Is it kind of like Herding Cats?
I have just the thing! I experienced this exact situation so I created Herding Cats Theatre Modules. It includes instructions for Acting, Stage Management, Scenery & Props, Costumes, Lighting, Sound and Marketing. The modules take each discipline from design to performance with weekly assignments to be done in rehearsals or class while I work with small groups. It uploads pretty easily to Google Classroom or can be printed out. There are rubrics for grading. But basically after you give the assignments, the kids work independently ALL AT THE SAME TIME!!!! It frees you up to work in small groups on stage. Hope this helps!
https://t.ly/herdingcatsall
See below for more information.
Do your theater arts rehearsals need structure? Do you need to teach technical theater (scenery, costume, lighting, sound, marketing) while directing actors?
Do you ever feel like you need to clone yourself? That you need to teach too many theater things at once, like technical theater and stage management while directing actors? How about activities that walk theater designers and crew technicians through the production process step-by-step? Lessons that are set and forget, plug and play, reusable year after year? Look no further: your one-stop solution, from the classroom to the rehearsal space to the stage, is right here!
Herding Cats: Modules for ALL Theater Disciplines isn't just a theater arts curriculum, this is a curriculum for a theatrical production! It includes individual drama activities for actors, understudies, designers, and crew members that build the entirety of a production during rehearsals while you direct small groups. This is particularly ideal for theater staging rehearsals: when you have a few actors on stage who need your undivided attention. Your theater students will be learning other theater disciplines in their week-by-week, easy to understand lessons. Your students will love these engaging theater activities, and you will love the easy organization of theatrical chaos.
All of the instructions in Herding Cats can be shared in print as worksheets, or digitally on Google Classroom, Canvas, or any other educational platform. Though the number of modules varies by theater discipline, they are all plotted out to fit together in the same semester or production schedule. Each theater module includes grading criteria for either pencil/paper or digital completion - and objective grading criteria ensures that directors will no longer be accused of being too subjective when report cards roll around.
ACTING THEATER MODULES
Both your principal actors and your understudies will have these activities to hone their craft while off-stage:
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Theater 101 (the basics of theater rehearsals at your school)
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Auditioning with a monologue
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Script prep for theater rehearsals
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Stage directions
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Making flashcards to memorize lines
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Strategies for script analysis
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Creating a character's biography
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Introduction to Stanislavski's Method
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"Verbing" their script
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Imagining a character's diary entry
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Identifying the subtext of the play
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Articulating the character's "moment before"
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Making a character poster
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Movement lesson: creating a master gesture, or Mannerisms Like a Mammal
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Basic corrective makeup
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Theater production reflection
STAGE MANAGEMENT THEATER MODULES
Teach student SMs what to do, from auditions through theater performances:
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Specific guidance for being on book
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Taking blocking notation
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Posting a theater callboard
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Creating a contact sheet
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Prepping cues in the SM's script
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Giving line notes to actors
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Recording page timings
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Compiling a prompt script/prompt book/production book
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Preparing the show to travel, including a detailed SM kit
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Spiking scenery and taping out the ground plan
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Tracking actors/props/costumes on the who/what/where
SCENE DESIGN / SCENERY DESIGN THEATER MODULES
Streamline the design process and give designers practical functionality during theater rehearsals:
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Reading the script 3 times (a guided process)
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First ideas: Casting their design net broadly
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Drafting a scale drawing of the scenery
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Building a 3-D model
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Setting up prop tables
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Configuring an all-inclusive props list
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Creating a pre-set list of all the scenery and props
COSTUME DESIGN THEATER MODULES
Develop skills, complete helpful tasks, and allow students to express themselves creatively with these weekly tasks:
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Ensuring proper storage in costume & makeup areas
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Generating the costume plot
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Setting up the costume rack
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Creating a design board
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The designer's role in the dress rehearsals
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A Halloween lesson on gory makeup
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Gathering costumes
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Stocking makeup kits for the actors
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Rendering original costume designs
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Taking cast members' measurements
LIGHTING DESIGN THEATER MODULE
Lessons in lighting theory and hands-on experiments allow for steady skill improvement and familiarity with theater lighting terminology:
