The Drama Teacher

Innovative Tips For Teaching Drama

2008-08-23T15:59:00.003+10:00

The following is a guest post from American educator Heather Johnson, offering some great advice for Drama teachers. Heather's details are located at the bottom of the post.

If you’re a drama teacher then you have a strong passion for the stage and teaching your students an appreciation for the arts. Some students may not take our classes as seriously as they do a math or a science class but once they get into the semester they’re sure to enjoy drama class more than any other subject area. The key for us as teachers of drama is to make sure that our students get excited about our subject matter and for us to erase the stigma that drama is a “joke” class. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you get geared up for another school year:

Start each class with a warm-up. In order to get your students focused for the day’s class it’s a good idea to start with a warm-up. If you have a more rambunctious class then start with something that requires them to follow instructions. Pick something that correlates with the day’s subject matter as well. This will help get the kids focused on the task at hand.
Set clear rules. Some students have trouble taking serious subjects seriously. What we mean here is that many students will act irresponsible if a touchy subject is being analyzed. If you’re introducing a play that has mature themes then it’s always a good idea to discuss with your class how we handle such subjects before introducing the play.
Treat the subject matter with seriousness. Students will sometimes think that drama class is “play time.” This happens even with older students. It’s imperative that kids don’t simply blow off your class. Remind them that school rules and policies are in effect in your classroom and that they’re being graded. When students are reminded of this last fact they are usually quick to get back on task.
Maintain a scene’s integrity. If you’re teaching a lesson where the students are improvising it’s important that you foster their creativity while maintaining the integrity of the class. Improvisation is a great way to get the creative juices flowing but you need to instill the mindset in your students that this isn’t a game but a serious activity.
Stick to your lesson plan. When you create your lesson plan for the day it’s important that you clearly identify the academic objectives you intend to reach that day. Make sure that you’re not eliminating the fun from drama. While you need to keep students on task be sure to keep in mind that you’re not teaching chemistry and it’s perfectly okay to have a great time in drama class!

This article is contributed by Heather Johnson, who regularly writes on How to become a teacher. She invites your questions and writing job opportunities at her personal email address: heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

Solo Performance Tip #6: Risk Taking

2008-08-22T11:41:00.002+10:00

Tip # 6: Risk Taking

Just how important is it to take risks in the development of a solo performance exam?

Very important!

There are so many things for us to remember in the middle of each member of our senior Drama class producing a 7 minute solo performance exam. From costumes to symbols, from props to performance styles, it is easy to just focus on producing the quantity of work required.

But what about the quality of work being produced in our classrooms? By its very nature, the term 'risk taking' implies danger and caution. At face value, risk taking seems to be something our students should avoid, surely? Wrong!

Risk taking is an essential part of all performance-making and the Year 12 Drama solo performance exam is no different. I always say to my students, if you are not prepared to take risks in the development of your performance, then I can write you you're C+ grade the examiners will award you, right here and now in class. They soon get the picture.

Even the most confident of our students must be outside their comfort zone many times during the development of the solo performance task. Just like an actor should never feel 100% comfortable going out on stage before an audience, the high school Drama student also needs to feel that nervous energy of discomfort, only on this occasion I am specifically referring to rehearsals, not performance.

I do not mean a student who is outside their comfort zone because the task is daunting or too challenging for them. Nor do I mean taking silly risks like ignoring a section of the prescribed exam structure. I mean risk taking that pushes them beyond their normal limits and into new territory. This may be acting in a way they have never explored before, using a prop or gesture in a symbolic manner for the first time, discovering something for their plot that may place them ahead of their competition (other students doing the same exam character), exploring accent or structuring their blocking in the space in a new way.

One of the beauties of Drama teaching lies in the fact that the subject of enquiry is a human being, not a number. When each of our students at any given time is at a different place with their skill levels, taking risks becomes a highly individualised process. A particular risk for one student, may be inappropriate for another. So, as teachers, we cannot always expect one example of risk taking to work for everyone.

To offer a personal example, several members of my current Year 12 Drama class have sky rocketed from receiving C's in Year 11 Drama exactly 12 months ago, to now receiving the equivalent of A's and A+'s today in Year 12 Drama. There are a number of factors why this is occurring, ranging from sheer hard work to discipline and maturity. But without a doubt, risk taking is a major ingredient. These students are prepared to take risks in the development of their performance making and as a result, reap the rewards.

It is crucial that as teachers we both encourage and monitor risk taking in our Drama classroom. There needs to be a boundary line in which risk taking is agreed to be acceptable. A confident student may find it easy to take risks that are simply too dangerous. An example may be the fine line between spoon feeding the examiners your symbol in a performance (making it so clear to them it is too obvious and loses its value) and wishing to take risks by making this symbol sophisticated and possibly complex (so much so the examiners have difficulty detecting and/or understanding it).

The bottom line is that good judgement by the Drama teacher needs to determine whether a particular risk in a solo performance is worthwhile and acceptable? Why? Because its little bit like going to the local casino with this week's pay cheque. You want your risks to pay dividends, so you may have a strategic plan in advance, or simply play the game with the greatest odds of winning. While it may prove better for your wallet to go straight to the blackjack table than the slot machines, similarly, a bit of experience will come into play when advising your Drama students on what is an acceptable risk to include in their performance when developing it, and what is not.

Also, one thing that has become very clear to me is that no matter how many years you've been teaching, you never stop learning. Each year when student exam grades are released, I sit down and analyse where I believe my students succeeded, or otherwise, in their solo performance exam. Sometimes I have to make educated guesses, but the end result is that my notion of an 'acceptable risk' in a solo performance exam is constantly being refined and perfected, so that each new year, I have a slightly different perspective on risk taking for my new group of senior students.

Pushing our Drama students to take risks in the development of the Year 12 solo performance exam, or any other performance task for that matter, nearly always pays off in favour of the student. When we no longer accept mediocrity in our Drama classrooms, risk taking will become a natural part of our everyday play-making processes.

Coming Up
Tip #7: Goal Setting

Altar Boyz Review

2008-08-12T10:50:00.018+10:00

How can you possibly not like a show whose characters are Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham ("he's Jewish")? Altar Boyz gyrated into action last night at Melbourne's Athenaeum Theatre to thunderous applause.

I saw the show in New York in March this year with its American cast and listened to co-conceiver and producer Ken Davenport discuss how one small idea blossomed into a huge success. You don't have to be Einstein to realise why this show has been running on Off Broadway for nearly four years now and was winner of the 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off Broadway Musical. It's a high-octane, all singing, all dancing musical feast that never slows down.

Altar Boyz is a spoof on the boy band concept and the plot is the guys' final show of their 'Raise The Praise Tour'. As you might have guessed already, these boys aren't just any band, they're a Christian boy band. The dialogue and lyrics are so cleverly penned, the show never borders on being offensive, because everyone is so clean and innocent. Somehow, Altar Boyz successfully celebrates religion and yet makes light ridicule of it at the same time.

Half way through the show, the 'Altar Boyz' hear audience confessions. My confession is that I was once a Catholic altar boy myself, back in the school days. If you were raised Catholic, you simply can't miss this show; there's way too many wise cracks and laughs to be had. If you're religious of any flavour, this show is still one big hoot for everyone.

Melbourne audiences will love lines like "Who needs the V-C-E when we've got the B-I-B-L-E". Teenage girls should enjoy the bonus of five cute guys dancing on stage for 90 minutes. Young men interested in the arts should be inspired by what these five guys can do. While mums and dads will laugh till it hurts.

Of course, your appreciation of the show will be enhanced by a familiarity with boy bands. Sure enough, unless you've been under a rock for the past decade or two, you won't have escaped it. Altar Boyz satirises the clichéd moves of every boy band you can think of. It pays homage to the formulaic dance moves of New Kids On The Block, the gospel jives of Sister Act and The Blues Brothers, and the beautiful harmonies of Boyz II Men. Even the raunchy Latin sensation Ricky Martin is sent up to hilarious effect in Juan's song La Vida Eternal.

The triple threat in musical theatre of acting, singing and dancing probably requires the singing to be paramount in Altar Boyz. This production, however, has dancing as its strongest element. The choreography is stunning. You will be blown away by the synchronisation of many dance moves involving the five characters. The precision of the choreography is fantastic, keeping in mind it's all the more enjoyable because it's taking the mickey out of the staple diet of boy bands in the process (I lost count of the crotch-grabbing after about twenty minutes).

