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In this lesson, students will create their own solo performance piece called “I Am From” and explore the different ways to tell a story through self-expression. This allows students to think about who they are and how they can communicate themselves theatrically. In African theatre, there are many ways to tell a story; this poem template allows the student to answer specific questions that will transform into a solo monologue which will be used for a performance.

Students will choose a character and become that character (physically and vocally). They will then collaborate with other characters in the classroom to create and perform an improvised scene. Students explore known characters, characters based on traits, and non-human characters both physically and vocally before choosing their own. Lesson also explores the principle of "Yes...And."

Use this lesson plan as a response activity connected to a play that you are studying in class. After reading the play, students will exhibit their ability to analyze a specific character from a play by creating a visual character profile.

Students begin their exploration by learning about the who’s who in theatre and are introduced to the front of house role.

This lesson introduces students to the various roles in the theatre and how they make up a hierarchy. Students take on the role of one of these three important roles in a theatre production through an activity.

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.

This is a completely optional day as it requires a material (liquid latex) that you wouldn’t normally have on hand. It gives you an opportunity to show students another facet of stage makeup, opening the door for ideas and projects that students can do within this mini unit. It also creates a great “buy- in” for students who have been reticent to the process thus far.

Sometimes it’s less intimidating for students to approach Shakespeare’s language with a goal in mind. In this exercise students are given a line from a Shakespeare play out of context and asked to create a scene using three tableaux that tell a story. By approaching the language with an active goal in mind, students delve deeper into the language’s meaning and take control of the story.

Students discuss and apply the different ways one can communicate through gesture.

Students will continue to evaluate the role of the critic and the purpose of criticism. In this case study lesson, students will examine the power of the New York Times drama critic in the mid to late 20th century. While there were many outlets reviewing shows, there was an ongoing mythology that a review from the New York Times had the power to keep a show running or close it. Students will discuss and infer if this is true. They will also reflect on the role of the critic who has such power.

Students will read an article about the history of blackface in American Theatre and use critical thinking skills to annotate the article. Students will then produce a written reflection on why the use of blackface was and continues to be a problematic issue in American Theatre.

The objective of the lesson is for students to create and perform their own radio play using a children’s story as the source material. Radio plays are fantastic for students to practice and develop many performance skills like projection, diction, using emotion, and using their voices. They give students the opportunity to creatively work with playwriting, selecting appropriate music, and creating sound effects.

Students identify the stage directions and actor needs to know onstage and the necessary shorthand notation for each. They then apply their knowledge in an exercise and exit slip.

Students are introduced to the techniques of hand position, tension, follow through, action/reaction/interaction.

In this first improvisation lesson, students will work with the definitions of the key vocabulary terms by adding their own offers to improvised exercises and accepting and building on peer offers. Students will also give written and verbal peer feedback on the first row (ACCEPTING AND BUILDING ON OFFERS) row of the Improvisation Rubric, using language such as “improvisation” and “offers.”

After a warm up, student learn about onstage action. They will reflect on the question of how having something “to do” onstage can help overcome stage fright.

Students will demonstrate their ability to use their whole body to create a character by participating in a “character walk.” Students explore how movement can be used to create a character. They will see what different body parts are used to convey character, how circumstances change how we move and how characters move differently from one another.

This handout is designed as an accompaniment to The Ancient Greeks lesson plan. The two-page handout includes visuals and a description of who the ancient greeks were, including democracy/slavery, the role of women, war/culture, competition, and the Gods.

The objective of the lesson is for students to learn what iambic pentameter is and to have the opportunity to create their own monologues using iambic pentameter. This lesson is a useful complement towards studying classical works by playwrights such as William Shakespeare.

Many students dream about becoming a professional actor. The headshot is one of the most important calling cards of the professional actor. A bad headshot can get an actor rejected before they step through the door. Students will complete exercises that respond to the question What makes a good Headshot?