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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!
Displaying items 181-198 of 1651 in total
Games, Exercises, & Activities

Exercise: Rope Storytelling

This storytelling exercise is based on a classic campfire game. Students will work together to tell a story, but who tells the story and where they start and pick up again is up to chance. This...
Games, Exercises, & Activities

Improv Game: Scenario Generator

If you’re looking for a way to mix up your improv sessions and enjoy taking a risk, give this game a try! Combine the mystery of the game Clue with the dice-rolling stakes of Dungeons and Dragons,...
Curriculum & Lesson Planning

What traditions do you have with your theatre program?

The magic of theatre isn’t just in the performances; it’s woven into the traditions that bring us together! From heartwarming pre-show rituals to quirky backstage customs, these traditions create a...
Curriculum & Lesson Planning

The Pacing Toolkit

Pacing is one of the invisible hands of good teaching. For many teachers pacing is a difficult skill to master, but when a teacher has their pacing dialed in, the class is more enjoyable for both...
Curriculum & Lesson Planning

Introduction to Scene Analysis for Middle School Students

There are many different ways to analyze a scene for classroom study or performance: verbing, marking up the script, identifying subtext, making lists, and more. Some of these methods are easy and...
Featured Plays

October Reading List: Mystery Plays

Ready to add a little mystery to your drama classroom? We’ve put together a list of plays full of secrets, twists, and unexpected turns that are sure to captivate your students. Whether they’re...
Games, Exercises, & Activities

Warm-Up Exercises for Raising Energy

There are some days when your students are just not feeling their best. They’re tired, they’re dragging, they’re feeling “off.” So how do you combat these low energy times? Try these 10 warm-up...
Featured Plays

Theatrefolk Featured Play - Lord of the Pies

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight! Lord of the Pies by Clint Snyder is a hilariously fun one-act parody of Lord of the Flies that you need in your classroom. A pie shop erupts into panic after...
Curriculum & Lesson Planning

Playing to Your Students’ Strengths

Drama teachers understand that we must plan our curriculum around the standards established by school boards, administrators, and other leadership. But whenever possible, it’s wonderful to...
Games, Exercises, & Activities

10 Beanbag Name Game Variations

Name games are a great start-of-term activity, especially when you’re working with new students. It’s a fun way to break the ice and for students and teachers alike to learn everyone’s name....
Curriculum & Lesson Planning

Why Beginning Drama Students Are Awesome

Starting a new term with a new group of students can be concerning for even the most experienced drama teachers. Will you like them? Will they like you? Will they understand or connect with the...
Featured Plays

September Reading List: Plays for Competition

As you gear up for competition season, why not check out some of our top picks for standout plays? These scripts are bursting with memorable characters and fantastic stories, giving your students...
Classroom Management

Round-Up: All About Classroom Management

Classroom management looks a little different in the drama room than in other classes. However, laying a solid foundation for discipline is imperative for you and your students so you can all work...
Classroom Management

Supplies and Equipment Every Drama Classroom Needs

Drama classrooms come in a huge variety of sizes and styles. You may have a fabulous auditorium with a giant storage closet, a dedicated drama classroom, a shared space, or you may not have a...

What do you need today?

Latest Articles

All articles
Curriculum & Lesson Planning

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...
Teacher Support & Inclusivity

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...

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Acting Technique

All Acting Technique
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...
Acting Technique

Acting in Everyday Life

Many students take drama class not because they want to, but because they have to. They might need an arts credit to graduate, or there aren’t any other options for them to have a full class...
Acting Technique

Acting the Issue Play

Want to give your students some fantastic acting material that they can really sink their dramatic chops into? Consider doing an issue play for your next production. Issue plays explore problems...
Acting Technique

Onstage “Awareness” Improv Game: Sit, Stand, Kneel

Being aware of your surroundings is a vital part of being an actor. Students must know what’s going on around them at all times. This is important from a theatrical standpoint – unless otherwise...
Acting Technique

Questioning Your Character (Without Judgment)

Students will frequently be cast into roles that are vastly different from their real-life personalities. This is a good thing – it’s a great opportunity for students to grow their skills as...

Classroom Management

All Classroom Management
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...
Classroom Management

Round-Up: All About Classroom Management

Classroom management looks a little different in the drama room than in other classes. However, laying a solid foundation for discipline is imperative for you and your students so you can all work...
Classroom Management

Supplies and Equipment Every Drama Classroom Needs

Drama classrooms come in a huge variety of sizes and styles. You may have a fabulous auditorium with a giant storage closet, a dedicated drama classroom, a shared space, or you may not have a...

Curriculum & Lesson Planning

All Curriculum & Lesson Planning
Curriculum & Lesson Planning

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...
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...
Curriculum & Lesson Planning

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,...

Directing & Production

All Directing & Production
Directing & Production

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 & 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 & 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...

Featured Plays

All Featured Plays
Featured Plays

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....
Featured Plays

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...
Featured Plays

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...
Featured Plays

Theatrefolk Featured Play: Dead Highway

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Dead Highway by Christopher Evans is a pulse-pounding thriller set in the terrifying aftermath of a viral apocalypse. Six teenagers fight for survival...

Games, Exercises, & Activities

All Games, Exercises, & Activities
Games, Exercises, & Activities

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...
Games, Exercises, & Activities

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...
Games & Exercises

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...
Games, Exercises, & Activities

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...

Playwriting

All Playwriting
Games, Exercises, & Activities

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

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...
Playwriting

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,...
Playwriting

Playwright Spotlight: Get to Know Bradley Hayward

Welcome to "Playwright Spotlight" — your exclusive backstage pass to the creative minds crafting the incredible plays featured in our Theatrefolk catalogue. Discover the magic, quirks, and genius...

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...

Teacher Support & Inclusivity

All Teacher Support & Inclusivity
Teacher Support & Inclusivity

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...
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...
Teacher Support & Inclusivity

How to Boost Your Drama Class With Our Free Study Guides

You’ve found the perfect play! It’s engaging, relevant, and a great fit for your students. BUT, you can’t produce it this year, for any number of reasons. Maybe your performance calendar is already...

Technical Theatre

All Technical Theatre
Technical Theatre

Essential Props Every Drama Teacher Should Stockpile

Drama teachers need to plan for unlimited creativity. Unfortunately, drama teachers don’t have unlimited space… especially when it comes to props! Here is a list of essential props every drama...
Technical Theatre

How to Run a Flawless Tech Week

Every director knows tech week can be a triumph or a tragedy. When tech goes right, a production leaps off the stage and is ready for an audience. When tech goes wrong… well, let’s just say that...
Technical Theatre

Round-Up: All About Props

A prop, or theatrical property, is any object used or carried onstage by an actor that isn’t a part of the set or worn. Props can be made, built, bought, or borrowed, and the golden rule of props...
Technical Theatre

Divide and Conquer Your Props List

If you’re working on a prop-heavy show, you’ll want to assemble a great team and get them to work right away acquiring all the items on the list, because it can be challenging and time-consuming to...