The singing is impressive, considering the cast is moving at a fast pace through most of the numbers. There's a good mix of songs in Altar Boyz, from high energy dance numbers to beautiful ballads, with Cameron MacDonald's voice (Matthew), a highlight. Occasionally, however, it is difficult to understand the lyrics in the louder numbers behind a combination of accent and production values, with a slick on-stage band powering the Boyz mostly synth-pop concert on stage.

All the characters are individual stereotypes in Altar Boyz. Latino Juan flirts with pretty girls in the audience. Still-in-the-closet Mark is constantly caring for everyone on and off the stage. Not-too-smart Luke hip-hops his way through the show. Matthew is the pretty boy out front and rock behind the band's success. While Abraham is the not so typical Jewish-Catholic altar boy. Perhaps a bit more could be done with a couple of the characters, but the show's strong singing and dancing are most important to it's success.

The plot is relatively thin, but if it were heavy in a show like this, something would be seriously wrong. The writers of Altar Boyz have managed to weave in a few plots revealed in spoken dialogue and illustrated by the musical numbers, such as the origins of the band, Mark's battle and pride in being 'different' (he's "Catholic") and Juan's quest to find his long lost parents. With song lyrics like "Jesus called me on my iPhone / No roaming charges were incurred" and "He beeped me, he faxed me, he emailed my soul", the show even steps outside and laughs right back at itself. All part of the fun of a really good night at the theatre.

Just as Heath Ledger recently stole the show from Christian Bale in the film Batman The Dark Knight, so too does Dion Bilios in Altar Boyz. His over-the-top interpretation of a gay Mark is a show-stealer, but thankfully not detracting from MacDonald's main character Matthew. Bilios' comic timing, use of hand gestures and hilarious facial expressions are worth the ticket price, alone. You will be laughing long and hard at Bilios' attention to detail in every move.

In the vein of stage musicals' Mamma Mia and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Alter Boyz is a feel-good show that will have you boppin' in your seat and singing along to the songs for days to come. Production company Ovations Live have a winner on their hands with this holiest of hits.

You should be S-T-RUGGLIN' not to buy a ticket!

Altar Boyz is currently playing at the Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins St, Melbourne. Ph (03) 9650 1500. Bookings through Ticketmaster Australia. More information on the show can be found at the Altar Boyz Australia website.

Solo Performance Tip #5: Artistic Discipline

2008-08-09T23:20:00.007+10:00

Tip #5: Artistic Discipline

Artistic discipline in Drama is a necessary part of our profession. It is also something students respect, not loathe.

Using myself as an example, I goof around with my Drama students as much as any Drama teacher does. The child in me simply never went away when I became an adult (notice how I carefully avoided the word 'matured'!).

It is not uncommon for my students to tell me to get lost in the classroom, so that they can complete the work I set them! Occasionally I get bored and have to annoy my own students. It's not my fault!? :)

Having said all that, one thing that is very clear to my students, especially the senior ones, is that I demand a high level of artistic discipline. I set high standards, become stubborn and refuse to give in when students go slack and haven't prepared performance pieces on the due date, insist on outside class rehearsals (with plenty of advance notice) for tasks that simply can't be completed in class time alone, and more.

It is a culture, that's all. You can't create a culture or change an existing one overnight, but with a little patience and a bit of hard work, any Drama teacher can set the right culture and level of discipline expected in their classroom. Most importantly, you have to be yourself. My students see me for who I really am. They know they can choose another subject at school if they don't like what they see in me.

The solo performance in Year 12 Drama is a tough task, indeed. I recently said to a group of current Year 12 students at a professional learning day 'never underestimate the beast'. For many students, this task is the toughest they will do in all of their Year 12 subjects. Those students who don't have the right level of discipline, struggle to say the least. Many produce sub-standard work, while others freak out and don't turn up on exam day, disappointing both themselves and their teacher in the process.

I don't have to preach the specifics of discipline in the Drama classroom here. Every Drama teacher is different and sets their own standards. My only advice would be:

don't be afraid to push your students hard; they'll respect you for it
don't accept work from your students that is clearly under par
be consistent in your approach so no one thinks you have 'favourites' in the classroom
don't be too hard, remembering your students are teenagers with busy lives, after all
never forget that fun has to be an integral part of all drama work, no matter how hard it is
praise, praise, praise your students for their efforts - you can never give too much praise
be genuine in everything you do

I firmly believe artistic discipline in the Drama classroom is one of the golden keys to success and the incredibly demanding solo performance exam task in Year 12 Drama should ask for no less.

Coming Up
Tip #6: Risk Taking

Solo Performance Tip #4: From The Page To The Stage

2008-07-31T13:23:00.016+10:00

Tip #4: From The Page To The Stage

Now this is a tough one.

As Drama teachers, we've all been there ... most of us every single year ... where one or more students in our Year 12 class doesn't want to get up and prac the solo performance in your lesson.

All of a sudden the student who yesterday couldn't lift a pen to do some writing, is now the most prolific of researchers! The fear of practising the solo in class is a dreaded one, indeed.

I cannot stress enough the importance of adhering to an agreed timeline for this major task in Drama. In order to do this, students simply must get up and prac the solo on your timeline, not theirs.

As educators, we often feel mean forcing a student to rehearse in class when they don't 'appear' or 'feel' ready, but if we don't place this little bit of pressure on them, we are ultimately doing our students a disservice and causing ourselves to have migraines closer to show time when students aren't fully prepared for exam day.

The toughest part is at the beginning of the play-making process, when students fear the very first time they have to prepare the solo in class time. They're usually much happier developing their performance at home.

Here's what I've had in my class over the years (recognise them?):

students burying their heads in paperwork, instead of rehearsing
students quietly 'miming' their spoken performance
students whispering their solo to that bit of air directly in front of their lips
students whispering their solo to a wall or a corner of the classroom
students refusing to prac their work in class
students offering every excuse known to humankind for why they're 'not ready to prac yet'

But, I've also been fortunate to have this, too:

students so keen to rehearse we run out of space in the classroom for everyone
every member of the class simultaneously rehearsing their solo at performance volume
students wanting to stay and rehearse their solos after school, before school, lunchtimes...

I tell ya, the day (or days) when your entire class is rehearsing the solos, in character with props and costume at full volume and all at the same time, is a moment you won't forget for a while. As teachers, we work so hard to see magic moments like this, it's like a reward we truly deserved to have. I know in theory, all Drama classes should be exactly as you plan them in your head, but we all know that the reality is often a different story, no matter how good a teacher we are.

I'd suggest allowing students to 'get into character' early on, before formal rehearsals in class. This will both help them feel confident to rehearse in the company of others, but also assist with their role. We've probably all seen a student perform or rehearse part of their solo that, technically speaking is very strong, but for one small problem .... the complete absence of 'character'!

Any number of character exercises will prove useful. Evens simple stuff like sitting, standing and walking as their character, meeting other characters in the room etc will help.

Students also need to understand their character's setting early in the process. Sometimes they forget their location at a particular moment in the solo. They need to be able to identify setting and time at any point in the solo, when developing the piece. I often quiz my students at random about these things as I make my way around the room.

Whatever you do, don't leave your students to their own devices for several weeks and then expect them to produce five minutes of their solo performance for the rest of the class all at once. If it happens, it almost certainly won't be quality work. This will prove too difficult for most students, if you're after anything above a C, that is.

I ask my students, normally after two or three weeks of solid research, to start showing snippets of their solo to the rest of the class. As I write this post, I am at the end of Week 3 in this very task and tomorrow every member of the Year 12 Drama class will perform for the first time.

I'm only asking for a minute or so of material. Most will perform their 'stem' (the introductory sentence above the dot points), but some will choose to show part of the plot (dot points) instead. We're very open about this in class. We talk freely about how this will not allow anyone to procrastinate or delay the process, enable us all to be on the same timeline as a class and most importantly, not allow anyone to slack off.

I'm a big believer in teaching my Drama students something I lacked in every high school subject myself (except Drama, that is) ... responsibility. After having performed an ensemble performance for 20% of their year's mark in Unit 3 last semester, here's hoping our students have a good sense of the importance of collective responsibility. Those who let other group members down in ensemble rehearsals, or others who were rewarded with hard work, should now be able to transfer this knowledge and skills to the process of developing a solo performance in Unit 4.

On the whole, the responsibility required by our students now shifts to being a personal one. But I politely remind my students that their first responsibility lies with themself (because ultimately they will let themself down if they don't produce the work), secondly their classmates (because an agreed class timeline for the project is futile if several members of the class refuse to abide by it) and finally I'm happy to come in third place as resonsibility to their teacher for the task.

