UNIT 1:

STRATEGIES IN TEACHING DRAMA

Introduction:
Drama is an excellent way to bring lessons to life and can also offer
pupils of all abilities a chance to engage in fun activities, whilst learning at the
same time. Drama can greatly increase a pupil’s confidence, listening skills,
evaluation skills and group working skills.
This pack has been created to provide a quick and easy guide to basic
drama techniques that you will hopefully want to try out in your own
classroom. A clear description of each technique has been provided as well
as examples of when the technique can be used effectively.

1.TEACHER IN ROLE
Why do it?
This technique encourages the pupils to enter and engage with the fiction of the
drama. If the teacher is actively engaged with her/his role, it makes it easier for the
pupils to enter and engage with their own roles. The teacher-in-role can control the
drama from within, develop the fiction of the narrative and question the choices made
by the pupils. Teacher-in-role can also lend a huge amount of credibility to the drama
and very much encourage young people to get involved in the fiction.
How to do it?
Explain to the group that you are going to play a particular character in the drama
you are exploring as a class. The nature of the role you take on will depend on what
you want to achieve. Examples:
1. To excite interest (e.g. a market trader selling strange, magical goods)
2. To control the action (e.g. a police officer who has arrived to question people
following an incident)
3. To invite involvement (e.g. a community leader who has called an urgent village
meeting)
4. To create choices and ambiguity (e.g. as a young person who has decided to
leave the village for the city and wants friends to join him/her) Choose a piece of
costume or a prop to signify when you are in role. As soon as you put on the costume
or pick up the prop, become your chosen character and manage the learning
opportunities from within the drama.
Remember that the teacher still has a teaching purpose but learning is negotiated in
role, allowing teacher and pupils to lay aside their actual roles and create
relationships which have a variety of status and power variables.

Ways you could use it :

This technique is great to use with younger pupils, as they generally will take on any
role they are given and they also tend to suspend their disbelief very easily. An issue-
based project can be explored by using teacher-in-role. This can allow the teacher to
put forward arguments in order to provoke debate.

2. HOT SEATING
Why do it?
Hot seating allows the class (working as themselves) to question or interview people
in role. This can help the group learn more about a character’s point of view.
How to do it?
One person sits in a chair facing the rest of the class. The class can ask questions of
the character in the hot seat. These will probably be questions to flesh out the
group’s knowledge of that character (see below for other uses of hot seating). It is
important that the person being ‘Hot Seated’ stays in character for the duration of the
Hot Seating session. The person being questioned should answer in accordance with
what s/he already knows about the character but if a questioner requires more
information, the person can simply use her/his imagination to deepen the character.
Ways you could use it in improvisation
During a scene being acted out by members of the class, the action can be frozen
(by shouting “FREEZE!”) and the group can ask questions of certain characters
about what is happening at that moment. A group can answer collectively for a
character. Take a chair and place on it something that suggests the character in
question, e.g. a hat or a jacket. The group who will speak for this character should
stand behind the chair facing the rest of the class. The class should address
questions to the chair and any member of the group can answer. This can work the
other way around – the teacher can be in role as a character from the drama to which
the group would like to ask questions. This could be done conventionally, where the
class is as themselves and the teacher-in-role would be in the hot seat. Alternatively,
the class sits in a circle and the teacher in role sits inside the circle, facing the hot
seat on which there is an item of clothing/prop. The group asks questions as the
character symbolized by the hot seat and the teacher in role must answer the
“character” in the hot seat.

3. TABLEAUX/STILL IMAGE
Why do it?
This is a technique frequently used in drama. It is the perfect way to begin drama
work as it is an easy and non-threatening exercise for groups with little or no previous
drama experience. Still-image work requires and helps to develop team-working
skills. It is a very controlled form of expression which creates pictures that can be
interpreted by the class – a picture is worth a thousand words! It is also a very good
way to represent potentially difficult concepts – such as fights, and abstract ideas like
freedom or sadness etc.
How to do it?
Split the class into groups of four or five. Explain that they are going to create a still-
image, which is like the image when someone has pressed pause on a DVD. The
image has no sound or movement. It is a snap-shot. Ask one group to do an example
for the class. Give the groups a subject for their still-image, e.g. a pop band or a
family photograph. Encourage the group to think about what makes an interesting
image - different levels, positioning, facial expressions, actions frozen mid-movement
etc. When each group has worked out their still-images they will show it to the rest of
the class who will discuss what they think is going on in the image, e.g. ‘What is the
relationship between the characters we can see in this image?’ ‘How can we tell what
is going on?’ It is useful to draw attention to difference in opinion and how different
people will have a different view of what they see.

