Wicked

October’s Curtain Call: Remarkable Moments in Theater History

September 13, 2023 By dhcbaldwin Leave a Comment

When I began this blog in 2014, my hope was that I could be of assistance to theater teachers around the world. Thousands of people read my blog every year and for that I am honored. Today I want to discuss lesson plan ideas which take very little time and effort which are prompted by the calendar for October. Here’s my blog post– October’s Curtain Call: Remarkable Moments in Theatre history.

In 1981 (I know it’s difficult to believe) when I began teaching language arts, education was a quite different then. One aspect I remember vividly is the lack of resources for teachers. Friend, there was simply nothing created for us to use in the classroom. Consequently, I created everything I needed. The job was difficult enough without that added challenge. I hold language arts teachers in high esteem. Truthfully, I’m not much of a language arts teacher but hey, I needed a job. Not surprisingly I’m a much better writer now because I taught the basics of writing to students all those many years ago.

Teaching Theatre in Middle School

In 1995 I was hired to teach a pre-elective drama class in a brand new middle school. Again, there were even fewer resources to teach the class–such as teaching units, games, play anthologies, posters or textbooks.

As a member of various theater teacher and director Facebook groups, I read posts nearly everyday of teachers needed everything from lessons to ways to decorate their room. Here is one easy way to decorate your room with little work. If you’d like to read another post about decorating your classroom, check out: My Theatre Vocabulary List for the Classroom

Uses in the Classroom

There are many ways to uses these historical dates in your teaching. With each date, I’ve included suggestions to give you an idea about how to utilize them. The first way you could use a historical date is to merely post it on the bulletin board or display on your whiteboard. Discuss the historical moment and leave it at that.

Another choice is to teach a quick lesson using the topic of the historical date.

Here are a few notable events from theater history which took place in October:

October 1, 1935 : Birthday of Broadway leading lady Julie Andrews, who stars in The Boy Friend, My Fair Lady, Camelot, and Victor/Victoria—but never wins a Tony Award (she famously renounces her nomination for Victor/Victoria when the rest of the cast was “egregiously overlooked”). She wins an Oscar for playing the title role in the Disney movie musical Mary Poppins. (Teach with this lesson: Julie Andrew Biography)
October 2, 2003: Hunter Foster and Kerry Butler star in a Broadway production of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman‘s musical Little Shop of Horrors, which ran for several years Off-Broadway in the 1980s, but only now makes its Broadway debut. The production runs 10 months at the Virginia Theatre. (show a video clip from the production–Feed Me Seymour (Note: Bad language at 3:44)
October 6, 2003: The musical Wicked, based on the novel by Gregory Maguire and featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, premiered on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre. It quickly became a commercial and critical success. (Teach the lesson and Create costume designs for Wicked.)
October 9, 1968 Dude, Gerome Ragni and Galt MacDermot’s musical follow-up to megahit Hair, opens on Broadway—and falls flat on its face, getting roasted by critics and running just 16 performances. (It might be fun to talk about some Broadway shows which were flops.)
October 11, 1987: The musical Les Misérables made its Broadway debut at the Broadway Theatre in New York City. It would go on to become one of the longest-running and most beloved musicals in theater history. (Here’s a unit concerning Les Mis Broadway Musical Guide)

Be Clever and Unique

I’m all about being innovative. Using these historical dates are a perfect break in the learning from everything else a teacher’s been teaching. It would be very easy to lengthen the information I’ve provided here and use it for a whole class period.

October 16, 1950: Arthur Miller’s iconic play Death of a Salesman premiered on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre. The play would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and become a classic of American theater. (monologue from Death of a Salesman (3:33 mins.)
October 17, 1935: The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was established in the United States as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. This program aimed to provide employment for theater professionals and produced a wide range of theatrical productions across the country. Briefly discuss the Federal Theatre Project.
October 30, 1975: The cult classic musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in theaters. While not initially successful, it became a midnight movie phenomenon with audience participation and interactive screenings, leading to a unique and enduring theatrical experience. ( Start class with dance warm up of Time Warp from Rocky Horror Picture Show.)
October 30, 2019: The musical adaptation of the movie Beetlejuice opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre. While it gained a dedicated fanbase, it closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Study the musical through this three day unit, Beetlejuice the Broadway Musical.)

