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  • 1.  Inspiring students not interested in Theater in a Drama Appreciation Class?

    Posted 02-07-2022 08:21
    I have just returned to the Theater classroom and have a Drama Appreciation Class.  They did not choose to be in my class.  They were "placed" in the class.  What are some lessons and activities that I can conduct with students that have no interest or desire to participate in a theater/drama class?

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    Jack Morman
    Drama Teacher
    Callaway High School
    GA
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  • 2.  RE: Inspiring students not interested in Theater in a Drama Appreciation Class?

    Posted 02-08-2022 08:04

    I love doing some readings using different tones with them to play with how the meaning changes.  They are masters at saying "I'm sorry" in many ways.  Try sentences like "I didn't say you had an attitude" and each time emphasize a different word to see how the meaning changes.  Then we move into adding body language to it to see if saying something one way but nonverbally communicating the opposite changes the meaning.  You can sometimes rope them in with improv games if they are group games, but sometimes they are too intimidated.  Readers Theatre can be fun too if you find good scripts.  To teach stage locations, we play Simon Says on the stage.  I also find they love special effects make up (we learn bruising, scaring, and even make several edible recipes of fake blood for them to try).  If all else fails, see if there is a group from an advanced theatre group near you or from another school who can come do some workshops on things like stage combat.  They love that.

    Hope that helps...I feel your pain!  Drama often becomes a dumping ground for students that they don't know what else to do with during that period.



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    Amy MacCord
    Musical Theatre Teacher
    Westwood Middle School
    FL
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Inspiring students not interested in Theater in a Drama Appreciation Class?

    Posted 02-08-2022 09:19
    Lip Synch Lessons! They love it, this can be as complicated as you want it to be!! Add costumes, memorization. I just finished with my elective. It gives them free range. I do not use Just Dance as much as Lip Synch! Show videos of Lip Synch battles! It gets them up on their feet. I also allow groups to perform. They love it!

    Day 1: Find and watch clips on "Just Dance". As a group, choose at least 3 songs to lip synch and dance as an ensemble group.

    Essential Questions: Which videos do you all like and why? Are you selecting a song that is like you (your "type") or against "type" ("Type" is physical, gender, and/or personality traits)?

    Day 2: Lip synch every perceived sound that comes out of an artist mouth. Do character research (watch performances of song and dance by the artist known for dance).

    Essential Question: How did you decide the final dance/lip-synch to perform? Is it your type or against type?

    Day 3: Review your answers from Day 1 & 2. Your song/dance should be 1 minute of the video. Every step and lyric must be memorized. Essential Questions:  What is the dance/songs title? Why did you pick this dance/song? How do you make this dance/song entertaining?

    Day 4: Do character research. Be prepared to present the correct appearance/mood/attitude/gestures/movements. Rehearse as a group. Essential Question: What character are each of you performing? Are you protagonist or antagonist in the song/dance.

    Day 5: You have selected a specific song/dance, have researched the artist performing it, and thought of a character you will be portraying.

    Continue rehearsing as a group.  Essential Questions: Do your arm, leg and shoulder movements match the 'Just Dance" video? What is your character's objective? What are you expressing in the dance?

    Day 6: You are now ready to put all the pieces together and perform the song/dance. Since this is a technical group effort. Rehearse many times before you present your final project. Present.  Essential

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    Lynn Quinn
    Theater Instructor/Director
    Passaic County Technical Institute
    NJ
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Inspiring students not interested in Theater in a Drama Appreciation Class?

    Posted 02-08-2022 09:54
    My students love to have our own lip synch battles too...both with groups and as individuals.  We usually do this at the end of the course when we are finishing up and just want to have some fun.  Sometimes they really get into the dancing, other times create more of a narrative and act it out (saw a group do a version of "Low" as if they were old folks in a nursing home using walkers and canes that was hysterical).

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    Amy MacCord
    Musical Theatre Teacher
    Westwood Middle School
    FL
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Inspiring students not interested in Theater in a Drama Appreciation Class?

    Posted 02-08-2022 09:50
    I loved my Theatre Appreciation class when I had one in Virginia. If you remember that the students are there to get their fine arts credit and your goal is to get them to like theatre, then that takes all the pressure off you. Go for the fun stuff - especially at first. Use films to teach them about stage combat and injury makeup and stunt men & women or how CG is used in film by showing them clips of what the actors are doing in front of a green screen. Getting them to realize there are already things they love about theatre but just didn't know it. Make it a class that they look forward to attending. I grew my program so much by finding students who just didn't know yet that they loved theatre. I have tried for years to get a Theatre Appreciation class in my current school, but hasn't happened.

    --
    Ann Hileman, M.A.
    Executive Board of Indiana Thespians
    Indiana Thespian Hall of Fame
     
    Maconaquah High School
    256 East 800 South
    Bunker Hill, IN 46914
    765-689-9131 x 5550 (phone)
    765-689-9528 (fax)

     



    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Inspiring students not interested in Theater in a Drama Appreciation Class?

    Posted 02-08-2022 09:56
    The extras on the Jumanji Next Level film are truly AMAZING for a discussion on how to be a character and not you on stage.  The fact that The Rock, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black are in it just makes it more appealing to everyone.  If you haven't seen all the extras on that dvd, it's worth a look.

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    Amy MacCord
    Musical Theatre Teacher
    Westwood Middle School
    FL
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Inspiring students not interested in Theater in a Drama Appreciation Class?

    Posted 02-08-2022 12:39
    I have used improvisation as the basis of my beginning theatre classroom for decades with much success. The nature of "games" and playing makes it more easily accessible to kids who may not think they are interested in performing.  At least 50% of my beginners are kids who are taking the class just for the credits, and often they sign up because their friends have told them it was "fun."   It's a sneaky way to lure kids into participation. (If you're interested, I've written a book for theatre educators about teaching improv with sequential lesson plans. Shoot me a message if that's helpful to you).


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    James Bailey
    Director of Theatre
    Justin-Siena High School
    CA
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Inspiring students not interested in Theater in a Drama Appreciation Class?

    Posted 02-08-2022 12:58
    I love teaching Theatre Tech to get students to appreciate what all goes on "behind the scenes" in productions. Make your class more like a STEAM class and include design, building, lighting, props, and problem solving! From how they engineered the wizard puppet in Wicked, to the magic right before your eyes in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, to how to build a white box mini-model to scale, to how colored lighting affects fabric and skin tone on stage, there is a huge world of science and engineering and technology in Theatre!! And it's pretty amazing!!

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    Suzanne "Mama" Craig
    MS/HS Theatre/Speech
    Lipscomb Academy
    Nashville, TN
    Suzanne.Craig@Lipscomb.Edu
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    Original Message


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