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Theatre History Lesson Plans

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

Lesson 4 of 4 in Unit 7: The Elizabethan Golden Age Unit

Culminating Activity

by Drama Teacher Academy

Decide how students will demonstrate their knowledge of the unit. A variety of activities are provided. You can choose to have all your students do the same activity, or allow students to choose how they demonstrate their knowledge. Rubrics are provided for each activity.

# Theatre History # theatre history
Lesson 5 of 5 in Unit 6: Theatre of the Renaissance Unit

Culminating Activity

by Drama Teacher Academy

Decide how students will demonstrate their knowledge of the unit. A variety of activities are provided. You can choose to have all your students do the same activity, or allow students to choose how they demonstrate their knowledge. Rubrics are provided for each activity.

# Theatre History # theatre history
Lesson 7 of 7 in Unit 5: Asian Theatre Unit

Culminating Activity

by Drama Teacher Academy

Decide how students will demonstrate their knowledge of the unit. A variety of activities are provided. You can choose to have all your students do the same activity, or allow students to choose how they demonstrate their knowledge. Rubrics are provided for each activity.

# Theatre History # theatre history
Lesson 4 of 4 in Unit 4: Commedia Dell'Arte Unit

Culminating Activity

by Drama Teacher Academy

Students will take everything they’ve learned and put together a commedia troupe, create a commedia character complete with lazzi, and present a scene based on one of the three main commedia themes.

  • Reflection
  • Quiz
# Theatre History # theatre history # commedia
Lesson 3 of 3 in Unit 3: Medieval Theatre Unit

Culminating Activity

by Drama Teacher Academy

Students will take everything they’ve learned and put together a mystery play cycle.

# Theatre History
Lesson 6 of 6 in Unit 2: Greek & Roman Origins Unit

Culminating Activity

by Drama Teacher Academy

There is a lot in this unit, so perhaps you’ll just want to end with the quiz and reflection. However, if you want a performance activity to end the unit, consider this Greek monologue activity.

# Theatre History # theatre history
Lesson 5 of 5 in Comedy of Manners Unit

Culminating Assignment

by Lindsay Price

In this culminating assignment, students will apply what they have learned throughout this unit to a modern devised scene.

# Theatre History
Lesson 7 of 7 in Anti-Realism Unit

Culminating Project

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This project combines creativity with analytical thought as students connect ideas and concepts with their imagination in order to create a theme park that embodies all five of the “isms” we’ve covered: symbolism, Dadaism, surrealism, expressionism, and absurdism.

# Theatre History
Lesson 3 of 7 in Anti-Realism Unit

Dadaism

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson introduces the characteristics of Dadaism, through Ubu Roi, Dadaism manifestos, Voltaire, and Dada art. Students will learn how to write a Dada poem of their own.

# Theatre History
Lesson 4 of 8 in Ancient Greek Theatre Unit

Does the “Where” Affect Performance?

by Lindsay Price

The Greek Theatre is the ancestor of the modern theatre. It is the birth of the actor stepping away from a chorus of unison speakers, as well as the catalyst that triggered the practice of building theatres. We can look at the production of theatre in that time and see similarities to how we present theatre today. But where do we start? And how do we make theatre history more than the collection of data?
In this lesson plan, students will explore the connection between the past and present by asking the question, “Does the “where” affect performance?” Students will compare and contrast the modern stage with the Ancient Greek Amphitheatre.

  • Identify: Handout
# Theatre History # theatre history
Lesson 2 of 6 in Realism and Naturalism Unit

Early Realism and Naturalism

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, we will define realism and naturalism. Students will then participate in a number of activities to apply the definitions. In the second class, students will read scenes from a Realism play and a Naturalism play and then contrast and compare. Finally students will create a theatrical moment to bring to life their interpretation of either “ism.”

# Theatre History
Lesson 3 of 4 in Unit 7: The Elizabethan Golden Age Unit

Elizabethan Playwrights and Plays

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will be introduced to Elizabethan playwrights and their plays: Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and William Shakespeare.

# Theatre History # theatre history

Emergency Lesson Plan: Elements of Greek Tragedy

by Lindsay Price

In this ELP, students will study a handout on Ancient Greek Tragedy, take a short quiz and write a reflection.

# Theatre History # Emergency Lesson Plans # emergency lesson plan # theatre history

Emergency Lesson Plan: Introduction to Molière

by Lindsay Price

In this ELP, students will read an article and complete quick-fire questions. If you’re in the middle of studying Shakespeare, there’s a compare-and-contrast question that you can use as the class work, or students can complete and grade a quiz.

# Theatre History # Emergency Lesson Plans # emergency lesson plan
Lesson 6 of 6 in Elizabethan Theatre Unit

Expanding the Unit

by Karen Loftus

You can add an additional three or four lessons to this unit by adding another performance opportunity.

# Theatre History # theatre history
Lesson 5 of 7 in Anti-Realism Unit

Expressionism

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson investigates expressionist theatre and compare to the other movements discussed thus far. Using O'Neill's The Hairy Ape, students will conduct deep analysis on a scene.

# Theatre History
Lesson 8 of 9 in East Meets West: Theatre Traditions Unit

Final Preparations

by Marsha Walner

Final preparations for the performance during this class, including making and incorporating props or costumes and polishing the scenes.

# Theatre History
Lesson 4 of 5 in Unit 6: Theatre of the Renaissance Unit

France and Neoclassism

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will do a research project on the sociopolitical and cultural background of France. They will then learn about neoclassicism as well as the plays and playwrights of the era. Students will create a neoclassicism scene and then “break the rules” by rewriting it in the style of Molière.

# Theatre History # theatre history
Lesson 1 of 7 in Anti-Realism Unit

Historical and Cultural Contexts

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson looks at the historical and cultural context of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

# Theatre History
Lesson 3 of 6 in Realism and Naturalism Unit

Independent Theatre Movement

by Drama Teacher Academy

At the time, Realistic and Naturalistic plays were not welcome at established theatres. Other venues had to be found, which led to the Independent Theatre Movement. Students are introduced to the movement and do their own activity “making theatre happen.” They will then be introduced to more playwrights of the time and read scenes. Finally, students will adapt a scene into the 21st century and apply modern social issues into the scene’s framework.

# Theatre History