This document provides guidance on how to direct a school play. It discusses stage directions like upstage and downstage. It also introduces techniques like using triangles, levels, and focus to improve blocking and visual interest. The document demonstrates these techniques by having groups stage a readers' theatre performance of a poem about the seasons using different formations. It also provides exercises on tableau, pantomime, and stepping in and out of scenes to develop skills. The goal is to help students feel comfortable directing by learning basic staging and performance concepts.

1. So You Think You Can Direct?
Yes, you can!!!
Arts Every Day Presentation
By Professor Kim Morin CSUF 2012

2. The School Play
• What are some of your memories?
• Were you ever in a play when you were in
elementary school?
• Have you ever directed or helped with a
school production?
• What impressions do you have of student
performances?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrDgucW45dE

3. Pirates of Grammar Island
Bad Wolf Press

4. First Step – Know Your Stage Terms!
• Downstage
– Toward the audience
• Upstage
– Away from the audience
• Stage Right
– The actor’s right when facing the audience
• Stage Left
– The actor’s left when facing the audience

5. Stage Positions
Upstage Right Upstage Upstage Left
Stage Right Center Stage Left
Downstage
Right
Downstage
Downstage Left
Audience

6. A Director’s Four Friends
1. Triangles
2. Levels
3. Focus
4. Tableaux

7. Triangles
• Provide
angles
• Add visual
interest

8. Levels
• Add variety
• Enable visibility
• Give importance
– generally highest point draws the eye

9. FOCUS
• You can
break up a
line or
semi-circle
by facing
different
directions

10. FOCUS
• Individual vs.
Group
– Space
– Movement
– Color

11. Let’s Try it Out!
• Divide into 4 groups
– Spring
– Summer
– Fall
– Winter
• Each group will do a mini Reader’s Theatre staging
of their stanza from Sing a Song of Seasons
• Follow the blocking directions at the bottom of
the slide

12. Sing a Song of Seasons
Alice Ellison
It's spring!
Such a hippity, happity, hoppity
First spring day.
Let's play! Let's play! Let's play!
1
Source:
McCaslin, Nellie. "The Possibilities in Poetry," Creative Drama in the Classroom and
Beyond. New York: Addison, Wesley & Longman, Inc. 2000.
Directions: Stand in a straight line

13. Sing a Song of Seasons
Alice Ellison
It's summer!
Such swingy, swazy, lazy
First hot day.
Let's play! Let's play! Let's play!
2
Source:
McCaslin, Nellie. "The Possibilities in Poetry," Creative Drama in the Classroom and
Beyond. New York: Addison, Wesley & Longman, Inc. 2000.
Directions: Stand in a triangle formation

14. Sing a Song of Seasons
Alice Ellison
It's fall!
Such a brisky, frisky, crispy
First fall day.
Let's play! Let's play! Let's play!
3
Source:
McCaslin, Nellie. "The Possibilities in Poetry," Creative Drama in the Classroom and
Beyond. New York: Addison, Wesley & Longman, Inc. 2000.
Directions: Use different levels (sitting, standing, etc)

15. Sing a Song of Seasons
Alice Ellison
It's winter!
Such a blowy, snowy, joy
First winter day.
Let's play! Let's play! Let's play!
4
Source:
McCaslin, Nellie. "The Possibilities in Poetry," Creative Drama in the Classroom and
Beyond. New York: Addison, Wesley & Longman, Inc. 2000.
Directions: All face upstage. Each speaker turns to face the
audience, then turns back when finished.

16. Tableau Review
1. TURN AND FREEZE - Players stand in a
circle facing out. On a count of 1-2-3-
Freeze – players turn into the circle and
freeze in a pose.
2. COUNT AND FREEZE - Count from 1-5.
Players begin in neutral and grow from
small to bigger to biggest and freeze on 5.

17. Work on FOCUS
• Hold the “freeze” like a statue.
• Where are the eyes looking? Are they
keeping true to the pose? (no roaming
eyes like the Haunted Mansion!)
• Focus may not come right away.
• It’s okay to practice!

18. Create a Tableau
• Individual
– Games from each season
• Partners
– Game from the season of your group
• Small Groups
– Each Season works together as a group

19. Quick Tableau Checklist
Different Levels- High, Medium, Low
Different Body Shapes- Open/closed
Effective use of physical space/ Able to see
everyone
Focus (eye contact) is clear and visible
Emotions shown through body language
and facial expressions

20. Expand to TPT-
Tableau/Pantomime/Tableau Scenes
• Each group practices going from their
opening tableau to a pantomime of the
action, to the ending tableau
– Unison Play
– Share scenes
– Hold the freeze at the end!

21. Stepping Out of the Action
• Group begins in Tableau
• Group pantomimes an environment
• Group freezes in a tableau
• Speaker steps forward and says lines
• Speaker returns to the group Tableau
• Group resumes the pantomime
• Repeat for each speaker.

22. Imaging Quick-write Part 1 –
Teacher writes He went down the street. on the
board and has S copy it. Then says,
We are going to use our imagination and
senses to find out more about this person
who went down the street. Close your eyes
and silently draw a picture in your mind as I
ask you some questions.

23. Imaging Quick-write Part 3 –
1. Quick-write including as many details as
possible.
2. Quick-sketch of the picture from mind’s eye.
3. Think-pair-share or small groups discuss
different versions.
4. Pantomime different versions.
5. Write stories based on what they imagined.
6. Great follow-up book – And To Think That I
Saw It on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss

24. Imaging Quick-write Part 2 –
We know “He went down the street.” How old was he?
(little boy, teenager, grandfather) What time of day was
it? (morning, lunchtime, midnight) Where was the
street? (city, country, neighborhood?)
What kind of street was it? (paved, dirt, gravel, highway)
How did he go? Did he walk, ride a bicycle, drive a car?
What was the weather like? What was he wearing? Why
did he go down the road? Where was he going? How did
he feel?

25. Now We Are Ready To Stage Our Work!
• Review Stage Positions
• Act out a Reader’s Theatre scene using
movement through TPT (Tableau-Pantomime-
Tableau)
OR
• Demonstrate “Stepping Out of the Action”
using TPT scenes and sentences written from
the quick-writes.

26. Uses Poses to Practice Stage
Directions
1.Students spread out on stage in "self
space.”
2.Leader calls out a stage Direction.
3.Players face that direction on a clap or
other signal.
Next step: Players cross four steps in the
direction that is called out and Freeze facing
that students used to locomotor movements)

27. Stage Positions
Audience

28. Sing a Song of Seasons

29. Reader’s Theatre Resource

30. Reader’s Theatre Resource

31. Resources:
– Santa Maria Bonita School District Reading Resources for
Houghton Mifflin
http://www.smbsd.org/page.cfm?p=2413
– Bad Wolf Press http://www.badwolfpress.com/
– Examples of BWP on
YouTubehttp://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBF21511
427433CF7
– Jazz Chant Fairy Tales by Carolyn Graham
– Multicultural Folktales for the Feltboard and Reader’s
Theatre by Judy Sierra
And me of course! kimm@csufresno.edu

32. Yes, You Can Be a Director
• Join the fun!