Unit Lessons


  LESSON 1: Working as a team/Trust exercises

  LESSON 2: Voice

  LESSON 3: Character background

  LESSON 4: Emotion

  LESSON 5: Listening

  LESSON 6: Tactics

  LESSON 7: Movement

  LESSON 8: Stage Business

  LESSON 9: Working the scene

  LESSON 10: Final scene presentations





Working as a Team/Trust Exercise


Lesson #1

Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to work as a 
team and an increased ability to trust each other by participating in a trust 
building exercise.
>Materials: A ball of yarn, material that can be used for blindfolds, and 
theater blocks.
Hook: Have the students stand in a circle. Have them say their name and one 
unusual thing about themselves.

Step 1: The teacher will start a name game by throwing a ball of yarn to a 
student, saying his/her name, and saying their unusual thing. This student must 
catch the ball, hold on to the string extending from me to them, and throw the 
ball to another class member saying their name and unusual thing. If a student 
forgets a name or their unusual thing, the other class members may help him/her. 
This process will continue until every member of the circle is holding a piece 
of yarn, and a web is created.
Step 2: The teacher will then explain that the web symbolizes the web of 
friendship. Also that in theater we need each other and no student can do it 
alone. It takes the strength of each individual student to make the magic of the 
theater happen on the stage
. 
Step 3: The teacher will then ask one of the students to drop their end, as we 
watch the web fall apart. We would then start over again, but this time, we 
would raise the web over our heads, count to 3, and let go together. The web 
will float to the floor as a single unit, showing what a team can accomplish 
together.
Step 4: Show scene from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade where Indiana must 
cross the invisible bridge, and must trust it is there as he was told.
Step 5: Put the students in pairs. One student will stand with their arms to 
their side in a rigid position and fall backwards. The other student will stand 
about 2 feet behind the student who will fall backwards to catch him as he/she 
falls. The person catching must wait for the person falling to warn, and must 
catch him/her. The roles will then be reversed.

Step 6: Hand each pair something to be used as a blindfold. Have one of them put 
the blindfold on. The person without a blindfold will guide the other student on 
a short walk. Make sure that the student guiding understands his responsibility 
for the safety of the partner. Allow 5-7 minutes and monitor the students. 
Instruct students to come back into the room, and trade places.
Step 7: Put students into groups of 10. Have them make a circle, and have one 
class member in the center. The student in the center must cross his arms over 
his chest to help ensure safety. This student must fall backwards, and the other 
students in the circle must gently push him in another direction when he comes 
toward them. This will continue until the teacher says to stop. Tell the 
students to pay attention and approach the activity with great concentration. 
Remind them the student must not fall.
Step 8: Stack 2-3 theater blocks on each other horizontally. Have the students 
stand in two lines facing each other in front of the blocks. Ask for one 
volunteer This person will be the first one to fall. Have the students in the 
lines, facing each other, use both hands to grab onto the arms of the person 
opposite them. Explain what they are doing, and the importance of not letting 
anyone fall. The person falling will alert those standing below when they are 
about to fall. This person will then cross their arms over their chest and fall 
backwards off of the blocks to be caught by the students in the two lines. This 
will continue until every student has had a turn. It is important to continually 
emphasize safety.
Step 9: Ask students how they felt, and the discuss importance of class unity 
and trust. Emphasize the need for teamwork, and the trust required to work 
together as a strong team.



Voice
Lesson #2
Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to use good 
articulation, projection, and vocal variety by performing a short monologue for 
the class.
Hook: Begin class by telling the students (short story-with poor vocal quality. 
Some examples might be mumbling, speaking with tension in the throat, 
periodically raising and lowering your throat, and whatever else you can think 
of. The point is to not be understood.
Materials: a list of tongue twisters (attached)
Step 1: Ask the students if any of them can give the basic story line of the 
story you just told. Ask the students why or why not? Discuss the importance of 
proper articulation and use of the diaphragm. 
Step 2: Have the students get in a circle to play a game with the teacher will 
start by choosing an exercise for everyone to do. At anytime, he/she can point 
to a class member. The class member pointed to must come up with an exercise 
(any exercise) for everyone to do. This student will then point to another 
student, and the process is repeated.
Step 3: Discuss how warm-ups and relaxation of the body affect good vocal 
production.
Step 4: Give each of the students a list of tongue twisters. Give the students a 
few minutes to read over these.
Step 5: Ask for volunteers. Have each volunteer stand in front of the class and 
read a tongue twister they have selected 3 times. The first time, have the 
student read it at normal speed. The second time, as fast as they can. The third 
time, very slowly.
Step 6: Discuss the differences in clarity between the three ways of reading the 
tongue twister with the class. Why is clarity and articulation important for 
actors?
Step 7: Ask the students for some different vocal variations (ex. high-pitched 
voice, whisper) and list them on the board.
Step 8: Have the students each choose two vocal variations. Give them each a 
very short monologue. Give them the assignment of incorporating the two 
variations into the monologue and perform it for the class focusing on good 
articulation and projection.
Step 9: Have the students perform the monologue for the class. Have the class 
evaluate whether or not these techniques were adhered to after each monologue.



