This remarkable book includes more than one hundred games and drama activities, all with a clear learning focus. The activities use themes as a springboard for easy drama through games, movement, tableau, role playing, improvisation, readers theatre, choral speaking, and much more. Teachers will find opportunities to explore literary genres that include the picture book, novel, rhyme, folktale, poem, script, and photograph. New drama structures look at relevant topics that range from personal narrative and the immigrant experience to bullying and building a community. This comprehensive approach to drama illustrates how teachers can reach each learner in the classroom.

In this totally revised 4th edition, Larry Swartz digs deeply into the riches of the past three books and considers the experiences of language arts teachers who have used all three versions for almost three decades. Full of engaging new ideas, the book includes many new sources and carefully chosen strategies for exploring challenging issues with students, including identity, poverty, diversity, bullying, and immigration. Literary sources are at the root of this amazing book, and encompass picture books, novels, poetry, scripts, and photographs. Compelling strategies throughout the book are designed to enrich interactive possibilities amongst learners in the language arts classroom. By reading, writing, and talking both in and out of role, students can develop and share their responses, stories, and ideas. A bestselling classroom resource for almost thirty years, Dramathemes is an ideal book for teachers who want to put drama into literacy programs, and literacy into drama programs.

Uses themes as a springboard for drama through games, mime, storytelling, improvisation and choral speaking - Themes include, humour, mystery, fantasy, animals, relationships, folklore, the past and multiculturalism_

This book "offers a comprehensive outline of improvisation and interpretation strategies that teachers can incorporate in classroom instruction."--Page 4 of cover.

Unrivalled in its coverage of recent work and writers, The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary American Playwrights surveys and analyses the breadth, vitality and development of theatrical work to emerge from America over the last fifty years. This authoritative guide leads you through the work of 25 major contemporary American playwrights, discussing more than 140 plays in detail. Written by a team of 25 eminent international scholars, each chapter provides: · a biographical introduction to the playwright's work; · a survey and concise analysis of the writer's most important plays; · a discussion of their style, dramaturgical concerns and critical reception; · a bibliography of published plays and a select list of critical works. Among the many Tony, Obie and Pulitzer prize-winning playwrights included are Sam Shepard, Tony Kushner, Suzan-Lori Parks, August Wilson, Paula Vogel and Neil LaBute. The abundance of work analysed enables fresh, illuminating conclusions to be drawn about the development of contemporary American playwriting.

How can teachers incorporate drama into the curriculum? What drama activities are especially successful? How do teachers know when students are learning in, through and about drama? Teachers who are new to drama, or those wishing to refresh their knowledge and ideas, should find practical answers and guidance in this text. The book introduces the work of Cecily O'Neill to demonstrate the entry points to drama lessons, the pre-texts, and how educators need to introduce lessons with challenging material. He then uses the work of David Booth to highlight one aspect of drama - storydrama - and how it can be used as an effective learning medium across the curriculum.

How Drama Activates Learning: Contemporary Research and Practice draws together leaders in drama education and applied theatre from across the globe, including authors from Europe, North America and Australasia. It explores how learning can be activated when drama pedagogies and philosophies are applied across diverse contexts and for varied purposes. The areas explored include: · history · literacy, oracy and listening · health and human relationships education · science · democracy, social justice and global citizenship education · bullying and conflict management · criticality · digital technologies · additional language learning Drawing on a range of theoretical perspectives, the contributors present case studies of drama and applied theatre work in school and community settings, providing rich descriptions of practice accompanied by detailed analysis underpinned by the theoretical perspectives of key thinkers from both within and beyond the field of drama.

Renaissance Drama in Action is a fascinating exploration of Renaissance theatre practice and staging. Covering questions of contemporary playhouse design, verse and language, staging and rehearsal practices, and acting styles, Martin White relates the characteristics of Renaissance theatre to the issues involved in staging the plays today. This refreshingly accessible volume: * examines the history of the plays on the English stage from the seventeenth century to the present day * explores questions arising from reconstructions, with particular reference to the new Globe Theatre * includes interviews with, and draws on the work and experience of modern theatre practitioners including Harriet Walter, Matthew Warchus, Trevor Nunn, Stephen Jeffreys, Adrian Noble and Helen Mirren * includes discussions of familiar plays such as The Duchess of Malfi and 'Tis Pity She's A Whore, as well as many lesser known play-texts Renaissance Drama in Action offers undergraduates and A-level students an invaluable guide to the characteristics of Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, and its relationship to contemporary theatre and staging.

The book Indian English Drama: Themes & Techniques is a volume of research articles on contemporary Indian dramatists and their works starting from Rabindranath Tagore to nearly all present generation of dramatists like Girish Karnad, Vijay Tendulkar, Mahesh Dattani, Badal Sirkar, Habib Tanvir, Utpal Dutt, Mahasweta Devi, Usha Ganguli, Manjula Padmanabhan, Mahesh Elkunchwar and Manoj Mitra. The book will be helpful in giving critical insight to understand the art and vision of contemporary Indian dramatists both from thematic and technical points of view. The introductory chapter of the book is very resourceful to understand the growth and development of Indian English drama. Authors have presented their critical viewpoints on almost every aspect of dramatic arts, themes and techniques pertaining to Indian playwrights and their works. The book will give many ground breaking concepts and ideas on Indian English drama and is useful for both researchers and learners.

This is an invaluable collection of critical essays on the work of dramatist John Marston.