High School

How to Teach Play Production to Your Students

April 26, 2022 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

How to Teach Play Production to Your Students

Let’s consider how to teach play production to your students today. As I’ve mentioned previously, I was thrown into directing my first production when I was quite young–twenty three years old to be exact. This is how to teach play production to your students.

Ten years and an umpteen amount of me directing productions later, I began producing for the theater company. Let me tell you, I had NO idea what I was doing but after having directed and experienced that side of it, producing wasn’t all that difficult for me. You can read about my directing experiences here: Eighteen Ways To Make Your Directing Experience Less Stressful, Part One or Eighteen Ways to Make Your Directing Experience Less Stressful, Part Two

In fact, I discovered I was good at it!

Many times in an educational setting, our students only learn about the “fun stuff”– acting and improvisation. But there is a whole big world of other facets of theater which are not only essential but interesting! Plus, reluctant performers may find themselves in the other aspects of theater.

How to Teach Play Production to Your Students

By teaching play production to your theater class, students are given an opportunity to dip their toes into various responsibilites. One responsibility which is largely overlooked is the job of the producer. Check out this resource if you want your students to have a comprehensive look at play production.

If we can give our students opportunities to learn through play production, then by all means let’s do it!

The Ten Steps in Play Production

So, let’s consider this idea for your class. Here are ten steps for play production.

Class reads several plays (I suggest you check out: Don Zoldis plays. They are terrific for something like this.)
After discussing the pros and cons, the play is selected
Order the scripts
After scripts arrive, read thru again, students volunteer for the responsibility of which they show most interest
Set a budget
Hold auditions and cast production
Begin rehearsals
Hold several run thrus, a cue to cue (if need be) and dress rehearsals
Perform
Process the experience

Tips and Reminders for Play Production

When setting the budget, you may need to teach your students how to approximate their ticket sales if you are charging for the performance. Make sure you include any monies the department has ear marked for the play. You are the authority on what needs to be included such as scripts and royalties. Not all students are aware of these expenditures. Looking for something free to use in your class tomorrow? Check out: Lin Manuel Miranda Biography and One Pager Assignment.

I’d suggest you do everything you can to streamline this learning experience. Nailing down your expectations for each part of the production is key here. Create checklists for each responsibility will help with this challenge.

If the student actors aren’t rehearsing their role, they are helping the design chairs to complete their checklists. Need some checklists to de-stress opening night? Pick up my FREE ones here: Director’s Helper Checklists

If you are presenting a one-act play, I’d suggest two or three week daily rehearsal period. If a full length play, four or five weeks of daily rehearsal will be needed. You may need to be more liberal with this rehearsal period, however.

What is a Play Producer?

Although a production would not follow this pattern in the professional world, allow your producer to lead the production.

This term can have many meanings within theater, but it usually refers to a person who manages all aspects of a production, from overseeing the budget to hiring the director and other artists. Producers have to understand both the creative and business sides of theatre.

Who is best to be a producer? Anyone an learn how, however the students with the leadership qualities are most successful–communicative, diplomatic, fair, “big picture” people. Do allow your producer to watch over everything–provide feedback, communicate with chairs, oversee the budget, etc.

How to Teach Play Production to Your Students

There is such power in cooperative learning. Unfamiliar with this phrase? Cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other’s learning.

In a recent study through the Journal of Effective Teaching, students taught with cooperative learning strategy performed better than those taught with th individualistic learning strategy. The experimental group obtained a higher mean score of 89.91 as compared with the mean of 79.75 for the control group. The difference between the means scores of both groups is significant.

Please know the first time you attempt this, it could be difficult with lots of starts and stops. However, over time the students will embrace the experience and ask for more. You may end up stepping in as an actor if someone is conveniently “sick” the day of the performance or maybe the costume designer never comes through. Who knows?

If you stay engaged with the students as they experience a class production experience, help them navigate the twists and turns while they learn and act as supervisor, this could be the highlight of your year!

My Producer Unit

You may not be aware, but I have a Producer unit. You can find it here: Drama Producer Unit

This unit includes:

This 7 day unit about the theater producer is suitable for high school students and perhaps gifted middle graders. Students read a play or musical, choose a theater scenario, study the responsibilities of a theater producer, examine style, metaphor, create and set up a budget/income for their production and finish with sharing their ideas on a concept board. Through this unit, students develop a keen eye for what it takes to be a producer and critique their peer’s work as well.

