This week is Te Wiki o te reo Maori. As part of this, other than using more te reo in class, and discussion of stage tikanga, I am adding in overt teaching of Maori theatre at the start of each lesson. Here is a free set of class starters using YouTube videos with prompting questions for class discussion that I am using. Te Wiki o … Continue reading Te Wiki o te reo Maori – Drama Class Starters
This has been an exceptional year. In case you are new here, I am a Theatre teacher… so I get to live my life doing theatre. And mostly, I love it. However, this year has been amazing for so many reasons. Here are my top 10 theatre moments of the year. Disclaimer…. I will say “amazing” a lot. 10. Troll. (Trick of the Light Theatre) … Continue reading 2018 – My Highlights in Theatre
Today we challenged the students even further. We walked up to a local outdoor museum, “Cobblestones Early Settler Museum” and challenged them to be inspired by something, and create a work within 2 hours. The point of this was 2 fold. Firstly we want to dig further beneath the surface of what it means to be a New Zealander. We have already investigated Te Papa, … Continue reading The Arts Project: Day 5
Today began with a look at refining and improving. We discussed how things could be refined and improved, from adding detail, to rehearsing, to improving the script, to adding technical elements, to changing the direction. Then we gave the students 3 hours to do just that. What they came up with was amazing. From costumes to dance routines to layered vocal sounds to slam poetry … Continue reading The Arts Project: Day 4
Today we challenged the students to create “a thing” whether it be Dance, Drama, Music or Visual Art. The most important part was the set up, the how-do create things. We covered how you can use things directly, such as quotes, or the stories of different people. Looking at art, and trying to create the story of the people in the picture. Then we discussed … Continue reading The Arts Project: Day 3
I’ve been passionate about Shakespeare since before I attended high school… however, I know this isn’t the case for many students… or teachers. Recently I returned from the greatest few weeks working with the Globe Theatre in London, developing a deeper love for Shakespeare and a passion for engaging even younger kids with his works. I developed this teaching unit for use in middle and … Continue reading Teaching Shakespeare
To summarise my experience with the Teachers Go Global programme has been the hardest thing to write. To say the experience was life altering seems trite, but so true. For most of my life, I have never really felt “at home”. This has extended to frequent moves, an extended list of places I don’t want to live, and a need to be near a certain … Continue reading Performing on the Globe Theatre Stage
It has been a crazy, crazy year. This year Theatre has become my priority and taken over so much of my life. I have had the best time, from directing, to writing, to creating, to performing. This has included working on original projects, working on my Masters in Creative Writing (scriptwriting), traveling to London to study and perform at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, devising, starting a … Continue reading Back on the Bandwagon
Welcome to Day 8 and 2018! Yay! Today brings us to one of my favourite Shakespearean plays – “Pericles; The Prince of Tyre”. Over the last few years I have become obsessed with trying to win this award for the most unusual choice of play, which has led to me reading a number of unusual Shakespearean texts. “Pericles; The Prince of Tyre” has it all, … Continue reading The 12 Plays of Christmas – Day 8 – Pericles, the Prince of Tyre
Today we shall dive headfirst into the “Merry Wives of Windsor” for the 12 Plays of Christmas…. why? Well, long story short, there are many places called Windsor, and many plays with Falstaff in them. There are 2 plots within the play. The first involves Falstaff attempting to trick married women, saying that he loves them (in identical letters). The women are smart and compare … Continue reading 12 Plays of Christmas – Day 6 – The Merry Wives of Windsor
Beyond Theatre 