Skills to Be Built Through Drama Activities

High School

Performance concerns: Students in high school are very aware of their surroundings and peer pressure determines much of their behavior. Used effectively, this can be a resource to any teacher, but any perceived threat to a student’s acceptance by their peers can caused negative reactions/emotions, and could result in a complete withdrawal of the student’s engagement. Consequences are just beginning to become a reality. Visual appearance, peer-acceptance and use of electronic media are often more important than the teacher’s lesson. Laughter is a defense mechanism of most teenagers and the confident “class clown” is often the most fragile and insecure. Improvisation certainly has its place in any curriculum, but most activities performed in front of an audience should be given some rehearsal time. This includes reading in front of the class; students should be informed of sections that might be read aloud so they can pre-read them at home.

Skills to be built through drama activities:

Identification of self

Personal reflection

Problem solving, both by the individual and as a group

Resiliency after a failed attempt

Voicing/asserting oneself and his/her needs to others

Tolerance and acceptance of others

Following set rules and boundaries

Dealing with negative feelings (anger, sorrow, frustration)

Theatre etiquette as a performer, designer or audience member

Working with or alongside adults

Identify various theatrical styles

Create, present scenes and monologues in various theatrical styles

Identify, decode, dramatize figurative language

Theatrical vocabulary

View, evaluate theatre

Memorizing scripts

Manage time efficiently while collaborating with others

Suggested Theatre Components:

Small group (2- & 3-person scenes)

Whole class and duo/trio improvisation

Improvisation for more “difficult” topics (self-esteem, social networking, drug use,

etc.)

Drama festivals and workshops

Technical theatre skills

Performance skills

Pantomime (alone and in groups)

Student-led (as opposed to teacher-led) scenes and rehearsals

Character analyses

Speech/dialect development

Monologue work geared toward presenting a formal audition piece

Student-created study guides for plays being presented outside of class

Devising a theatre unit on Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed

Advanced study of theatrical periods, speech and movement

Acting scenes from various periods and styles

Portfolio creation

Greek/Roman theatre history and plays

Shakespeare’s plays and Elizabethan history

Mask or clown work

Commedia dell’Arte

Discovering, reflecting, assessing:

Textual study of a play, discovering the subtext

Devising, writing and creating an entire theatrical experience

Psychological studies and observations/reflections of real people

Analyzing theme before developing a directorial or design concept

Journaling and reflections, both verbal (after a scene, for example) and written

Student-created rubrics for scene study, monologues and theatrical criticism

Peer review and criticism

Character analyses, discovering what drives a character

Touring shows to younger audiences