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Workshop Series
W o r k s h o p s f o r T e a c h e r s
Improving Dialogue Through Drama
Workshop Leader: Rosalind Flynn
For Teachers of Grades 3-8
3 hours of instruction time
Maximum number of workshop participants: 30
Students’ ability to write effective stories often requires skill in writing
dialogue. Since plays are stories told only through dialogue, improvising scenes
provides an excellent way to help students create dialogue. In this workshop,
learn ways to use the acting technique of improvisation to motivate students
to create dialogue that reveals character, settings, and circumstances. Using
unscripted scenes, based on a classroom text, experience a dramatic way to help
students to speak and then write more dynamic dialogue.
The Role of Improvisation in Playwriting
It is not unusual for playwrights to describe a scene to actors and ask them
to improvise the action of the scene—act out the episode using their own
words. These improvisations often result in fresh, believable dialogue that
playwrights record and include in the final script. Often, the improvisations
prompt the playwright to think in new and different ways about the characters
and the action. Improvised dialogue, may, of course be changed and edited in
written format, but improvisation is a valuable tool for changing the printed
words of a text into a live acting experience which may then inspire printed
words in script form or scenes.
The Purpose of the Workshop
The purpose of this workshop is to demonstrate how teachers can engage students
in improvisations and planned improvisations. Familiarity with classroom guidelines
and practice in improvising increases the likelihood that classroom improvisational
drama will be effective and productive. Used as a pre-writing strategy, improvisation
may also enhance the quality of the dialogue that students use in their writing.
The opening activities in this workshop are intended to build participants’
skills in improvisation. The initial warm-ups, modeling, and improvisations
provide practice in this type of acting. Teachers may use or adapt these skill-building
activities with students. The skills and guidelines learned later inform the
use of planned improvisations in the study of a piece of literature and in the
writing of character dialogue.
Dramatizing the Content: Curriculum-Based Readers Theatre
Workshop Leader: Rosalind. Flynn
For Teachers of Grades 5-12
3-6 hours of instruction time
Maximum number of workshop participants: 30
Readers Theatre is a rehearsed group presentation of a script that is read
aloud rather than memorized. This workshop's activities involve teachers in
the planning, writing, rehearsing, staging, and assessing of Curriculum-Based
Readers Theatre scripts. The focus? --Creating and presenting a short script
that fulfills a dual purpose--it must inform about a curriculum topic and entertain
an audience!
Repeatedly reading and rehearsing scripts based on curriculum content increase
the likelihood that students will practice fluent reading, retain information,
and perform better on assessments. Theatrical skills of vocal volume, expression,
and effective use of gestures are also among the goals of this arts integration
activity that merges drama, theatre, writing, reading, speaking, listening,
and content learning.
A workshop packet that contains sample scripts, guidelines for developing scripts
and directing presentations, and other resources is included. For teachers who
wish to use Curriculum-Based Readers Theatre as a form of performance-based
assessment, assessment criteria and tools are also part of the packet. This
workshop addresses all curriculum areas and many national and state standards
of learning. (Special note to Math and Science teachers: Yes,
even you will leave this workshop with definite strategies and materials to
merge drama with the content you cover!)
Exploring Secondary School Literature and Social Studies through Drama Techniques
Workshop Leader: Rosalind Flynn
For Teachers of Grades 6-12
3-6 hours of instruction time
Maximum number of workshop participants: 45
In this workshop, learn how to actively involve secondary school students in
dramatizations that increase their comprehension and address national and state
standards of learning. Examples are drawn from historical events, Shakespearean
plays, and classroom literature.
Please note-This workshop can be custom-designed to focus on a particular
novel, play, or Shakespearean drama. The following workshops have recently been
developed and presented:
Exploring King Lear through Drama Techniques
Exploring Macbeth through Drama Techniques
Exploring Much Ado About Nothing through Drama Techniques
Exploring The Tempest through Drama Techniques
Exploring Othello through Drama Techniques
Exploring Tom Sawyer through Drama Techniques
Exploring The Crucible through Drama Techniques
From Story to Stage: The Drama in Classroom Literature
Workshop Leader: Rosalind Flynn
For Teachers of Grades K-6
3-6 hours of instruction time
Maximum number of workshop participants: 45
When adapting a work of literature for the stage, playmakers choose drama/theater
strategies from a variety of sources including actor training, theater games,
and theatrical staging conventions. In this workshop, develop a repertoire of
drama/theater strategies for use with classroom literature. Share these strategies
with students to actively involve them in staging portions of a story while
also developing several social and learning skills.
Note: These drama/theater strategies are also easily applicable to social studies
and they address many national and state standards of learning.
Theme Theatre: A Guide for Teachers and Directors
Or
One Production, Many Students, Little Time: A Guide for Teachers and Directors
Workshop Leader: Rosalind Flynn
For Teachers of Grades 2-8
3-6 hours of instruction time
Maximum number of workshop participants: 45
Theme theatre is one way to involve many students in a performance comprised
of similarly-themed poems, stories, scenes, songs, and student-written pieces.
Workshop participants learn how to select or create appropriate script materials,
and cast, rehearse, stage, polish, and present a theme theater performance.
Whether your goal is a theatrical production for entertainment or for learning
purposes, this workshop will prepare the participant for your role as director.
