The Theatre Classroom — White Elephant Christmas

December 8th, 2011

A classroom activity for Christmas

A fun activity for the Christmas season is to have each student find a white elephant (something that isn’t bought but found around the house that no one wants) and wrap it up so it looks very enticing.  The trick is to make it look like a super gift on the outside! (And every student must participate.)

The day of your ‘gift’ exchange, you may want to have a party — which, of course, has been cleared with the administration.  Gather all the gifts and let everyone look at them. Then each student draws a number from 1 to the number in the class.  The person with #1 gets to choose which gift he/she wants and then #2 gets his/her choice and so on until everyone has a gift.  No one is to open anything yet!

Then the gifts can be exchanged or kept, depending on each student’s want.  Lots of bargaining can go on.  Then each student tries to guess what is in their package — if you want, the person who brought it could give a hint. Then the students open their packages one at a time.  Bargaining might continue!  Lots of laughter ensues and it is great fun.  One year I invited my vice principal to the party and he got a bigger kick out of it than the students.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Some improvisation ideas and sign mime activities are coming in 2012.

The Theatre Classroom — Secret Santa

December 8th, 2011

A great way to build the bond between your actors

As the Christmas Season is upon us, I would like to share another little Christmas activity.  Each of my students filled out the following form, which was then put in a hat.  Everyone drew a name and had to give that person three things (of course not being caught!), be it candy, a gift card, a note (poem), etc.  I set a limit of $5 per student (it’s the thought that counts, not the expenditure of money that is important) for all three gifts, but it can be less with today’s economy. I insisted that everyone participate.  We didn’t want anyone left out.

On the last day before Christmas vacation, their secret was revealed in a party the last 15 minutes of class. It would be fun for each person to write down who they thought their Secret Santa was and see how close they came. Everyone brought something appropriate to eat or drink. (I of course had gotten permission to have a party in my room from my administration.)  Not only was it fun, but it also made a greater bond within the group — so important in a theatre production class.

This certainly would be fun for any class.  If you are teaching English you could require that the 3 things be literary pieces that each Secret Santa writes about their person and it wouldn’t cost anything — just a thought.

To save on paper, I put twelve of these forms on a page.

Name_______________________________  Locker # ______

Favorite candy________________

Favorite color______________________________

Appropriate favorite drink [coffee, pop, water] _____________________

The Theatre Classroom – A Simple Christmas Presentation

December 8th, 2011

An idea for a short Christmas performance

If your school is anything like mine, the music department is responsible for a Christmas program and singing and playing appropriate Christmas music. As my fall show was over and we hadn’t started on the winter production, I wanted to do something for Christmas. Several times I did a show for children with a Christmas theme. One year, however, I met with the music department and asked if my drama students could have four minutes in their all school Christmas assembly program and they graciously gave me the nod. The following idea does not require any set, costumes, program, etc. — just time to learn the ‘signs’.

I always wanted my students to learn sign language, often using popular songs. I scouted for an appropriate song that the choir, band, and orchestra were not performing. I decided on The Chipmunks’ rendition of “The 12 Days of Christmas,” a perfect addition to the concert. 

Everyone was to know and present the refrain ‘On the ___ day of Christmas my true love game to me’ and two of the 12 days, so I taught them the signs for: ‘Five Golden Rings,’ ‘A Partridge in a Pear Tree’ and the refrain. Then I divided the class into groups of 10.  

These groups were then given their specific day. Each group had to research their signs and practice so that they were in sync with each other as well as the tape. The group who was assigned day 6 was also Alvin, the chipmunk who always causes trouble. As I had more than one in that group, I assigned one of them to be Alvin, who learned the signs for what Alvin says in the song.  

We spent about two weeks, 15 minutes a day, preparing for our debut.

On the day we performed, everyone stood in a line, stepping out to present his or her specific day (everyone stepping out for ‘5 Golden Rings’ and ‘A Partridge In A Pear Tree’) and I ran the tape machine. Several of the students were involved in the choir and band so they joined us and the audience loved the change of pace.  A professional signer came up afterwards and told my students they were very good. 

It is also possible to sign one of the songs being performed in the concert. It is a great way to work with the music department and usher in the season.