The product includes:

Warm-Up Exercise
The Rationale Teaching the Unit
Teacher Script to Introduce the Unit –what I say and how I say it!
Quora article with questions to answer
Blog Post about Broadway Tricks of the Trade
How to Use Metaphor in Design
Questions to Consider when Producing a Production
Procedure for Each Day
Photocopying List
Musical and Play List Titles of Most Popular Productions in High Schools
Three Theater Scenarios for the Students to Choose From
List of Publishing Companies of Plays and Musicals
Sources & Live Video links list including clip suggestions
Two Assignments–one a short essay and another creating a concept board
Assignment Rubric
Peer evaluation activity

I hope you’ll consider planning a class play production in the near future. I’ve found it to be one of the most gratifying experiences of teaching. Observing my students as they learned how to work with one another, see their exhilaration when they show finally comes together and listening to their “aha” moments is a wonderful thing. Maybe you just want to start small and teach your students about costume design?

What class play productions have you produced? I’d love to hear about them. Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com!

The Seven Reasons I Recommend Plays for New Audiences Scripts

February 8, 2022 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

The Seven Reasons I Recommend Plays for New Audiences Scripts

Have you heard of Plays for New Audiences? No? They are terrific. Here are the seven reasons I recommend plays for new audiences scripts.

Plays for New Audiences is a division of Children’s Theatre Company. (Pictured above) Minneapolis, Minnesota. PNA offers contemporary works that are topical, relevant, and even fantastical. In addition, PNA offers many reimagined classics that are stage-ready for your next production.

The Children’s Theatre Company (formerly known as The Moppet Players from 1961 to 1965) is a regional theater established in 1965, specializing in plays for families, young audiences and the very young.

You really must check out this website! Plays for New Audiences

I ran on to the Childrens Theatre Company many years ago and picked up a few scripts for the youth theater I was administrating. Friends, these scripts are fabulous.

Plays for High School of Middle School Students to Perform

At least once a week, I read of teachers desperate to find a script to produce with their students. Either they need one for their class to produce, or are looking for a play to use to travel and perform for their elementary or middle schools. (Next school year would be a fantastic time to do this with your students since the pandemic will have subsided and everyone should be back in school full swing.)

Here are a few I suggest, but friends there are many of which to choose. Do give this website an afternoon to peruse.

The Seven Reasons I Recommend Plays for New Audiences Scripts

Reason #1: Some are adapted from celebrated authors.

A Mark Twain Storybook is about a troupe of actors who re-tell some of Mark Twain’s most popular stories in “The Quadricetennial edition of America’s most loved traveling show, The Celebrated Mark Twain Storybook and Musicale Review!” They cover Tom Sawyer, The Good Little Boy (and, conversely, The Bad Little Boy), The Jumping Frog, What Stumped the Bluejays, Experience of the McWilliamses with Membranous Croup, and The Prince and the Pauper. A Mark Twain Storybook is a vaudeville inspired, rollicking delight.

The script is forty-five pages with roles for five actors with a running time of seventy-five minutes and recommended for ages six and up.

Reason #2: They are willing to adapt movies into plays. Generally, a movie will come out of a play version, but I like that they are willing to reverse that if the script is worthwhile.

The Seven Reasons I Recommend Plays for New Audiences Scripts

Another script which looks sensational is Akeelah and the Bee. Akeelah and the Bee tells the story of a girl with a crazy passion for words: the more abstruse and labyrinthine, the better. But this gift is almost overwhelmed by the challenge of her daily life in a tough, Chicago neighborhood. Akeelah’s aptitude earns her a spot in the National Spelling Bee, which inspires the people in her neighborhood with her courage and tenacity. (You may be familiar with this title as there was a movie of it first.)

The script is 104 pages with roles for seven males and seven females. It runs two hours and is suitable for ages eight and up.

Reason #3: Some plays contain original plots.

If you are looking for something concerning the Jewish culture, I’d check out The Adventures of Motel. The Adventures of Motel is a story of adventure and misadventure set in Russia in the year 1905. A Jewish boy named Mottel meets the trials of living under rule of a cruel Czar with wit and good cheer. Mottel has many adventures, from causing the whole town to sneeze, dying the river (and in effect all the laundry) blue, and eventually travelling to America. We are able to experience what life was like for Jews in Russia at this tine while being entertained by the mishaps of a young boy.

The script is fifty-eight pages in length, runs two hours and has a cast of thirteen male and eleven female. It is suitable for ages eleven and up.

Reason #4: Many are multicultural. Quite a few are adaptations from folk or fairy tales.

The Seven Reasons I Recommend Plays for New Audiences Scripts

The Monkey King is a fabulous folk tale from China. I’d take a look at it if you have a large class or auditioning pool.