If you’d like to do the same thing for another month such as November go to: Theatre History in November

The Importance of Studying Theatre History

You may think it is not beneficial to study any dates from history focused on theatre history. I’d have to argue with you about that opinion. Learning about the history of theatre, even if it’s just the birthdate of a iconic actor, is interesting if not vitally important. I found this quote in https://www.mooc.org, an online education website, “When we study history, we learn how we got where we are, and why we live the way we do. It’s the study of us—of humans and our place in an ever changing world. Without it, we wouldn’t understand all of our triumphs and failures, and we would continually repeat patterns without building forward to something better.”

These are just a few examples of significant events in theater history that occurred in the month of October. Theater continues to evolve and thrive, with new productions and milestones happening all the time.

If I were you, I’d create signs which name could be posted on the whiteboard. I’d make a copy of my free template! Since it’s editable, you can use it many times.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THEATRE HISTORY POWERPOINT.

Have you used “Today in theater history…” lessons before? I’d love to hear about them. Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com

Never Underestimate the Influence of Teaching with Videos

February 23, 2022 By dhcbaldwin 2 Comments

Never Underestimate the Influence of Teaching with Videos

When I began teaching, we didn’t have videos to show students anything pertaining to theater. Friends, never underestimate the never underestimate the influence of teaching with videos!

That was 1980 and the closest thing we had was an old projector which showed black and white films. Yuck. Part of the reason this was uninspiring to students is as we know, theater is a visual art. Plus, it gives students a concrete example of the quality of work professionals turn out. Consequently, not many students enrolled in drama classes.

I was looking around for more reasons why teaching with video works. I ran on to www.nextthoughtsstudios.com I found this quote helpful: “Studies have shown that the use of short video clips allows for more efficient processing and memory recall. The visual and auditory nature of videos appeals to a wide audience and allows each user to process information in a way that’s natural to them. In a nutshell, videos are good teachers.”

Things are different now, huh?

Practically with the snap of a finger, a teacher can search for what she wants and show it in her classroom within a few minutes.

Never Underestimate the Influence of Teaching with Videos

Creating products gives me oppportunities to see many videos worth viewing in the theater classroom. I thought they might be of benefit to you, too!

Primarily, these videos are located on youtube.com. If your school allows you to use Youtube. com, you will be good to go. I’ve also mentioned several videos that you could rent or purchase for your classroom.

Never Underestimate the Influence of Teaching with Videos

Hamilton!

Let’s Look at Hamilton, first!

There are many videos of Hamilton. However one that I especially like is: Adam Savage Examines the Props of Hamilton.

Let’s begin with set design. Set Design for Hamilton is terrific. It’s only 3 minutes in length. Fascinating stuff here.

The lighting design for Hamilton is awesome! Behind the Scenes with a Hamilton Stagehand Who Told Stories with LightsThis one shows what its like for a stagehand. So interesting. (5:58 mins.)

The costume design for Hamilton is a Hamilton Designers Explain How Costumes are Made I think you’ll learn something new here. (29:42 mins.)

Hamilton is available on line through DisneyPlus only. Honestly, I’d sign up for DisneyPlus just to have the opportunity to show it to my students.

If you’d like more information about Hamilton, check out: Hamilton the Musical: A Drama Lesson with a Unique Perspective

Wicked!

Behind the Emerald Curtain is a series of videos which were created for the express purpose of education.

Wicked Behind the Emerald Curtain is a fascinating interview with the costume designer, Susan Hilferty. There is more information here than just costume design, so take a look at this! (5:35 mins.)

In this video, the choreographer for Wicked explains the difference between choreography and staging a musical. See how the entire world of Wicked the musical was choreographed. (4:47 mins.)

Who is an expert in stage smoke, fog and torches? This man is. You’ll want to check out the special effects of Wicked for certain. Wicked: Special Effects (3:37 mins.)

