Theatre 315 - Creative Drama Syllabus
Tuesday 3:30-6:10
Lecturer: Rachel Hoey
Email: rachelnicole.hoey@gmail.com
Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday by scheduled appointment only
Course Description
Current philosophies, principles, and techniques of creative drama. Development of the individual
through use of dramatic play, imagining, improvisation, and theatre games. Applicable to
classroom teaching, counseling, recreation, and group teambuilding.
Course Readings
Required Texts
o Slinky Malinki Catflaps by Lynley Dodd
o Salting the Ocean Edited by Naomi Shihab Nye (Blackboard)
o The Performer’s Guide to the Collaborative Process, by Sheila Kerrigan (Blackboard)
o Selected Excerpts will be provide on blackboard from the suggested texts below
Suggested Text
o Theatre for Community Conflict and Dialogue, by Michael Rohd
o Games for Actors and Non-Actors, by Augusto Boal
o Drama Improvised by Kenneth Pickering
o Drama for Learning: Dorothy Heathcote’s Mantle of the Expert Approach to Education, by
G. Bolton and D.Heathcote
o Drama Structures: a practical handbook for teachers, by Cecily O’Neill and Alan Lambert
o Teaching Drama, by Helen Nicholson
o Making Sense of Drama: a guide to classroom practice, by Jonothan Neelands
In-class Involvement
This course is a practical introduction to Creative Drama. Strive to be fair, considerate and aware
of your fellow classmates. The bulk of our work will be in-class, participatory and experiential. None
of the in-class activities can be replicated outside the class session; therefore, no make-up
assignments are possible if you are absent. Please be prepared to present on due dates assigned
to you and/your group. One absence may not directly impact your grade, but two absences and/or
excessive lateness will result in the lowering of your grade. Note: two absences are equivalent to
one absence. Attendance is crucial.
Assignments
Attending Performances
Goal: This task will develop competency in judging the quality of theatrical process and production
based on elements, principles and concepts of the theatre.
Assignment: You will attend the TTF Season of Shows as well as one additional children’s theatre
show. See blackboard for further details.
Note: The School of Theatre, Television, and Film require that all students attend all performances
taking place during the semester students are enrolled in a course within the school. This
semester you will be required to purchase tickets and attend the SDSU season shows. See
blackboard for details and SDSU Theatre site to purchase. There is a direct link to purchase tickets
on the website: http://theatre.sdsu.edu
How to proceed: Attend the shows and respond to the work. You will be asked to respond to two
productions by writing a brief response paper. Ticket stubs and responses should be submitted on
the due dates provided on the “course calendar” on blackboard.
Performer’s Guide to the Collaborative Process
Goal: To deepen understanding of the content and activities found in The Performer’s Guide to the
Collaborative Process by Sheila Kerrigan.
Assignment: The class will be divided into six working groups. Each group will be assigned to one
of the three chapters in “Part Two” of the Kerrigan text provided on blackboard. The group will be
responsible for selecting three critical points to highlight for the class through a short presentation.
How to proceed: As you read you should be looking for three key points (things that seem
important, areas that interest you) to highlight for the class. See blackboard “assignments” for
further detail.
Selected Reading Responses
Goal: To further inform and educate the group on the variety of theatre teaching techniques and
perspectives.
Assignment: Read the selected readings on blackboard by the dates seen via the “course
calendar”. Respond to reading by answering the prompts provided on the “discussion board.”
Lead Opening or Closing Circle
Due Date: Various
Goal: In this task you will gain competency in the skill of guiding a group through a warm-up
process that includes physical, vocal, and articulation work.
Assignment: Students will lead an Opening or Closing Circle once during the semester. The
Circle should be no more than 15 minutes long and must include physical, vocal and/or articulation
work and a game. You can include a short group game if you have time or you can consider
games/activities that cover all three areas required by the circle activity. See blackboard for details
and “Theatre Worksheet” to be filled out prior to leading.
How to proceed: Observe the first couple of classes while Instructor is leading Opening Circle.
Work to select your activities. You may use any activities and exercises that you have learned in
other places or read about. It is often useful to create your activities around a particular theme or
idea that interests you. You must fill out the “Theatre Activity Worksheet” found on Blackboard. The
Theatre Activity Worksheet is used to describe any longer and more detailed activities that you
present.
On your date: Arrive a few minutes early to set up and turn in your Theatre Activity Worksheets
for all of your activities (a cover letter is encouraged). Email your “Theatre Activity Worksheet” to
the entire class (including instructor) via Blackboard within 24 hours. At the start of class, the
Instructor will open the class and hand it over to your team. Be ready to begin and be clear with
your instructions. Lead the group with enthusiasm and passion for what you are teaching.
Poetry in Motion
Goal: This assignment will develop performance and imaginative skills by asking you to find and
memorize a short children’s poem and work with others to develop a short, staged presentation
using the Composition Box technique. The composition box technique will be learned in class prior
to your individual project.