From now on, every Friday is showtime! I'd recommend you do something similar. Once a week at a set time, every member of the Drama class performs bits of their solo before the rest of the class. Obviously, this eats into rehearsal class rehearsal time, especially if you have a large number of students to perform each week. As the early weeks pass by, it can be

only new parts of the solo developed in the intervening days since the last showing
tricky bits the student needs feedback on from the class
bridges between two sections that the student wishes to join for the first time
or the whole solo developed at any given time

This process works wonders. Students now understand they need to be responsible to themselves and others, they have a renewed sense of confidence and tackle the enormity of the solo task in bite-sized chunks, instead of all at once ... a daunting prospect for any Drama student.

If you can get your students to rehearse on their own in class without being distracted, you're doing well. If you can get each of them to rehearse at performance volume, even better! If this seems impossible, try buddy-ing students up in pairs for the development of the solo task.

However, avoid pairing friends together, students who will simply fool around if placed together and pairs doing the same exam character structure (or they'll look too similar!). Paired working relationships often end up being largely individual work anyway, but the process doesn't seem as 'lonely' as completely individual work.

Here, there's always a buddy to show a developing performance to, so it can be very advantageous. Sometimes in your class, you'll get these unplanned magic moments where suddenly the whole class stops working to see a student perform his/her piece in development, originally intended only for a single classmate, but the power of performance took hold of everyone.

I have three 80-minute lessons each week. For two of these, I go around to each student and conference with them about questions they may have etc, maybe see tiny snippets of their solo, offer advice etc. As I see individual students one at a time, the rest of the class is rehearsing. Many people ask me if it it worth devoting one-third of my students' class time each week to seeing student performances? The answer is definitely yes!

But, often students need to make up for this time. There will never be enough class time alone to develop the solo performance task, anyway. Let your students know this from the outset. Homework between lessons is very important in this task and this can make up for a perceived loss of time in showing developing solos in class each week. Sure, its a challenging and difficult task, but its also a hell of a lot of fun. Homework doesn't get much better than this, surely?

Coming Up
Tip #5: Artistic Discipline

Solo Performance Tip #3: The Script

2008-07-30T11:38:00.009+10:00

Tip #3: The Script

A good script in a solo performance exam equals a good performance. It's that simple.

The script forms the backbone to a student's performance and is an essential and very important part of the task. In the VCE Drama solo performance exam, writing a script was always implied. Since the revised version of the task was published in 2007, the writing of a script is now compulsory.

There are always students in Drama classes who feel more comfortable improvising the development of aspects of their solo performance. There is still room for ample use of improvisation in the play-making process, but a formal script must always be written.

Teaching students the basic conventions of scriptwriting may prove worthwhile early in the task, if not already known. Because Unit 4 Drama now includes the addition of the short solo performance at the start of the course, it is assumed that students who submitted a written script as part of this SAC will already know how to include stage directions and properly format a script for their solo performance exam development.

We should not forget that scriptwriting is a play-making technique in itself, and among other things, students now have the opportunity to reflect upon the script in their written analysis of the solo performance at the end of Unit 4 Drama.

Each student is different. Over the years I have found weaker students in particular, or those not very familiar with Drama, use their script in the solo performance task as a form of security blanket. They stick to it like glue and are literally lost without it. More confident students, on the other hand, also realise the importance of the script, but are able to edit and rewrite, add and delete scenes or parts of scripted sections with relative ease.

Often students think the quality of their performance will be almost exclusively based on their performance skills. They forget that all the spoken dialogue in the performance is actually the written script. Their expressive skills (voice, movement, facial expressions, gestures) and performance skills (presence and energy) need to make sense with the script, so if their script is mediocre, so is their performance!

Finally, in my previous post Solo Performance Tip #2, I discussed how crucial effective research is in the solo performance task. Well, in such a sophisticated task as this, the quality of the script is heavily reliant on the research used to create moments in the plot, settings and the various characters.

We can therefore conclude a good solo performance is based around a high quality script, constructed from careful and extensive research.

Coming Up
Tip #4: From The Page to The Stage

Solo Performance Tip #2: Research! Research! Research!

2008-07-29T13:04:00.008+10:00

Tip #2: Research! Research! Research!

Hopefully, your students will have already done a certain degree of research in order to have chosen their character for the solo performance examination in Drama. But it is once the character choice is settled, that the real research begins!

Unfortunately, some students always think research is the boring part of the process and if they quickly skip over this stage or do the bare minimum (that was me at high school!), they'll be right. Surely the practical rehearsals developing character/s and plot are the fun bits, yeah?

As teacher, try to find a way to genuinely convince the less motivated researchers in your classroom that this, too, can be enjoyable. I'm the first to admit I have never been a natural reader. Even as an adult, I struggle to read novels with interest. I don't have the patience. But, give me a book on the theatre, and I'll read it cover to cover in record time. Why? Because a book on my favourite subject area interests me intensely.

And so it's all about ownership. If your students have chosen the character they wanted, not the one you wanted them to perform, then even the strugglers in the room should find the necessary passion to do some serious research on their character. They need to sink their teeth into it and be naturally motivated to discover all about their character possible, via careful research.

Last year a senior member of administration at my school just happened to also be the English teacher of one of my Year 12 Drama girls. Three times throughout the year her English teacher told me of the same conversation she had with this student, over and over again, about if she would just put as much time into her English work outside of class as she does for her Drama.... (you get the picture). The solo performance task involves lots of research, not just at the start, but along the way, too. It's not a labour or a burden .... its a lot of fun!

There are a couple of instant research resources available to teachers each year. Drama Victoria publishes an annual Solo Performance Resource Kit; a folder of photocopied resources from the web and printed books on each of the prescribed character structures. I also create a solo performance resource page each year on my sister site Justin's Theatre Links with dozens of web links on aspects of all the exam characters. But, be aware, if students are serious, they should treat both these resources as a good start, only. It's like using Wikipedia for your research essay. It's a good beginning, but by no means should it be the only resource used in developing the task.

Sometimes students are 'put off' aspects of the solo performance exam because parts of the prescribed structure are open to interpretation, perhaps at first glance slightly amiguous or not black and white enough. This has to be turned into a positive, because, really, it is! This is the very aspect of the solo task that, while at times frustrating, makes it such a challenge for students and teachers, alike. If the task weren't challenging, I'd be falling asleep in Drama class right now and so would my students.

But one thing remains true with this task. I'm going to prove maths has a place in the world of Drama:

A poorly researched solo = a shallow solo = an average grade

There is a direct through line between research and the plot and script of the solo performance. I always say to my students that Nicole Kidman was never going to win an Academy Award for acting in the film Bewitched a couple of years ago, simply by nature of the plot and script she had to work with. The same goes for the solo. If a student doesn't research it thoroughly, then the plot and script will be mediocre, indeed.

Coming Up
Tip #3: The Script

Solo Performance Tip #1: Choose Carefully

2008-07-28T21:40:00.011+10:00

This post is the first of several to offers tips for teachers on how to approach the Solo Performance Examination task, which is part of the Victorian Certificate of Education Drama course in Melbourne, Australia. Even if you're not a 'local' and are viewing this blog from the other side of the world, a quick look at the exam itself (link below) is a fascination view into a very challenging and highly sophisticated 7-minute performance exam.

With ten character choices published annually for the exam, students in their final year of high school studying Drama choose one to interpret and perform before three external assessors. The 'characters' are created by the exam setting panel and are drawn from real life, history, novels, paintings, films, musicals and more. Actual events in the life of the characters are often mixed with fictional events created by the panel, with jumps in time (flashbacks and flashforwards) common, creating a performance with considerable scope for individual interpretation.

Students must perform other minor characters, additional to their main character, for part of their solo performance. A plot outline is prescribed and from this, students write their own script. All performances must be non-naturalistic (anti-realistic) in style and various other theatrical conventions are also prescribed.

If you're from another part of the world, hit the exam link below and check out the details. If you're a local, read on for tips if you teach the task this year.

2008 Solo Performance Examination

Tip #1: Choose Carefully

Often an underestimated part of the process, students' choosing the most appropriate character from the ten on offer is crucial to their success in this task. I never choose characters on behalf of my students, but instead leave it up to their judgement. As their teacher, my students value my opinion, so after making an initial choice, they always ask me if I 'approve' or have any doubts or concerns (of which I am honest and frank, without being blunt).

This year, I sent all my students away on their school holidays in July to skim the surface of discovering something about each of the ten exam characters, then narrowing it down to two or three likely choices. If your students don't delve into aspects of all characters on the exam, how will they really know which is the most appropriate for them to perform? It's not just about choosing the best character for your skill strengths, it is equally about legitimately discounting inappropriate choices as well.