Ways you could use it:

Still images can be created by a “Sculptor”. One person would move a group into
his/her desired image (or this can also be done verbally, through instructions if
preferred). This is a useful exercise to look at different people’s perceptions of an
idea. For example, one person may sculpt an image to represent “Family” as a
mother, father and two children. Another Sculptor could then mold this image into a
family of a grandparent and four children etc. Still images can also be used to explore
contrasting ideas. For example, a group could be asked to create a still-image to sum
up what life is like for them in their community at present. They could then change
this image into the ideal, i.e. how they would like their community to be.

5. THOUGHT TRACKING
Why do it?
Thought-tracking allows the audience to hear the inner thoughts of a character. This
can be used with a scene that is frozen for a moment or can be used to track the
thoughts of characters within a still-image. Thought-tracking encourages pupils to
reflect on the action of the drama and consider the point of view of the character they
are playing. By allowing the group to hear the thoughts of all characters in the
scene/still image, thought tracking encourages an awareness of the views of others
and the potential consequences of events/actions.
How to do it?
A group should be frozen mid-scene (preferably at a pivotal moment in the story) or
in a still-image. Explain that you are going to enter the picture and tap members of
the group on the shoulder. Make it clear that when you do this, you want the person
to speak aloud the thoughts of his/her character at that moment. Emphasize that you
want them to speak the thoughts as that character, e.g. “I can’t believe he would do
this to me” When all the characters have been “thought-tracked”, the scene can
continue, or another still-image explored.
Ways you could use it:
The groups can be divided into pairs, where one person plays a character and the
other plays his/her shadow. During a scene, characters can be accompanied by their
shadows, which speak the inner thoughts of the character. This use of the technique
is effective to deepen understanding of the potential conflict between outward
appearance and inner thoughts.

6. DEVISING
Why do it?
Devising is simply the term for creating original drama – in other words, making your
own scenes up! Groups of four or five normally work best for devising as there are
enough people to create interesting scenarios and not too many to make teamwork
difficult.
How to do it?
Divide the class into sub-groups of four or five. Give clear instructions regarding the
theme of the drama – often it is helpful to provide the groups with written instructions
or some kind of visual aid to act as a stimulus for creativity. To devise without any
stimulus is challenging and could take a long time! Give the group an idea of when
they are expected to have something to share with the group. Encourage the sub-
groups to act out their ideas as soon as possible.

It is often very tempting for groups to sit and talk about ideas for a long time.
Devising becomes easier if you try out ideas, usually more will come through
physically acting out. Encourage pupils to choose other names for their characters
than their actual names. This helps to clearly delineate between the drama and
reality. Give groups space to create and to experiment with their ideas. If you plan to
ask the groups to share their devised work with the rest of the class, it is good to
spend time emphasizing the following:
When performing in front of an audience:
Make sure you are facing the audience - avoid having your back to them, especially
when speaking. Make sure you are not standing in front of someone else. The
audience should be able to see and hear everyone in the scene. Make sure you
speak slowly and clearly. Avoid speaking at the same time as other people. Use your
body, your face and your voice to communicate with the audience.

7. MIMED ACTIVITY Why do it?

Mime is physical movement and action where sound can be added for emphasis or
atmosphere. Mime is a good technique to use with young people who are perhaps
new to drama as impressive results can be achieved without the pressure of
dialogue. Mime can introduce the group to a more stylized, abstract type of
performance which, when coupled with music is a good introduction to dance. Like
still-image, when performed in slow-motion, mime is also a good way to tackle
difficult events such as fights, football matches etc.
How to do it?
Ensure that the group knows what “mime” means – give an example using a willing
participant! A good way to move gently into mime is to play a game which introduces
the discipline required to effectively mime for an audience. It can be good to ask the
group to mime individually in the early stages, perhaps miming through something
with which they are very familiar, e.g. their daily routine.
Encourage the group to make their movements as clear as possible. Large
movements are good! Ask them to think about facial expression as much as other
areas of their bodies – how does this character feel about what they are doing?
Ways you could use it :
If you are exploring a theme with the class, e.g. The Industrial Revolution, you could
divide the class into sub-groups and allocate different aspects of the experience of
people living during this period to each group. Each group should then devise their
own mime, ideally a sequence that can be repeated.
All groups can then enact their mimes to appropriate music. Ask the group to
consider how the music complemented the mimes. Are there certain parts of the
music which contrast well with or complement the movement? Could the mime be re-
arranged to fit the music?