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Learning about ladder safety
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Adding venue areas to the light plot
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Coiling cables
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The basics of color theory
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Setting up LEDs in rehearsals
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Creating the light cue sheet
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Lighting instrument flashcards
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Theater lighting terminology: a quiz
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Programming the lightboard
SOUND DESIGN THEATER MODULES
Student sound designers will develop pragmatic skills in sound design and production:
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Learning the ins and outs of Audacity
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Creating your own recordings
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Downloading music for the theater production
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Fleshing out the design
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Getting in the space and setting levels
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Drafting and revising the sound cue sheet
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Testing equipment before playback
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Playing sounds in tech rehearsals/performances,
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Researching and finding sound cues for the play
MARKETING THEATER MODULES
Empower your students to boost the visibility of your theater productions on campus and in the community, increasing ticket sales while the director gets to focus on directing:
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Scriptwriting a student-led commercial for your show
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Creating a theater company name and logo
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Becoming the show historian/photographer
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Selling advertisements for the program
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Designing show shirts
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Making slides for on campus/in lobby TV monitors
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Generating the program for your theater performances
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Conducting a social media campaign
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Conceiving a commanding "Star Image" (and text)
For a comprehensive program that will enhance the skills of your entire theater team, look no further than Herding Cats, a valuable and effective resource for all drama disciplines. Whether you need an enhanced curriculum in technical theater, acting, stage management, scene design - or all of the above - this program has you covered.
Technical Theater and Scene Design: Herding Cats provides detailed theater lessons and activities for tech theater professionals, including sound designers, scenery designers, and costume designers. With a strong focus on the production process, your crew members will gain hands-on experience that translates directly to their roles.
Acting and Stage Management: Actors and understudies will find the structured, week-by-week theater lessons particularly beneficial. This program is designed to keep them engaged and productive during rehearsals, even when they're off stage. Stage Managers (SM) will appreciate the organized approach to theater rehearsals and the ease with which they can coordinate with the crew and other departments.
Costume Design and Publicity: Costume Designers will discover valuable worksheets and activities tailored to their needs, helping them refine their craft. Meanwhile, those involved in marketing and publicity will benefit from the program's insights into promoting theater productions effectively.
Value for Money: Herding Cats is an investment in your theater's future. Over the course of 2+ months, your theater team will engage in a structured learning process that is both enjoyable and educational. The theater lessons are designed for offstage actors, understudies, and crew members to complete independently, allowing the director to focus on working with smaller groups.
By incorporating Herding Cats into your theater's routine, you're ensuring that every aspect of your theater production, from technical theater to acting and stage management, runs smoothly. These theater modules provide a useful roadmap whether you are teaching middle school theater, high school theater, or an intro to tech theater class. This program is a must-have for anyone serious about improving their students' drama skills and overall production quality. Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your theater program-invest in Herding Cats today!
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Jennifer Luv
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-02-2024 15:51
From: Amanda Cadogan
Subject: Rehearsal Activities for Non-Rehearsing Actors
Hi folks,
May I just say how grateful I am for the resource of this collective wisdom? It is miraculously helpful to be in virtual community with you all.
I'm sure this has been asked before, but I cannot find the thread. (Feel free to point me there, if you know.)
Here's the situation. I have a theatre production class that meets during the school day, twice at week for 80 minutes, and once a week for 50, and that culminates in our fall production. I also do after school rehearsals. During the class periods, all students involved in the production must be present. We're producing Arsenic and Old Lace, and most of the scenes involve only a few folks being on stage at a time. In the past, I've had the other actors watch as we block, but it doesn't feel like the optimal use of their time, and also, they're frequently distracted/distracting. The blocking is more efficient if it's just me, the stage manager, and the actors in the scene. But what to do with the other 15 students during that time? I've been them character questionnaires, and told them to memorize lines, but it's a lot of unstructured time and it's not being used that productively. I've thought about having two groups doing blocking simultaneously, but that presents some logistical challenges. (e.g. Which scenes have non-overlapping actors, and are all of them present? I've created a spreadsheet, but it's still difficult for me to get my head around when I'm dealing with unforeseen absences.)
Do you have any structured, independent acting activities for students that you'd be willing to share? Or are there other solutions to this problem I'm not considering? Thank you for advice.
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[Amanda] [Cadogan] [English and Theatre]
[Maybeck High School]
[Oakland] [CA]
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