One of my current students recently read over a hundred pages of the novel The Northern Lights (The Golden Compass in the US), a prescribed stimulus for one of the exam character structures, only to realise it simply wasn't for her (and then off she went to another, more appropriate character choice on the exam). How else would she have known the 'world of the plot' of this solo performance character was interesting or boring for her tastes, if she didn't first do some research?

And it is your students' strengths that must play a large part of the decision making. If a student is a dancer, choosing a character who is prescribed to dance or use exaggerated movement in a performance may be appropriate. Occasionally over the years, the use of song in one or two performances is also prescribed, so good singers may be attracted to this convention. This year, I have one particular student who is naturally comedic in a left of centre sort of way, so when one of the current exam characters called for 'Pythonesque comedy', it was the most suitable choice for her without a doubt.

While it is totally acceptable for a student to choose a solo performance of the opposite gender to themselves, be wary of this. Every now and then you may have students in your class who play the opposite sex well in performances, but this performance exam accounts for 35% of a student's final grade in Drama, so if there are nine other character choices available, make sure the right decision is being made. Occasionally, I might have a girl playing a male character in a solo performance in Year 11, but in this externally assessed Year 12 exam, it is rare for this to occur. I would certainly imagine it being easier for a girl to play a male role successfully, than the reverse.

I have been more than happy with my students choosing their exam character choice themselves over the years. While this is probably common among teachers of the task, I can honestly say if I were to be hard on myself, only one student in the past seven years chose the 'wrong' character, and for this, I blame myself.

This year has been the best of all when it comes to character choices. With eleven girls in my senior class, I honestly believe every single one of them has chosen the most appropriate character for their individual strengths without a single discussion for advice with their teacher needed at all! We sat down and gave a collective smile as I wrote the student names and corresponding characters on the whiteboard, because we all knew that what I have just written was indeed the case. My students know that if their final solo performance exam grade later this year is not of the calibre they were realistically aiming for, then the choice of character was not to blame.

And yet the whole point of this post is to argue the choice of character is paramount to a student's success. So, I'll go out on a limb now and predict not one of my students will be disappointed with her grade for her solo performance exam at the end of this year. Why? Because each of them has laboured long and hard over choosing the very best character for their strengths and interests at the start of the task. I will even get all of my students to write down a predicted grade for themselves just prior to their exam and seal it away until their grades are published. I believe my students, through careful decision-making and hard work, have set themselves up to potentially achieve the best grade they are capable of in this exam ..... and your students can, too.

Coming Up
Tip #2: Research, Research, Research!

The Sounds of AUS (DVD)

2008-07-22T13:55:00.006+10:00

If you're doing work on Australian Drama with your students at any time, there's a great DVD on the Australian accent (or should I say accents) I'd like to recommend. This show was first screened on ABC Television Australia in November 2007.

The Sound of AUS is an excellent documentary about the Aussie accent, something us Australians take for granted. When overseas it is our calling card, as the Aussie accent is recognised in almost every corner of the globe. At the same time, it is regarded as one of the most difficult accents to imitate.

This DVD covers the origins of the Australian accent, the debate over whether there is one (or three) distinct Australian accents currently in place, and whether each major location in Australia has their own unique accent? People interviewed include speech pathologists, film makers, comedians, sporting personalities, well known Australian actors and everyday Aussies on the street.

Do Queenslanders speak differently to Melburnians? Do those in Adelaide pronounce their vowels differently to their friends in the eastern states? Do Tasmanians have a drawl? And what about those living in outback Australia?

This is a very educational and entertaining DVD for teachers and students (well, my students loved it!).

55 minutes, plus extras.

ABC Blurb 1
ABC Blurb 2 and Sales Info
ABC Shop Blurb and Purchasing Info
The Sounds of AUS Study Guide
DVD Cover (back and front)

Justin's Theatre Links Site Upgrade

2008-06-25T21:46:00.004+10:00

A note for those of you who use my other website Justin's Theatre Links, a fully annotated and categorised links directory to thousands of theatre-related websites from across the globe. The website has just gone through a major upgrade and until search engines such as Google crawl all the pages within the site, you may be receiving some dead pages if querying the site via a search engine. Until then, it's best to just enter the home page URL www.theatrelinks.com into your browser and navigate the rest of the site's web pages from there.

Tony Award Winners

2008-06-17T16:25:00.002+10:00

Sorry folks, I would have posted these results sooner, but I was running a senior Drama night at school last night, hence the day's delay on publishing the winners at this year's Tony Awards.

My personal triumph was seeing the fabulous August: Osage County win Best Play and Deanna Dunagan win Best Performance by a Leading Actress for her role as the matriarch in the same play. August definitely seemed the season standout for dramatic plays, capturing five Tony's on the night and its win, in my opinion, was thoroughly deserved.

Best Play
August: Osage County
Author: Tracy Letts
Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Jean Doumanian, Steve Traxler, Jerry Frankel, Ostar Productions, Jennifer Manocherian, The Weinstein Company, Debra Black/Daryl Roth, Ronald & Marc Frankel/Barbara Freitag, Rick Steiner/Staton Bell Group, The Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Best Musical
In The Heights
Producers: Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller, Jill Furman, Sander Jacobs, Goodman/Grossman, Peter Fine, Everett/Skipper

Best Book of a Musical
Passing Strange - Stew

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
In The Heights - Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Best Revival of a Play
Boeing-Boeing
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Bob Boyett, Act Productions, Matthew Byam Shaw, Robert G. Bartner, The Weinstein Company, Susan Gallin/Mary Lu Roffe, Broadway Across America, Tulchin/Jenkins/DSM, The Araca Group

Best Revival of a Musical
South Pacific
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten, Bob Boyett

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Paulo Szot, South Pacific

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Patti LuPone, Gypsy

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Jim Norton, The Seafarer

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Rondi Reed, August: Osage County

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Boyd Gaines, Gypsy

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Laura Benanti, Gypsy

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Michael Yeargan, South Pacific

Best Costume Design of a Play
Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Catherine Zuber, South Pacific

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Donald Holder, South Pacific

Best Sound Design of a Play
Mic Pool, The 39 Steps

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Scott Lehrer, South Pacific

Best Direction of a Play
Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County

Best Direction of a Musical
Bartlett Sher, South Pacific

Best Choreography
Andy Blankenbuehler, In The Heights

Best Orchestrations
Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman, In The Heights

Regional Theatre Tony Award
Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Special Tony Award
Robert Russell Bennett (1894-1981), in recognition of his historic contribution to American musical theatre in the field of orchestrations, as represented on Broadway this season by South Pacific.

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Stephen Sondheim

Theatrica New York January 2009

2008-06-15T16:00:00.004+10:00

If you're a regular reader of The Drama Teacher, you'll know I'm more than happy to promote a product or service relevant to Drama teachers or students if it is a worthwhile one.

After recently going on a trip to New York and Los Angeles with a group of my own students, I was more than impressed with every aspect of this tour, organised by Charles Slucki from Theatrica. If you visit the menu of archived posts on the right sidebar of this blog from 23/3/08 to 5/4/08, you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. It was a fabulous performing arts tour that I highly recommend for Drama teachers and their students in Melbourne, Australia.

So, in the upcoming January summer holidays, the Theatrica group is running a teachers-only tour of New York, visiting many of the Broadway shows and sights that I recently saw back in March of this year. If you'd love to visit New York and see what all those Broadway shows have to offer, but are hesitant to take the students along and make it a school tour, then this teachers-only trip is just for you!

The tour leaves Melbourne on 7th January and returns on 19th January 2009. Below is a link to Theatrica's website, where more information can be obtained and where all queries regarding the tour should be directed to. I have also posted a pdf of the tour brochure below, for your reading.

Theatrica_New_York_January_2009_Teachers_Tour_Brochure.pdf
Theatrica Website

Student Leadership & Drama Captains

2008-05-23T14:54:00.008+10:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Busy, busy, busy. Right now, student corrections beckon, so I thought I'd throw up a quick post, instead :)

In my most recent post, I talked about developing and nurturing the right culture in the Drama classroom and now I wish to blog about leadership.

When I arrived at my current school seven years ago, I inherited a bunch of student Drama captains. This is how the structure works:

Year 7 Drama Captain (Semester 2 only)
Year 8 Drama Captain (who also covers Year 7 for Semester 1)
Year 9 Drama Captain
Year 10 Drama Captain
Year 11 Drama Captain
Year 12 Drama Vice Captain
Year 12 Drama Captain

Linking with my previous post, if the culture in the school or Drama Department is right, being voted a Drama Captain (or Prefect) at your respective year level should be a prestigious and sought-after position. If it works, the system goes beyond students merely voting for the most popular student or the lead in the high school play etc., but rather for the most capable candidate.