Good news! A movie version of Wicked is slated to begin productions in the summer of 2022. Cynthia Erivo will pay Elfaba and Arianna Grande will be Glenda. How wonderful will that be?

Considering teaching a whole unit on Wicked? Check out my post: Will Wicked The Musical Ever Rule the World?

Dear Evan Hansen

Now that the Dear Evan Hansen movie has been released, this would be a fantastic time to study the musical.

David Korins, Set Design of Dear Evan Hansen shares an incredible story about his creative process. (3:43 mins.)

Here is a short piece on the Genius Design of Lighting of Dear Evan Hansen you simply must show your students! In this video clip, the announcer explains the complexity and number of light cues used in one part of a song. Amazing. (3:13 mins.)

Maybe you need something physical for your students to do? You could use this as a warm-up of even lesson for the day. Check out Dear Evan Hansen Dance Combo (27:01 mins.)

You can rent Dear Evan Hansen through a variety of ways–Apple TV and Prime are two.

Here’s a blog post concerning Dear Evan Hansen which you may find useful and interesting. Like “Dear Evan Hansen”? Then You’ll Love This News

Never Underestimate the Influence of Teaching with Videos

Spongebob Squarepants

Oh my gosh, friends. Spongebob Squarepants is such fun and your younger students will really enjoy learning about it.

You’ll want to look at the interview of a set designer. Set Designer David Zinn ( 7:00 mins.) I enjoy how he explains his concept of the musical, but also explains how color, the use of unusual objects and looking at the story as a child would.

Davis Zinn is exceptionally talented! He designed the costumes for the production as well. Explore the Costumes of Spongebob Squarepants. (2:56 mins.) Your students will love what he uses for each costumes and the detail is immense.

Switching gears here. I think showing a rehearsal of a production. It’s very important for our students. It demonstrates that rehearsals should be done with high energy, full commitment and dedication. Get a Sneak Peak at New Broadway Musical Spongebob Squarepants (2:25 mins.)

Need a scope and sequence for your middle school theater class? I can help here: Drama Units Scope and Sequence

Hadestown

Take a Tour Downtown of Hadestown with Rachel Hauk, set design and Rachel Chavkin, director. (4:09 mins.) For your students who can’t get enough of the creative process of designing a production, you’ll want to show this one.

Making the Music Anais Mitchell (3:50 mins.) talks about composing the music for Hadestown. In particular, she talks about the song, “Why Do We Build a Wall.: The lyrics to this song are not a political statement, but when Hadestown opened our former president was busy trying to keep immigrants out of the country. Talk about life imitating art and vice versa.

Broadway’s Hadestown is a Google Talk (55:31 mins.) which older students would appreciate. I think I would use it for a discussion and pick out certain parts which I wanted to point out–blocking, staging, etc. Members of the cast have an opportunity to share about the production. I especially appreciate Andre Shields’ interview. Although long, it’s worth the time.

You can find bootleg copies of Hadestown. That means someone recorded it illegally. I don’t recommend using these because it just perpetuates the idea that this activity is acceptable.

Here’s a blog post of mine about Hadestown and all its wonderfulness. What Can We Learn from Greek Mythology?

Never Underestimate the Influence of Teaching with Videos

Beetlejuice

Heres a fun one to study: Beetlejuice! The Cast of Beetlejuice Performed at medley at the Tony Awards. (3:48 mins.) Something interesting about this musical is that it was nominated for many Tony awards and didn’t win one. Strange, huh?

The set design is so imaginative–I’d show this for your gifted students. They’ll get a kick out of it! David Korns strikes again as the designer of the Beetlejuice set. It might be interesting to show the three video clips of his work and see if there are any similarities. That’s what I would do. Set Tour with Designer David Korin/ Beetlejuice the Musical. (7:22 mins.)

In How William Ivey Long Created the Beetlejuice and Tootsie Costumes (9:35 mins.) Long speaks about his process for the musical. Talk about talented! You’ll see that he spent over two years designing Beetlejuice. Amazing.

We can’t leave out plays. They are fabulous to teach with too

Teach with Plays

We can’t leave out plays. They are fabulous to teach with too.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Oh yes! To study a little bit of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play would be fabulous for middle grade students.

