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Students create physical and vocal attributes based on a visual - images of buildings. Students will also take turns coaching the exercise to the class to demonstrate their comprehension. Includes images and two assessment rubrics.

Newcomers to improvisation often struggle with quick verbal responses. They get caught up with self-editing, self-judgement, and self-censorship and feel they’re failing at the exercise if they’re not fast enough. The gibberish tool allows students to practice the act of response with intention without the pressure of real words. It gives them confidence to participate in an improvised scene. Students will create a gibberish language as a group. Focus on making gibberish a language. “Yes, it sounds silly, but treat gibberish as a language.” The words don’t matter. How you say them does. Students will move to small group conversations, and finally improv scenes. Includes a list of scenarios, reflection, and assessment rubric.

Students will learn the Rashomon plot device and put it into practice through improvised character monologues. Includes scenario sheet, assignment sheet, and assessment rubric.

Certain sounds are always connected to certain objects - the slam of a door, cowbell, a ringing phone. How does the environment change if the sounds are changed? Does the change of sound change the scene? Includes a list of websites to use for free sound effects.

Students will explore the origins of drama through ritual and chant. After discussing modern versions, students will create a ritualistic chant using choral speaking, and synchronized movements. Lesson Plan comes with an evaluation sheet and a rubric.

Students will be introduced to the basic theory of Expressionism including expression of emotion, rapid disjointed dialogue, and stylistic movement. Students will practice moving and expressing emotion in an Expressionistic style. They will create a scene based on a nightmare using the principals of Expressionism. An oral presentation assignment is provided as follow up to this practical work. Lesson Plan comes with a practical task evaluation, assignment checklist, and rubric.

To identify and interpret inflection in a dialogue and be able to translate that into a script. Students work with a partner to interpret inflection in a "naked scene" and translate that inflection adding stage directions to the script. Students have to clarify their stage directions so that another pair can pick up the scene and deliver the intended intention.

To identify and physically locate the nine areas of the stage. Students play a life-sized game of tic-tac-toe on the stage using stage directions to navigate the different squares. Lesson Plan comes with a stage positioning template for assessment.

Students will learn and practice pantomime skills by developing, communicating and sustaining the size and shape of mimed objects.

Students write a scene with five pauses. Students will rehearse the scene where the length of the pause varies. How does the scene change when longer and longer pauses are implemented?

Students will stage locations using only a finite number of props and pieces. The goal is to show the location using action and imagination (as we often must do in the theatre) without a reliance on exact realism.

Students will identify unfamiliar words on a page of Shakespeare quotes, translate those quotes into modern English, and act out the quotes to identify character/play clues. Students will then complete a quotes assignment and reflection. Plus! Bonus assignment.

Students will read The Globe Theatre Handout. Based on the given information, students will re-create the experience of going to The Globe and complete a compare and contrast assignment.

Students create a play program for a curriculum text based on their knowledge of the text and given criteria. This can be done physically in class using markers and magazine pictures, and online resources such as pixabay.com and canva.com.

Tactics are how characters get what they want from other people on stage. They are verbs used to describe how a character behaves to get others to do what they want. In this lesson students will learn what tactics are and be able to create a list of possible tactics.

A character’s objective is what a character wants. It is based in what they want from another person, using the formula “I want [person] to do [thing I want them to do.]” The objective is what drives all of their action while on stage. In this lesson students will learn what objectives are and how to write one for a character.

Students will identify the difference between pastiche and parody and then demonstrate comprehension by (a) analyzing a song and then (b) creating their own parody or pastiche.

Students will perform a modern scene the same way that Shakespearean actors performed text. They will compare and contrast the experience to preparing a scene for class.

Students will complete exercises that demonstrate how a character’s need to speak results in a better monologue. They will then write a monologue that applies this knowledge.

The fourth wall is an imaginary wall that stands between the actors and the audience. As actors we tend not to speak to, look at or acknowledge the audience when we are performing. We want the audience to be observers but not necessarily involved in the scene. There are times however when we want to speak directly to the audience. When we do, that is called breaking the fourth wall. It is a technique that can be useful in specific instances but should not be abused by actors.