8. REPORTAGE
Why do it?
Reportage is a drama technique that presents events through the medium of
documentary or TV news report. It is therefore a very accessible and familiar drama
form for young people. Reportage enables the group to explore both sides of an
issue and focus on the different points of view contained in any event. This technique
can also be used to explore how events can be distorted by the press.

How to do it?
This technique is basically a devising exercise. So, divide the class into subgroups,
ensuring that there are enough members of the group to cover the necessary
characters. Give each group a prepared news story that they need to cover, with as
much detail as you consider necessary. Ask each group to decide which characters
should be included in the news report. Encourage them to consider who presents the
news, who runs the interviews, who is interviewed, are there any reconstructions or
filmed reports, is there a theme tune? Ensure the groups have a balanced argument
within the report, or at least provide a justification if the report is unbalanced!

Ways you could use it:

Instead of TV news reports, you could use the familiar form of TV or radio
advertisements as the vehicle for an exercise: • Groups could devise a simple advert
using music, song, dance, slogans etc. to sell a product. • You could devise “anti-
adverts” for products that we may think we need but can easily live without, e.g.
fancy cars, designer trainers, sweets etc! • Create public information adverts in order
to convey an important message in a creative way.

ACTIVITIES AND EXERCISES

A. Energizing Icebreakers:
1.Step on toe tag - A high-energy game that is self-explanatory! A variation on this –
slap back of thighs.
2. Budge- Five in a group , four stand on the points of a square and one in the
middle – object of the game is the middle person to get onto one of the points. Point
players can change places – but they must send a visual or aural message to one of
the others before they move – otherwise everyone just runs to the same place
making it easy for the guy in the middle! Try to do it fast! It’s quite exhausting so don’t
let it go on too long!
3. Melon, melon, melon - Give every member of the group a fruit except yourself. The
idea is to “catch” their fruit by saying its name (e.g. melon, melon, melon) three times
before they can say it once. If you succeed, you become their fruit and they have to
catch someone else out. WARNING: choose short names e.g. pear or cherry.
4. Fire -Sit on chairs in a circle one standing in the middle. Give all the chairs a
number from 1 to whatever the number of people you got. NB the chairs have the
numbers NOT the players. Call out two or more numbers – those players change
places whilst the player in the centre tries to get into one of their empty chairs. ONE
RULE you cannot return to a chair you have just vacated. If you call FIRE everyone
has to change places.
5.Forward and backward numbers – count 123, 321, 234, 432, 345, 543 etc.
6. Anyone who has… - Sit on chairs in a circle one standing in the middle. The
person in the centre calls out “Anyone who likes….” or “Anyone who has…” e.g.
“likes chocolate”, or “has black hair”, etc. Those people then change seats … but
you cannot return to a chair that you have just vacated.
7. You know Mrs Jones - An action game – like I sent my love to market and she
bought… - With each student adding to the list and telling the rest the contents of the
basket. Here though it is all action:
A. Do you know Mrs Jones?
B. Yes, I do
A. She’s dead
B. How did she die?
A. Like this – then show an action plus you add all the actions that have gone
before.
8. Alphabet circle - Group stands in a circle, Leader starts off the game by pointing at
a student and saying A that students points at someone else and says B that student
points at someone else and says C and so on – play it as fast as you can.
Alternatives: use names of cities or fruit/vegetables etc.
B. CONCENTRATIONS
1. Count to 10 -Rules are: anyone can say the next number 1-10 but if two or more
people speak at the same time the count goes back to one again
2.Animals (or adjectives etc.) Standing in a circle of about six with one player in the
middle. The players in the circle all choose an Animal (or a color/ a city/ an emotion/
adjective/ adverb etc.) The player in the center has a rolled up newspaper; when the
leader calls out the name of one of the animals (or color etc.) in the circle, the central
player tries to hit that person before they can say another animal etc. in the circle – if
they manage to do so before he says his animal then they change places so that the
loser goes into the center and the outgoing “hitter” takes on the loser’s animal name!
3. Counting 123- In pairs you keep going round and round saying one, two, tree
alternately as fast as you can. A development is to substitute the numbers with a
sound or an action [battere le mani o schioccare le dita] – or both!
4.Hello, Goodbye -You pass the word Hello round the circle one way and Goodbye
the other – but get Hello going well before you introduce Goodbye. Don’t forget to get
the students to turn to the person they are speaking to – it helps to alert their
neighbour to the word coming round. If you think that all sounds too easy try adding
extra Hellos in and then extra Goodbyes.
5. Peter Brook’s Game for Actors: Maths, Life Questions and Movement -You need
four players. Only one is “on”. One person asks him simple Maths questions. One
person asks him simple personal questions. One person does simple movements for
him to copy. The player who is “on” must answer all the questions, and keep the
movement going all at the same time! Don’t stop, be insistent, don’t be polite, keep
your questions out in front, and don’t wait for anybody else. The object of the game is
for the “actor” to handle all the questions and the movement at the same time. The
object is to be able to multitask!
6. Professions/Jobs -Work out the job/profession. Put a sticker on each students
back with a profession written on it. Students need to ask questions to discover
“what” their profession is. e.g.

