Actor Resources – Character Analysis
Enjoy this Character Analysis Worksheet designed for Kids Grades 4-6 In my experience directing as many as 111 young actors, I have learned that it is nearly impossible for one adult (and even two adults) to keep every student fully engaged 100% of the time. I often found myself having to come up with relevant …
Continue Reading »Classroom Resources
Play recommendation: “Down and Out” by John Patrick Shanley Length 10 min or less Characters 3-5 Age recommendation 9+ “Down and Out” is a short one act by John Patrick Shanley. His play, which is three pages long in my script from Dramatists Play Service, Inc., is part of a compilation by Shanley called “Welcome …
Continue Reading »Parenting Your Creative Child Within
I’m a parent, a business owner and a wife. That’s how I would characterize myself if I was pressed to identify who I am in relation to that which places demands on me every day. But occasionally I’m also a singer, director, actor, theater teacher, dancer, party planner and, if I really thought about it, …
Continue Reading »And GO!
5 reasons theater games are valuable to an actor’s training. I had a friend in college, a fellow theater major, who was a strong actor but a weak memorizer. I don’t say that to be rude — he is a good person and a friend. He was entirely aware of his Achilles heal and would …
Continue Reading »8 household items
Summer is here! School obligations have ended or have at least tapered off and, no matter where you live or how old your kids are, there will inevitably be rainy days or even late summer days when your kids (and even their neighborhood friends) will lie around your house complaining about how bored they are. …
Continue Reading »Upstage/Downstage
Upstage/Downstage: Why? One of the first lessons that I teach young performers is how to take direction and move across stage. When I say young performers, I am typically referring to elementary school students. However, anyone who is new to the rehearsal process, regardless of age, needs to be able to recognize basic theatrical lingo …
Continue Reading »Ten Playwrights
Ten Playwrights Every Theater Person Should Know If you are a high school student who has aspirations of obtaining a degree in theater or if you are an adult who finds him or herself newly and unwittingly drawn to theatrical pursuits, I urge you to get acquainted with the following ten playwrights. Theater, like fine …
Continue Reading »Great Playwrights on Acting Vol. 1
Shakespeare The following noteworthy speech is from “Hamlet.” In it, Hamlet provides acting instruction to a troop of performers who have agreed to present a play that is intended to expose Hamlet’s step-father as a murderer. Despite the intense given circumstances, this speech offers excellent advice to all actors. Through the character of Hamlet, Shakespeare …
Continue Reading »Miss Valerie’s Cure for the Monday Blues
The Monday Blues is a very real part of life in the theater whether you just appeared in your elementary school production of Cinderella or just completed a tour of Wicked. Monday Blues refers to the Monday that immediately follows the final performance (or “closing weekend”) of a show’s run. Mondays are typically “dark” days …
Continue Reading »Directing or Micromanaging? Part I
Introduction A theater director’s job, at the very minimum, is to manage every aspect of a theatrical production. A director should be willing to and capable of collaborating with everyone participating in the project including designers, actors, engineers and stage managers. A director spends a lot of time in production meetings and even more time …
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