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In this unit, students will create and perform an abstract theatre scene. Abstract is a genre that does not rely on realism and deliberately breaks the rules of a given form. In the case of theatre, this refers to the commonly presented rules of performance, acting, and the relationship with the audience. Movement is often stylized and symbolic. Ideas and themes are expressed visually and aurally with little dialogue using music, lights, costumes, and props.

In this lesson, students will participate in several activities that will help them devise, create, and rehearse movement that can be used in abstract scenes. They will practice and demonstrate their understanding of blocking and physicality by being able to add and execute movement in their abstract scene.

In this lesson, students will spend time rehearsing their abstract scenes. They will also practice and demonstrate movement skills such as facial expression, posture, gesture control, and balance.

In this lesson, students will spend time rehearsing their abstract scenes. They will have an opportunity to both perform for their peers and to evaluate another group’s abstract scene using the performance rubric.

Students will perform their abstract scenes for classes who have been invited to observe.

This Indigenous Storytelling unit is brought to you in a different format than a traditional lesson plan. It uses a learning circle format. It was developed by Allison Green, a member of the Algonquin Band of Mattawa, Ontario.

There is a lot in this unit, so perhaps you’ll just want to end with the quiz and reflection. However, if you want a performance activity to end the unit, consider this Greek monologue activity.

Students will take everything they’ve learned and put together a mystery play cycle.

Students will add to their commedia character by exploring Lazzi, practiced and predetermined comic bits.

Students will take everything they’ve learned and put together a commedia troupe, create a commedia character complete with lazzi, and present a scene based on one of the three main commedia themes.

Decide how students will demonstrate their knowledge of the unit. A variety of activities are provided. You can choose to have all your students do the same activity, or allow students to choose how they demonstrate their knowledge. Rubrics are provided for each activity.

Decide how students will demonstrate their knowledge of the unit. A variety of activities are provided. You can choose to have all your students do the same activity, or allow students to choose how they demonstrate their knowledge. Rubrics are provided for each activity.

Decide how students will demonstrate their knowledge of the unit. A variety of activities are provided. You can choose to have all your students do the same activity, or allow students to choose how they demonstrate their knowledge. Rubrics are provided for each activity.

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the turmoil of the 18th century. Theatre was extremely curtailed by censorship in this era. They will complete a research project on the sociopolitical and cultural background of the era to set the stage for a lesson on censorship in the 18th century.

Decide how students will demonstrate their knowledge of the unit. A variety of activities are provided. You can choose to have all your students do the same activity, or allow students to choose how they demonstrate their knowledge. Rubrics are provided for each activity.

Playwrights leave hints and tips in the text as signposts for character building. But how do you find those hints? How do you use them to develop a character? In this lesson plan, students will examine scenes from my plays, identify character development clues, and apply those clues. The included teaching script will show you those character clues so you know what students are looking for. The Scenes are included in the plan as well as a reflection rubric. The analysis areas are: facts and concrete assumptions, sentence structure, and strong forms need strong characters.

Students will practice speaking in front of their peers as they explore personification and emotion in a monologue. After seeing a model exercise, Students choose an object and an emotion as the base for their monologue. Students play the part of the object and decide on a story that explains why they feel their current emotion. Students demonstrate stage presence, vocal presence and creating a relevant story.

Students use narration, dialogue and mime in this skit sequence where a character teaches the audience to be like them. Each skit has three scenes, two narration/acted out instruction scenes and one dream sequence. The teacher models this activity narrating different scenes of what it takes to "be" like him/her. They include students in the scenes, prompting them to act out his/her narration. The teacher emphasizes how the first two scenes include narration, and then dialogue when students "act out" the activity. The third scene, the dream sequences involves narration as the main character tells their dream, and mime as students act out the mime. Once students have participated in the teacher's model, they are divided into groups and put together a "Being Blank" scene sequences for themselves.

Students create a character and maintain that character throughout an activity. Students create an original character by filling out a form. These characters participate in a speed date round. Female characters sit in an outer circle of chairs. Male characters rotate clockwise through an inner circle of chairs.The characters introduce themselves and talk for one minute before moving on to the next meeting. Teacher pairs students up and in their pairs student plans and present a short improv: The First Date.

Students will understand the importance of raising the stakes in their performance through their objective and tactics. Students will also understand how their choice of tactics, and their intensity, creates emotional shaping in their performance. Students explore tactics choices, obstacles and emotional shaping while playing the “Candy Bar Game.” Students have an objective to get a chocolate bar, but have a variety of obstacles in their way to do so. They have to choose tactics to help them get their objective and explore the emotions that come as they get closer and closer to the goal. An excellent activity to show students exactly what it means to have an objective, to employ a tactic and the emotions attached to doing so.