Coming soon: Learn and practice some of the best and most fun improv exercises. …
SCRIPT – The written story, or play. It can be short or long, funny or serious. Or both. DIRECTOR – the person who interprets the script and supervises the development of the play. The director’s job ends when the play opens. ACTORS – the people who bring the characters to life on stage by saying the lines written in the script. Each actor has a part and plays a role. STAGE MANAGER – the person in charge of the …
This teaching overview is geared for students grades 3 and up, and should yield roughly a ten-page play. Fewer or more pages are fine as long as the main elements of a play are covered. A sample scene can be found at the end of this article. THE STEPS 1) Choose a setting 2) Create the characters 3) Give the characters a problem to solve (plot) 4) Let the characters reveal the story (dialog) 5) Have the problem resolved …
A quick note about Staged Readings versus Reader’s Theatre A Staged Reading is a rehearsed presentation of a play with actors holding the script. Performances often include blocking (stage movement), set, props and costumes. These presentations are as close to a full production as you can get without the burden of memorization, and are ideal if short on time. A Reading is just that, a reading of a play script on stage, usually with the actors sitting in a circle. No props or …
We all know kids can project their voices—playing, cheering, arguing—but when kids get on stage they often drop their volume. This is normal and very common, even for adult actors, but it’s also the most important challenge because if the audience can’t hear, the audience stops listening. What to do VOCAL WARM-UPS Nothing complicated, especially if you are in a classroom or short on time. This can be a 90-second exercise. Have kids stand up, yawn, relax their jaws, stretch …