Cheifetz, Dan.
Theater in My Head
. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1971.
This is an excellent narrative of one teacher’s experience in directing and setting up a drama workshop.
Fluegelman, Andrew, Ed.
More New Games!
Garden City, NY: Dolphin Books, 1976.
This is the first of two books dealing with non-competitive group games. The games though not meant to be artistic often are. The games are very creative and fun to play. They can easily become part of a drama workshop.
Fluegelman, Andrew, Ed.
The New Games Book.
Garden City NY: Dolphin Books, 1981.
The follow-up book to
The New Games Book
. These games can often be used in drama activities as well.
Grenough, Millie, Esdaile, Sharyn, Wolf, Mary Hunter, eds.
Bananas and Fifty-Four Other Varieties: A Book of Activities to do with Kids.
West Haven, CT: Fairfax Press, 1980.
I was one of the authors of this book which was created by the team of artists who taught in the Title VII Arts Program. This Program brought children together from schools all over the New Haven to work with the arts in an interdisciplinary manner. The games and activities described here are excellent for use in the classroom. Copies of the book may be obtained by contacting Keith Cunningham of the Center for Theatre Techniques, c/o the Coop H.S., Dixwell Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511.
McCaslin, Nellie
. Act Now! Plays and Ways to Make Them
. New York, NY: S.G. Phillips, Inc., 1975.
Nellie McCaslin is a major influence in the world of children’s theater. This is an excellent book that can be used by both a teacher and her students. Ms. McCaslin explains in a step-by-step manner how to put on a classroom play.
McCaslin, Nellie.
Creative Drama in the Intermediate Grades
. New York, NY: Longman, Inc., 1987.
Ms McCaslin has also written a similar book for the lower elementary grades. This book looks at all the drama activities a teacher might choose to do with children in grades 4, 5 and 6. Storytelling, puppetry, playmaking, poetry, and mime are all explored in this text. I think that this is the one book to purchase if you are thinking of using drama techniques in the classroom.
Spolin, Viola.
Improvisation for the Theater: A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques
. Evanston, Il: Northwestern University Press, 1963.
Viola Spolin invented the theater game and this is the first book in which she shared her techniques. It is a classic.
Spolin, Viola.
Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher’s
Handbook.
Evanston, Il: Northwestern University Press, 1986. In this book Viola Spolin shares her games with teachers giving excellent objectives and sharing her philosophies regarding the uses and importance of theater in the classroom. This is another “must have” book.
Spolin, Viola.
Theater Games for Rehearsal: A Director’s Handbook
. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1985. Here Ms. Spolin selects those theater games she feels will most help the theater director. This book can be very useful in the blocking and staging of a play.
Ward, Winifred.
Stories to Dramatize.
Anchorage, KY: The Children’s Theatre Press, 1952.
I am afraid this excellent book is out of print, but it is worth a library search. Winifred Ward is the mother of the children’s theater movement in the United States. This book shares not only her timeless philosophies, but all of her practical ideas for staging the wonderful stories included in this book.
Way, Brian.
Development Through Drama
. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press, 1967.
Brian Way is one of the major forces in the English creative drama movement. This is an excellent source book.