If your students are unfamiliar with the play, show them this montage first: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Exclusive Montage. (4:43 mins.)

This clip shares many things–the director, special effects, blocking, staging, lighting design, costume design–you name it. Behind the Scenes of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2:49 mins.) is a definite show on my list!

I think students will find this video Magic to Do: Harry Potter with James Snyder (9:51 mins.) demonstrates that actors are pretty much like the rest of us. Pretty goofy.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Let’s say you want to read a play in your high school theater class? I’d suggest To Kill a Mockingbird. I’d include these video clips while we read it. Maybe as a warm-up.

I’d begin with this video clip. It concerns how the play was reworked by the director, Aaron Sorkin. How Aaron Sorkin Reworked To Kill a Mockingbird for Broadway (7:19 mins.) It’s fascinating.

To Kill a Mockingbird Lessons for Today focuses on (7:10 mins.) the show’s star Jeff Daniels and playwright Aaron Sorkin about translating Lee’s characters to the stage, and with students who talk about “Mockingbird”‘s relevance to today’s audience.

Lastly, this video clip discusses the characters of the play. Citizens of To Kill a Mockingbird LaTanya Richards Jackson as Calpurnia (2:40 mins.)

Never Underestimate the Influence of Teaching With Videos

I hope these video links give you a lot of choice and ideas for your classroom use. If I were you, I’d teach a different musical or play each day–that’s 8 days or more of lessons for you. And….a substitute could use these as well.

Have you used video clips in your classroom? I’d love to hear about it. Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Want some help with your directing? Pick up my FREE checklists at: Director’s Helper Checklists

Will Wicked The Musical Ever Rule the World?

April 14, 2021 By dhcbaldwin 3 Comments

Will Wicked The Musical Ever Rule the World?

I have a confession to make. I’ve wondered, will Wicked the Musical ever rule the world? Maybe so.

The first time I saw the musical Wicked, I didn’t care for it too much.

Can you believe it?

Let me explain. Wicked opened in October of 2003. The first time I learned of it was while watching the Macy Thanksgiving Day parade. They presented a preview of it. All I noticed were the costumes and hats.

It just looked weird, like it was trying too hard. A musical about the backstory about Glenda and Elphaba? In opinion (and aren’t we glad I was wrong) there wasn’t much way this musical would be popular and stick around for a long time.

“Times Square Fisheye” by Randy Le’Moine Photography

The next year, we took a school group on spring break to see the production. I really enjoyed it.

Our youngest daughter, age 15 returned home from the trip starstruck. She wore out the CD as she listened and sang to it for probably a year.

A year went by and the show, became very popular and well, the rest is history!

What makes Wicked so popular?

Where do I begin to answer this question.

I create drama education lessons and Wicked was one of the first Broadway musicals which I examined. Although I greatly enjoyed the musical, I never thought about the elements which would be terrific to teach in the classroom. Oh. my. gosh

Four Reasons for Wicked the Broadway Musical’s Excellence

1.Costumes--First, the show won a Tony award for Best Costume Design and it is easy to see why. Here’s a quote from the designer, Susan Hilferty concerning her concept: “The whole idea of the clothes of the citizens of Oz—I imagined that in 1911, basically when the book was written, as if a chunk of earth had been lifted off and sent out into the universe.The whole idea of the clothes of the citizens of Oz are their own distortion and changing of the Edwardian Era. When I was looking at all the clothes, I was looking at various clothes from the Edwardian time, and then twisting them on their center. The twist actually has nothing to do with the tornado.” Check out this video about Hiferty’s costumes: Threadbanger: Interiew with Susan Hilferty, Costume Designer and/or pick up my new Costume Design with Wicked Characters Lesson

Will Wicked The Musical Ever Rule the World?

2. Set–Set Designer Eugene Lee won the Tony for Best Set Design. Concerning the set, “We opted to create an environment inspired by the inner workings of a clock. The shapes, textures, colors, and functional aspects of clock gears and mechanisms contributed to a permanent environmental structure, which defines the stage space.” What of the materials he used? We were interested in natural, realistic materials, not the newest industrial-strength polymers.

