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This lesson combines the work done in Lesson 2 (scoring scenes by beats) with the physical work done in Lesson 3 (creating dynamically staged scenes by connecting choices in blocking/staging to the underlying structural elements in a scene).

Students will participate in a demonstration to explore the rules of staging and performance and why they are important. They will perform a Bad Idea/Good Idea skit for the class, to demonstrate their understanding of the concept.

Students will be introduced to forum theatre by researching a video example. Students will then try their hand at forum theatre by acting out a middle school scenario of oppression, becoming spect-actors, and improvising solutions.

Students will participate in a demonstration to explore the rules of virtual staging and performance and why they are important. They will perform a Bad Idea/Good Idea skit for the class to demonstrate their understanding of the concept.

Copyright and the Theatre go hand in hand, especially if you’re doing plays, but a topic about which many students (and even teachers) lack knowledge. Students will read about the aspects of Copyright and the Theatre, reflect on making changes to scripts, and complete a Copyright and the Theatre Quiz.

Theatre is about communication. A story is presented to an audience. Storytelling was one of the earliest forms of entertainment that we continue to use today. Even though the method for delivering the story has changed, the form itself has stayed the same for thousands of years. In this lesson, students will create their version of the 21st century story. What stories do we tell today? How do we tell them? Who do we tell them to? You can use this lesson as an intro to studying modern theatre, especially for students who don’t have a theatre background. You can also use this lesson as an intro for Ancient Greek Theatre. Start by examining stories in a modern context, then shift to the Ancient Greek era.

Students will explore Medieval Theatre by role playing what it would be like to perform at the time. Students form trade guilds, create a medieval market scene, and then work on a morality scenario. Lesson plan comes with a written assignment to be completed after the practical assignment.

Students begin their exploration of playwriting by learning about structure and applying the elements in a writing exercise.

The objective of this lesson is to introduce the concept of “hard skills” (specific abilities or knowledge needed to do a specific job) versus “soft skills” (personal attributes and personality traits; transferable skills that can be used in any aspect of a student’s life).

In this lesson, students will complete three to five rehearsals of their scenes using a rehearsal checklist, focusing on level changes.

In this lesson, students will complete three to five rehearsals of their scenes using a rehearsal checklist, focusing on projection skills (voice clarity, open body).

Some students dread writing. Just the thought of pencil and paper make them want to crumple up that paper and throw it. Well, now they can. In this exercise, students are introduced to story elements such as character, objective, obstacle/conflict, tactics, and resolution. Pairs of students add each new story element to an ever growing story that can be shared with the class. Reflection and Rubric included.

Costuming with colour is a great way to visualize theme and mood. How do different colours make you feel? What colours are associated with different moods? Can colour be used to identify a group? Students will first assess character types and use the colour wheel to create a costume look. Their assignment for the lesson is to assign colours to different groups in a play based on relationship, mood, and era.

Students will understand the importance of actively listening and using active listening to inform their character choices in performance. They will participate in listening exercises and apply active listening to their scene work.

Instead of presenting a lecture on influential acting teachers, students self-learn in this lesson plan. Have students research an acting teacher, prepare a presentation and teach an exercise in groups.

Students discuss the presentations from the previous class and reflect as a group on the process. They address the role of costumes and costume effectiveness in a scene.

Students continue their exploration by learning about the press release and creating a marketing plan for an original play.