The Monkey King play concerns a Heavenly Palace, the Jade Emperor and the Jade Empress are holding a feast. Suddenly a monkey hatches from a rock and declares himself King, shaking the very foundations of heaven and earth. He even travels to the underworld and erases his death in the Book of the Dead. The Emperor tries to capture the Monkey, but the wild animal escapes, ending up in a showdown with Buddha himself! Buddha wins and thus begins the Monkey’s earthly adventures. He accompanies a monk on a pilgrimage, along with two traveling companions, a pig, Ba-jie, and a carp, Sha-Sen, both of whom have been sent down to earth after causing trouble in the Heavenly Realm. As with every great quest story, the journey tests the character of the four travelers. To complete the mission, each must learn to recognize his weakness and understand their strengths.

The script is fifty-two pages in length runs one hour and forty-one minutes with roles for fifteen male and eight female +ensemble (Doubling possible)

The Seven Reasons I Recommend Plays for New Audiences Scripts

Reason #5: They are diverse.

Based on the book of the same name, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy is worth checking out as well.

In Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy Turner Buckminster III can’t win: he’s the new kid in town, he plays baseball differently, and he stumbles upon trouble at every step. Turner’s only friend is Lizzie Bright Griffin from Malaga Island, an impoverished community founded by former slaves. The town (and Turner’s father) disapproves of their friendship, but Turner and Lizzie remain friends regardless. When powerful forces threaten Lizzie and her kin, Turner faces the ultimate test of his character—and learns a hard-earned lesson about courage and loss.

The script is eighty-eight pages in length, runs two hours (with an intermission) and has roles for four male and seven female. It is appropriate for nine years and up.

Reason #6: They are entertaining and fun!

The Seven Reasons I Recommend Plays for New Audiences Scripts

Looking for a musical? Here is one–Bunnicula!

Bunnical is about a dancing cat, a howling dog, and a vampire bunny. The perfect pet combination for any family. It’s a dark and stormy night and Chester (the family cat) and Harold (the family dog) sit waiting for their owners to return home from the movies. Chester and Harold are more than just pets, they’re good friends too. When the Monroes finally get home, they come bearing a surprise: they’ve found a bunny in the movie theater. But this is no ordinary rabbit… this is the extraordinary Bunnicula. When the family’s produce starts losing its juice, Chester thinks he knows what’s causing the fantastic phenomenon. Bunnicula is a vampire! Or maybe Chester’s imagination is getting the better of him. Singing and dancing their way through this hilarious mystery, the furry friends find room in their hearts, and in their home, for one very unique bunny.

This musical comes with musical tracks which would be very helpful if you don’t have an accompaniast. The show runs one hour and thirty-one minutes, has roles for two female and one male and is suitable for age six and up.

The Seven Reasons I Recommend Plays for New Audiences Scripts

Reason #7: They offer scripts with holiday themes.

Holiday Plays

Publishers with holiday themed scripts are always a plus in my book. Prancer concerns young Jessica Riggs’ family has fallen on hard times. Still, she keeps her belief in Santa Claus and the idea that there are miracles in the world. When an injured reindeer appears in Jessica’s backyard, she believes it is Prancer. While she is nursing the creature back to health, the whole community of Three Oaks eventually learns about Prancer, causing big problems for Jessica as she tries to return the reindeer home. Based on the cherished film, Prancer, this piece uses a heartwarming story and breathtaking puppetry to bring light into your holiday season.

Want some help with directing? Pick up my Director’s Helper Checklist here: Director’s Helper Checklist

Licensing and Royalties Information

I did want to touch on purchasing scripts and royalties for these plays and musicals. If you want to purchase copies for your class to read called you need a Classroom Reading license. This is a fifty dollar per semester cost. You can download and copy as many as you need. If you want to purchase, just one it is $12.00. I think it would be better to purchase a classroom reading license. At fifty dollars, that’s a pretty good deal since the average script cost of other publishers is usually around $10.00. I’d seriously consider doing this if I were you.

You would need to apply for a license to produce one of their plays in order to receive a royalty quote. I was unable to secure this information for you.

I hope you’ll check out Plays for New Audiences and their scripts. If I was still directing and teaching, I’d be on this site like butter on bread. They are unique, imaginative and guaranteed to be engaging to your students and audience.

If you’d appreciate additional advice from a seasoned theater teacher and director, check out:

Ten Important Elements to Consider When Directing a Youth Theater Production

Eighteen Ways To Make Your Directing Experience Less Stressful, Part One

Eighteen Ways to Make Your Directing Experience Less Stressful, Part Two

What play publishing company are you fond of? There are many, huh? Leave a comment and share your opinion. If you’d like to contact me do so at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Teacher Burned Out: How to Fix and Avoid An Expert Guide

January 12, 2022 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

Teacher Burned Out: How to Fix and Avoid An Expert Guide

They say you should write about what you know. Hmmmm. What do I know? I know this subject well–Teacher Burned Out: How to Fix and Avoid

I bet you do, too.

