Search the Drama Teacher Academy

How do you advocate for yourself and your theatre program? Listen in to find out and hear some great ideas from our hosts and participants! The discussion is led by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Gai Jones, and Carolyn Greer.

Recorded February 16, 2016.

You've got the rights, the music, the script... now where do you start with your student actors? Learn from Matt Webster, Craig Mason, Cindy Sams and Tricia Oliver as they lead you through how to get rehearsals started and the process up to opening night.

Recorded on March 8, 2016.

Learn from our guest panel how to engage even the most reluctant "non-theatre" student. Matt Webster hosts, joined by Lindsay Price, Lea Marshall, and Matt Banaszynski.

Recorded on March 22, 2016.

Production Pitfalls. We all know about how much fun the ups are, but how do we deal with the downs when we’re producing a play? What production pitfalls do YOU need help with? What was your biggest production-related frustration this year?

The discussion is led by Matt Webster, one of our awesome DTA instructors. Joining us are two DTA members: Jeremy Bishop and Heather Brandon.

Recorded June 25, 2015

A recording of our live online PLC just for DTA members

How do you get get commitment (from students, parents, and administration) in order to make your program the best it can be?

The discussion is led by Matt Webster, one of our awesome DTA instructors. Joining us are two DTA members: Jeremy Bishop and Heather Brandon.

Recorded July 9, 2015

Best practices for staging scenes in the drama classroom.

It’s Q&A time. We’ve got experienced educators in improv, ensemble building, classroom management, playwriting, production, stage management and the day-to-day running of a drama classroom. Bring your questions and we’ll answer them together.

Join us for tips and tricks on getting your students to make bold physical choices in their work.

Are your theatre classes a “dumping ground”? Some kids choose your class but others are placed there by admin or counsellors? Join us for a chat about a) how to manage classes like these and b) how to prevent your classroom from becoming a dumping ground.

Drama teachers have a lot on their plates. Between classroom, duties, meetings, rehearsals, and productions, the days are very full. How can you balance all these responsibilities and do them well?

You’ve got kids, you’ve got plays, you’ve got administrators, you’ve got an audience. What you don’t have is a season! How do you plan a season that will satisfy everyone?

It’s the beginning of the year and you have a classroom full of nervous students. I can’t do improv. I can’t act in front of the class. I can’t share an idea because everyone will laugh. How do you improve engagement levels in your classroom? How do you get students out of their comfort zone?

You’ve found the perfect play for your kids but there’s just one problem… some of the themes/language might raise eyebrows. Will raise eyebrows. Your administration doesn’t like it. Parents don’t like it. But you know it’s important to do work that tackles tough subjects. Your students know it’s important too. In cases like these, it’s better to get in front of the issue than behind it.

Join us as we discuss best practices for communicating with your administrators, your parents, and your community.

The holidays are upon us. Whether you’ll be meeting a new group of students in January, or you’re at the midway point, now’s the time to reassess, refocus, and reboot your classroom.

A solid rehearsal process is the foundation of every successful show. How can you design your rehearsals to get the maximum result from your limited time? Our panel will bring their best rehearsal tactics and problem-solving strategies.

How do you encourage students to delve deep into difficult, perhaps ugly characters, characters who do and say things your students normally wouldn’t?

We’ll be talking about character and script analysis, separation of actor and character, and we’ll learn how to recognize the external nature of the work. How do we prepare our actors and our school environment ready for challenging roles?

Your show dates are booked, your cast and crew are hard at work… all you need now is an audience! The question is, how do you get it? Join us for a discussion with seasoned pros on how to market your show, learn unique ways to get the community involved, and walk away with tools that will help you make your production a sell-out.

It’s spring and it’s burnout season for drama teachers - shows are in full swing, assessments are looming, and work/life balance is almost impossible to find. Join us to talk about how to avoid burnout, keep your eye on the prize, and learn some tips and tricks to make sure you find time for YOU during this busy season.

Spring is still in full swing, but it’s already time to start looking to the fall. Believe it or not, this is the time for choosing plays, and to start adjusting your curriculum for your next group of drama students. It’s never to early to get organized and start checking things off of that to-do list for next year. This will be a discussion of the do’s and don’ts of planning ahead.