Tongue Twisters
1. The brown cow found a round town in the south country.
2. The trustees decreed that seniors be free from fees.
3. A big black bug bit a big black bear; where's the big black bear that bit the 
big black bug
bit?
4. Martin's mournful music marred many memorable minutes.

5. Noisy new knats know nothing about naughty knaves.
6. She shuddered and shook at the sight of sheared sheep.
7. Peter Prangle, the prickly prangly pearpicker, picked three thousand packs of 
prickly prangly pears.
8. Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently.
9. A skunk sat on a stump. The stump thunk the skunk stunk, And the skunk thank 
the stump stunk. Which stunk?
10. A blue trip slip for an eight cent fare. A buff trip slip for a six-cent 
fare. A pink trip slip for a three-cent fare.
11. He asks that the least casks and flasks be first thwacked, next burst, then 
mixed and heaped around despite all risks and at last swept into the best fixed 
chests.
12. Sixteen students sat and simmered at the discourse of the social disease.
13. See the pretty rubber buggy- bumpers.
14. Amos Ames, the amiable aeronaut, sided in an aerial enterprise at the age of 
eighty- eight.
15. The vicious villain was a victim of vindictive men.



Character Background


Lesson #3
Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to create 
character backgrounds by creating a short, written biography, and a collage 
about the character they play in their scene and presenting it.
Materials: several magazines, tape, glue, scissors, slips of paper and sheets of 
paper.
Hook: Show scene from Singin' in the Rain when Gene Kelly is explaining his 
career.
Step 1: Discuss with the class what they learned about the character. Write 
these things on the board.
Step 2: Ask the students what they think would be some important background 
information to learn about a character. Give each student 2 slips of paper and 
have them drop them in a hats. The teacher will include a few of his/her own. 
Draw these out and write them on the board.
Step 3: Establish a list of essential character information from this list that 
is agreed upon.
Step 4: Have the students study their scenes for this character information.
Step 5: Have the students write a short character biography including the 
character information. Allow about 15 minutes, more or less time can be allowed 
according to need of class.

Step 6: Have the students use the information from the biography to create a 
collage with things they feel represent the character background information.
Step 7: Have the students present their biography and collage for the class. 
Have them explain the choices for their collage, and ask the questions about it.

Step 8: Explain that character backgrounds are vital for an actor. They must 
understand the character to play the character appropriately.



Emotion<
BR> 
Lesson #4
Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to use 
emotion in appropriate places in their previously selected scene.
Materials Needed: small pieces of paper
Hook: Show video clips that show 5 different emotions--happy, sad, frustration, 
fear, anger.
Step 1: Have students write 3 different emotions on a piece of paper and drop it 
into a bag.

ŅEach student will introduce themselves by saying their name, and where they 
were born in the emotion they will choose from the bag
Step 2: The class will try to guess which emotion was portrayed after each 
student finishes.

Step 3: The class will be divided into small groups of 3 students. The teacher 
will provide each group a copy of the same short monologue. The group will elect 
one performer, and the other 2 will coach. The students will examine the text 
and decide which emotions it contains.
Step 4: The groups will perform for the class.
Step 5: The students will be asked after each of the performances what emotions 
were used. Ask the students if the emotions chosen were congruent with the text.
Step 6: Have the students examine their scenes, and determine appropriate 
emotions for their piece. Offer to help them if they have any questions or need 
any help. Provide adequate time to do this.
Step 7: Have the students begin to perform their scenes for the class. Note 
their improvement and reinforce the importance of using emotion.



Listening


Lesson #5

Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to 
communicate on stage by participating in a listening game and performing their 
scene.
Materials: two blindfolds, a rolled newspaper taped together.
Hook: Have a volunteer class member walk out of the room to a specific 
destination the teacher has decided upon. Give the student some time, then have 
another student call for him from the classroom.
Step 1: Discuss with the class why the student wasn't heard. Discuss with them 
how important it is to communicate on stage--without it, you might as well be 
speaking to nobody at all. 
Step 2: Have the class get into a circle to play the game "The hunter, and the 
hunted./Ask for two students to begin the game. They will both put on blindfolds 
and stand in the middle of the circle/ When the teacher tells them to begin, 
they will spin around until the teacher tells them to stops While they are 
spinning around, a student will take a rolled newspaper and hide it somewhere in 
the circle. The objective of the two in the circle is to find it hits/When 
someone does, they must hit the floor with it a few times/This tells the other 
student he is the hunted. He must avoid being hit with the paper baton by the 
other student (the hunter). As soon as the hunter reaches his objective of 
touching the hunted with the baton the game is over. The two take off their 
blindfolds and give them to two other class members./The process is repeated 
until the students have had a chance to participate.

Step 3: Discuss the skills needed for this game. Direct the discussion towards 
the skill of listening and why it is important in their scenes.
Step 4: Have the students perform their scenes. After each student delivers a 
line, have the person the line is being delivered to repeat the line back and 
give an unscripted response to it.



