iPads, iPhones, Notebooks, X-Boxes, PlayStations, Televisions, Computers. They've found their way into every corner of our lives. Add to that, the pressures of the modern education with standardized tests and crowded classrooms, and it seems that our children have lost the simplicity of childhood. Are our children losing their imagination, too?…

This book helps theater teaching artists develop connections between their pedagogical and artistic selves. The book presents a framework for thinking about the work of teaching artists in general and theater teaching artists in particular. Through descriptive examinations of practice, the book also provides theater teaching artists and those who…

Presents a rehearsal plan that not only keeps everyone on task but also produces stronger scenes. Suggests techniques such as: reading to the wall (suggests having no audience), sit in a circle (recite lines simultaneously), present a teaser, and blocking (find lines where the actors should move). Outlines a rehearsal worksheet. (SC)

Argues that theater instructors must also be artistic directors. Relates one instructor's experiences in taking over the acting and directing program at the Los Angeles High School of the Performing Arts and how his changing attitudes were reflected in his restructuring of the program. (PA)

Presents a book excerpt that introduces the author's "Hope Is Vital" program and methods. Shares his vision and methods for creating performance workshops that actively investigate social concerns. Considers a series of gradually intensifying exercises leading from fun warm-ups to image-building bridge activities. (SC)

The authors assert that teachers are inherently performers and as such, techniques from the stage enhance and expand a teacher's ready repertoire of discipline-based content. Using performance theory, the authors demonstrate how an educator can transform ordinary classroom experiences into occasions that attract and engage students. In this second…

This state guide to curriculum planning is designed to provide direction to teachers, administrators, and curriculum specialists for developing programs in informal drama and theatre. For each school level (preschool, elementary, middle, and high school) the following topics or concepts are discussed in terms of the student at that level: informal…

Intended primarily for teachers of language arts in grades K-12, this program guide provides a framework and philosophy of language arts for all those concerned and involved with education in the public schools of Hawaii. The guide can assist schools in the building of programs that will help students become competent communicators and…

Explores various tools that presenters utilize to set the stage for their presentations and enhance audience retention, focusing on similarities to successful theatrical presentations. The four tools include setting the stage prior to the program, using the set effectively, selecting and placing props carefully, and considering oneself the…

Interactive drama, a simplified form of drama, is a vehicle through which children can become involved with literature. When preservice teachers are presented with interactive drama in a college setting, it serves as an introduction to the simple, effective learning experiences available through informal drama activities. In an interactive drama,…

This publication is a compilation of information on "literacy theater," a process that involves the act of presenting a short, worst-case scenario that is followed by the actors staying in character for a dialogue with audience members. The guide defines literacy theater as being constructed to involve the interaction of two to five people, a…

The guide is intended to help local Wisconsin school districts develop comprehensive K-12 programs in the arts for students with exceptional educational needs (EEN). Section 1, the introduction, introduces the rationale and goals for the guide. Section 2 discusses general curriculum planning, the developmental levels of students, and the process…

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…