Search Theatrefolk

So, your school is mounting a production this year? Fantastic! Mounting a school production is a wonderful learning opportunity for students and staff alike. It’s also a big challenge. Teachers: Before auditions are scheduled and sets start to take shape, here are five things to consider when selecting the show...

Time for a Tfolk Top Ten Plays About…Classical Adaptations! Who’s looking for a little arts integration? How about some cross-curriculum? Or how about a great story turned into a great play. It’s time for ten classical adaptations. Adaptations are my favourite type of play to write. It’s an intriguing challenge...

It’s not unusual to feel slightly disconnected from students while teaching virtually (and we don’t mean when the internet stops working!). Drama classes are all about human connection and trust, and that can be hard to develop when you’re not physically together with your students. It’s not impossible though —...

Creating a theatrical production is a group effort. For every student who appears onstage, there are even more students, staff members, and volunteers who help breathe life into the production. Those people are the unsung heroes – they may only appear to the audience as a name in the program,...

There comes a point in every rehearsal process when the dreaded “rehearsal blahs” start to set in. This tends to be mid-way through the rehearsal process, when the initial excitement of casting and read-throughs has become a thing of the past, off-book day has just happened (and the resulting stumble-through...

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Are your students tired of fairy tales? The Magic Diary of Mozambique by Chris Stiles is a challenging, character driven, story driven piece for middle schoolers that gives them something new and exciting to sink their teeth into. Darla feels invisible and that nothing goes...

Are you the only drama teacher trying to build a thriving theatre program on minimal resources?  Theatre can happen anytime, and anywhere. You can produce powerful theatre experiences without fancy equipment, a large budget, or even a real stage. It just takes a creative, resourceful, community-minded and student-centred approach. Here’s...

The backstage area can be chaotic enough without having to worry about all the props for the show. Help to reduce backstage stress by using these seven tips to help keep your props area neat, tidy, and organized. 1. Create a designated props table or shelf backstage, with clearly marked...

When you’ve reached the end of the semester or completed your school show, it’s likely your students will be dealing with some post-show blues or wondering – what is the next step? Hopefully they will have been bitten by the theatre bug and will want to continue on studying drama!...

Cancelling a show is a difficult decision. There isn’t a “one answer fits all” solution – it must be handled on a case-by-case basis. As much as possible, I believe that “the show must go on.” But sometimes, that’s not possible! It’s important to keep calm and consider various solutions...

Warm-ups are important to get students into the drama mindset, but sometimes you only have a few moments to spare. When time is at a premium, get your classes started in a jiffy with these 10 super-quick warm-up games. Many of them are classics, but they’re tried and true for...

Performing onstage with friends, family, peers, and even strangers watching can be extremely nerve-wracking. Putting yourself out there, being vulnerable, and taking risks onstage takes a lot of courage, which is why it’s common for student actors to be nervous before going onstage. They put pressure on themselves to perform...

The phrase “technical theatre” can be intimidating for some drama teachers. They may feel that they don’t have adequate experience to teach technical theatre, or that they just aren’t “tech-y” enough to succeed in this area. Some teachers may also have a less-than-idea technical theatre situation in their school, due...

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. Chicken. Road. by Lindsay Price is an issue-based play for high school performers that is not an answer to the issue, but an amazing forum to start the discussions. Why did the chicken cross the road? Why is the sky blue? What’s two plus...

Episode 194: Production Case Study: The Laramie Project In 2014 drama teacher Zach Schneider produced The Laramie Project in Casper, Wyoming. Not only is Zach from Casper, he grew up with Matthew Shepard. When he asked his students how many of them had heard of Matthew Shepard, almost none of...

Before the performers arrive at the performance space, the student technicians are already there and hard at work. For the purposes of this article, “student technicians” refers to the entire performance crew: stage management, sound and lighting operators, costume and props team members, set and backstage crew, box office team...

Keeping students focused and engaged is challenging enough in the drama classroom. It can be just as challenging trying to deal with disruptions in the virtual classroom, because you’re not physically there with them. We’ve got some tips for you to help navigate student behaviour in the virtual drama classroom...

It takes a community to create a great production, and theatrical performances would not exist without the time, skills, and talents of dedicated crew members. From costumes and props to sound and lights to front of house and stage management (and everything in between), crew members are the heart and...

*Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight. * A Recipe of Me by Kate Kilpatrick is an incredible ensemble play with authentic middle school characters for middle school students. We see people all the time but don’t always know their stories. A Recipe of Me is great for social-emotional learning and...

Let’s not mince words — distance learning is challenging. Teachers and students alike are missing out on that “real life” connection that in-person drama class provides, it’s hard to bond when cameras are off and mics are muted (let alone when someone’s internet connection drops out), and it can be...