Items tagged "Popular"

3 Courses, 6 Units, 6 Resources, and 6 PLCs tagged "Popular" for Drama Teachers.

Courses

Serious Play: Theatre Games and Warmups for Rehearsal and Ensemble Building

by Todd Espeland

In this class, Serious Play, the instructor will lead you through a series of games in risk, movement, focus, and voice. You will get access to a series of all inclusive games that you can string together to make one giant game that is great to use in rehearsal. You will learn how and when to use these games. You'll get ideas on how to craft your own warm-up lesson plan; and, most importantly, you'll learn about about a pre-class warm-up that you can do on your own so that you can get yourself into that third stage of the creative brain, so that you can begin trying out interesting, creative, and risky choices for yourself in your classes and in rehearsals.

The Do-it-All Director's Introduction to Set Design

by Holly Beardsley

Holly Beardsley is a do-it-all director. She started directing middle and high school students in her early college years and since then has written over ten shows and directed twice as many. Do-it-all directors are responsible for everything it seems – the direction, the costuming, the choreography and of course, the set too. And though directors are ready to direct, to costume and even dance, there is something intimidating about designing and building a set. The Do-it-All Director’s Introduction to Set Design will give you the director, who must do-it-all, the confidence and skills to not only direct but build your own set as well - no matter your experience or budget. This course will teach you set design basics, construction tips, budget tricks, and how to tackle your precious performance space armed with a hammer, and most importantly, without fear.

Creating the Ensemble-Based Classroom

by Gai Jones

Gai Jones will help you establish an ensemble-based environment from the first day of class or rehearsal. Learn how to set up your ensemble-based classroom from day one, get students to set classroom norms, and find the balance between creative activity and structure. You’ll learn how to give your students creative freedom through structure and classroom management. The cornerstone of this course are the detailed ensemble experiences from large group to small group and even individual experiences. This course culminates in a devising model that you can use with your students, and takes you through process, product, performance and an evaluation. You too can create the ensemble-based classroom.

Units

What is Theatre?

by Karen Loftus

Students will explore the question “What is theatre?” and contrast theatre to film. They will also begin their introduction to a couple of theatre roles.

Pantomime

by Karen Loftus

In this unit, students will explore nonverbal communication: first, through body language and gesture, and then through the specific art of pantomime. Students will learn hand position, tension, follow-through, and action/reaction/interaction with objects through warm-up games and exercises. The unit culminates in a two-person pantomime performance.

Scenic Design

by Karen Loftus

This unit will focus on the basics: what is scenic design? How do the scenic designer and director collaborate? What is the process that the scenic designer goes through? The unit will also explore basic drafting techniques, and rendering techniques. Based on what they learn, students will create a ground plan and a rendering. Please refer to the Pacing Guide for more details and ways to supplement with other DTA materials.

Unit One: Ensemble Building and Class Norms

by Lindsay Johnson

This unit has six lessons that you can use in the first week of your middle school program. What do you do in the first week? The most important elements are creating routines such as journal prompts, opening and closing circles, and giving strong feedback; creating an ensemble and ensemble-building games; and introducing a Weekly Ensemble Rubric. Students will define and build ensemble as a group, learning specific ways they can SAY YES and BE SAFE in class. They will understand the daily grading system and the basic routines of class. Finally, students will learn to give strong feedback by connecting specific evidence from performance to the Rubric language.

Unit Two: Improvisation Basics

by Lindsay Johnson

In this unit, students will learn, practice and apply three important rules of improv: accepting and building on offers, quick thinking, and strong offers. For each step, they will work with the Improvisation Rubric by both giving and receiving feedback. Students will also start to practice techniques to improve their vocal clarity. The unit culminates in a performance assessment in which students will play an improv game in front of an audience.

Unit Three: Building Improvised Scenes

by Lindsay Johnson

Students will understand the basic building blocks of a scene: The Who (characters/ relationship), the Where (setting), and the What (conflict – objectives/tactics). They will learn how to use both verbal and nonverbal (pantomime) clues to communicate these scene details to an audience. They will continue to work on voice clarity, while also learning to open their body to an audience. The unit culminates in a performance assessment in which students work in pairs to improvise a scene.

