Search the Drama Teacher Academy

# Character Development # character development

Monologues, Scenes, and More

by Lindsay Price

Students will spend this lesson writing for their three characters (superhero, sidekick, villain) before choosing one for their culminating assignment. This lesson provides a number of options in terms of scene writing, design, and improv for you to choose from

Attachments

# Character Development # character development

Culminating Assignment

by Lindsay Price

Using their chosen character, students write an original monologue for this character, design a costume and a prop/tool, and perform their monologue with specific physical and vocal quality choices.

Attachments

Play Analysis of The Post Office by Rabindranath Tagore

by Quincy Young

Students will begin the lesson by applying research skills to produce a mini-project presentation on author Rabindranath Tagore, his work as a playwright, and themes explored in his play The Post Office. Students will read the play with an analytical eye and rehearse a scene to perform as a staged reading.

Attachments

The Post Office Script

# Analysis # bipoc # analysis

Introduction to Origin Stories

by Allison Green

The first 3 lessons introduce origin stories. Students research an Indigenous origin story in small groups. They will create a plot graph and share in a class discussion.

# Group Activities

Retelling a Story

by Allison Green

Student will use the research they completed on days 1-3 to retell an origin story to the class.

# Group Activities

Abenaki Creation Story

by Allison Green

Students listen to the Abenaki Creation Story and explore through plot graphing and recreating.

Attachments

# Group Activities

# Musical Theatre # musical theatre

Improv a Musical

by Ed Reggi

In this lesson, students will explore how to make their own Broadway musical through improvisation. Broadway musicals like The Book of Mormon, Urinetown, and Forbidden Broadway were developed from improvised work. Students will learn how to improvise an original musical in front of an audience. There are excellent opportunities for both the singer and non-singer who wants to explore improv like never before. This is also a great opportunity for singers to become far more confident with their performances. There are hands-on activities for students at all levels.

Historical and Cultural Contexts

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson looks at the historical and cultural context of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Symbolism

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson focuses on symbolism by investigating The Manifesto of Symbolism by Jean Moreas to help inspire students to write their own short manifestos.

Attachments

Dadaism

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson introduces the characteristics of Dadaism, through Ubu Roi, Dadaism manifestos, Voltaire, and Dada art. Students will learn how to write a Dada poem of their own.

Attachments

Surrealism

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson looks at Breton's Manifesto of Surrealism, Atraud's Theatre of Cruelty, and the game of Exquisite Corpse. Students will create their own short surrealist play.

Expressionism

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson investigates expressionist theatre and compare to the other movements discussed thus far. Using O'Neill's The Hairy Ape, students will conduct deep analysis on a scene.

Attachments

Absurdism

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson enters the last and final -ism for the unit, with a focus on five iconic absurdist playwrights: Beckett, Ionesco, Genet, Pinter, and Albee.

Attachments

Anti-Realism Movement Characteristics Overview

Culminating Project

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This project combines creativity with analytical thought as students connect ideas and concepts with their imagination in order to create a theme park that embodies all five of the “isms” we’ve covered: symbolism, Dadaism, surrealism, expressionism, and absurdism.

Attachments

Anti-Realism Project Suggested Rubric

Risk-Taking

by Jennine Profeta

This lesson aims to encourage students to take risks and allay fear.

Failure

by Jennine Profeta

This lesson encourages students to embrace failure as a positive aspect rather than negative.

Confidence

by Jennine Profeta

This lesson allows students to practice and apply attributes of confidence.

Positive and Negative Speak

by Jennine Profeta

This lesson has students identify and have self-awareness of positive and negative speak.

Capturing the Way People Speak

by Nicholas Pappas

Students will learn to break free of academia’s stringent MLA formatting and “proper” speech patterns, while recognizing their own code-switching, to capture authentic and natural rhythms to match the speech patterns of their friends, families, and community.

# Playwriting # monologue