Directing: How to teach directing?

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How to teach directing?

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Directing
Forum Discription: For questions about handling shows, actors, crew, board members, children ...or do we repeat ourselves?
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3742
Printed Date: 11/24/24 at 12:27am
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Topic: How to teach directing?

Posted By: Nyria
Subject: How to teach directing?
Date Posted: 1/16/09 at 6:18pm

I teach high school drama. One of the ciriculum requirements of grade 12 is directing.

I have trouble 'teaching' this as I don't have many small assignments for the directors to do. I have worksheets and then they get marked on the directing process etc.

But I would like more assignments to give them actual 'marks' on.

Any ideas?

Thanks =)

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NYRIA

Replies:

Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 1/19/09 at 8:14pm

We had to direct five-minute scenes in high school drama directing class.

Producing a production book for a play was also a requirement as I recall.

We also were sent to various productions of plays and had to write critical analysis of the plays from a directing point of view with a list of criterion to cover.

Posted By: belle
Date Posted: 1/23/09 at 9:06am

There is a very good video tape on blocking by Michael Smith. It has lots of good ideas for beginning directors as well as practical information on dealing with actors.

I second the idea of having students prepare an production book. You might have them brainstorm what would go into a production book and then show them some of yours before they start on one of their own.

Posted By: belle
Date Posted: 1/23/09 at 9:09am

Sorry. It's Michael Joyce. BLOCKING A SCENE: Basic Staging with Actors
with: Michael Joyce
It costs $148.

Posted By: chel
Date Posted: 3/13/09 at 5:26pm

$148 !!??!!?? (please tell me that's a typo) What, is Michael Joyce using a golden pen and getting paid by the word?

Hopefully there are some internet resources because I can't imagine any highschool drama department affording that.

My high school teacher presented an evening of one-act plays, student directed.

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chel

www.windhamtheaterguild.org

Posted By: belle
Date Posted: 3/13/09 at 10:46pm

That price is right. It's 90 minutes long and has a study guide. It is made to be used in sections. If money is a problem, it can probably be borrowed through interlibrary loan or the school library might be able to come up with the money or look for a donor. It's worth the price.

Educational videos of all kinds are VERY expensive.

Posted By: SpenceKenzer
Date Posted: 3/17/09 at 1:32pm

I'm not sure whether or not this suggestion will meet your idea of "small assignments" or not. Here goes:

I know of a couple of plays, full-length plays, that are composed of several smaller scenes. It would be quite easy to assign each smaller scene to 1 student director as their project. When you present them all together - voila! instant play.

"Office Hours" by Norm Foster (6 scenes, each in an exactly similar office)
"Bedtime Stories" by Norm Foster (6 scenes, each in an exactly similar bedroom)
"The Dining Room" by A.R. Gurney (many small scenes!)
"Plaza Suite" by Neil Simon (3 longer scenes); his other "... Suite" plays are similarly structured.

Another suggestion: search the web for 10-minute plays. There are A LOT of them, and many are quite good. No, sorry, I don't have a specific website to recommend for these.

I hope these suggestions are helpful!

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Saludos, my dahlinks, and you know who you are ... !