Here’s a quote that sums it up perfectly, “Burnout is nature’s way of telling you, you’ve been going through the motions your soul has departed; you’re a zombie, a member of the walking dead, a sleepwalker. False optimism is like administrating stimulants to an exhausted nervous system.” Anais Nin

I’ve lived this quote.

Teacher Burned Out: How to Fix and Avoid (An Expert Guide)

Before we begin, let me tell you a little story.

About eight years ago, I taught in a wonderful home school enrichment program (with around 800 students,grades k to 12) which was part of the St. Vrain School system in Longmont, CO. In my first year, I directed three musicals (I used the MTI juniors) and taught six classes (at three different locations.)

As is typical of me, I am sort of a create-a-monster kind of person; I have a tendency to keep improving something until I’m satisfied with it.

In my sixth year of teaching for Apex, I was directing FOUR different musicals (all MTI juniors) as well as FOUR children’s musicals (MTI kids) as well as teaching twenty-four classes. Yes, you read that correctly. Each location offered a bit of a different curriculum so of course that meant different preps. for me. (One school wanted a film class. Another an intro. to Shakespeare, etc.)

My health began to deteriorate. I was frustrated, sarcastic, short fused, tired all the time and very stressed.

Teacher Burned Out: How to Fix and Avoid (An Expert Guide)

Consequently, in my seventh year I dropped two schools and just taught Thursday and Friday. But my inspiration was waning. At this point, I’d directed around 350 plays and musicals over the thirty-eight years I’d taught (both schools and an excellent community theater).

Finally, I taught one more year and retired at age sixty. I was totally ready.

You see, I care more about what the students gain from my teaching than my own sanity and obvious health. I was willing to exhaust myself if more students came away with feeling being a part of a group, increased self-esteem and confidence. That’s really all I cared about.

No one told me to take care of myself. If they did, I was too stubborn and proud to do so very much.

I nearly ruined my health learning the lesson to do so, however.

Three Major Teacher Burnout Symptoms

According to the website prodigygame.com, there are three major teacher burnout symptoms:

Cynicism — a sense of detachment from work or life, loss of enjoyments, pessimism and isolation.
Feelings of ineffectiveness — Apathy, hopelessness, increased irritability, lack of productivity and poor performance.
Physical and emotional exhaustion — Always tired, unable to sleep, forgetfulness or trouble concentrating, anxiety, depression and anger.

Here’s another thing no one thinks about–there are after school activities like plays or musical rehearsals, marching band, ball practices, , study help, cheerleading, the chess club. All of these extracurriculars are fun to do, but they do take a toll on a teacher’s energy.

Don’t get me started talking about the hours a theatre teacher puts into directing a play or worse yet, a musical! It’s staggering. As the teacher/director, you not only direct the show but you also design the costumes, set, lights, sound, create stage props, handle the tickets, advertising and let’s not forget your teaching load! If you’d like some advice concerning directing youth theater check out this post Ten Important Elements to Consider When Directing a Youth Theater Production

What’s the Answer to Burnout?

I wish I could say there is one way to handle the burn out. But there just isn’t. Here are a few things I learned over time:

I didn’t grade every paper which sat on m desk. Some can be given a participation grade (I used a check, check plut and check minus) especially when the students are just learning a concept.
Planning my calendar to give myself breaks within the week was essential. For instance, if my Creative Dramatics class had a performance for their parents, I made sure my Intro. to Theater class worked by themselves and I was merely over seeing.
If one class was doing something physical, I planned so the next class was doing something more sedentary.
I found my students learned the best Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Because of this, I kept Monday and Friday’s lessons lighter. I wouldn’t introduce a new unit until Tuesday (hoping to catch everyone and those who took a long weekend and missed Friday and Monday).
Fridays were fun days for all of us. I made sure that my Fridays were my best lessons to teach or those most engaging. Sometimes the students would view part of a video on a Friday. That kept my teacher-to-student contact low and my maintained my energy.
If I could work it out, I’d go out for lunch at least once a week. Or, I’d bring in something special from the grocery store–like a deli sandwich or fancy salad. It lifted the monotony.

The Pros and Cons of Producing Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, Jr.

November 17, 2021 By dhcbaldwin 2 Comments

The Pros and Cons of Producing Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, Jr.

Life has a way of making its mark on you. Don’t you agree?

When I was entering college, I really had no idea what career I wanted to pursue. Loving the arts as I did was a challenge, because I came from a family of business owners and teachers and studying something like the arts was considered frivolous and a waste of time. (I think that’s what they thought. I honestly don’t know.)

