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Theatre History

113 Lesson Plans to help you effectively plan your workshops and classes

Part of Unit 2: Greek & Roman Origins Unit

Set the Stage for Greek Theatre Origins

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the Ancient Greek era. They will demonstrate their mythical knowledge through a mythology-specific game of Jeopardy! Finally, students will complete a research project on the sociopolitical and cultural background of the era.
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Part of Unit 5: Asian Theatre Unit

Set the Stage for Japanese Theatre

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the sociopolitical and cultural background to set the stage for Japanese theatre. Students will then do research and present on a specific topic. It’s important, especially with a type of theatre that may be unknown to students, to first research the background.
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Part of Unit 3: Medieval Theatre Unit

Set the Stage for Medieval Theatre

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the socioeconomic background to set the stage for Medieval theatre. As a response to what they’ve learned, students will create original theatrical moments and read a modern version of one of The Canterbury Tales stories.
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Part of Realism and Naturalism Unit

Set the Stage for Realism and Naturalism

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the precursors of Realism/Naturalism. Students will complete a research project on the sociopolitical and STEM background of the era to set the stage for Realism/Naturalism.
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Part of Unit 8: Restoration Comedy & 18th Century Theatre Unit

Set the Stage for Restoration Comedy

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will be introduced to late 17th century England. They will complete a research project on the sociopolitical and cultural background of the era to set the stage for Restoration comedy.
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Part of Unit 9: Romanticism Unit

Set the Stage for Romanticism

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the 19th century and the Romantic period. They will complete a research project on the sociopolitical and cultural background of the era to set the stage for Romanticism.
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Part of Agatha Rex and Ancient Greek Theatre Unit

Skene Sketching & Vocabulary Activity

by Angel Borths

Students will be able to use their knowledge of Greek theatre to predict matching definitions and terms.
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Part of Unit 6: Theatre of the Renaissance Unit

Spanish Golden Age

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will do a research project on the sociopolitical and cultural background of Spain and learn about the plays and playwrights of this era. They will also explore a monologue from the play Life Is a Dream.
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Part of Realism and Naturalism Unit

Stanislavski

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will learn about Constantin Stanislavski, an actor and theatre director who profoundly affected modern realistic theatre with his system of actor training specifically for realistic plays. Students will participate in exercises from the Stanislavski system.
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Part of Ancient Greek Theatre Unit

Storytelling in Ancient Greece

by Lindsay Price

Greek Theatre is the ancestor of the Modern Theatre. It is the birth of the actor stepping away from a chorus of unison speakers. The building of 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 just the collection of data? In this lesson plan, students will explore the connection between the way they tell stories in the 21st century and the way that the Ancient Greeks told stories. Students will also explore Ancient Greek vases and Homer’s The Iliad.
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Part of Elizabethan Theatre Unit

Strange Language

by Karen Loftus

Students learn how to use context clues to approach the unfamiliar words they will find in Shakepeare’s language.
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Part of Anti-Realism Unit

Surrealism

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson looks at Breton's Manifesto of Surrealism, Atraud's Theatre of Cruelty, and the game of Exquisite Corpse. Students will create their own short surrealist play.
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Part of Anti-Realism Unit

Symbolism

by Wendy-Marie Martin

This lesson focuses on symbolism by investigating The Manifesto of Symbolism by Jean Moreas to help inspire students to write their own short manifestos.
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Part of Unit 8: Restoration Comedy & 18th Century Theatre Unit

The 18th Century

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the turmoil of the 18th century. Theatre was extremely curtailed by censorship in this era. They will complete a research project on the sociopolitical and cultural background of the era to set the stage for a lesson on censorship in the 18th century.
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The 21st Century Story

by Lindsay Price

Theatre is about communication. A story is presented to an audience. Storytelling was one of the earliest forms of entertainment that we continue to use today. Even though the method for delivering the story has changed, the form itself has stayed the same for thousands of years. In this lesson, students will create their version of the 21st century story. What stories do we tell today? How do we tell them? Who do we tell them to? You can use this lesson as an intro to studying modern theatre, especially for students who don’t have a theatre background. You can also use this lesson as an intro for Ancient Greek Theatre. Start by examining stories in a modern context, then shift to the Ancient Greek era.
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Part of Ancient Greek Theatre Unit

The Ancient Greek People

by Lindsay Price

The Ancient Greek Theatre is the birth of the modern theatre. 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?
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The Ancient Greeks

by Lindsay Price

The Ancient Greek Theatre is the birth of the modern theatre. 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? It’s hard for students to conceptualize an era that happened so long ago as populated with real people. This lesson plan encourages discussion, application, and reflection on the Ancient Greeks. Be sure to check out the Ancient Greek Theatre handout as an accompaniment to this lesson. A powerpoint link is also included that is ready to use in your classroom!
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The Ancient Greeks - Handout

by Lindsay Price

This handout is designed as an accompaniment to The Ancient Greeks lesson plan. The two-page handout includes visuals and a description of who the ancient greeks were, including democracy/slavery, the role of women, war/culture, competition, and the Gods.
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Part of Unit 6: Theatre of the Renaissance Unit

The Birthplace of the Renaissance

by Drama Teacher Academy

In this lesson, students will be introduced to Renaissance theatre. They will complete a research project on the sociopolitical and cultural background for the birthplace of the Renaissance: Italy.
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Part of Ancient Greek Theatre Unit

The Festival of Dionysus

by Lindsay Price

In this lesson, students trace the journey from ancient storytelling to modern day theatre thousands of years later. One of the main reason theatre evolved like it did was because of performance opportunities during City Dionysus festivals in tribute to Dionysus. The performance framework moved from one person telling a story to a group, to a choral group performing, to one person stepping out in front of the chorus as an actor and so on. It’s interesting for students to see that the more you perform a form, the more that form evolves.
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