Theatre Training: Knowledge, Education, and Making the Grade

How important are grades when it comes to getting into a college or university in order to pursue theatre training? If you’re a high school student who is a C-minus student but amazingly talented will there be a lot of

Read More Theatre Training: Knowledge, Education, and Making the Grade

What is a Career in the Professional Theatre?

Students in high school and even in college are often confused as to what a career in the theatre really means? Although it is hard to believe, many still think that to have a professional theatre career you must go

Read More What is a Career in the Professional Theatre?

Directing Actors: Creating Contagious Confidence in Performers

Acting is not an easy job and just about any actor, no matter what their level of training and accomplishment may be, has insecurities that can undermine their success. One of the things that a director can do is instill

Read More Directing Actors: Creating Contagious Confidence in Performers

Teachers Can Help Student Actors Create a Positive Self-Image

Over the years, I’ve found that many student actors at the high school and college levels have a very difficult time with their self-image, especially in terms of their physicality. Exactly what they are troubled by depends upon the individual.

Read More Teachers Can Help Student Actors Create a Positive Self-Image

Script Analysis Basics for Students: Understanding the Play and Plot, Part Two

In Part One of this four-part series, we defined formalist script analysis and discussed the importance of utilizing this interpretative too in preparing for production. It is an essential tool for directors and other artists, such as designers and actors,

Read More Script Analysis Basics for Students: Understanding the Play and Plot, Part Two

Script Analysis Basics for Students: Understanding the Play, Part One

Formalist script analysis for production is an important skill for directors, designers, and actors to master. Although each approaches analysis a little differently, there are foundation elements that everyone in the theatre shares when it comes to analyzing a script

Read More Script Analysis Basics for Students: Understanding the Play, Part One

Directing the New Play: Some Tips on Working with Playwrights

Directing a new work for the stage can be an exciting, interesting, and overwhelming experience. There are specific challenges that come with the new play process that simply are not associated with established works. The fact is the first time

Read More Directing the New Play: Some Tips on Working with Playwrights

What Every Student Actor Needs to Know About Being Professional

If you’re a student actor who is serious about being a professional, there are a few things of which you must be aware to succeed. Actually, there are more than a few, but this blog will offer you 5 basic,

Read More What Every Student Actor Needs to Know About Being Professional

Do You Need a Big Show to Give Students a Rewarding Theatre Experience?

In this article, we’ll focus on theatre training and working with students of just about any age. The title of this piece is a clear indication of the question at hand. Should doing a big show, one with a lot

Read More Do You Need a Big Show to Give Students a Rewarding Theatre Experience?

University Training: A Theatre Student’s Checklist for Finding the Right Program

It’s that time of year for high school seniors interested in theatre who are looking to find the right college. College application time! If you are a high school student interested in the theatre or a drama teacher or guidance

Read More University Training: A Theatre Student’s Checklist for Finding the Right Program

Stage Directing: Allowing Actors to Use Physical/ Emotional Distance

If you direct students at any level, community members, and/or professionals, you want to give them all the power they possibly can possess on stage. However, many times directors undercut their actors without realizing they are doing so. Often this

Read More Stage Directing: Allowing Actors to Use Physical/ Emotional Distance

Stanislavski Method: Magic If and Illusion of the First Time

In teaching acting two important concepts that are connected to the Stanislavski method or system are the Magic If and the actors need to create the Illusion of the First Time. Understanding the Magic If can help an actor make

Read More Stanislavski Method: Magic If and Illusion of the First Time

Teaching and Learning: Bringing Students Together with Theatre Artists

Bringing students together with theatre professionals can be a rewarding experience for students, teachers, and theatre artists. Professionals who work with students tend to do so because they enjoy engaging with and teaching those who are enthusiastic about and/or interested

Read More Teaching and Learning: Bringing Students Together with Theatre Artists

Teaching Acting: Using Stanislavski’s Three Questions

In teaching acting or working with student actors on a show there are some basic techniques that should be stressed in regards to how to create a character that is actively engaged on stage at all times. An important technique

Read More Teaching Acting: Using Stanislavski’s Three Questions

Broadway Study Guides and the Class Trip

If you’re a teacher taking a class to see a Broadway musical or play, you may want to utilize a study guide. Broadway study guides can be helpful to teachers. There are a range of study guides available for free

Read More Broadway Study Guides and the Class Trip

Working with Student Actors: Geometry Can Help Them be More Effective On Stage

If you are a teacher or drama director working with school students, then you have your work cut out for you. When directing a school or after-school play with those in primary or secondary grades drama directors must spent a

Read More Working with Student Actors: Geometry Can Help Them be More Effective On Stage

Directing Students Actors- Opening Up Your Student Actors

When working with young actors in a primary and secondary school setting drama teachers and directors can find that it’s a major chore to get them to open up to an audience. Often young actors will work against themselves on