How would my arts interest sit with them? I know that doesn’t sound like an important thing to consider when you are starting out in your life as an adult, but I did care that my family approved of my future career pursuits.

Ironically, as things would have it, I ended up getting my teaching certification in English and later in Speech and Theater. I loved to perform. However, when I graduated from college in 1977 New York City was not somewhere I wanted to move and pound the pavements for a possible job. I was more practical than that. I admire anyone who makes it on Broadway. That has to be a tough road to go.

I had high hopes of ending up in a large high school. At the time, jobs teaching theater at the high school level were scarce. I taught English for three years then stayed home with our daughters for eleven. Instead of teaching theater in a high school, I developed and administrated several youth theater companies for community theaters. Once our daughters were in elementary school and I no longer needed to stay home with them, I went back to teaching.

For many years, I taught at the same time as I ran the youth programs (my last teaching position included teaching students in second through twelfth) with all of these other responsibilities. It was a crazy busy time, and grueling but it was necessary and I enjoyed it.

Thirty-eight plus years later, I see my talents and knowledge were best used with students of every grade level. Because I taught many classes over the years for several different school systems, I discovered where the holes were in the curriculum and took note of them.

The Pros and Cons of Producing Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, Jr.

Part of my mission is to provide guidance and advice selecting a musical for a school or youth theater program. I’ve directed over 250 plays and musicals through the years.

I’ve recommended Willy Wonka, Jr. in another blog post. You can read about it HERE.

Another junior musical I recommend is Disney’s Alice in Wonderland.

A quick synopsis—

In the most perfect day of summer, children play in a park, Alice dreams of a world of her own while her sister Mathilda lectures her on the books she is reading until Alice falls asleep. She wakes and finds a White Rabbit talking about how late he is. Alice follows the White Rabbit down a rabbit hole where strange creatures offer her advice. Finally, at the end of her fall, Alice encounters a talking doorknob which tells her that a place called “Wonderland” is on the other side. If you are familiar with the Disney movie version, you’ll love this script! It follows the movie version completely.

Characters–

One of the most important reasons I recommend this musical to teachers and youth theater directors is the number of roles available. Whoever adapted this script, did a very clever thing–wrote it so there are three Alices (one of average size, one taller and another even larger) That’s great from the stand point of giving more students opportunities to perform. Some roles can be gender fluid such as the White Rabbit and the Catepillar.

I’ve even switched the genders of the Queen and King of Hearts and cast a male as the Queen and a female as the King. Audiences LOVED it!

Here is Marshall portraying the Queen of Hearts!

Costumes, Sets and Props–One of the most worrisome parts of directing in amateur theater is the technical aspects. I’ve had the incredible luck to find a school where I could rent the lead characters’ costumes. However, you can produce this show with a limited budget, too. If you can only afford tee shirts, then use different colored shirts for each character. For example, Alice could be in bright blue, King and Queen in red, her court in white, etc.

A set design can be as simple as perioktois painted with three different scenes to denote locations. Or use a unit set and merely change a few set pieces for each scene.

Here’s a secret–an audience will believe anything you believe first. Direct the show in your school cafetorium or library or outside on the playground. Now there’s a thought! Be creative and step out of the norm. I have and it’s worth it!

The Pros and Cons of Producing Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, Jr.

Audience appeal–Lewis Carroll’s classic is still popular with children. Coupled with the availability of the Disney movie, it isn’t difficult to fill your theater with an enthusiastic audience. Whole families can attend without any worry about subject matter or language. The lines are quotable and well loved. Some of the best lines are delivered by minor characters and let me tell you, a young person feels so special when the audience laughs at his few lines.

Music–Oh my gosh, it’s so clever! It’s written in key signatures young voices can reach and sing strongly. No trying to reach notes which are completely out of their range. Students pick it up quickly, plus Music Theater International provides rehearsal CDs for your students to use. Personally, I think the rehearsal cd is worth its weight in gold. Students become very confident singing because they learn the music right along with the CD. If you’ve never used the MTI rehearsal CDs, you will not believe how much it helps the students.

If you are considering double casting, Alice in Wonderland works well double casted. Check out Double Casting a Show?

Having directed Alice in Wonderland, Jr. four times, I know it very well. It never grows old.

One complaint

Length–The show is a little long. The problem is the number of reprises. There are simply too many of them, although I understand the reasons for including them–it gives more students opportunities to perform. If you have students which can sustain their energy for ninety minutes, then great! It’s my experience that the length drains their energy. I mean, they are only kids, you know?

DramaMommaSpeaks Broadway Musical Units and Lessons

You may be unaware of it, but now that I’m retired I create theater ed. units and lessons for the classroom. Some of my most popular are my Broadway musical units.

