Category Archives: Shakespeare teaching ideas

Sofa Shakespeare for Kids

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Online drama classes with your kids can come with some challenges. We did a Zoom of our Hamlet for Kids for teachers by teachers, and it was fantastic and a great way to engage your kids back into performances. However, time, access to technology, lack of bandwidth, and a variety of other reasons can hinder you and your kids for doing a Zoom type presentation. Well, Sofa Shakespeare for Kids is a great solution that can get you and your kids back to performing, without having to deal with these difficulties.

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Awesome Online Macbeth Backgrounds

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OK, this is really cool. For those of you doing Zoom online recordings of Macbeth for Kids. I had a teacher (thank you Gerald Murray!) find the correct tartans for each family. And, it is very simple to drop them into the backdrops in Zoom. Brilliant! And what a great learning opportunity!

You can see the backdrops below. Download, import into Zoom, and make it the backdrop! Awesome! Oh, and you can do this for a creepy forest for the witches as well! Check out the kids onscreen doing the Scottish Play below!

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Online Readers Theatre Lessons Learned – Tips and Tricks

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Update 5/7/2020

First of all, let’s be honest, was it perfect? Not even close! Was it a blast to do and did it give us a similar feel as performing? Absolutely! Most importantly, this was EASY. We did a Zoom recording of ‘Hamlet for Kids Reader’s Theatre – the Teachers Edition‘, based on the play: Hamlet for Kids. We knew it was going to be fun but didn’t realize how engaging it would be, nor how much we would really get to know each other. (most of us had never met before)

You can also watch our … Continue reading →

How to do an Online Reader’s Theatre

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Was it perfect… no way. Was it fun, oh yeah! A group of theatre educators, drama teachers, and I got together, via zoom, to perform our Hamlet for Kids.  We were from all over… Houston, Seattle, Chicago, Anaheim, and San Luis Obispo. We did this to inspire other teachers to do remote online performances. We wanted to see if it could be done and how it would feel. I can tell you this, it was fun, exciting, engaging, and a great learning experience! And I was even a bit nervous before showtime! (I LOVE that feeling!)

Was it easy, yes!!!  … Continue reading →

Switching Roles – Warm Up Game

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I came across this great game and thought I would share. The original article is located here. By the website: theatrefolk.com, written by Kerry Hishon. I love how it allows the students the opportunity to look at their own character, especially when they may feel stuck in the forest on a developmental point of their character.

Here’s a warm-up game you can try at your next rehearsal: Switching Roles. Students will use an improv game to take on a different part in the play you’re currently working on. 

It’s a simple enough premise: using the … Continue reading →

Theatre vs. Drama, what’s the difference?

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I’ve been in the drama education world for quite some time now, and I just figured out the actual difference between drama and theatre. So, to help clarify for anyone else, I thought I’d share the difference between theatre vs. drama.

First of all, theatRE vs. theatER, what’s the difference? Well, truthfully, nothing. The ‘er’ version is preferred with American English whereas the ‘re’ version is the British version. However, you will constantly see people referred to a building or a structure, where the art is performed, as theatER and the art form as theatRE. But, there truly is no … Continue reading →

3 Quick Tips for New Drama Teachers

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I am often asked by teachers, when I present to their classes, to give their kids my top two or three tips they should focus on while they rehearse. Although there are so many tips that one could give, it always comes down to the following three for me:

1) PROJECT YOUR VOICE – One of the biggest challenges I find for kids is their ability to project their voices. Some get it confused with yelling. But really, basic projection comes from the diaphragm. Projecting your voice goes for both a larger setting as well as smaller settings. … Continue reading →

“SHATNER!” Drama Improv Game

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Shatner over reactingShatner over reacting

Ok, this is a REALLY FUN improv drama game that your kids will LOVE! It’s … Continue reading →

Create a Performance Playbill

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This is a short post about an activity you can do with your kids as you get ready for the show.  As many of … Continue reading →