Tactics


Lesson #6
Educational Objective: To get the students to use 3 tactics to reach their 
objective in their scene.
Materials: slips of paper
Hook: Show 3 different video clips where an actor is using different methods to 
get something he is desperately in need of from another characters.
Step 1: Show the video. After each clip, discuss what the characters are trying 
to get from each other, and how he is attempting to get it.

Step 2: Have the students write down on slips of paper different tactics or 
actions that can be played to get something they want (adjectives involving 
action). Put the slips of paper into a bowl. Then draw them out randomly and 
write them on the board.
Step 3: Have the students get together with their scene partners. Have them read 
through their script. Each student must decide what their objective is, and tell 
the teacher as he comes around and asks each member of the students. If the 
objective needs to be heightened or is completely out of place, the teacher may 
make casual suggestions.
Step 4: Each student will write down 3 tactics they can do to reach their 
objective.
Step 5: Give the students time to rehearse or discuss in their groups what they 
plan to do in their scene to reach their objective.
Step 6: Have the students perform their scenes. Stop after each one and discuss 
how well the objectives of the characters were reached. What were their 
objectives? What are some of the tactics played? How clear were they presented? 
Have the class evaluate whether or not tactics were used effectively.



Movement


Lesson #7
Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to understand 
how costumes can affect stage movement in a previously assigned scene.
Materials: various clothing articles in a bag
Hook: Give each student in the class at least one new article of clothing.
Step 1: Give the students different activities to do in their new clothes such 
as running, walking fast, walking around the classroom in circles, and even 
casual interaction in the classroom. Ask them how their scene character would 
walk in this clothing, and have them walk that way. 

Step 2: Have the students get together with their scene partners. Give them time 
to rehearse with their new costumes to adjust to the "new feeling." The teacher 
will walk around and observe. 
Step 3: Have each group perform.

Step 4: After each group, ask the students in what ways the costume affected 
their performance. Ask the students how the costumes helped them in their 
performance. Discuss how costumes allow you to better internalize your 
character.



Stage Business


Lesson #8
Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to do 
appropriate stage business by adding props to their scene.
Materials: tape, paper, enough props for each person in the class
Hook: Have a table with props, and have the students gather around the table to 
examine them. While they are looking at them, explain that real people use props 
in their everyday lives. On the stage it is important to use them well, because 
it brings life to theater. It is important to learn to do various tasks while 
delivering lines on the stage.
Step 1: Place several pieces of paper on a chair in the center of the room. Have 
the students take paper from the chair, rip it up into small pieces, and scatter 
it all over the floor of the room. While the students are doing this, place a 
roll of masking tape on a chair at each end of the room.

Step 2: Have the students get together with their scene partners. Call each 
group up one at a time to play a game while the other students observe what is 
happening. Those playing will be given the challenge of reciting their lines 
while they gather as many pieces of paper from the floor they can, and try to 
tape them to the actor they are saying the line to, after finishing their line. 
They may chase the partner if need be, but there must always be a continuity in 
dialogue--no extra pauses. The teacher will determine if they have taken too 
much time to reach their partner with the paper and tape. This is designed to 
teach them to concentrate on a task they are given, and
focus on what is happening on stage. Explain that using props helps provide a 
task that brings life to the stage.
Step 3: The teacher will tell the students to come back over to the prop table. 
Instruct the students to take a prop that they feel can be incorporated into 
their scene.
Step 4: Have the students look over their script and determine an appropriate 
place to use their props, and how to use it.
Step 5: Have the students perform their scenes using the new props. Discuss how 
using the props helped internalize their characters and added to the reality and 
believability of the scene.
Step 6: Give the students the assignment of adding props to their scene. They 
should use them from now on in their scenes.



Working the Scene


Lesson #9
Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to improve 
their final scenes by rehearsing and having the teacher coach them in problem 
areas.
Hook: Ask the students if any of them need help with their scenes, and take note 
of the students who say they do. Lead them through the warm-up exercise game to 
relax and prepare.
Step 1: Have the students get with their scene partners, and assign each group 
an area to rehearse. The students should be rehearsing with there costumes and 
props to prepare for their final scene.
Step 2: Have the students rehearse their scenes. The teacher will come around 
and help those who asked for help, and then observe the other groups. The 
teacher should watch for adherence to the techniques taught in class, and coach 
the groups where necessary. *It may be a good idea to ask the students where 
they are having problems--the students may know where the problems exist or how 
things can be improved, but aren't sure how to do it, or even afraid to ask.



Final Scene Presentations


Lesson #10
Educational Objective: The students will demonstrate their ability to present a 
scene using good vocal technique, listening skills, appropriate emotion, playing 
tactics, good movement, and stage business.
Materials: performance evaluation forms
Hook: Have all of the students get into a huddle. The teacher will play the part 
of the coach and commend them on their hard work, and assure them they will do 
well in their scenes. Remind them to remember the different techniques they have 
learned about.
Step 1: Have the students do their final scene presentations. While the students 
are performing, the teacher will fill out an evaluation form for each student. 
(see form below)



Final Scene Evaluation 
Form
Voice
Listening
Appropriate emotion
Clarity of tactics
Movement
Stage Business (good and appropriate use of props)
Total