Saturday, February 04, 2012
Text Size
Strategies Spotlight

Drama Techniques

Drama techniques are the everyday tools of the drama teacher. They help to develop enquiry skills, to encourage negotiation, understanding and creativity. They can enhance performance skills such as character development and storytelling and be used across the curriculum to actively involve students in their own learning.

Spotlight

Spotlighting is a useful teaching technique for sharing improvised drama when you have divided the class into smaller groups. When it is time to show their work, ask all the groups to sit on the floor. Explain that you will walk around the room and as you get closer to each group, that group will stand up and show their performance. As you move off towards the next group, they will stop the drama and quietly sit down again so that they can watch other groups.

Why use it?

This is an effective way of controlling the time each group takes to show their work and overcomes the problem groups often have of not knowing how to end an improvisation. The teacher controls the time taken by each group and the order in which they perform. Just like a real spotlight, the technique focuses the attention on one part of the room at a time and makes it clear as to which group is taking its turn.

Primary Drama Courses

Directing Courses

  • The Spark, The Flame, The Fire: Devising Theatre The Spark, The Flame, The Fire: Devising Theatre
    Wednesday 29th February 2012 10:30am - 4:30pm Toynbee Studios, 28 Commercial Street, London E1 Course Tutor: David Farmer What is it? This one day course in London is all about devising theatre, starting with finding the right stimulus...
    Read More...
  • Berkoff and Godber - Physical Theatre Berkoff and Godber - Physical Theatre
    Saturday 10th March 2012 10:30am - 4:30pm Toynbee Studios, 28 Commercial Street, London E1
    Course Tutor: Mandy McKenna This brand new workshop provides tasks and exercises to introduce Physical Theatre techniques and develop an understanding of Expressionism and Total Theatre in Steven Berkoff and John Godber’s early work. Total Theatre uses all aspects of theatrecraft to engage...
    Read More...