Assignment: Select and become familiar with a short children’s poem from Salting the Ocean.
You will then work in small groups to create a 1-3 minute composition presentation using the
poems as your text.
How to proceed:
o Participate fully in the process as guided by your instructor during the in-class
sessions
o Include all of the required elements in your Composition Box
o Work together to create your piece
o Rehearse and refine your work
o Use the Rehearsal Checklist elements as you rehearse
On your date: Each small group will have 4-5 minutes to present their compositions to the class
and participate in a positive feedback process. Hand a copy of your presentation as well as the
poem.
Children’s Literature Read Aloud/ STORY TELLING
Goal: To develop presentation and imaginative skills through Reader’s Theatre techniques.
Assignment: Students will select an excerpt from a children’s book to read aloud. The selection
should be 2-3 minutes in length. You will prepare this selection for individual presentation in class.
How to proceed: Find a piece of children’s lit that interests you. Be sure to pick an excerpt that is
filled with lively characters and plenty of interesting action. Your task is to bring the story to life
using the space, your body, voice and expression. You must add two of the following elements to
your reading: music, props, sound effects, costumes and movement. Use the Rehearsal Checklist
as a guide as you prepare and rehearse. Don’t just read the book; find an interesting way to tell
the story.
On your date: Each student will have 5-6 minutes to set up, present and hear feedback on his or
her work.
Beginning Creative Drama Lesson Plan
Due Date: Various assigned
Goal: This introductory project provides an opportunity to become familiar with drama activities and
expanding ones repertoire. In addition this project provides students with practice leading the class
in creative drama activities and works with in the “project-based learning” concept being adopted
by California State “common core” method. This project allows you the chance to team-teach and
support one another in shared teaching practices.
Assignment: Working in small groups you will be responsible for creating a drama lesson on one
of the basic skills areas of creative drama. The group will be given 25 minutes of class to present
their lesson. During the lesson each member of the group will lead the class in a drama activity
selected from the text or other book on drama. This project is intended to introduce the class to
lesson plans and to the basic skills areas of drama.
The basic drama skills areas:
1. Sensitivity/trust 2. Imagination
3. Movement/pantomime
4. Sound/speech 5. Characterization 6. Improvised scenes.
How to Proceed:
o You will be given limited class time to collaborate with your group on designing a lesson
plan for your assigned drama skill area. Some outside meeting time will be required.
o Research your drama skill area in books or on the web, through your Spolin text, etc.
Extracted from your research, each individual should select four activities that fit with your
assigned “basic skill” category to then bring to your group upon meeting.
o Collaborate to finalize how you will present as a group, and what activities from everyone’s
research that are best suited to create your lesson plan. Consider the sequence of
activities. Inclusion music, visuals, and other tool, can be used if needed. Recommended:
3-4 activities.
Group Responsibility: Each group must prepare a lesson plan using the “theatre activity
worksheet” model. In your lesson plans, describe each activity in detail and cite its source (book,
author, page number). This lesson plan should turned in, hard copy, on the day of your
presentation. Please email it to the entire class, thereafter, for their records.
Page to Stage – Story Theatre Presentations
Goal: To develop fluency in script writing and expand performance skills.
Assignment: Students will take their children’s literature selection and adapt it into a script that
could be staged as a classroom play. In small groups, you will then select one of these scripts to
fully stage for the class.
How to proceed: As a group create and adapt the piece of literature chosen from storybook into a
script. The script should consist of 3-5 pages of dialogue. A copy of this script will be turned in,
prior to performing. In these groups you will select one of the adapted story scripts to stage and
fully present in the class. These presentations will require some outside rehearsal time and should
include elements of costume, set, sound and movement.
On your date: Each group will have 15 minutes to set up, present and hear feedback. Plan to
have your performance time last between 6-10 minutes.
Journal and Reflection
Goal: To compile most important class notes and preferred activities gained from the course, to
later use in teaching. At the end of the journal, reflect upon process of our class.
Assignment: To complete this assignment: include journal entries, as well as your top 5-10
favorite activities gained from THEA315. To conclude your journal, attach a two-page reflection
paper assessing what you have learned in class about drama (processes, experiences, insights,
etc.), and describe how you think you will use it in your future. Be creative! Remember this is not a
course evaluation.
Assessment
Your course grade is based on your performance in the following activities:
Tasks
Attendance
Participation
Attending Performances & Papers
Performer’s Guide to the Collaborative Process
Selected Readings & Blackboard Responses
Opening Circle: Lesson Plan & Activity
Beginning Creative Drama Lesson Plan
Poetry in Motion
Children’s Read Aloud
Page to Stage – Final presentation
Journal & Reflection
Grading
94-100 = A
90-93 = A87-89 = B+
83-86 = B
80-82 = B77-79 = C+
73-76 = C
70-72 = C-
Points of Final
Course Grade
10%
10%
10%
5%
5%
10%
10%
10%
10%
15%
5%
67-69 = D+
63-66 = D
60-62 = D-