featured Play: Snapshot: Bee-u-ti-ful

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Snapshot: Bee-u-ti-ful is a competion-length version of Beauty and the Bee, and an awesome character piece for your next competition! Do you get along with...

Selecting Scripts Featured Plays

Theatrefolk Featured Play: Will and Whimsy: Sixteen Dramatically Illustrated Sonnets of Shakespeare

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Shakespeare's Sonnets come alive in Will and Whimsy: Sixteen Dramatically Illustrated Sonnets of Shakespeare by Alan Haehnel where modern scenes play hand in...

Teacher Support

All Teacher Support

Teacher Support

Top 10 Tips for New Drama Teachers: Planning Ahead

Starting your first year as a drama teacher can feel equal parts exhilarating and overwhelming. You’re stepping into a role that blends creativity, structure, collaboration, and a whole lot of...

Teacher Support

Common Struggles Drama Teachers Face and How to Tackle Them

Drama teachers are some of the most passionate, dedicated educators in any school. They build communities, inspire confidence, and give students a place to express themselves. But they also face an...

Teacher Support Program Advocacy

The Arts Remind Us of Joy and Possibility

Even in the middle of struggle, the arts create space for laughter, beauty, imagination, and play. They remind us that humans are storytellers and creators, capable of imagining solutions,...

Teacher Support

Advocacy: Supporting Your Drama Program

Every drama teacher knows that advocating for their students, programs, and productions is essential. Even the most successful programs can be misunderstood or undervalued. The first step is...

Teacher Support

Top 10 Tips for Maintaining Work-Life Balance as a Theatre Teacher

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance as a theatre teacher can feel like walking a tightrope. Between directing shows, coordinating rehearsals, and guiding students through creative growth, it’s...

Teacher Support Teacher Wellness & Burnout

My Best Stress Relief Advice for the Drama Classroom

The drama classroom can be a stressful place. Between an ever-changing, dynamic curriculum and the daily demands of classroom teaching, it’s easy to find yourself in a perpetual state of anxiety....

Technical Theatre

All Technical Theatre

Technical Theatre