Here are a few:

Cover of a unit about The Music Man musical

Each unit is different, although I include several of the same details in every unit:

letter to the teacher explaining the unit
teacher’s script to begin the lesson
a warm up
plot
synopsis
list of songs
creative staff biographies
Tony awards the production has won
Trivia
Student’s note and Teacher’s Key (yay!)
Lastly, an enrichment activity page which is customized for each musical.

Irregardless of the musical you select for your students, just know that if you consider the students first you will succeed. It’s really that simple.

What is your favorite musical to direct with your students? I’d love to hear about it. Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

How to Be the Cool Theater Teacher When Broadway Re-opens

August 18, 2021 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

How to Be the Cool Theater Teacher When Broadway Re-opens

Every teacher wants to be popular. Personally, I think it’s an unfulfilled desire from our high school days when maybe we weren’t the coolest and our pick of friends, though loyal, wasn’t exactly a large number.

Today, I’m going to talk about how to be the cool teacher….at least for a day or two.

People ask what is my favorite musical. This is a difficult question to answer, because I love many.

If I have to pick one for today, I’ll say Hadestown. (Tomorrow it will probably be something else.)

This is a glorious show filled with everything which makes a great one– memorable music, tremendous lyrics, terrific plot and unique message.

All About Hadestown

If you don’t know much about Hadestown, here is a quick synopsis from Broadway.com:

Hadestown intertwines two mythic tales—that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone—as it invites you on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers and singers, Hadestown is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.

Hadestown is a 2016 stage musical adaptation of the 2010 folk opera concept album by Anais Mitchell. As in the 2010 album, Hadestown adapts the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to a Great Depression-era inspired post-apocalyptic setting.

One of the production’s messages defends beauty and the importance of music and love to the soul, even in an increasingly commercialized world.

I can’t count how many times someone has suggested a song which makes them feel better (especially in light of the pandemic.) Music speaks to people. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t live without music in my life. See what I mean in my post, How Enriched is Life Without Music?

How to Be the Cool Theater Teacher When Broadway Re-opens

What is the origin of Hadestown?

Scrolling around the internet, I found this post from Vulture, “To use the appropriate organic metaphors, Hadestown started as a seed with a community-theater project that Mitchell, a songwriter, first performed in Vermont in 2006. That grew into a concept album in 2010, which she recorded along with folk musicians like Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. By 2013, Mitchell started working with Chavkin — who had been directing The Great Comet Off Broadway — to plant Hadestown back onstage.

They took it to New York Theatre Workshop in 2016 and then to Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre and London’s National Theatre before returning to Broadway, where the show began performances on March 22. Along the way they experimented with everything from the set design, to the size of the cast, to their way of thinking about the main characters’ roles in the story.”

How to Be the Cool Theater Teacher When Broadway Re-opens

Hades and Persephone

Two mythological tales were combined to create the plot of Hadestown. It’s important to understand the two myths separately in order to appreciate them being woven together for this musical.

Hades is the Ancient Greek god of the Underworld, the place where human souls go after death. In time, his name became synonymous with his realm. It has to be said unsurprisingly – since he barely left it. Appropriately, the most significant myth related to Hades concerns one of the very few times he did – to abduct Demeter’s daughter, Persephone.

As the ruler of the dead, Hades was a grim and ghastly figure, inspiring awe and terror in everybody. Consequently, he was rarely depicted in art. When he was, he was most commonly portrayed with a beard, and a solemn, mournful look. He frequently wears a helmet, named the Helm of Darkness or the Cap of Invisibility. Cerberus, the three-headed dog which guarded the entrance to the Underworld, is usually beside him. Every so often he carries a scepter or holds the key to his kingdom. At a later stage, he became associated with his weapon of choice, the bident, a two-pronged fork modeled after Poseidon’s trident.

How to Be the Cool Theater Teacher When Broadway Re-opens

Persephone, the daughter of Demeter and Zeus, became the wife of Hades and the Queen of the Underworld. She was a dual deity, since, in addition to presiding over the dead with intriguing autonomy, as the daughter of Demeter, she was also a goddess of fertility. The myth of her abduction by Hades was frequently used to explain the cycle of the seasons.

Who Wrote Hadestown?

Anaïs Mitchell is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright. Mitchell has released seven albums, including Hadestown (2010), Young Man in America (2012), and Child Ballads (2013). She developed Hadestown (together with director Rachel Chavkin) into a stage show which received its US debut at New York Theatre Workshop in summer 2016, and its Canadian debut at the Citadel Theatre, Edmonton the following year. In 2018 it was announced that the show would open at London’s National Theatre later in the year before transferring to Broadway.

