Elizabethan Theatres, Stages, Set and Props

This is only surviving image made during the 16th Century and the kind of theatres that Shakespeare would have been familiar with and writing for. They had thrust stages with audience stood around the three sides of the stage for one penny. For more money, audience sat in any of the three galleries around the outside of the space or even at the back of … Continue reading Elizabethan Theatres, Stages, Set and Props

The role of extra-curricular drama

This is my second blog in a series of reflective blogs at the end of Year 2 at my current school. Lets start with what I offer at that extra curricular level. I offer: School Production from September to March every Monday and Tuesday afterschool. Summer Shakespeare from March to July every Monday and Tuesday afterschool. LAMDA lessons are taught in upper school and lower school small … Continue reading The role of extra-curricular drama

8 way to help you learn your lines!

Produced an advice sheet a few months ago for my students about how to learning lines. Despite it’s bluntness, it has proved to be very useful. This has been added to a reward and sanction system, where by if a student uses their script after a certain point for a certain scene, or later on in the process, a prompt, then they have to complete a … Continue reading 8 way to help you learn your lines!

Historical background to Buchner and Woyzeck

1804 Friedrich Schiller writes his last play, William Tell.   1812 Napoleon reaches Moscow but is forced to retreat, losing almost 600,000 men in battle.    1813 Georg Buchner is born in Hessen, Germany.    1814 Prussia invades France after Napoleon’s defeat at Leipzig. Two million lives are lost in the wars.    1815 The German Confederation is established.    1819 August Friedrich von Kotzebue, … Continue reading Historical background to Buchner and Woyzeck

Biography of Georg Buchner

Georg Buchner (pronounced Buechner) was born on October 17, 1813 in the small town of Goddelau, in Hessen, Germany. His father, a scientist and rationalist, primed him from an early age with a scientific approach to the world, which would later manifest itself in the sharp, realistic, and critical nature of his writing. Buchner grew up in a stable, pleasant household, though he eventually became … Continue reading Biography of Georg Buchner

25 Questions to ask your character the moment they enter the stage for the first time.

Did some work with my Year 10 Drama GCSE class a few weeks ago on what questions must you answer about your character at the moment they enter the play for the first time. No matter what character you are playing or how big a role you have, to play it fully and to play it well, you need to know the answers to these … Continue reading 25 Questions to ask your character the moment they enter the stage for the first time.