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Students will choose a LGBTQ+ designer that is unknown to them and has not, as of this writing, worked on Broadway. The chosen designer has to have a website with visual examples of their work, a bio or about page, and a resume. Students will analyze the work of the designer using the Analysis Worksheet. They will then reflect on what they have learned. If you want to extend the length of the lesson, have students put together a brief presentation on their designer and share their findings with the class.

In this lesson, students will consider what would happen if a character made a different choice within the context of their story. Students will work in groups to identify and analyze a decision made within the text by a character and then think creatively about what the characters might have done differently. They will then create and perform a scene demonstrating the character’s different choice. If you’re looking to incorporate Social and Emotional Learning in your drama classroom, this lesson would fit well into a discussion about responsible decision-making. This exercise can be done individually, in pairs, or in small groups.

If you want to incorporate Social and Emotional Learning into a play study unit, use this lesson. Students discuss self-awareness and apply it by analyzing characters in a play they are currently studying. Seeing fictional character examples will help students gain a deeper understanding of the concept of self-awareness. This can be done as a class, individually, in partners, or in smal groups. It can be done in person, virtually via distance learning, or as a written homework assignment.

In this lesson, students will start by working individually to either create and analyze a new character or to analyze an existing character. Then, with a partner (who has their own character), they’ll figure out a scenario where the two characters would meet and form some sort of relationship. If you’re looking for a way to apply Social and Emotional Learning in the drama classroom, in this case building relationship skills, this is an active and theatrical way to do so.

Students will reflect on their own identities and the components of their identities. They will then reflect on how often they see themselves in current entertainment. Students will discuss common identities in fairy tales and then change a fairy tale character to reflect their identity in a scene. How does the change in identity affect the story? How does the story change?

Using a set of criteria, students will watch a movie (or read a play) and analyze it based on the criteria. The Vito Russo is specific to LGBTQ+ representation in a work. Does the movie meet the criteria and, therefore, pass the test? Students will then reflect on the results: Is the criteria a good way to assess representation? How could the movie be changed to meet the criteria?

A costume designer and a costumer are two different things. A costume designer creates pieces from the drawing board to the stage while a costumer pulls from already existing pieces to create fully realized characters. This means the approach is different. With costuming, there is no such thing as a perfect costume. But there are costumes that create the right atmosphere. In these lessons, students will be introduced to the role of the costumer.

In this lesson, students start the costuming process for a specific play through analysis. Then they will be assigned (or choose) the character they will design for, as well as a specific costume. They will be given time to answer some analysis questions for this specific character and costume. Students complete these analysis questions in advance of the next lesson.

In this lesson, students will learn some distressing techniques and complete a distressing activity. After this activity, students will start pulling items for their costume designs as indicated by their Inspiration Collages. Students will then prep for a design presentation and costume parade after a work period in the next class.

Students will show their Inspiration Collages, their costumes, and their slide decks. They will explain why they made their choices and how it reflects their understanding of the character and the play. Students will do as much as possible to realize their costumes, given the resources available and the time they’ve had to work on the project, and describe what they would do to complete their costumes.

Students will research the character of Jo from the musical Jagged Little Pill. The character, allegedly, started out as nonbinary and was changed to cisgender for the Broadway run. When confronted with this change, those involved with the production stated that Jo was always intended to be cisgender and was written as cisgender. This confused many in the LGBTQ+ community. What is the background to this situation? What is the origin story to the character and the actor playing the character? Why did the creative team react the way they did and what was the response to their reaction? Who is right? Students will research, analyze, and come to their own conclusions and then express their conclusions in a response.

Students will reflect on common societal norms and expectations. Who decided these norms? Why do we follow them? What happens when we don’t? They will then write a monologue for a character who doesn’t fit within the common societal norms and expectations construct.

Students will research how the character of Anybodys was changed from a tomboy in the original West Side Story movie (and musical) to a transgender character (played by nonbinary actor iris menas) in the 2021 Steven Spielberg version. Students will research the change through articles and video and come to their own conclusions about the change. Students will then apply what they have learned by creating their own scenes with a character change.

Decide how students will demonstrate their knowledge of the unit. You can choose to have all your students do the same activity or allow students to choose from the provided activities to demonstrate their knowledge. You could also give students the choice to create their own assignment to demonstrate how they have mastered the content.

American actor Ira Aldridge was a pioneer and an activist. He was a celebrated 19th-century Shakespearan actor in England and Europe and one of the first black men to play the role of Othello. In this lesson, students will learn more about his story and about how he changed his story several times throughout his career. Students will reflect on the concept of changing one’s story in the face of adversity. Rubrics are provided.

Students will analyze a story/script and create the circumstances that turned the characters of the story into zombies.

Students will evaluate the unique elements included in British Holiday Pantomimes, write their own short plays in this specific and fun style, and then perform. This is a light lesson for the holiday season or the end of the semester after any major culminating project. It allows students to work on a form of theatre they may not be familiar with, it gives you a chance to observe student demonstration of ensemble skills, and it’s fun!

Can you tell a great story in six minutes? How about in six seconds? You definitely can. Prior to TikTok, there was Vine—a short-form video hosting app where users created and shared six-second-long looping videos. Even within the limit of six seconds, creators were able to make fascinating and funny content to entertain and educate their viewers. The following lesson challenges students to make a scene and tell a story in only six seconds. They have to make quick, precise decisions and get to the point right away. And, of course, they have tobe clear and easily understood by the audience. Your students can choose to either create and perform a live six-second scene or create, film, and edit a six-second video.

In this lesson, students will take a task that has steps to it (the model for this activity demonstrates the process of making handmade candy) and turn it into a physical-movement piece. How can you theatricalize an ordinary task?

A common acting exercise for students is to imagine what their character is doing next when they exit a scene and what they’re doing when they aren’t onstage. In this lesson, students will explore this exercise through playwriting by writing the next scene for an exiting character. Where did they go? What are they doing? Why did they leave? Note: This lesson could also be used as an emergency lesson plan if you’re in the middle of a play study unit and have an unexpected absence. It could also work as an independent project.