Hadestown began as a DIY community theater project in Vermont in 2006. In 2013 Anais began the process of expanding and adapting the work into a full-length professional theatrical production. She worked closely with director Rachel Chavkin.

Who directed Hadestown?

Director Rachel Chavkin (has a BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA from Columbia University School of the Arts (2008). Chavkin directed Dave Malloy’s Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, which ran Off-Broadway in 2013-2014. Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 received the 2013 Obie Award, Special Citation. Under her direction, the musical opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on November 14, 2016.

At the 71st Tony Awards, the musical received twelve nominations, the highest number for the 2016-17 season, including a nomination for Chavkin for Best Director of a Musical.

How to Be the Cool Theater Teacher When Broadway Re-opens

In an article in American Theatre, it was noted that she has a “diverse slate of work” united with “a distinctively multisensory sensibility…. When she staged Meg Miroshnik’s The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls at Yale Repertory Theatre, she included a live female punk band; her work with the TEAM routinely blends text, video, and pervasive sound design. ‘She can squeeze a lot into a small space, and yet it feels epic and sprawling,’ said Ars Nova artistic director Jason Eagan.

I’m Here to Help You!

In case you aren’t aware, I create drama education and resources. I have a unit for Hadestown which you might appreciate.

This Product includes:

Letter to Teacher
Warm Up–MY Version of a Popular Physical Warm Up
Teacher’s Script–What I Say and How I Say it! (No need to worry about what to say)
Photos of the Statues of Greek Gods or Persephone & Hades
Paintings of the Statues of Greek Gods of Eurydice & Orpheus
Plot of the Musical
Synopsis of the Musical
A Brief Description of the Four Mythological Characters to Help Your Students Understand the Musical More Fully
Separate File of Photos for Teacher’s Use in Lecture
History about the Origination of the Production
Information on the Director, Rachel Chavkin
Information on the composer, Anais Mitchell
Information about the music arranger and orchestrator, Michael Chorney
A Shortened Lesson on: What are the Tony Awards?
List of Tony Awards
New York City Map Link with Competing Theaters Labeled
Student Note Page
Teacher Note Page Key
Trivia about Broadway Musicals with Some Surprising Facts!
Partial lyrics from “Why We Build a Wall”–Good for Class Discussions or as a Jumping Off Point
Extension Activities–Terrific Suggestions of Ways to Secure the Learning and Enrich the Experience, Individual and Group
Sources & Hot Links to Video Clips from the Show!

Hadestown Preview

If this sounds interesting to you, check out my store at Dramamommaspeaks to learn more about the unit.

How to Be the Cool Theater Teacher When Broadway Re-opens

I’ve found most students are familiar with the music from a musical and the plot. However they never have an opportunity to learn about its origin, trivia and creative team. I create units the way I would use them.

Want to impress your students? Hadestown reopens on Broadway on September 2. Your students will be impressed that you keep up with the hubbub of Broadway by teaching Hadestown.

When Broadway reopens its doors, there is going to be so much excitement we will hear the cheers in every theater classroom in the country, much less the world. What a fabulous image and sound that will be!

What musical is your favorite (at least today)? I’d love to hear about it. Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net.

Want some free lessons? Check out: Free Stuff! (Check this often because I add lessons as I have time to do so.)

My Theatre Vocabulary List for the Classroom

June 23, 2021 By dhcbaldwin 4 Comments

My Theatre Vocabulary List for the Classroom

Let’s talk about my theatre vocabulary list for the classroom. I apologize. It never occurred to me that teachers needed a list of vocabulary for their theatre classes.

Theatre is such a major part of my life, I’d forgotten not everyone comes into teaching theatre classes as knowledgeable as I was. However, as I think about it, I remember what it’s like getting started teaching a theatre class.

It’s tough to get started. Although there are colleagues who will advise you, sometimes you need someone sort of “at your finger tips” to help you. That’s me!

Why teach vocabulary words?

This seems this would have an obvious answer. But just as in every other subject students teach, theater students need to know the words and phrases you will use in your classroom. We can’t expect out students to be good communicators if we don’t help them, yes?

There are many processes students can use to learn these words. If you pick up my Word Wall product, I’ve included several different ways to learn the vocabulary words.

Teach by osmosis! What’s that, you say? Learning by proxy, or being exposed to someone, can naturally achieve an unconscious assimilation of ideas, vocabulary, knowledge and even technical skills. It’s called osmosis.

A teacher could share a vocabulary word each day. Start the day with the word and even demonstrate it. Honestly, you will be surprised how quickly the students will learn them using osmosis. Just by seeing, demonstrating themselves and writing them, they’ll learn many of these words as if by magic.

