Summarizes 2 theater exercises for grades 8 and 11 respectively. States that the goal of the first exercise is to improve directing by organizing rehearsals for improvised and scripted scenes. Notes that the second exercise improves directing by interpreting dramatic texts and organizing and condensing rehearsals for informal or formal…

Describes how many technical and casting problems in young adult theater may be solved by using a Greek chorus. Defines a Greek chorus and its role. Discusses applications of Greek choruses to conventional scripts, including representation of abstract images and characterization. Concludes that incorporating a Greek chorus into a traditional…

Describes a theater exercise designed to help students develop sensory skills and learn improvisational skills at the same time. Explains the four steps: getting into the drama, mixing in sensory skills, deepening the drama, and finishing up. States that the exercise is valuable in teaching students skills that are difficult to teach with…

Discusses expressive movement, a rudimentary, exploratory, and process-oriented way of movement that is appropriate for and beneficial to the training of actors, and that can be employed as a mode of kinesthetic/dramatic expression by theatre educators. Notes reasons for using expressive movement in theatre education; discusses teacher's role;…

Describes the ongoing work of a teacher whose Summer Institute for Drama/Teacher Education at the University of Tennessee provides training for both theater and classroom teachers. Focuses on her teaching method--improvisational drama--which simultaneously addresses elements common to fiction and script writing, and now contained in the language…

Argues that canonical plays must be critically engaged rather than "handed down," with students discovering much about themselves and each other through their own engagement. Describes how a high-school acting class examined the dramatic work of Latino/a playwrights for their in-class scene work, and used student experiences to create their own…