If your school already has an established leadership system, having Drama Captains should merely be a process of adding them to the structure that already exists. But keep in mind approval for this may take several months in the school year prior.

Drama Captains should ease many of the everyday burdens for Drama teaching staff, particularly in the area of co-curricular activities so common to Drama Departments such as musicals, plays, Drama nights etc. This also applies to daytime any day-time activities run by the Drama Department in your school.

Drama Captains can assist with auditions, rehearsals, directing, run Drama clubs, promote the subject or shows among the student body, run set and prop painting sessions ... basically anything but making you coffees during the day (although you could always arrange that, too!).

Here's the list of Drama Captain responsibilities at my school:

encourage and support students who take initiatives with regard to Drama
be involved with a committee of Drama Captains at all year levels in the school that should meet on a regular basis
assist backstage and front of house for all school productions
organise in-house school Drama activities and festivals etc
assist in the publicity of all school Drama events
taking responsibility for finding and looking after props and costumes
encourage student participation in the building and painting of sets
assist in the organisation of Junior Drama Club
attend Leaders Day seminars
model appropriate standards of uniform and behaviour for the year level

Having a leadership team of Drama Captains can help operations run smoothly, promote the subject and allow students to take responsibility for various activities throughout the year.

Culture in the Classroom

2008-05-17T17:45:00.005+10:00

I was recently asked at a Drama professional learning seminar with fellow teachers, if I had any tricks up my sleeve, or tips for success?

My response: create the appropriate culture in the Drama classroom.

I firmly believe if, as teacher, you can create the right culture in your teaching and learning environment, then the sky's the limit in terms of what your students can achieve.

I was reminded by it yesterday in a Year 9 Drama class (14 year-old girls), when in a unit on comedy, the students performed a simple satirical sketch of various workplaces or environments (McDonalds restaurant, a family reunion, a train station, the beach etc) focusing on demonstrating one-dimensional stereotypical characters via the four expressive skills of voice, movement, facial expressions and gesture. It was, in reality, fairly simple stuff. I even told the class in advance that I was super-busy and wasn't quite ready to move on to the next topic (slapstick and farce) until next week, so there was a big neon sign saying 'filler material' hanging from the ceiling of the classroom! I also made it clear we were not assessing these improvised skits and that they were simply extended exercises.

Such is my students' love for Drama, they arrived to this class yesterday with about half a dozen individuals nervously unsure as to whether the skit was assessable or not (they'd forgotten), not because they weren't prepared, but rather because they wanted to do well if I were grading the piece.

Then between each group's performance, we analyzed verbally and critically evaluated the pieces. They were performances way beyond my expectations in terms of quality of thought, structure and acting skills. Definitely not indicative of the 45 minutes over a couple of lessons they'd had to prepare them.

A visiting student teacher in her 2nd year of university studying education and performing arts, asked me afterwards 'how do you get this sort of standard from a Year 9 class?'. 'Culture' was my answer. All you have to do is create the right culture and the students will hit it right back at you with material beyond their 'perceived ability'.

I always create a positive culture, as we all know negativity should have no place in a Drama classroom. I am inspired by a fellow colleague who is a university lecturer in Drama. I have been a student myself in one of her classes over the years, and even when an essay is weeks overdue or a piece of work I have submitted has completely missed the mark, her positive comments as feedback make me feel worthwhile. She has this knack of creating such a vibe of positivity, no matter what the situation. As far as I'm concerned, that's a skill.

So, I always try to turn everything into a positive. Recently a few of my Year 11 students got a 'D' on their first written assessment. But even a 'D' can be turned into a positive at parent teacher night. And so it must be for all those students who fall in the middle range with 'C''s and 'C+'s' in practical work in Drama classes. There has to be a real and achievable goal for them to strive for next time, otherwise why would they ever continue with your subject?

Of course, if you're a regular reader of The Drama Teacher, you'll know I've blogged before about passion. Our passion as drama educators must be evident and genuine in order for our students to succeed in a positive atmosphere.

It may sound arrogant or egotistical, but where I teach, Drama is no 'bludge subject'. That' not a fluke, by the way. That's a culture that took time to create and nurture. There is no doubt teacher knowledge (and skill) is important in any discipline, but if the culture is right, students are not only inspired by their Drama teacher, but by fellow students as well.

I know there's thousands of Drama teachers out there who consider some of their groups of students as 'extended families' from time to time. Why? Because they have created a culture of caring in their classroom. A culture of respect. A culture of artistic discipline and individual responsibility. A culture that breeds positive energy. And all this adds up to a culture that produces excellence ... and accepts nothing less.

TrendErtainment

2008-05-16T12:56:00.000+10:00

Ever wanted to know what the next big trend will be in musicals or rock concerts? Ever wished you could get a sneak peek behind the scenes to get an understanding of how the entertainment really industry works?

Here's a great new blog, TrendErtainment, with regular musings about "the art of understanding how trends influence the development and management of live entertainment production".

Author Michael Cedar is an American company and project manager for live entertainment events. His blog keeps a finger on the pulse of new and emerging trends in the industry, including theatre, dance, musicals, rock concerts and more ... and how issues and changing trends in technology, leadership, audience needs and wants, management, marketing and others are changing what we produce and see in the entertainment world, now and in the future.

Enjoy!

TrendErtainment

2008 Tony Award Nominations

2008-05-13T23:02:00.007+10:00

Hot off the press only minutes after being announced in New York, here are the 2008 Tony Award nominations for the best productions on Broadway. The winners will be announced on 15th June.

I sure hope August: Osage County wins Best Play. It's one of the best damn plays I have ever seen and will most likely go down as a classic in American playwriting, destined to be studied at universities for years to come. I'd like to to thank the Pulitzer Board for recently awarding the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama to this wonderful play by Tracy Letts. You just made my signed play script and poster by the playwright and Broadway cast a bit of a collectors item :)

Best Play

August: Osage County
Author: Tracy Letts
Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Jean Doumanian, Steve Traxler, Jerry Frankel, Ostar Productions, Jennifer Manocherian, The Weinstein Company, Debra Black/Daryl Roth, Ronald & Marc Frankel/Barbara Freitag, Rick Steiner/Staton Bell Group, The Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Rock ‘n’ Roll
Author: Tom Stoppard
Producers: Bob Boyett & Sonia Friedman Productions, Ostar Productions, Roger Berlind, Tulchin/Bartner, Douglas G. Smith, Dancap Productions, Jam Theatricals, The Weinstein Company, Lincoln Center Theater, The Royal Court Theatre London

The Seafarer
Author: Conor McPherson
Producers: Ostar Productions, Bob Boyett, Roy Furman, Lawrence Horowitz, Jam Theatricals, Bill Rollnick/Nancy Ellison Rollnick, James D’Orta, Thomas S. Murphy, Ralph Guild/Jon Avnet, Philip Geier/Keough Partners, Eric Falkenstein/Max OnStage, The National Theatre of Great Britain

The 39 Steps
Author: Patrick Barlow
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy, Bob Boyett, Harriet Newman Leve/Ron Nicynski, Stewart F. Lane/Bonnie Comley, Manocherian Golden Prods., Olympus Theatricals/Douglas Denoff, Marek J. Cantor/Pat Addiss, Huntington Theatre Company/Nicholas Martin/Michael Maso, Edward Snape for Fiery Angel Ltd.

