Homeschooling Theater and Acting Activities
Many parents and students find theater and acting a fun elective, and look for ways to incorporate drama into their curriculum. Try devoting time each week to planned drama activities. Encourage your children as they develop new skills and self-confidence. Acting serves as a social outlet and can help build empathy and communication skills.
Acting Activities
Chisel out a time to devote to fun acting activities. You might try playing drama games like mirrors and statues. Work on skills such as facial expressions, clear speech, and audience awareness. Help your children understand voice projection and how to make appropriate gestures.
An innovative way to build your own acting lesson is to create a skit for your homeschoolers to perform. If your children are young, you can write a simple script. Older kids and teens will enjoy coming up with ideas and writing a script on their own. Practicing scenes and working on building their characters can be an integral part of your theater curriculum. Have the children perform their skit for the family. Don’t forget to video it for a family keepsake and a visual representation for your homeschool portfolio.
Community Theater
Community theater, sometimes referred to as family theater, can effectively build acting techniques and is generally open to people of any age and skill ability. Although community theater requires a degree of commitment, it helps create a sense of community and purpose and makes learning acting skills fun and meaningful. It also helps individuals develop confidence as they perform in front of others and encourages creative thinking and teamwork skills.
Community theater has been around since before the American Revolutionary War, and was originally referred to as “little theaters.” Amateur live acting groups come together for the prime goals of showcasing the talents of the local community. Being part of a cast that works together for a greater purpose is an experience you and your children are likely to cherish for years to come.
Acting Auditions
After developing basic acting skills and acquiring theater experience, your children may desire further opportunities to express themselves with dramatic arts. You might consider venturing into larger productions and trying a few acting auditions. Nurturing your children’s talents is a demanding but rewarding experience. Minimize the importance of getting large roles to avoid the unnecessary pressure to which actors oftentimes subject themselves. Instead, focus on having fun and enjoying the journey.
To get started, you can help your children create a simple portfolio, which can include numerous pictures that accentuate their talents. Include pictures and information about past community theater plays they’ve participated in. Professional headshots are a nice addition as well. Contact your local film office to locate any local auditions. Acting agencies may be another point of contact for audition opportunities.
References
101 Drama Games for Children: Paul Rooyackers: 1997
Tupelo Community Theater: History of the Community Theater Movement
