Introduction to Theatre Unit

A unit that introduces students to the three basic elements of Drama: Space, Piece, and Audience. This unit includes a PPT slideshow, corresponding worksheets for students to take notes (and an answer key), instructions for the games/activities that go along with each element, and the explanation and rubric for a final project. From the first day to the presentation of the final projects, this unit takes about 2 weeks (on my schedule of daily 45-minute classes).

There is quite a lot of room in the PPT for teachers to add their own information and expand discussion. For example, I introduce the "Piece" element with a snapshot of a production of Beauty and the Beast. Instead of quickly switching slides, I first have the students see if they can guess the play. Then, I ask them to tell me everything they see (fishing for things like costumes, set, props, blocking, etc). We establish how much goes into each small moment of a production before getting into the details and terminology.