Best Musical

Cry-Baby
Producer: Adam Epstein, Allan S. Gordon, Élan V. McAllister, Brian Grazer, James P. MacGilvray, Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Anne Caruso, Adam S. Gordon, Latitude Link, The Pelican Group, Philip Morgaman, Andrew Farber/Richard Mishaan

In The Heights
Producers: Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller, Jill Furman, Sander Jacobs, Goodman/Grossman, Peter Fine, Everett/Skipper

Passing Strange
Producers: The Shubert Organization, Elizabeth Ireland McCann LLC, Bill Kenwright, Chase Mishkin, Barbara & Buddy Freitag, Broadway Across America, Emily Fisher Landau, Peter May, Boyett Ostar, Larry Hirschhorn, Janet Pailet/Steve Klein, Elie Hirschfeld/Jed Bernstein, Spring Sirkin/Ruth Hendel, Vasi Laurence/Pat Flicker Addiss, Wendy Federman/Jackie Barlia Florin, Joey Parnes, The Public Theater, The Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Xanadu
Producers: Robert Ahrens, Dan Vickery, Tara Smith/B. Swibel, Sarah Murchison/Dale Smith

Best Book of a Musical

Cry-Baby
Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan

In The Heights
Quiara Alegría Hudes

Passing Strange
Stew

Xanadu
Douglas Carter Beane

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Cry-Baby
Music & Lyrics: David Javerbaum & Adam Schlesinger

In The Heights
Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda

The Little Mermaid
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater

Passing Strange
Music: Stew and Heidi Rodewald
Lyrics: Stew

Best Revival of a Play

Boeing-Boeing
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Bob Boyett, Act Productions, Matthew Byam Shaw, Robert G. Bartner, The Weinstein Company, Susan Gallin/Mary Lu Roffe, Broadway Across America, Tulchin/Jenkins/DSM, The Araca Group

The Homecoming
Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Jam Theatricals, Ergo Entertainment, Barbara & Buddy Freitag, Michael Gardner, Herbert Goldsmith Productions, Terry E. Schnuck, Harold Thau, Michael Filerman/Lynne Peyser, Ronald Frankel/David Jaroslawicz, Love Bunny Entertainment

Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy

Macbeth
Producers: Duncan C. Weldon & Paul Elliott, Jeffrey Archer, Bill Ballard, Terri & Timothy Childs, Rodger Hess, David Mirvish, Adriana Mnuchin, Emanuel Azenberg, BAM, The Chichester Festival Theatre

Best Revival of a Musical

Grease
Producers: Paul Nicholas and David Ian, Nederlander Presentations Inc., Terry Allen Kramer, Robert Stigwood

Gypsy
Producers: Roger Berlind, The Routh-Frankel-Baruch-Viertel Group, Roy Furman, Debra Black, Ted Hartley, Roger Horchow, David Ian, Scott Rudin, Jack Viertel

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten, Bob Boyett

Sunday in the Park with George
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy, Bob Boyett, Debra Black, Jam Theatricals, Stephanie P. McClelland, Stewart F. Lane/Bonnie Comley, Barbara Manocherian/Jennifer Manocherian, Ostar Productions, The Menier Chocolate Factory/David Babani

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Ben Daniels, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing
Rufus Sewell, Rock ‘n’ Roll
Patrick Stewart, Macbeth

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Eve Best, The Homecoming
Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County
Kate Fleetwood, Macbeth
S. Epatha Merkerson, Come Back, Little Sheba
Amy Morton, August: Osage County

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

Daniel Evans, Sunday in the Park with George
Lin-Manuel Miranda, In The Heights
Stew, Passing Strange
Paulo Szot, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Tom Wopat, A Catered Affair

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Kerry Butler, Xanadu
Patti LuPone, Gypsy
Kelli O’Hara, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Faith Prince, A Catered Affair
Jenna Russell, Sunday in the Park with George

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

Bobby Cannavale, Mauritius
Raúl Esparza, The Homecoming
Conleth Hill, The Seafarer
Jim Norton, The Seafarer
David Pittu, Is He Dead?

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Sinead Cusack, Rock ‘n’ Roll
Mary McCormack, Boeing-Boeing
Laurie Metcalf, November
Martha Plimpton, Top Girls
Rondi Reed, August: Osage County

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

Daniel Breaker, Passing Strange
Danny Burstein, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Robin De Jesús, In The Heights
Christopher Fitzgerald, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Boyd Gaines, Gypsy

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

de’Adre Aziza, Passing Strange
Laura Benanti, Gypsy
Andrea Martin, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Olga Merediz, In The Heights
Loretta Ables Sayre, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Peter McKintosh, The 39 Steps
Scott Pask, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County
Anthony Ward, Macbeth

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

David Farley and Timothy Bird & The Knifedge Creative Network, Sunday in the Park with George
Anna Louizos, In The Heights
Robin Wagner, The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein
Michael Yeargan, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Best Costume Design of a Play

Gregory Gale, Cyrano de Bergerac
Rob Howell, Boeing-Boeing
Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Peter McKintosh, The 39 Steps

Best Costume Design of a Musical

David Farley, Sunday in the Park with George
Martin Pakledinaz, Gypsy
Paul Tazewell, In The Heights
Catherine Zuber, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps
Howard Harrison, Macbeth
Donald Holder, Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Ann G. Wrightson, August: Osage County

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Ken Billington, Sunday in the Park with George
Howell Binkley, In The Heights
Donald Holder, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Natasha Katz, The Little Mermaid

Best Sound Design of a Play

Simon Baker, Boeing-Boeing
Adam Cork, Macbeth
Ian Dickson, Rock ‘n’ Roll
Mic Pool, The 39 Steps

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Acme Sound Partners, In The Heights
Sebastian Frost, Sunday in the Park with George
Scott Lehrer, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Dan Moses Schreier, Gypsy

Best Direction of a Play

Maria Aitken, The 39 Steps
Conor McPherson, The Seafarer
Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County
Matthew Warchus, Boeing-Boeing

Best Direction of a Musical

Sam Buntrock, Sunday in the Park with George
Thomas Kail, In The Heights
Arthur Laurents, Gypsy
Bartlett Sher, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific

Best Choreography

Rob Ashford, Cry-Baby
Andy Blankenbuehler, In The Heights
Christopher Gattelli, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Dan Knechtges, Xanadu

Best Orchestrations

Jason Carr, Sunday in the Park with George
Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman, In The Heights
Stew & Heidi Rodewald, Passing Strange
Jonathan Tunick, A Catered Affair

Regional Theatre Tony Award

Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Special Tony Award

Robert Russell Bennett (1894-1981), in recognition of his historic contribution to American musical theatre in the field of orchestrations, as represented on Broadway this season by Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific.

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

Stephen Sondheim

Tony Nominations by Production

In The Heights – 13
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific – 11
Sunday in the Park with George – 9
August: Osage County – 7
Gypsy - 7
Passing Strange – 7
Boeing-Boeing – 6
Macbeth – 6
The 39 Steps - 6
Les Liaisons Dangereuses - 5
Cry-Baby – 4
Rock ‘n’ Roll - 4
The Seafarer – 4
Xanadu – 4
A Catered Affair – 3
The Homecoming – 3
The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein – 3
The Little Mermaid – 2
Come Back, Little Sheba – 1
Cyrano de Bergerac – 1
Grease – 1
Is He Dead? – 1
Mauritius – 1
November – 1
Thurgood – 1
Top Girls – 1

A couple of excellent New York Times articles:

A Season With An Unpredictable Plot

This Year's Tony List Is Filled With Unusual Suspects

(Note: registration may be required with NY Times articles)

Whoopi Goldberg To Host Tony's

2008-05-11T23:57:00.003+10:00

Actress and comedienne Whoopi Goldberg will present the upcoming Tony Awards ceremony, to be held at New York's Radio City Music Hall on June 15th.

Nominations for the most coveted awards on Broadway will be officially announced Tuesday morning in the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at the Lincoln Center.

It remains to be seen just how many nominations hot favourite August: Osage County receives.

Nominations will be posted on TheDramaTeacher.com as soon as they are announced.

Australian Drama

2008-05-06T13:09:00.008+10:00

Here's a shopping list or two that may help anyone teaching Australian Drama in their courses.

Notable Australian Playwrights

Ray Lawler

Jack Davis

Louis Nowra

David Williamson

Nick Enright

Andrew Bovell

Michael Gow

Stephen Sewell

Debra Oswald
Alan Seymour

Joanna Murray-Smith

Hannie Rayson

Jack Hibberd

Michael Gurr

John Romeril

Alex Buzo

Peter Kenna

Katherine Thomson

Patrick White

Dorothy Hewett

Alan Hopgood

Matt Cameron

Notable Australian Plays

Gary's House (Oswald)

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (Lawler)

Chilling and Killing My Annabel Lee (Aidan Fenessey)

Speaking In Tongues - adapted screenplay became the film Lantana - (Bovell)

Stolen (Jane Harrison)

Summer of the Aliens (Nowra)

Away (Gow)
The One Day of the Year (Seymour)

Blackrock (Enright)

The Club (Williamson)

No Sugar (Davis)

Meat Party (Duong Le Quy)

After Dinner (Bovell)

Cloudstreet (Enright/Mojo)

Cosi (Nowra)

Hotel Sorrento (Rayson)

A Stretch of the Imagination (Hibberd)

Ruby Moon (Cameron)

Children of the Black Skirt (Angela Betzien)

Honour (Murray-Smith)

Holy Day (Bovell)

Notable Australian Theatre Companies (past and present)

Melbourne Theatre Company (oldest in Australia)

Sydney Theatre Company (largest number of subscribers)

The Pram Factory (Melbourne)
Nimrod Street Theatre (Sydney)
Australian Performing Group (Melbourne)

La Mama / Carlton Courthouse (Melbourne)

Belvoir St Theatre/Company B (Sydney)

Black Swan Theatre Company (Western Australia)

Queensland Theatre Company

State Theatre Company of South Australia

Arena Theatre Company (Melbourne)

Bell Shakespeare Company (National)

Malthouse Theatre Company (Melbourne)

Notable Australian Theatre Venues

Sydney Opera House

Victorian Arts Centre

Queensland Performing Arts Centre

State Theatre (Sydney)

La Mama (Melbourne)

The Pram Factory (Melbourne)

Adelaide Festival Centre

Princess Theatre (Melbourne)

Regent Theatre (Melbourne)

VCE Drama & Theatre Studies Student Web Forum

2008-05-01T09:47:00.000+10:00

A reminder to VCE Drama and Theatre Studies teachers in Victoria, Australia, that I have set up a web forum (Internet message board) for your Unit 3/4 students to use.

