I recently returned from an end-of-semester drama presentation at a local elementary school. In the event that you run a drama program, you're familiar with this specific opportunity for folks in the future and see what their kids have already been working on.
Parents are excited to see their kids, kids are excited to have their parents see them, and the drama teacher is nervous ensuring things run smoothly and everyone walks away happy and appreciative.imlie Today Episode
Having led hundreds of the myself, I began considering what I feel are some helpful tips that may make your drama presentation as successful that you can:
1. Be Organized
This may sound like wise practice, but it's so important so it needs mentioning. Parents don't want to see a fumbling teacher, and kids will get antsy if they don't have specific direction. Make sure you have thought through and written out the actual order of events, and simply how much time you anticipate each event to take. Within each event make certain you've written who is going to be participating, the order of participation, etc. If you're playing drama games, plan in advance who you'll call up for each one, and let them know in advance. If you're feeling more adventurous, put every student's name in a cap, and show the audience you will be choosing students' at random from the hat for the different games until most of the names are called.imlie Today Episode
2. Keep it short
Keep your welcome greeting under a minute. Cover how excited you are to fairly share what you've been focusing on, the target that the class has been working toward, what they're going to see, and a short personal tidbit in regards to the program. Let the activities, games and scenes speak for themselves around possible. Keep the activity descriptions to a word or two, or even better when you have older kids ask them to introduce each game (let them know in advance for them to practice).
3. Keep it positive.
Don't ever apologize for things not being as polished as they are often due to insufficient time or resources. Instead mention how impressed you are in what the children accomplished such little time. If you know a certain activity or scene will be considered a little rough, introduce it just as you'd any other. Then jump in and give the children support as they need it.
4. Make sure the children know things to expect.
I highly recommend having a full dry run-through of the "sharing day" each one session ahead of time, or ahead of the parents arrive. The youngsters ought to know the order of events and when it's their turn to participate. Consider printing a couple of copies of the "itinerary" and posting them stage right and left where the actors could see them but the audience can't.
5. Have clean transitions.
The moments after having a high-energy activity are the absolute most crucial moments to keep up control of the environment. Simply telling your children as their laughing and talking "please return to your seats" does NOT cut it. Instantly regain their focus, then let them have specific timed instructions. "Everyone have a breathe in, breathe out, silently head back again to your seats in 3 counts. 3... 2... 1. I'd now like to introduce... "
6. Harness the silly/Harness the talking
Along exactly the same lines, make certain the children know it is not OK to talk during a game title or activity unless specifically instructed to accomplish so. When parents come in the audience it is natural for kids to want to be little hams, cracking jokes with friends, going for easy laughs. It's the greatest challenge of the drama teacher to concentrate this energy into creative character/acting choices. There's more leniency for this when the children are extremely young (K-2nd grade). However as students grow throughout your program their acting should noticeably mature. These sharing presentation are a great way to demonstrate that to the parents.
7. Make sure every kid has something special to do.
If you're doing scenes, and kids have individual lines, the first thing a parent can do after hearing a couple of kids speak is anxiously await his/her kid to speak. It's completely acceptable to give the older, more advanced kids bigger roles in the presentation, but make certain every child has a minumum of one moment to be in the spotlight.
8. Finish with a bang.
End the presentation with a game title, activity or song that you realize could have everyone leaving with a giant smile on their face. Although maybe you are in a informal environment, choreograph a clear simple bow by the ensemble at the end.
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