Read More Directing Students Actors- Opening Up Your Student Actors

Theatre & the Classroom: Theatre History, Literature & Les Misérables, Part Two

In the classroom, teachers can focus on numerous topics in relationship to Les Misérables. In Part Two of our consideration of Les Misérables, we’ll look at a few of the many areas, themes, and subjects that you can investigate with

Read More Theatre & the Classroom: Theatre History, Literature & Les Misérables, Part Two

Theatre & the Classroom: Theatre History, Literature & Les Misérables, Part One

Teaching Les Misérables in the classroom offers educators the chance to include a range of diverse subjects. Plus, with the return of Les Misérables to Broadway in 2014, a hit movie version of the musical, the book, and many other

Read More Theatre & the Classroom: Theatre History, Literature & Les Misérables, Part One

Advanced Directing Technique: Insights for Actors through Storytelling, Part II

In the first installment of this two-part series on Insights for Actors through Storytelling, I discussed why and how I developed this directorial technique. We also considered the foundation elements that are a part of this directing method. It’s interesting

Read More Advanced Directing Technique: Insights for Actors through Storytelling, Part II

Teaching Lorraine Hansberry’s Classic Drama A Raisin in the Sun

A Raisin in the Sun premiered on Broadway on March 11, 1959. To the surprise of many, the play became a huge success, earning four Tony nominations, the New York Critic’s Circle Award for Best play, and running for two

Read More Teaching Lorraine Hansberry’s Classic Drama A Raisin in the Sun

Advanced Directing Technique: Insights for Actors through Storytelling, Part I

Over the years I’ve directed my share of professional and university productions. Recently, I was working on a production of Steel Magnolias. It was an Actors Equity production and all of the actresses were professionals, many with more than 20

Read More Advanced Directing Technique: Insights for Actors through Storytelling, Part I

Classroom Teaching: Theatre, Subtext and Understanding Plays

When teaching a play written in verse you find that overall the characters say what’s on their minds. Shakespeare, Sophocles, Racine and others don’t utilize what we call subtext. But when dealing with plays written from around the time of

Read More Classroom Teaching: Theatre, Subtext and Understanding Plays

Playwriting: Using Subtext Effectively

Focus: Subtext and Conflict Subtext, the meaning that is inside or under the text (a line of dialogue) is an important tool for playwrights as it enriches a play on many levels, making for more complex characters, more twists and

Read More Playwriting: Using Subtext Effectively

Creative Drama for the Classroom: Side Coaching Actors

Why Side Coaching? Side coaching is the process of giving directions to actors while they are playing a scene. Acting students love side coaching, becomes it forces them to think on their toes. They have to instantly take on whatever

Read More Creative Drama for the Classroom: Side Coaching Actors

The Dynamics of Classroom Playwriting and Reading Aloud, Part II

In the first part of this two part series, we discussed some of the benefits of playwriting in the classroom, how teachers can get basic playwriting training and how to use playwriting exercises when teaching. Plays by their very nature

Read More The Dynamics of Classroom Playwriting and Reading Aloud, Part II

Playwriting Exercise: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

It’s not uncommon for writers to observe people in everyday life and get ideas for characters and even entire plays. This playwriting exercise offers 30 pictures of 30 different people. The assignment is to create a play creating and using

Read More Playwriting Exercise: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

The Dynamics of Classroom Playwriting and Reading Aloud, Part I

Playwriting in the classromm, theatre arts and teaching

Why Dramatic Writing and Reading? Playwriting can be a useful tool in active learning, especially if you take the stance that plays are meant to be heard and seen and not simply read silently by individuals. Just about any subject

Read More The Dynamics of Classroom Playwriting and Reading Aloud, Part I

Basic Playwriting Exercise: Character Conflict

This is a simple playwriting exercise designed to get students writing dialogue and creating conflict on stage. As it is with all exercises, there are rules for this one. Sometimes students will protest the fact that there are rules for

Read More Basic Playwriting Exercise: Character Conflict

Directing Exercise: The Sound of Music

Directing Exercise: The Sound of Music

This is a great group exercise for advanced high school students or college students. The exercise refers to each group creating a set. The elements used are whatever happens to be handy such as rehearsal blocks, chairs, benches, some hand

Read More Directing Exercise: The Sound of Music

Directing Exercise: Objects in Space

Directing Exercise: Objects in Space

The Objects in Space exercise is not about creating a playing space for actors. It is about learning to create an interesting, dynamic space that captures and holds the viewer’s attention. Directing students are divided into groups of four or

Read More Directing Exercise: Objects in Space

Matilda The Musical Bullying and Positive Messages for Girls

In the musical Matilda, Matilda's father is a horrifying bully. He belittles her and is billigerent. Bullying is an important and challenging issue for schools, children and teachers. Those who suffer from the wrath of a bully carry scars for years

Read More Matilda The Musical Bullying and Positive Messages for Girls