This board has existed in some form or another for a few years now (in its current form for about 18 months) and will prove valuable for your students, in particular when preparing their upcoming Drama Solo Performance Examination and Theatre Studies Monologue Performance Examination.

Because the nature of these exams is a statewide choice of characters from a prescribed list, the message board allows students to create 'threads' under an exam character heading and then discuss it with other students from different schools across the state. Where else could one of your students have a discussion with a student from another school (whom they do not know personally) about their performance exam character?

If 2007 was anything to go by, lots of students from both metropolitan and regional areas used the web forum at this time of the year, helping each other out with creative ideas, ways to tackle the solo and monologue characters, interpreting exam assessment criteria etc.

At the moment, discussion on the board is centreing around character choices, as no one has begun the tasks in class yet, while we do ensembles performances in Drama and play productions in Theatre Studies. But soon the board will heat up!

My own students use the web forum, too, and I'm not fussed where they get their creative ideas from. If you think this may be worthwhile for your own current Unit 3/4 Drama and/or Theatre Studies students, give them the following web address:

http://s7.invisionfree.com/VCE_Drama_Forum (relevant for both DR & TS)

It will take them to a landing page, where they have to create their own board user name and password and input a valid email address. From here, they receive an email approving their application (by myself) with further log on details and they're in! Password-protection and manual approval ensure no spammers.

I personally moderate this web forum to ensure discussion stays on topic and nothing offensive is posted, so its a nice environment for your students to belong to :)

By all means, email me if you have any queries about this student web forum.

Is Knowledge of Content King?

2008-04-29T19:11:00.005+10:00

In many ways, teaching Drama is no different to any other subject on the curriculum, as some principles of teaching remain the same, no matter the discipline.

When I first began teaching some years ago, knowing my content was crucial. I recall being the only Drama teacher in a Catholic coeducational secondary school, equally horrified and excited about the prospect of designing six years of Drama curriculum in my first few weeks of teaching.

I went straight to the Principal and requested more money in my annual budget so I could purchase a couple of dozen 'essential' teacher reference books on theatre. I was fortunate as my wish was granted, so I instantly I armed myself with books and read like crazy, grabbing bits and pieces from a wide array of source material for my new curriculum design.

And so I never thought I would question what I always believed in Drama teaching ... that knowledge of content is king ... until today.

In recent years I have learned that knowledge of your teaching discipline is not paramount, after all. Today I believe the most important element of my teaching is rapport with students and engagement in the classroom.

I'm not denying the importance of knowing your facts, but what I am saying is that as an educator, you can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you fail to engage your students properly when delivering it, all that knowledge goes out the classroom window ... in one ear of your students and straight out the other.

It is very difficult to engage your students if you don't have a good relationship with them, and I don't just mean as a cohort, but individually. In order to achieve a healthy rapport with your students, you need respect ... and respect will never be given to you on a platter by your students ... as many of us know all too well, respect must be earned.

In order to earn our students' respect, one must do away with the grand old notion that we're somehow better than them. I know this may sound a little out of place perhaps, but it is all too true that many teachers feel they are better than their students simply because they are older and more qualified. The day a teacher starts treating his or her students as equals (no matter what age), is the same day that teachers earns each students' respect.

I am blessed that I have reached that point in my Drama teaching career where my students respect me for who I am and no more do I need to put on a mask as I enter the classroom. What they see is what they get. A combination of factors (including working at a great school) have enabled me to reflect on my current situation as a special time in my career.

They listen.
They are engaged.
They learn.

We have fun.
We share stories.
We love drama.

I make mistakes.
They accept my faults.
I'm human.

I don't know everything.
But that's OK, because knowledge is not king anymore.
My relationship with my students is far more important.

Top Class Drama 2008

2008-04-20T17:47:00.003+10:00

Once again the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority's Top Class Drama concerts, showcased as part of their Season of Excellence program on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th April, proved very entertaining and valuable for students and teachers, alike.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know I'm a big fan of Top Class Drama. Like all Drama teachers out there, I take my Drama staff and students along to regular theatre shows throughout the year. But each year I am reminded by both my students and fellow teachers that Top Class Drama is one of the most important events we attend.

Back in the 90s, I never attended Top Class concerts, instead spending my time listening to my Drama teacher friends at other schools rave about the experience. These days I wonder what rock I was hiding under back in the old days and how I survived without Top Class Drama?

Firstly, not everyone is familiar with the processes involved in Top Class Drama selection, so first I'll offer an explanation. In the October solo performance examinations, all students who receive a perfect score (that's 77/77 from each of the three examiners, or 231/231 for the total exam mark) automatically receive a letter from the VCAA offering them the opportunity to audition their solo performance piece in January the following year. This letter usually arrives the same day (or the day after) as results day in December. Not all students take up the offer of auditioning their solo performance for Top Class Drama, but those that do, perform their solo again over the summer holidays at the Victorian College of the Arts before, among others, the Chief Assessor for Drama. This panel chooses 33 solo performances to be showcased at the three Top Class Drama concerts at the National Theatre, St. Kilda, in April. Many of us get Top Class and Top Acts mixed up. Top Acts is the combination of a selection of some of the best performances from all performing arts Top Class concerts (Drama, Theatre Studies, Dance and Music) at Hamer Hall in May (another fabulous experience).

Over the weekend I took along 55 Drama students to all three sessions of Top Class Drama (plus a number of ex-students from last year's class as well). Granted, there has to be a certain amount of money in the kitty to allow that to happen in the first place, but at only $10 a head, Top Class is about the cheapest event you could take your students to and most teachers who do attend, go to one of the three concerts to receive a fair sampling of the performances on offer. Why 55 you may ask? Do I have 55 students in Year 12 Drama this year? No way! I have 11 students in Year 12 Drama, 20 students in Semester 1 Year 11 Drama and a further 24 in Semester 1 Year 10 Drama .... and there's my 55 students! Who said Top Class Drama is just for your current Year 12 class?

I have absolutely no doubt that taking Year 10, 11 and 12 Drama students in recent years to both the Top Class Drama concerts at the National Theatre in April and the Top Acts concert at Hamer Hall in May is a contributing factor to improved grades in performance work in all of these year levels. This is not just confined to classroom performances. My Year 12 solo performance exam marks have improved also. Quite simply, going to Top Class Drama is professional learning for your students. Teachers go to PL throughout the year and Top Class Drama is the best PL your students can get.

If you can afford to take your Year 10 Drama students along to Top Class Drama, getting the atmosphere right is very important, because they are young. I leave that task up to my Year 12s, who are super keen and drip feed the appropriate level of enthusiasm and expected behaviour through to the Year 11s, who in turn drip feed it down to the Year 10s for me. At first, I was concerned about the Year 10s being a bit too immature to appreciate Top Class, but once you've done it successfully, the next year is a breeze because the students do the publicity for you through word of mouth. Before you know it, you've got a 'tradition' on your hands and now my students look forward to Top Class Drama every year. My Year 10s came along for the first time in 2007 when the previous year, the Year 10 Drama class was asking me 'why can't we come along to Top Class Drama, too'?

For my students, Top Class Drama is an academic excursion, while Top Acts a month later at Hamer Hall is like their reward for going to Top Class. With an emphasis also on entertainment value, Top Acts is such a fun evening and quite often my students enjoy the Music and Dance items more than the Drama solo performances I took them along to see! Nothing pleased me more last Friday and Saturday at Top Class Drama to see my students willingly discuss amongst themselves between sessions the various performances, not just in terms of 'favourites', but also in relation to conventions used, props transformed, character transformations etc. They were happily (and successfully) talking the language of drama (often in a sophisticated manner) and to me it was like practice for upcoming classroom SACs.

