Drama Teacher needs suggestions

[TeacherJen]

Hi everyone,
I teach drama once weekly at an all-day fine arts program for homeschoolers, so I see my high school age class class for 45 minutes once/week. I made all my plans based around my initial 12 student group, but it has now grown to 19 students, and I am feeling at a loss. In our final "Spring Concert" performance, I have about 10 minutes for my students to perform (longer performance is at our Arts Festival a few days later). I had initially planned to perform the first 10 minutes of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", but now there are not enough roles for everyone, not even if I had a very large crown following Theseus around. I have 19 students, 10 male, 9 female, some quite skilled, some less so. I'd love to stay with the idea of doing the first 10 minutes (or even 10 minutes within a work) of a single play. Any suggestions? All I can come up with is "Our Town." Lots of musicals come to mind, but that is not an option...

[Unregistered]

It is almost impossible to get 19 characters into such a small time-period. What you might instead do would be to create a series of vignettes or tableaux. Mime and tableaux, combined with some music, might be just as powerful as performing a play, but would allow for the whole class to participate. Also, this would allow for an original creation to be performed.

[Chocolate_New_Orleans]

schools need to eliminate drama anyways. Just a waste of time that demands a lot more of student's precious time without a lot of return for their troubles.

How many people actually show up at drama plays when they aren't during school hours? The parents of the 20 kids in the play, that's about it. My brother was in Drama and there was one play, Grease, that actually had more people IN the play than WATCHING the play. :rolleyes:

Drama teacher is simply a teaching unit that could be better used as an English teacher (since most Drama teachers have English certifications)

[TeacherJen]

Chocolate New Orleans,
Perhaps you didn't read my original post. I teach drama to HOMESCHOOLERS, and as such, it is indeed a valuable program, offering them a chance to experience a large group creative activity that homeschooling could not offer. Perhaps a public school drama class could be covered by an English teacher with the right experience, but most of the parents teaching their children in homeschooling situations would be hard pressed to act out a Shakespeare play with their children and cover all the roles, do it on a stage, provide lights, costumes, etc. Unless they have a very large family, that is. This same homescooling program offers students the opportunity to participate in orchestra, concert band, jazz ensemble, handbells, studio and computer art and choir, all difficult or impossible areas for a homeschooling parent to cover with his or her children.

As an aside, when I taught in public school in NJ, we regularly sold out our 500 seat auditorium for all four nights that we presented our semester plays and musicals...its really just a question of the culture that exists within a particular school or district, ours happened to have a good arts emphasis thanks in large part to a decorated marching band and a supportive administration. I won't even begin to go into your comments on drama/arts value in schools...is it the reception of the final product or the process of art that is of more value (perhaps you should ask your brother)?

And yes, I am a proud homeschooling mom now, and my homeschooled drama students will have over 600 people in their audience in their final performance...they're nervous already!

By the way, I chose to use a bit more time and do scenes from "Arsenic and Old Lace" and a dramatic version of "Pride and Prejudice".

[Chocolate_New_Orleans]

still doesn't change the fact that Drama is a big waste of resources in public schools.

[Unregistered]

still doesn't change the fact that Drama is a big waste of resources in public schools.


Careful Choc.--I have heard people comment on the uselessness of studying history. I personally love history, and believe it is important, but I have heard that maybe it should be eliminated.
Drama does have its merits. A good drama teacher can teach many objectives (even history).

[Unregistered]

still doesn't change the fact that Drama is a big waste of resources in public schools.

It's not often that I will say this to a complete stranger, but you are wrong. Completely and utterly wrong. Everyone can benefit from drama. Drama is one of the few subjects that is multidisciplinary and can relate to almost all academic subjects in one way or another. Drama teaches students to make connections between subjects, such as English and History. Also, students value from lessons taught in theater that aren't generally taught in any other class, such as how to get up front of an audience and remain comfortable and composed. I can't tell you how many quiet, shy, and introverted kids that don't participate in class have been transformed into active, talkative kids that begin to participate because they took a theater class. Because theater is generally group oriented, students learn to work together. Theater classes give students a chance to improve their social skills on a daily basis. Perhaps the best way I can illustrate some of the things students learn is to post part of the list my students recently compiled of what they've learned from participating in theater. They listed over 100 things, but here's the first 30:

1. Teamwork
2. Acting
3. Painting
4. Why safety goggles are important
5. I learned how to sew
6. How to make friends and keep them
7. History of theater
8. How to read Shakespeare so it makes sense
9. How to use a radial arm saw
10. How to protect my voice
11. How to warm up my body safely
12. What kinds of jobs I can do if I major in theater, like professional Stage Managing
13. Why it's important to wash the paint brushes out instead of just leaving them in the sink
14. I learned about electricity, the different lights, and how to use the lighting board
15. How to eat humble pie
16. Responsibility
17. Directing and what a pain in the butt actors can be
18. I learned how to sing
19. Dancing
20. How to build flats using canvas and sizing
21. Set design and how to spike the stage
22. If you put too much glow tape on the stage, it looks like a runway at night!
23. How to put on makeup
24. Costume design
25. I learned about sound design and the sound board
26. How awesome the thrift stores are for making cheap costumes
27. How to use Microsoft Publisher to make tickets and programs and other publicity stuff
28. Paper mache for building props
29. How to dye cloth
30. Voice projection

That's only the first 30. What other subject in school can teach our kids all of this and more?

Have you forgotten that our primary job as teachers is to ensure the academic success of EVERY child that walks through the front door of our schools? More than one child has said that the ONLY reason they didn't drop out of school was because they loved the theater program so much. They stuck it out just so they could take drama classes and participate in productions. If Drama is the only reason why some kids stick around until graduation, then I can't think of anything more valuable.

