Pamela M. Price
This unit discusses the teaching of drama from a physical rather than a literary perspective. Included is an analysis of the need to engage students in a process that involves their personal feelings and reactions. It is especially concerned with parent/child relationships; here is the common thread in the experiences of our students and in the plays we may select to teach. Specifically, the unit covers various ways to introduce and develop activities that are based on dramatic technique: warm ups, role playing, theater games, improvisation, and cutting. Cuttings are actual scenes or distillations of scenes from well-known plays. The activities and exercises are in a sequence that could take two to four weeks; they may also be used as individual mini-projects throughout the school year. The overall objective is to create a bond between what a student thinks and feels, what and how he moves, and what he can gain from his/her involvement with drama.
(Recommended for 10th through 12th Basic English, College English, and Honors English.)
Key Words
Improvisation Basic Performance Drama Play Production Parent vs. Child Theme Literature