I have to stress however, the importance of prepping your students before attending Top Class Drama. Many of the solo performances are complex structures and if a student is not informed in the audience, following the performances can sometimes be very difficult, particularly plot references to outside events relating to the main thread of the central character. My students often comment they would be lost without prior knowledge of the exam structures at Top Class. In recent years I have been fortunate to have my own students in Top Class Drama and hence receive a running sheet of all the solo performances in advance in the mail. however, this is not necessary, as you can assume all exam structures will be performed at Top Class Drama (9 of the 10 structures were performed this year), so you simply need to download and print out the previous years' solo exams and go through them in advance with your students attending the concert/s.

This year's Top Class Drama showcases represented a fairly high standard of material. While I have no intention of sounding negative in any way on the wonderful work these Drama students have created (with the help of their wonderful teachers of course!), it is both interesting and important to recognise the differences in quality between performances. Even at this high level, it is valuable for your students attending to discuss the merits of all the performances. While I firmly believe each performance at Top Class Drama every year has many aspects worthy of positive discussion afterwards, it is a fact that some performances are stronger than others on the day.

Separate from a quick review of this year's Top Class Drama will be my own student Stefania Gatt who performed Eliza Doolittle on the Saturday session. I was, as you'd expect, very proud of her to get this far and perform at Top Class Drama. At her own admission, we discussed how she probably performed her solo a little faster that she would have liked, but every tiny bit of content was performed without a hitch and I thought she did a wonderful job. For her now it is back to studying Music at Monash University and being the face of several Hungry Jack's commercials on television - half her luck - it has nothing to do with me - although I was keen on a 20% commission on her payment :)

These were the standout performances at Top Class Drama for me this year. In Concert 1 on Friday morning I was very impressed with Jessie Yates from Melbourne Girls Grammar and her interpretation of Eliza Doolittle. Among other things, when you hear a communal sigh in the audience for a sophisticated technique in the solo, you know you've got a good show. This occurred when Jessie upturned her open-hooped skirt and popped her head through as a baby being born - magic moment. This was a strong performance all round.

I also thoroughly enjoyed both Spirit of Australian Suburbia's in this session from Konstantine Stefanou (Marcellin College) and Will McMahon (Scotch College), as I was encouraged by the 'freedom' this exam structure seemed to offer and the wonderful choices students made with it in performance. Tom Ballard's The Migrant (Brauer College) was also a very strong performance, as was Lucy Honigman's portrayal of Soraya (MLC).

In Concert 2 on Friday afternoon two performance stood out form me. The first of these was Justin Clausen's performance of The Migrant (Mentone Grammar). Justin's performance skills were fabulous and aside from being a real crowd favourite, his interpretation of the structure was intelligent in performance. A thoroughly entertaining solo. Terry Kenos (Strathmore SC) finished off this session with a portrayal of Announcer Two from The War of the Worlds radio play. Terry demonstrated excellent performance skills and a sophisticated plot in performance.

Finally in Concert 3 on Saturday, Patrick McCarthy's Spirit of Australian Suburbia (The Peninsula School) was a great performance, demonstrating thorough research and fine expressive skills. Broden Kelly (Viewbank College) also performed a fantastic solo with his interpretation of Announcer Two. Loved this solo! Outstanding performance skills, excellent choice of language (spoken script) and a thoroughly entertaining solo from start to finish.

All in all, another wonderful year of Top Class Drama concerts displaying a high standard of performances throughout. Seeing there is a history of not choosing multiples of the one character for the Top Acts concert at Hamer Hall, coupled with more than one outstanding interpretation of The Spirit of Australian Suburbia, The Migrant and Announcer Two in particular, I think some difficult decisions will have to be made over the next few days...

Australian Copyright Council Training Sessions

2008-04-18T12:00:00.004+10:00

Every Drama/Theatre teacher needs to know about copyright. For most of us who have been teaching a while, we're wise enough to know why an understanding of copyright is essential to our profession. But if you're new to Drama teaching, then a familiarity of copyright and how it affects you can sometimes be daunting. Either way, copyright laws change, particularly as emerging technologies have new implications for copyright infringements. So, a refresher course about copyright is always valuable professional learning.

If you teach Drama in a Victorian school and have asked yourself any of the following questions:

How do I apply for copyright permission for our school play or musical?
Do I need copyright permission to include published songs in school concerts?
Am I allowed to adapt or alter a published play or musical for performance at my school?
Can I film a copyrighted school play or musical for sale to others?
Will I break copyright by promoting my play to an audience outside the school community?
Are there copyright issues involved with artwork in play or musical stage sets?
What information can I legally place or download from a website for school use?

...then you may wish to attend one or more of the Australian Copyright Council's upcoming training sessions.

The Australian Copyright Council is an independent non-profit organisation that provides information, advice and training about copyright in Australia. They are holding training sessions in Melbourne on a range of topics, many relevant to Drama/Theatre teachers, on the following dates (hurry, as Melbourne training dates are coming up very soon):

Monday 28 April 2008

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* Copyright essentials

* Creators' reputation rights

* Recent developments

Tuesday 29 April 2008 + Friday 1 August 2008

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* Educators: Copyright overview

* Educators: Using AV materials

* Educators: Using text & images

Wednesday 30 April 2008

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* Educators: New education technologies

* Educators: Concerts, plays & musicals

* Websites

Thursday 1 May 2008

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* Governments: using/managing copyright

* Licences for digital resources

* Libraries: conquering copyright

Friday 2 May 2008

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* Photographers/Graphic Designers

* Protecting & exploiting rights

* Permissions & clearances

There is also training available in other Australian states throughout the year. For more information, visit the Australian Copyright Council's training program information page.

2008 Performance Exams

2008-04-13T17:22:00.004+10:00

Well, as many of you may know, this blog originates from Melbourne, Australia's second largest city. In our state (Victoria), there are two prescribed courses of study in Drama and Theatre Studies, that cover the final two years of high school.

Each subject has both a written and performance final exam. The Theatre Studies course has a selection of monologues from published plays, of which students choose one to perform before three external examiners.

However, in the Drama course the performance exam is less conventional. It is known as a solo performance, where a selection of published 'structures' form the exam content, of which students choose one to perform. In this case, the character structures are created by an exam setting panel and once research is undertaken, students write their own script for the performance. Theatre styles and conventions are prescribed for each character, but due to the nature of the task and student-written scripts, there is a more opportunity for wider interpretation of the character choices among students . This solo performance exam lasts a maximum 7 minutes duration.

Whenever I have previously blogged about this solo performance exam, blog visitors from outside Australia have usually found the task fascinating. It is certainly rigorous, that's for sure! So, this year's task has just been published, several months in advance of the actual exam dates. Most students spend July to September developing the task in class with their teacher, preparing for the October exam. Here's the 2008 exam structures for your perusal:

2008 Solo and Monologue Performance Examinations

Spring Awakening

2008-04-12T15:20:00.002+10:00

If you're a regular visitor to The Drama Teacher, you'll be aware on a recent Broadway tour I saw an amazing musical Spring Awakening, a show nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 2007 and winner of 8, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score.

Currently performed on Broadway by a cast mostly aged between 16 and 26, Spring Awakening has been dubbed the new Rent. It is a show based on an 1891 German play of the same name (banned at the time) and has been on Broadway since December 2006.

Spring Awakening follows a group of teenagers' coming of age from adolescence to adulthood and the plot is supported by a fantastic rock score by Duncan Sheik. It covers many teenage themes, a few not so pleasant, but while some consider Spring Awakening controversial, it is certainly honest and raw, and one of the most energetic musicals I've seen in years.

For those readers in the US, you are no doubt already familiar with this show, but this is not the case for many of us back home in Australia. Hopefully, we will see Spring Awakening in Australia soon, but in the meantime, check out the behind-the-scenes video below (dating back to its original Broadway cast) and purchase the awesome CD soundtrack (may require a little searching in Australia).

Theatrica Tour Posts

2008-04-11T14:37:00.000+10:00

Over the next few weeks, in between other posts, I'll throw up additional resources on this blog about various aspects of the recent Theatrica tour by a group of Melbourne Drama/Theatre/Performing Arts students and their teachers to New York and L.A. that I was fortunate to be a part of.

Meanwhile, if you wish to follow the tour retrospectively, use the right margin on this blog and follow the archived posts starting at 24/3/08 and finishing at 5/4/08.