Search the Drama Teacher Academy

If you struggle with tech or want to share your ideas for teaching tech, this is the event for you.

Hosted by DTA Instructors Matt Webster and Karen Loftus.

Recorded July 23, 2015

Get your students to say "YES"

Tips for getting your classes started on the right foot by getting buy-in from your students. Learn how to start small, the importance of scaffolding, and some great first-week of school games to get your students engaged.

Hosted by DTA instructors Todd Espeland and Matt Webster.

Recorded on August 14, 2015 at 8pm.

Technical Theatre Tips

Tips for set design, costuming, lighting, and more! Dealing with small budgets, overcoming obstacles, and making the most of what you have. BONUS material at the end of the PLC!

Hosted by DTA instructors Holly Beardsley, Matt Webster, and Lindsay Price.

Recorded on September 15, 2015 at 8pm.

Curriculum 911

Curriculum planning help for drama teachers - lesson planning, how to integrate cross-curricular activities, resources, and more!

Hosted by DTA instructors Matt Webster, Karen Loftus, and Lindsay Price.

Recorded on October 6, 2015 at 8pm.

Your rehearsal questions and challenges addressed!

Hosted by DTA instructors Matt Webster and Lindsay Price, and special guest - DTA member and teacher Jeremy Bishop.

Recorded on October 20, 2015 at 8pm.

Theatre History should be a part of every drama curriculum. But with all the plays and dates and people and places how do you avoid a month of textbooks, tests, and learning by rote? How do you make theatre history come alive in your classroom? Can you make it active? Can you make it fun? Join us for this discussion on bringing the past to life in the present.

Learn about the most important things for the first week of school - from ice breaker games, to classroom procedures, to setting the tone from Day 1. Watch this replay to learn tips and tricks to start your school year off on the right foot!

Hosted by DTA instructors Karen Loftus, Lindsay Price, Jennine Profeta, and Matt Webster.

Recorded on August 14th, 2015 at 2pm.

The latest tools for assessment in the drama classroom.

Do you sometimes feel like Goldilocks? This class is too big! This class is too small! How do you make your class feel just right? Join us to talk about how to zero in on adapting and adjusting your curriculum based on the size of your class.

Getting lesson plans is easy. Adapting them can be challenging.

Join us for a conversation on modifying and shaping existing lesson plans to meet the needs of your classroom.

Reflection is a fundamental component of teaching. It is also a cornerstone of running a successful program or production. It can be hard to ask the tough questions once the year is over and all you want to do is just forget it all and move on. But that post-mortem is where the real learning happens! When you reflect on the successes and failures of the previous season or year, you bypass future mistakes before they have a chance to take root, and sow the seeds of a successful new year. So join us for the Year End Post-Mortem: What did you try, what did you skip, what worked, what didn’t. It’s time to build the foundations of the new year on the ashes of the old.

Summer is in full swing and we would all like to recharge our batteries for the coming school year. Everyone could use some inspiration to prepare for a successful new year, but where do we look? Conferences? The library? Broadway? The possibilities are as varied as our free time and budget, so put on your summer yoga pants and jump into this conversation about finding inspiration, both artistic and academic, that will propel you into a new year.

You have worked hard to build a quality program that excites students and benefits the community. But somehow, your great accomplishments are hardly ever noticed by your administration. Why does that happen? And what can you do to change it?! In this PLC we tackle the question: "How do advocate for your program and be as visible as possible to your admin?" Join us, and finally be noticed!

We are heading deep into rehearsal season and you can already feel the monotony starting to build: Rehearse, Review, Repeat. Rehearse, Review, Repeat. You are falling into a Rehearsal Rut. Never fear! We have just the conversation to shake up your routine and give your rehearsals a much needed shot in the arm. Get on board and get out of that rut!

Assessing students is always a challenge, but in the Drama classroom it's a challenge on top of a challenge! We assess knowledge, of course, but we also assess commitment, skill and performance. Assessment is fundamental to education, but the how and why of assessment differs from classroom to classroom, and lesson to lesson. Join us as we navigate the twists and turns of Assessment in the Drama Classroom.

There's no getting around it: Running a Drama program costs money! Besides a never-ending need for props, costumes and scenery, we also spend money on scripts, rights and travel to contests and festivals. It's enough to break the bank! As much as we may hate the thought of fundraising, sometimes it's the only way to keep a programs afloat. That's why this PLC is dedicated to the art, craft and strategy of raising funds. So break out your receipt book and join the conversation!

We are halfway through the school year and it is time to assess which classroom management strategies are working, and which ones should be left in the rear view mirror. When classroom discipline has been less than ideal, the new year is a great time to hit the reset button. With a new semester comes new opportunities to fine tune your classroom management and get your classes ship shape. If your students are driving you crazy, this is the PLC for you!

The days of putting up a poster in the hallway and expecting people to see it are long gone. People aren't looking at posters, they are looking at social media! Students are looking at their phones, parents are checking the theatre program Facebook page, and the public is looking for show information on the school website. No doubt about it: If you are going to reach people in the 21st century, you are going to have to do it electronically! So join us as we put together a panel of social media savvy theatre types and discuss Social Media as the number one communication tool.