The Drama of Vocabulary: Providing a Purpose for Speaking the Words
Workshop Leader: Rosalind Flynn
For Teachers of Grades 5-12
3 hours of instruction time
Maximum number of workshop participants: 30
Dramatic situations and improvisations motivate all sorts of uses
of language. In this workshop, experience how a variety of drama/theater
strategies can engage students in dramatizations that involve
vocabulary words. Workshop participants will experience 1.) ways
to introduce drama/theater strategies to students, 2.) suggestions
for coaching students to be focused and expressive in their dramatizing,
and 3.) ways to involve students in using specified vocabulary
words in their dramatizations.
| Sites of Educational
Drama Professional Development Workshops and Drama Residencies Conducted by Rosalind M. Flynn |
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| Alabama | |
| Decatur Huntsville Opelika Selma |
- The Princess Theatre - The Arts Center, Inc. - Opelika City Schools and Arts Council - Selma Arts Council |
| Alaska | |
| Anchorage |
- Alaska Center for the Performing Arts - Kodiak Island Borough School District |
| Arizona | |
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- Arizona State University |
| Arkansas | |
| Fayetteville Pine Bluff |
- Walton Arts Center - Arts & Sciences Center |
| California | |
| San Diego Davis Berkeley Sacramento |
- Brain Expo 2001 |
| Colorado | |
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- Annunciation Elementary School |
| Connecticut | |
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- Westport Country Playhouse - Greenwich Public Schools |
| District of Columbia | |
| - The John F. Kennedy |
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| Florida | |
| Gainesville Fort Lauderdale Jacksonville Sarasota |
- University of Florida Center for Performing Arts - Broward Center for the Performing Arts - Theatreworks - The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville - Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall |
| Georgia | |
Atlanta |
- Fulton County Arts Council - State Bridge Crossing Elementary School - Sweet Apple Elementary - Ohoopee Regional Council for the Arts |
| Hawaii | |
| Honolulu Maui |
- Hawaii State Department of Education - Maui Arts and Cultural Center |
| Illinois | |
| Skokie |
- Quad City Arts - Centre East |
| Indiana | |
| Bloomington Columbus Indianapolis |
- Indiana University - Columbus Area Arts Council - Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University, MSD Wayne Township - Young Audiences of Indiana |
| Iowa | |
| Gallagher Waterloo |
- Bluedorn Performing Arts Center - Waterloo Community Schools |
| Kansas | |
| Lawrence |
- The Lied Center |
| Kentucky | |
| Owensboro |
- River Park Center |
| Louisiana | |
| Lafayette |
- Adadiana Arts Council - Jefferson Davis County Public Schools |
| Maine | |
| Lewiston |
- L/A Arts - Lewiston Auburn Schools |
| Maryland | |
| - Charles County Public Schools |
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| Massachusetts | |
| Lowell Billerica Boston New Bedford |
- Center for the Arts Billerica Public Schools - Billerica Public Schools - The Wang Center for the Performing Arts - Boston Public Schools - Zeiterion Theatre |
| Mississippi | |
| - Greenville Arts Council - Greenville Public Schools |
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| Missouri | |
Springfield |
- Juanita K Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts - Springfield Public Schools - Missouri State-Based Collaborative Institute for Literacy through the Arts |
| Montana | |
Billings Laurel |
- The Alberta Blair Theater - Billings Public Schools - Laurel Public Schools |
| Nevada | |
| - Clark County Parks and Recreation | |
| New Hampshire | |
| Concord Portsmouth |
- Capitol Center for the Arts - The Music Hall - Portsmouth Schools |
| New Jersey | |
| New Brunswick Newark |
- The State Theatre of New Jersey - New Jersey Performing Arts Center - Englishtown/Manalapan Schools - Marlboro Schools |
| New Mexico | |
| Silver City |
- Mimbres Region Arts Council - Silver Consolidated School District |
| New York | |
| Glen Cove Poughkeepsie |
- Tilles Center, C.W.Post University - Poughkeepsie Public Schools |
| North Carolina | |
| - United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake - Wake County Public Schools |
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| Ohio | |
| Cincinnati Wooster Findlay Columbus Dayton |
- Theatre IV - Wayne Center for the Arts - Arts Partnership - Marion Palace Theatre - Ohio State Based Collaborative Initiative Peer Teaching Artists Coaching Program - The Muse Machine |
| Oklahoma | |
| Oklahoma City |
- Black Liberated Art Center - Oklahoma City Public Schools - Douglass High School |
| Pennsylvania | |
| Pittsburgh |
- The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust - Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple - Williamsport Area School District |
| Rhode Island | |
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- Narragansett Middle School |
| South Carolina | |
| Greenville |
- The Peace Center for the Performing Arts - Spartanburg County School District |
| South Dakota | |
| Sioux Falls |
- Husby Performing Arts Center |
| Tennessee | |
| Clarksville |
- Austin Peay State University |
| Texas | |
| Dallas Orange |
- Partnership for Arts, Culture and Education - Imagination Celebration of Fort Worth - The Lutcher Theatre |
| Vermont | |
Burlington |
- The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts |
| Virginia | |
| Richmond Crozet Charlottesville |
- Theatre IV - Richmond Public Schools - Partners in the Arts - Arlington County Public Schools - Chesterfield Public Schools - Fairfax County Public Schools - J.T. Henley Middle School - Virginia Foundation for the Humanities - Prince William County Public Schools - George Mason University |
| West Virginia | |
| Clarksburg Lewisburg |
- The Art Center - Carnegie Hall, Inc. |
| Wisconsin | |
Green Bay Wausau |
- Green Bay Area Public Schools - Wausau Area Performing Arts Foundation - Wausau School District |
For fees, availability, and further information, contact Rosalind@rosalindflynn.com