++++++++ I am sorry there aren’t more words and their definitions listed here. I think students were coming here and filling out their vocabulary and definition sheet list and not finding the words and their definitions on their own.

Tsk, tsk. So, I edited the list to give you a basic idea..

Actor to Choreography:

Actor A male person who performs a role in a play, work of theatre, or movie

Actress A female person who performers in a role in a play, work of theatre, or movie.

Apron The section of the stage floor which projects towards or into the auditorium. In proscenium theatres, it’s the part of the stage in front of the house tabs, or in front of the proscenium arch, above the orchestra pit

My Theatre Vocabulary List for the Classroom (Example)

Cast A set of actors in a play

Catharsis A moment of high tragedy at the emotional climax of a play is followed by an emotional cleansing for the characters and the audience

Chanting A word or phrase repeated for an effect

Character A person in a novel, play, or movie

Are you considering becoming a teacher? Check out this blog post Why is it Important to Create a Lesson Plan?

If you are a student, sorry. You are going to have to look up these words yourself to attain the rest of the defintions.

Looking for a lesson for tomorrow? Pick up this one about Lin Manuel Miranda.

My Theatre Vocabulary List for the Classroom

I was looking around the internet and found this great blog post about the reasons it is important to know how to spell.

Everything is provided for you. Check it out at: Word Wall

The Reasons It’s Important to Learn to Spell

It develops reading skills: Knowing how to spell correctly helps children become better readers. If they don’t know how to spell a word, they’re more likely to guess at its meaning, rather than understand its true meaning. Additionally, being able to accurately spell words helps to build fluency and allow kids to read faster.
It enhances writing skills: Knowing how to spell words correctly helps children become better writers as well. When they’re able to accurately spell words, they can express their thoughts and feelings more clearly, resulting in stronger writing overall.
It builds confidence: Being able to accurately spell words is a great confidence booster for primary school kids. Knowing that they can spell words correctly helps them become more confident readers and writers.
It improves vocabulary: Learning how to spell words correctly helps children learn the meanings of unfamiliar words and increase their vocabulary. This can be very beneficial for them in the future as they continue their education.
It helps with concentration: Spelling correctly requires focus and concentration, both of which are important skills for primary school children to learn. By mastering spelling, kids will be able to transfer these skills to other areas of their studies as well.
Ultimately, spelling is an essential skill for primary school children to learn. Not only does it help them become better readers and writers, but it also boosts their confidence, expands their vocabulary, and helps them develop concentration skills. Therefore, it’s important that primary school kids take the time to practice their spelling regularly.

Instead of copying all of these words and making printables for your students, there are 64 in this product! Check out this WORD WALL:

First African American to Win National Spelling Bee

Have you heard of Zaila Avant-garde? The multitalented teenage phenomenon Zaila Avant-garde, became an overnight sensation with her Scripps National Spelling Bee win at the age of fourteen, when she became the first African American contestant to win. Zaila Avant-garde, now sixteen, will add “author” to her already-impressive list of accolades that includes: 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion, 2021 Sports Kid of the Year by Sports Illustrated Kids; and two-time Guinness World Record holder for feats related to her basketball prowess.

Her books, IT’S NOT BRAGGING IF IT’S TRUE: HOW TO BE AWESOME AT LIFE, a non-fiction middle-grade and a picture book, WORDS OF WONDER FROM Z TO A, a children’s picture book, will be published on June 27, 2023, by Doubleday Books for Young Readers and edited by VP, Editor-in-Chief Frances Gilbert.

Pick up my Drama Word Wall. Everything is provided for you. Check it out at: Word Wall or you can pick up posters (some are FREE) for your classroom, too! Growth Mindset Posters and Vocabulary

I hope this helps you. Please feel free to contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Want some more help in the classroom? Check out my FREE Guide and ten page lesson Here

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DramaMommaSpeaks Broadway Musical Units and Lessons

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How to Be the Cool Theater Teacher When Broadway Re-opens

All About Hadestown

How to Be the Cool Theater Teacher When Broadway Re-opens

What is the origin of Hadestown?

How to Be the Cool Theater Teacher When Broadway Re-opens

Hades and Persephone

How to Be the Cool Theater Teacher When Broadway Re-opens

Who Wrote Hadestown?

Who directed Hadestown?

How to Be the Cool Theater Teacher When Broadway Re-opens

I’m Here to Help You!

How to Be the Cool Theater Teacher When Broadway Re-opens

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My Theatre Vocabulary List for the Classroom

Why teach vocabulary words?

Actor to Choreography:

My Theatre Vocabulary List for the Classroom (Example)

My Theatre Vocabulary List for the Classroom

The Reasons It’s Important to Learn to Spell

First African American to Win National Spelling Bee

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