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Acting Lesson Plans

A library of lesson plans to help you effectively plan your workshops and classes.

Lesson 7 of 15 in Scene Staging Unit

Initial Blocking

by Lindsay Price

Students will identify and notate existing blocking for their scenes. They will also walk through each section beat by beat and notate further blocking.

  • Slide Deck Lesson 7
# Acting
Lesson 5 of 7 in Laban: Advanced Characterization Unit

Intention Substitution

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will return to the Laban technique. They will practice applying the elements and efforts before taking on a specific exercise that will give students another tool for their toolbox in working on a scene.

# Acting
Lesson 5 of 14 in Commedia dell'Arte Unit

Intention/Invention

by Todd Espeland

This lesson introduces the fourth tool: intention/invention. Intention is what a character wants (it can also be called their need). Invention is the thing they need to invent to get their need.

# Acting # commedia
Lesson 1 of 7 in Improvisation in Musical Theatre Unit

Intro to Improv for Musical Theatre

by Annie Dragoo

Students will demonstrate an understanding of improv guidelines by using them in an exercise. This is an introductory improv lesson that is designed to build upon the actors’ tools in future lessons.

# Improvisation # Acting # Musical Theatre # improv # musical theatre
Lesson 1 of 7 in Tools of Scene Work Unit

Introduction

by Anna Porter

Have students create a situation from a picture and examine the given clues to help fill in the gaps. Next, have students examine the clues in a contentless scene, then fill in the gaps to create their own scenario to perform.

# Acting # acting # scene work
Lesson 1 of 5 in Commedia Dell'Arte Unit

Introduction

by Karen Loftus

Students begin their exploration of commedia dell’arte with some facts about the era and participate in some exercises that realize the concepts of the era.

# Acting # Commedia # commedia # acting
Lesson 1 of 7 in Laban: Advanced Characterization Unit

Introduction

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will explore character movement and will be introduced to dance theorist Rudolf Laban’s definition of human movement. This technique will be the foundation for the character development in this unit.

# Acting
Lesson 1 of 7 in Introduction to Mask Unit

Introduction and the Running Man

by Allison Williams

Students will be introduced to the unit through the running man exercise. This exercise demonstrates how physically committing to a specific set of actions creates a sense of emotion without the actor having to play the emotion.

# Acting
Lesson 1 of 4 in The Autobiographical Monologue Unit

Introduction and Warm-Up Exercises

by Gai Jones

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the objective of the unit (to write an autobiographical monologue), reflect on their thoughts and fears when it comes to the writing process, and engage with exercises that introduce the concept of using personal connection and narrative to create characters.

# Acting
Lesson 3 of 4 in Musical Theatre Unit

Introduction to Dance

by Anna Porter

Students will understand the importance of endurance, emotion, and commitment in movement when performing. They will also gain an understanding of how to pick up choreography by learning the concepts of routine and anticipation.

  • Slide Deck Lesson 3
# Acting # musical theatre
Lesson 1 of 7 in Monologue Writing Made Easy Unit

Introduction to Monologue Writing

by Matthew Banaszynski

Students will start the process of writing a monologue by storytelling. They will tell a story based only on what they observe in a picture.

  • Slide Deck Lesson 1
  • Pictures
# Playwriting # Acting # monologue # playwriting # acting
Lesson 1 of 6 in Pantomime Unit

Introduction to Pantomime

by Anna Porter

Students will warm up using a pantomime interview and a relaxation exercise. Students will go on a pantomime hike and participate in a “pretend you are walking” game at the end of the lesson.

# Acting # pantomime # acting
Lesson 1 of 11 in Mock Audition Unit

Introduction to the Audition Process

by Lindsay Price

In order to partake in the audition process, students need to identify and comprehend the necessary steps in that process. What is the auditioning process? Why is it used? Is the process fair? Why or why not? The class ends with students playing director in the “Who Would You Cast?” Exercise.

  • Slide Deck Lesson 1
# Acting # audition # acting

Ira Aldridge: Changing The Story

by Drama Teacher Academy

American actor Ira Aldridge was a pioneer and an activist. He was a celebrated 19th-century Shakespearan actor in England and Europe and one of the first black men to play the role of Othello.
In this lesson, students will learn more about his story and about how he changed his story several times throughout his career. Students will reflect on the concept of changing one’s story in the face of adversity. Rubrics are provided.

# Acting # bipoc
Lesson 3 of 7 in Laban: Advanced Characterization Unit

Laban and Voice

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will practice applying the elements and efforts before choosing an effort to perform a monologue based on text analysis and the given situation for their characters.

# Acting
Lesson 4 of 5 in Commedia Dell'Arte Unit

Lazzi

by Karen Loftus

Students learn about different commedia lazzi and create their own.

# Acting # Commedia # commedia # acting
Lesson 12 of 14 in Commedia dell'Arte Unit

Lazzi

by Todd Espeland

In this lesson, students will be introduced to lazzi. Lazzi are solo comic beats to show off a character and their needs. Students will then create and perform a solo lazzi.

# Acting # commedia
Lesson 2 of 6 in Improvisation Unit

Make Choices/Bring Information

by Karen Loftus

Students learn the word “endow” and apply the concept through the exercise Low Risk Endowment.

  • Slide Deck Lesson 2
# Acting # improv # acting
Lesson 4 of 6 in Improvisation Unit

Make Your Partner Look Good

by Karen Loftus

Students apply this guideline through the games Cars, Vans, Buses, Blocking on Purpose, Questions Only and Here Comes Charley.

  • Slide Deck Lesson 4
# Acting # improv # acting
Lesson 5 of 7 in Introduction to Mask Unit

Mask and Countermask

by Allison Williams

All masks can be played in more than one way, even if there’s a dominant look. In this lesson, students will explore how two physical interpretations paired with each other and opposite to each other become the mask and the countermask—the opposite reaction. They will then apply the qualities of movement to their mask/countermask.

# Acting