Theater

Acting in Vocal Performance

Icon:

A young performer is preparing a well-known and challenging song in this video adapted from Broadway or Bust. She works with a coach to find a successful way to connect to the song and accommodate her type of voice and temperament. He suggests specific ideas to think about while singing and uses a scene partner to help her build the interpretation.

Raising the Bar | Cyberchase

Icon:

In this video segment from Cyberchase, Harry and Bianca have new jobs at a movie theater concession stand. They compete with each other to see who can sell the most snacks, and they report their sales using bar graphs. When their graphs are compared, it appears that Harry has sold more, but Bianca is not so sure, so she takes a closer look at the scale of each graph.

Twelfth Night Act 2 Sc 4

Icon:

In this video from Penn State's School of Theatre production of Twelfth Night, back at his palace, Orsino summons Feste to perform a song. In the meantime, the Duke and Viola have a conversation about a certain someone Viola (Cesario) fancies, and Orsino offers his love advice. Orsino declares he will not take “no” for an answer from Olivia, but Viola protests that love doesn’t always go according to plan. The two debate men’s and women’s capacities for love, and at the end of their exchange, Orsino orders Viola (Cesario) to return to Olivia with a love token from him.

Let's Pretend | Everyday Learning

Icon:

This animation follows friends Andrew and Sophie as they pretend to be jungle explorers, acting out their adventures. They imagine riding in a jeep and spotting colorful birds, a playful monkey, and a snake. Just as the jeep gets stuck in quicksand, the adventure ends. Andrew and Sophie then decide to be space explorers. The video is designed to encourage dramatic play.

Shakespeare’s Language | Great Performances: Julius Caesar

Icon:

Reading Shakespeare can be challenging and may seem daunting for many students. Use these videos from Great Performances: Julius Caesar to see how professional actors approach Shakespeare’s language and gain confidence performing his works. Discussion questions, teaching tips, and activities allow students to practice different strategies for better understanding Shakespeare’s plays.

Check out additional resources by visiting the Great Performances: Julius Caesar collection page and the Great Performances and Donmar Warehouse websites.

The Case of the Smelly Backpack | Take the Stage

Icon:

Become a detective to solve the case of the smelly backpack! Act out the clues and draw conclusions to solve the mystery.

When Detective Bentley cannot figure out why his backpack is smelly, he retraces the events in his day to find clues. Taking on the role of detectives, the viewers act out the events of Bentley’s day and use textual clues to solve the case.

Learning Objective:
Draw conclusions from the facts presented in text and support those assertions with textual evidence.

View the Spanish version of The Case of the Smelly Backpack by clicking here.

London Town | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Icon:

Sweeney Todd sings about the horrors of London to young sailor Anthony Hope in this excerpt from the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Sweeney Todd tells his story of a barber and his wife and the corrupt judge who sentenced him to prison. Todd vows to seek his revenge.

El Caso de la Mochila con Mal Olor | Take the Stage en Español

Icon:

Conviértete en un detective para resolver el Caso de la Mochila con Mal Olor! Actúa las pistas y saca conclusiones para resolver el misterio.

Cuando el detective Bentley no puede entender por qué su mochila huele mal, recorre los acontecimientos de su día para encontrar pistas. Asumiendo el papel de detectives, los espectadores representan los eventos del día de Bentley y usan pistas textuales para resolver el caso.

Objetivo de Aprendizaje:
Sacar conclusiones de los hechos presentados en el texto y respaldar esas afirmaciones con evidencia textual.

View the English version of El Caso de la Mochila con Mal Olor by clicking here.

History of the World | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Icon:

The Demon Butcher of Fleet Street and his landlady Mrs. Lovett sing a duet about turning his victims into tasty pies in this excerpt from the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. As the last song in Act 1 of the musical, this dark comical song introduces the macabre plan to make pies out of Todd's enemies and then sell them to the unsuspecting public.

Liz Vandal : Becoming a Costume Designer | Me, Dorothy

Icon:

After making her first fashion drawing at 9 years old, Liz Vandal knew she’d become a costume designer. But she also knew it would take more than just innate talent to get her there. Now, as the the costume designer for The Kansas City Ballet’s world premiere of “The Wizard of Oz,” she gives her tips on how to set yourself apart.

Theater

Pages