The wood we chose has proven to be the perfect material and continues to improve with age and distress. The show the deck, which is constructed of natural maple, is equipped with seven automated tracks, all lined with steel for visual interest. To stay consistent with our concept of clock mechanisms, many of the automated deck units are designed to reveal the mechanics that operated them.” Amazing, huh?

3. Music--The very accomplished composer, Steven Schwartz wrote the music for Wicked. The easiest song to write? “Popular.” The most complicated? His fifth try of the angry roommate song, “What is this feeling?” The first song he wrote was (which is apparently not his usual way of beginning), “No One Mourns the Wicked.” The music was nominated for a Tony award this time for Best Music. I’m seeing a pattern here, are you? You can’t compare Schwartz’s music to anyone else. It is fabulous and something your students would enjoy studying.

4. Book--The origin of the script of Wicked is an interesting one. I won’t divulge it here, but suffice to say the writing of the script changed this author’s life…for good. Though the Tony award for Best Book of a Musical did not go to Wicked, it was nominated. That’s a tremendous accomplishment!

Drama Desk Awards for Wicked

Wicked won several awards from Drama Desk as well. Maybe that’s why Wicked could take over the world. They include: Outstanding Musical, Lyrics, Book of a Musical, Director, Orchestration, Set Design and Costume Design. Drama Desks are the only awards that consider Broadway, off-Broadway, and off-off-Broadway shows in the same competitive categories.

What about its message? At first glance, you may think it’s a revved up “Wizard of Oz”, but no. You need to look deeper than the flying monkeys and magic spells. This enchanting musical is really about friendship, identity, and standing up for one’s beliefs, even when it seems like the rest of the world doesn’t agree with them.

I see Wicked has just surpassed Cats to become the fourth longest running musical on Broadway. Read here.

Differentiation at its best

As I mentioned, I have a lesson about Wicked. In fact, I have several–one is a PDF, one is digital, one is for the Google classroom and one teaches through Boom cards.

This two-day lesson focuses on the Tony award winning musical Wicked. When Dorothy famously triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West, we only ever heard one side of the story. Gregory Maguire‘s acclaimed 1995 novel, ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’, re-imagines the Land of Oz, creating a parallel universe to the familiar story written by L. Frank Baum and first published as ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ in 1900. storm. Students have an opportunity to study the musical’s journey to Broadway, composers, plot, trivia, etc.

Additionally, the lesson can stand alone or be combined with one of my Famous Artist Biographies (Lin Manuel Miranda or Sarah Bareilles for example) or other musical lessons (Hamilton or The Wiz)

How do I use this in my classroom?

A drama, music, reading or a language arts class would enjoy this lesson. Study its music, story line, elements, cultural references–you name it!

The lesson contains:

Letter to Teacher
Warm Up–MY Version of a Popular Physical Warm Up
Teacher’s Script–what I say and how I say it!
Photos from the Broadway Production
Separate File of Slides for Teacher to Use to Lecture
Plot of the Musical
History about the Origination of the Production
Information concerning the composer, Steven Schwartz
Information about the playwright, Winnie Holzman
A Shortened Lesson on: What are the Tony Awards?
Tony Awards it Received
What are the Tony Awards
New York City Map with Competing Theaters Labeled
Student Note Page
Teacher Note Page Key
Trivia
Quotes from the Musical–Good for Discussions and Assignments
Extension Activities–One Pager Assignment, a Terrific Way to Secure the Learning and Enrich the Experience
One Pager Templates
Flip Book Template, Instructions and Assignment
Sources & Links to Film Clips from the Show

Will Wicked the Musical Ever Rule the World?

Here’s a two week resource about Wicked!

I can’t believe Wicked has been on Broadway since 2003! It just seems like yesterday when I was gob smacked by it the first time. Check out this blog post for more Broadway musical info: The Reasons to Teach Broadway Musicals to Your Students

If the musical Wicked could rule the world, that would be fine with me! It’s full of wonderful elements, themes and messages which we all need to hear. What do you like most about the show? You know, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net.

Wicked