This guide is designed to assist school administrators and teachers in planning and developing dramatic and theatre arts programs that meet the needs of a wide range of students from kindergarten through grade 12. The first section of the guide sets forth a philosophy, goals, and criteria for effective theatre arts programs in general. The second…

This book discusses activities in dramatic arts for students with disabilities in a variety of settings, as well as guidelines for mainstreaming such students into regular theater activities. An introductory chapter describes the program for individuals with disabilities offered by the Bethesda (Maryland) Academy of Performing Arts. Chapter 1…

This booklet provides instruction, for the director of junior high and senior high school plays, in the effective arrangement of characters on stage. Suggested exercises include the construction of still-picture tableaux on stage (using scenes from fairy tales and Chekhov's "The Bear") and the implementation of "blocking"…

Developed by the participants of the Huntington Theatre Company's Master Works Study in Shakespeare, this collection presents single lesson plans and unit plans for teaching Elizabethan drama. The collection presents 12 lesson plans (spanning one or a few days of instruction) and 15 unit plans (ranging over several weeks) suitable for secondary…

The purpose of these lessons is to provide learning experiences which facilitate junior high and senior high school actors' mastery of stage movements when working with scripts. Suggested exercises include practice in finding motivation for actors' stage movements, acting a scene (from "West Side Story"), and interpreting and acting scenes of…

Once an actor or actress has gained experience with basic stage movement and speech, convincing character portrayal may be the next skill to be developed. This package is designed to provide a deeper understanding of character development through careful reading, research, thought, and experimentation. The two related lessons--from research to…

A student learning to work on stage sets needs to become familiar with standard materials and equipment, the ways in which they operate, and ways to piece them together to create a set for a scene. This package contains the following three lessons for acquainting the learner with such information: resources and equipment, piecing together some…

Developed with the recognition that many playwrights have theater in their blood (e.g., Eugene O'Neill was the son of a famous actor), the three lessons in this package present, through experience, the fundamentals of dramatic structure. These lessons for the beginning playwright focus on elements of dramatic plot, conflicts, and crisis and…

Designed to assist administrators and teachers conducting prekindergarten early intervention programs for at-risk children, this curriculum guide outlines age-appropriate arts experiences that are process-oriented rather than product-oriented. After introductory statements, content focuses on learning activities in the visual arts, dance/creative…

A consultant to a Northern Alberta School Division describes how she used drama activities to enrich children's language experiences. (Author/MP)

The Spanish translation contains a collection of arts strategies intended to stimulate, motivate, and teach basic skills to handicapped children. The lessons involve one or more of the basic art forms (movement, music, drama, and art) and are further divided into five levels of aesthetic development: awareness, imitation, self-initiation, skill…

Designed to assist administrators and teachers conducting child care programs for school-age at-risk children, this curriculum guide outlines age-appropriate, process-oriented arts experiences. Content focuses on learning activities in the visual arts, dance/creative movement, drama, and music. Each section includes all or several of the following…

This lesson intends for grade 4 students to enact a scene depicting how Anthony Stewart of Maryland had to destroy his ship, the "Peggy Stewart," and its cargo of tea because he paid taxes to the British--students will add a short scene on what they think might have happened right after the burning of the ship. The lesson presents an…

Developed by the participants of the Huntington Theatre Company's Master Works Study in Greek drama, this collection presents lesson plans and curriculum projects for teaching the master works of Greek drama. The collection offers 22 lesson plans or curriculum projects (ranging from one day to several weeks) suitable for secondary school students…

Developed by the participants of the Huntington Theatre Company's Master Works Study in Restoration Comedy, this collection presents one-day lesson plans and curriculum projects for teaching Restoration comedy. The collection offers 15 one-day lesson plans and 15 curriculum projects (ranging over several weeks) suitable for secondary school…