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  • 1.  Theatre Classroom Management

    Posted 08-02-2013 16:43
    With the school year starting, I'm wondering if people might share some excellent classroom management ideas specifically related to the unique world of theatre classes. Unique situations call for unique solutions.

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    Frank Pruet
    EdTA Vice President

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  • 2.  RE:Theatre Classroom Management

    Posted 08-03-2013 18:06


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    Benjamin Stuart
    Middle School Theatre Arts Teacher
    Seattle Public Schools


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    I work middle schoolers so I think I can get a little more immediate buy-in to structures and rewards.  If I tried most of this stuff with high school kids, I think they'd roll their eyes, but since you asked, here's my system!

    I don't call my classes by period number, instead, I call them "Theatre Companies" named Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta etc... I have a "Company Credit" chart with various categories that change from week to week (i.e. % of class on time, % showing superior audience etiquette, % of class who brought their scripts etc...).  Win a category and at the end of the day you get a credit added to the total-to-date column.  Every five weeks or so, the company with most accumulated credits gets a donut party.

    Within each Company, I have 4 "Ensembles" who sit together and often do projects together.  There's another chart on the chalkboard tracking "Ensemble Credits" in each class.  Ensembles earn and lose credits for being on time, on task, supporting each other, participating in discussion etc.  We do a "Monday Game" (basically what-if trivia scenarios where classroom rules and expectations are the answers) where Ensembles can earn a bunch of credits for the week right away.

    Every Friday of the year, the kids do silent script reading all period while I do 1 on 1 conferences with all of my kids.  I change the lights, put on a recording of rain sounds, and let the kids sit wherever they want.  The 2nd place Ensemble gets pillows and cushions, while the 1st place Ensemble gets to read in the "VIP Lounge" (a large, pimped out closet) where they get (donated) hot cocoa or cider when they conference with me.

    It's rather amazing how well it all works!  The monday game lets us review expectations every week in a non-boring way and the Company and Ensemble credits are a fairly low-cost reward mechanism.

    What are some other ideas for either middle or high school?  If I end up teaching high school, do any of you see any of this stuff working with older kids?


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  • 3.  RE:Theatre Classroom Management

    Posted 08-05-2013 14:07

    Ben, I love the idea of a VIP lounge and a donut party! Those are such unique ideas for rewards.

    Teaching classes at a children's or community theatre is a little different than teaching in an "official" classroom since we didn't have desks and such, but these are some tips I learned to keep it under control that I think you could use in any environment: 

    -Establish a definite routine for the start of the day. I find that allowing students to chat and "settle in" at the beginning of class wastes a huge amount of time and makes it harder to get their attention when you are ready to start. Make it known that as soon as they enter the room, they are in class, regardless of whether or not the bell has rung. Give them an improv game that helps to get them warmed up and focused, something that can grow as people trickle into class. What Are You Doing? or Taxi! are great. They are fast paced and easy to jump into without a lot of explanation. You can change the games periodically so they don't get stale.

    -Always have something for them to do. Keep a list on the board of tasks to complete if they finish early. If they are busy and engaged, they won't have time to distract others. It could be as simple as organizing some props or reading a script (keep a stash of short plays and create small quizzes for them. Give them extra credit or some sort of prize if they get all the answers right). 

    -Find a new way to quickly quiet down the class so you don't have to yell over them. Theatre classes can be really exciting and noisy, save your voice! Use a kazoo or harmonica, some unique sound that commands attention. With younger kids, establish a movement response to the sound. For example, when they hear the noise, they must strike a dramatic pose and freeze.


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    Ginny Butsch
    Community Manager
    Educational Theatre Association


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  • 4.  RE:Theatre Classroom Management

    Posted 08-05-2013 21:57
    I am not totally sure how are acting classes are run, but I can give you some idea of how our stagecraft classes are run! (I do not know if this is how they are run everywhere, or if this is just us!) 

    When you take stagecraft for the first time, you enter as a Stagecraft I. Your second and third semester, if you choose to continue, you become a Stagecraft II and then a Stagecraft III. After that, you are in advanced Stagecraft. The importance in moving up, is that slowly, you teach more and more. As a Stagecraft II and III, you lead projects for the beginning stagecraft students. An example of a task given to a II or III is building flats. Once you are in advanced, you are more of a teacher. Often times in advanced stagecraft, I would just walk around and fill in where it was needed. Other times, I have lead bigger projects, such as designing the set, picking paint colors, and counting out the amount of wood we would need to build the set.

    This structure allows for our teacher to do what she needs to do in the class on any given day. Sometimes she has to do a specific projects, other times she just watches over everyone. It also keeps the class broken up so people are always in smaller groups, allowing things to get done quickly and efficiently. The students that are project leaders also learn about leadership while improving their stagecraft skills. The students tend to listen to the leading students, even if they are older. :) 

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    Katie Siegel
    ITO Chair

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  • 5.  RE:Theatre Classroom Management

    Posted 08-06-2013 11:29
    A thought in response to Ginny's last thought:

    As ridiculously easy as it sounds, I found simply standing where everyone could see me and raising one hand above my head (and holding my other hand in front of my mouth) got students in the classroom to quiet down quickly...and without exerting much energy. A few students would see me right away and they would become quiet and raise their hands, and then other students would notice what was happening and do the same thing (it's like a mirroring game!). A couple of students might still be talking, but when they quickly realized everyone else was quiet - and everyone else was looking at them and listening to them - they stopped chatting immediately. I would then say "Thank you" or "Excellent" (I'm a fan of positive reinforcement) to establish that their attention should be focused on what I was going to say.

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    Merritt Beischel
    Membership Service Specialist
    Educational Theatre Association


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  • 6.  RE:Theatre Classroom Management

    Posted 09-28-2013 16:30
    I got rid of my chairs and desks and we circle up quite a bit. We also start each class with a journal. 

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    Laurilea Williams
    Theatre Director
    Headstrong Theatre


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