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Unit in Musical Theatre Curriculum

Musical Theatre Improv

Created by Drama Teacher Academy

7 lessons

Improvisation breaks down the barrier between mind and voice. It is the theatrical equivalent to jazz music. It increases the mind’s ability to form ideas and present them in a coherent, relevant manner. This skill can translate to almost any profession. In this unit, students will apply elements of improvisation to musical theatre.

Understanding basic improvisation skills will help musical theatre performers understand that musical theatre is more than just singing and dancing. It’s about using all the tools (voice, body, and mind) an actor has at their disposal to create a character. Combining improvisation and musical theatre is a great way to explore the goals of this curriculum: risk taking, confidence, commitment, character/emotion, and endurance are all necessary elements in both improv and musical theatre!

Start here
The overview covers the outline, assessment, time management, essential questions, and warm-up notes for this unit.
  1. 1
    Lesson 1
    Intro to Improv for Musical Theatre
    This is an introductory improv lesson that includes a discussion on how improv connects to musical theatre. You may find that students are well versed in the guidelines of improv scenes; it all depends on your situation and your students.
  2. 2
    Lesson 2
    Improv With Vocal Responses
    Improvisation teaches us to concentrate and listen in scenes. An actor uses their voice to show how they interpret a character and what the character wants to communicate to an audience. In this lesson, students will practice exercises with vocal responses that encourage them to both concentrate and listen fully.
  3. 3
    Lesson 3
    Improv With Movement
    Another tool that actors use is movement (and body language). An actor’s use of their body can tell a story within itself. The body is essential in communicating emotions. Along with the mind (thinking of a way to demonstrate how a character feels) and the voice (expressing what a character feels), the body is the final piece of the puzzle. This lesson allows students to practice through movement-focused improv activities the important role of communicating through body language.
  4. 4
    Lesson 4
    Improv for Character Study
    Sometimes actors have to fill in the blanks of a character. Musical theatre actors use their minds (another actor tool) to envision the type of character they want to portray. It is often up to the actor to come up with the character’s personality, movements, and mindset. While the script, music, or libretto music tell an actor what to say, the musical theatre performer must bring the character to life through their own techniques, personal background, and experiences. This lesson prompts students to create characters through improv exercises.
  5. 5
    Lesson 5
    Improv Using Sensory Awareness
    Musical theatre performers must be in touch with their emotions and have good emotional intelligence. You have to be in control if you’re going to sing an emotional song night after night. While singing, it is important to understand and be able to express appropriate emotions when needed. To do this, we must use our five senses: touching, seeing, smelling, tasting, and hearing. In this lesson, students will demonstrate sensory awareness through improv exercises.
  6. 6
    Lesson 6
    Improv Scenes
    Acting out a planned improvisation is a great way to get your musical theatre students thinking on their feet as actors. Students get to practice this skill by singing, dancing, and acting in their scenes.
  7. 7
    Lesson 7
    Improv a Musical
    Now that students have improvised a scene with existing songs, it’s time to take the experience to the next level. In this lesson, students will learn the framework for how to improvise an original musical song based on a suggestion. They will reinforce elements of a musical and find out how to incorporate the tenets of improvisational theatre by starting the process: creating a duet. This lesson provides students with a small introduction, but depending on how your students connect to it (and your schedule) they could certainly continue on beyond the time allotted to improvise an entire musical.

Standards Addressed

Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation - Grade 6

Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation - Grade 8

Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation - Grade HS Proficient

Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation - Grade HS Accomplished

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