If drama is such a waste of resources, then why do most schools around the country have some sort of drama program, even if it's just an annual play directed by a teacher? Those schools see how valuable drama is for our students and understand that participating in theater is an enjoyable learning experience. Shame on you for being so ignorant that you don't consider the multiple benefits that theater has for our students.

[Unregistered]

You should have them do some monologues. There's a new book out that's more than just a book of monologues, it's a workbook with questions for the actors to ask themselves to prepare for the monologue. It's written for teen girls but there are some in it that could apply to guys as well. It's available to download (so you can just print out the pages you want and make copies) or purchase at lulu.com. The direct link is: www.lulu.com/content/2231856. It's called "Moments of Truth: Monologues for Teen Girls and Young Women." Really good stuff. they're really honest which is nice for a change!

[Chocolate_New_Orleans]

1. Teamwork - so does sports, or band, or Science labs
2. Acting - worthless talent. It's like knowing how to hackeysack. Professional actors are hired for their look, not talent
3. Painting - shop class
4. Why safety goggles are important -shop class
5. I learned how to sew - mother
6. How to make friends and keep them - Even the Uni-bomber (a social outcast) had friends
7. History of theater - wow, kinda like a history of Superbowl champs. Important to a group of people, but outside that group, meaningless. Knowing who won the first superbowl has landed me countless jobs :rolleyes:
8. How to read Shakespeare so it makes sense - see my hackysack analogy again.
9. How to use a radial arm saw -shopclass again
10. How to protect my voice - Keep your voice box moist and don't strain it - there, I just taught someone how to do the same thing, and it didn't require hiring a teacher at 35K a year or take away a teaching unit.
11. How to warm up my body safely - P.E.
12. What kinds of jobs I can do if I major in theater, like professional Stage Managing - guidance counselor can do this too
13. Why it's important to wash the paint brushes out instead of just leaving them in the sink - common sense
14. I learned about electricity, the different lights, and how to use the lighting board - hackeysack
15. How to eat humble pie - I don't ever mess up
16. Responsibility -My parents took care of that
17. Directing and what a pain in the butt actors can be - I learned this as a fast food manager after highschool. Actors don't monopolize being turds.
18. I learned how to sing - you either can or can't
19. Dancing - anybody can move to a beat and call it dancing, good dancing, well that's like agreeing on 'good music'
20. How to build flats using canvas and sizing - hackeysacking
21. Set design and how to spike the stage hackeysacking
22. If you put too much glow tape on the stage, it looks like a runway at night! hackysacking
23. How to put on makeup -I'm not gay, and women have figured that out for quite some time now. If you were doing it wrong before drama, your mother dropped the ball
24. Costume design - Important on October 31, maybe Dec 25, otherwise, hackysacking
25. I learned about sound design and the sound board - hackysacking
26. How awesome the thrift stores are for making cheap costumes Halloween
27. How to use Microsoft Publisher to make tickets and programs and other publicity stuff - Probably the most practical reason you've given, but can be taught without wasting an entire teaching unit on it. Band did stuff like this too.
28. Paper mache for building props -hacky sacking
29. How to dye cloth - hacky sacking
30. Voice projection - I learned this when by trial and error while coaching.




#27 seemed like your best reason, but none of that justifies why drama teacher's time wouldn't be better spent teaching English

[msakowski]

Our local 4H group does short skits about 10 min in length. Generally, they write them themselves. Perhaps you could let the kids come up with something.

Our community also does full-blown theater and donate to our 4H. They are doing Sound of Music this week. It is quite an undertaking requiring 1000's of total hours of time. They did Fiddler on the Roof, Music Man, State Fair, Bye Bye Birdie, and Guys and Dolls in the past.


Hi everyone,
I teach drama once weekly at an all-day fine arts program for homeschoolers, so I see my high school age class class for 45 minutes once/week. I made all my plans based around my initial 12 student group, but it has now grown to 19 students, and I am feeling at a loss. In our final "Spring Concert" performance, I have about 10 minutes for my students to perform (longer performance is at our Arts Festival a few days later). I had initially planned to perform the first 10 minutes of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", but now there are not enough roles for everyone, not even if I had a very large crown following Theseus around. I have 19 students, 10 male, 9 female, some quite skilled, some less so. I'd love to stay with the idea of doing the first 10 minutes (or even 10 minutes within a work) of a single play. Any suggestions? All I can come up with is "Our Town." Lots of musicals come to mind, but that is not an option...

[JanetTiger]

Try two one-acts - the first can feature your better actors, the second can have a large cast. If you really want to do Our Town - go ahead, but its a big play, and for a first time producing effort, may be a lot to do.

Two one-acts together is easier in many ways - you can get a director to help do one of them - and rehearsals don't need everyone hanging around for the whole rehearsal.

Try plays that are lesser known. Lots of places have good shows that have been produced often - they are usually crowd pleasers and people aren't familiar with them. Also, if you have a local playwright, they are sometimes available for re-writes, and might give you a break on the royalties.

As a teacher of playwriting and a playwright www.PlaysByJanetSTiger.com, I have some familiarity with this topic - you can check out some publishers of plays - Pioneer Drama (they have my one-act BLIND WOMAN'S BLUFF
http://www.pioneerdrama.com/searchdetail.asp?pc=BLINDWOMAN) and Lazy Bee Scripts in the UK (they have my THE AFFIDAVIT http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk/cgi-bin/Search_Results.asp?iSc=488)
have lots of different pieces you could use.

Whatever you decide to do - good luck, and break a leg!