Resources

Class Routines - Warm-up Sequence

Use this warm-up sequence with your students as they prepare for class. The teacher or student leader leads the sequence by calling out the name of the exercise.

00 - New Drama Teacher Toolkit

The New Drama Teacher toolkit has links and resources to help you with your first year in the drama classroom.

Poster Set of 12

Based on the quotes from the 2024-2025 DTA School Year Calendar, a set of 12 posters with quotes by Steven Stack, from a range of the PD courses he instructs in the Drama Teacher Academy.

0 - Overview

In this project, students will be introduced to the steps of a concept-based design process and apply it to simple stories. This process gives students a new framework to approach creative challenges in the design process. Students will present design portfolios utilizing the elements of MELT. (Mood, Era, Location, Theme) with the use of the “What If” game. These elements are the building blocks of both the exploration and execution of their designs. By employing MELT and What If, students will generate the details and circumstances of the concept-based designs they will present.
Attachments

School Year Calendar 2025-2026

Inspirational quotes for a new school year, with the theme of "Joy"! Printable calendar to customize for any school year.
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Set of 12 Posters - Joy Theme

From the 2025-2026 School Year Calendar, a set of 12 posters with 'Joy' as the main theme. Use in your drama classroom however you wish!

PLCs

First Time in the drama classroom: Where do you start?

Hosted by Lindsay Price, Matt Webster, Colin Oliver, Stacey Boone

If you’re a first-time drama teacher (or a first time teacher!) this is the PLC for you! Join us as we discuss the ins and outs of getting started. How do you launch a new program? What topics should you cover? How do you attract students to your new program? How is teaching theatre different from any other subject. If you’re a more experienced teacher, come help mentor the newbies. Join us with your stories of starting out. What do YOU wish you knew when you first started?
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Low Budget Solutions

Hosted by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Claire Broome, Jane McEneaney

You have a script, you have a space, you have some actors. What you don’t have is money! Can you still do a show? Will it be any good? Is there a way to get Broadway effects on a Main street budget? Join us to talk about low budget solutions to typical theatre problems and pinch those pennies ‘til they sing!
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What’s Your Problem Q&A

Hosted by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Steven Stack, Christa Vogt

Drama teachers are professional problem solvers. Give a Drama teacher some cardboard, a staple gun and a can of green beans and they can take over the world! However, sometimes you get stuck on a problem and just don’t know where to turn. That’s where we come in! Send us your questions and we will access the hive-mind to maximum effect. In this special PLC we help solve your most nagging problems and get you back on track.
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Kicking off the New School Year

Hosted by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Lea Marshall, Shelby Steege

The new school year is a few weeks in, and we are using this PLC to count down the most important preparations you can implement right from the beginning. From setting up your classroom, to setting goals/rules/responsibilities, to the best games and activities to engage new students, this PLC will prepare you to blast off to a successful new year!
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People Like Us: Teaching Strategies for Students with Disabilities

Hosted by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Kirsti Lewis, Kristi Brown, Lauren Modawell

Join the creators of People Like Us, and learn more about Teaching Strategies for Students with Disabilities. We know many teachers are looking for step-by-step guidance and practical resources so you can leverage the power of the performing arts in your classroom. Nontraditional and kinesthetic methods, like those in the performing arts, provide more robust educational opportunities for students of all abilities. Learn more from these experts and find out about an upcoming opportunity as a DTA member, to engage in online learning with this leading organization.
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Navigating Personal Challenges

Hosted by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Claire Broome, Lea Marshall

Teachers are people. And people face challenges. Challenges like family illnesses, relationship crises, financial worry, and so much more. What is a teacher to do when a personal crisis hits?  Teachers are expected to navigate personal challenges, yet still effectively teach their classes. That means teachers try to keep these challenges from spilling into the classroom - but can they? Should they? Join our panel for an in-depth discussion on navigating personal challenges as a teacher. 
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