Lion-tamer Bodyguard Funeral

Top model Trapeze director
Brain surgeon Artist Magician
Astronaut Monk Clown
Film actor/actress Professional killer English
Dentist Tennis player teacher
Drug dealer Giant
Gardener
etc.

C. IMPROVISATION / STORYTELLING

1. Park bench -The first player sits silently on a “bench” displaying as much
about his character as he can without verbalizing it. The next player joins him
 and makes a strong complimenting character choice. (A complimenting
character may be

contrasting or supporting.) The player coming on should make strong

character choices as soon as he is off his seat. This means the character
should be embodied in his walk, voice and intent. The two characters interact
for about thirty seconds and the player that was on the bench first finds a
reason to leave. This leaves the second player on the bench alone for a
while. The next player creates a character and joins the player that is on the
bench. This continues until all in the workshop have done one or more
characters.
2. Drawing Magic Pictures -Sit in pairs with a large imaginary piece of paper
between you. The idea is to draw “everything” you say as you tell a story.
Swop over on a signal [given by the teacher]. The game helps to stop the
imagination being “blocked” by thinking what you will say next – there is not
time for thinking just draw!
3. True or False -Each member of the group tells a partner two true facts about
themselves – and one false fact – the partner has to decide which is the false
fact! Then vice-versa.

D. SIMULATION EXERCISES

Where the Wild Things Are

Read the story to your students - and if you have the book maybe show
them the pictures.
What to do:
Explain that you are going to put the story into action and students are going to act
out everything: the trees in the forest, the boat, the sea etc. etc. Ask your students to
make the different locations etc. first – then do some short improvisation e.g. (in
two’s) improvise an argument between Max and his mother – where Max gets sent to
bed without any tea/supper.

Other types of exercises that you can do through story-telling:

1. The good and the bad news- Each person in the circle contributes one line of
a story – but alternately each starts person should start with either – “The
Good News is…” or “The Bad News is…” - The idea is not to cancel out what
the person before you has just said – but rather to continue the story a little –
not always easy as it sounds
2. 60 seconds fairy tales- Obviously the students act out the fairy story in 60
seconds – or though you can give them longer if you wish! Cast should be 4
or 5 actors [one could be the narrator]. Try to create interesting funny
characters, and establish setting etc., nothing moves the tale along quicker
than shouting out 20 seconds left! STORIES: Snow White; Hansel & Gretel;
Sleeping Beauty; Little Red Riding Hood; Jack & the Beanstalk etc., etc.
3. Yes but- When answering a question the reply must always start with “Yes
But” – e.g. “Was it you I saw in the school grounds at midnight last night?” –
“Yes But…” and so on

4. Story-telling magazine pictures- Place magazine pictures face down on

ground each player picks up a picture and says two sentences of the story …
last but one starts the wind up.
5. Story tableaux- Get a student to hold a still pose with no dialogue – ask
another to add to the pose. (you could add a third student if you wanted to)
Get the other students to suggest what is happening in the picture and give
the picture a caption – such as “ A teenager argues with her parents”.
6. Photo album stories- Each group is given a title of a picture to make. The
group then has to make a frozen picture of this title – using different levels,
facial expression and position of bodies etc. Other groups have to guess what
the title of your group’s picture is! e.g. The birthday party. Gang rivalry. The
ghost train. The escape. A development is to get each member of the group
to say what they are thinking at that moment.
7. Simple story spine- Get one player to start with “Once upon a time…” etc.
– then change player with the next statement i.e.
“And every day…” etc.
- Once upon a time… - And every day… -
And then one day… - And because of that… -
And ever since that day…
8. Street accident picture- Following on from the above – get a group to make a
still picture of a street accident – then ask each student in the picture to say –
in one sentence – what they are thinking or feeling at the moment.