LESSON PLAN
Challenging Stage Directions
by Drama Teacher Academy
Some plays have rudimentary stage directions or no stage directions at all, leaving the world of the play up to the director and designers. Some plays, however, have stage directions that to the ordinary person might seem impossible to stage. Shakespeare has “Exit, pursued by a bear.” Peter Shaffer has “They cross the Andes.” These types of challenges, however, are perfect for the classroom.
Students work in groups with an impossible stage direction and come up with possible solutions. How would they stage it with a limited budget and no mechanical options? How would they stage it using the newest quality set design, lights, and sound?
