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Lazzi is a comic bit or piece of comic shtick based on character. In this handout, students learn where to start with Lazzi, with examples of Commedia characters and how they perform Lazzi.

Learn the five keys that every actor needs to know when rehearsing a play - designed to help students to their best work.

If you want students to get comfortable with Shakespeare’s language, use insults. The objective of this exercise is to get students to use their voice and body as they practice words outside their natural normal vocabulary. To understand the statement: “Words do not mean what they mean, words mean what you intend them to mean.”

Use this exercise in the middle of a monologue project, to get students to the heart of the monologue, using improvisation techniques.

Use this scene in your classroom for character study, scene work, substitute teachers, performance, Individual Event competitions, and however else you can imagine. Characters: Popular Girl (13), Egg Girl (13) Genre: Drama

Use these exercises when you want to get students up on their feet and moving around the room before your first activity.

Are you looking for a great vocal warm up that will improve their listening skills? Use rounds!

The Vowel Tree is a great warm up because it gets students used to just making sounds and working the entire range from the low end of the voice to the high end. You can find a video demonstration of The Vowel Tree in Lesson Two of the Friendly Shakespeare Course. Watch the video and try the exercise for yourself!

This is a great movement and warm-up game, in which students need to communicate using eye contact as they move and switch spaces.

Use this warm up to get students not only thinking about the physicality of a character but projection as well.

A printable poster for your classroom - with some key reminders of the role of the audience.

A printable poster for your classroom or theatre - a few simple rules for theatre audience etiquette!

Use this exercise with the Shakespeare you are studying (or the included monologue) to answer the question: how can punctuation give clues an actor can use to help act the scene?

This exercise encourages students to examine the language of a scene for clues on character action. Shakespeare often tells actors exactly what to “do.”

One of the ways that we can learn about status is by physically playing status in the body. Use these descriptions to physicalize high/low status with your students in the Status Walks Game.

This exercise helps students think about how their characters sound.

Use these first lines prompts (list of 35) for monologue and scene work.

What is a 24 hour playwriting festival? Student playwrights gather together and write for 12 hours. (eg: 8pm to 8am) Student directors and actors then cast, stage, rehearse and perform during the next 12 hours (8am to 8pm). Everything from concept to production takes place within 24 hours. Follow the step by step outline in the resource.

Use this list to inspire your students to use higher order vs. lower order thinking words.

A rubric for a student to assess a partner's positive contribution and participation in rehearsals.