All stories by Kerry Hishon on BroadwayStars

Saturday, February 26, 2022

Round-Up: First Week Activities by Kerry Hishon

The first week of a new term is a busy one. Teachers need to introduce themselves, go over rules and procedures, learn students’ names, and establish a sense of trust, community, and safet…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, February 19, 2022

First-Week Activity: Get To Know You Bingo by Kerry Hishon

Get To Know You Bingo is a fun icebreaker game. It gets students up out of their seats, moving around and talking to each other. It’s also a good way for you to get to know more about your…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, February 12, 2022

Creating a Safe Drama Classroom by Kerry Hishon

Safety is an important aspect of teaching any subject, including drama. It is essential that everyone walking into the drama classroom feels safe — physically, emotionally, and socially. U…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, February 5, 2022

20 Icebreaker Questions for Drama Students To Get To Know Each Other by Kerry Hishon

“What did you do on your summer/winter holidays?” is over. “What are your plans for the weekend?” is boring. You need some new and fresh icebreaker questions to get your students con…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, January 29, 2022

Establishing Boundaries With Your Students by Kerry Hishon

We’ve discussed ways to foster connection and establish trust with your students, but we also need to establish boundaries. Boundaries are necessary to protect ourselves and our well-being…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Monday, January 24, 2022

Drama Teachers: We See You. We Hear You. We Are With You. by Kerry Hishon

Drama teachers, we know you are going THROUGH it. We’re not going to list the stresses and frustrations and troubles because we all know it, we’ve experienced it (or are currently experi…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 08:07PM
Saturday, January 22, 2022

Establishing Trust With Your Students by Kerry Hishon

Students rely on their teachers to impart lessons with confidence, understanding, and kindness. They need to feel safe in their classroom to learn, make mistakes, fail, and try again. In sho…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, January 15, 2022

Creating Connection With Your Students by Kerry Hishon

There’s a noticeable positive energy in a classroom where there is a genuine connection between the students and the teacher. Students are engaged in the lesson and well-behaved. Students …

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, January 8, 2022

Developing Classroom Routines and Systems by Kerry Hishon

Classroom routines and systems help students and teachers alike feel organized and secure. There’s something comforting about knowing what is expected, what happens next, and what the gene…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, January 1, 2022

Advice for New Drama Teachers Series: Planning Ahead by Kerry Hishon

Welcome to a new year, drama educators! If you’re new to teaching drama — whether you’re an experienced educator who has changed departments or you’re a brand-new teacher — we are …

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, December 25, 2021

Class Project: Celebrate Your Successes by Kerry Hishon

This is a fun project to do with your students at the end of the year. At first glance it looks like an art project (and it is!) but when you peel back the layers, you’ll see that it helps…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, December 18, 2021

Your Drama Classroom Wish List by Kerry Hishon

Some of the most interesting and creative theatre has been made without anything other than the brains and imaginations of groups of people. But having some fresh new tools, resources, and e…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, December 11, 2021

Why Is Reflection Important? by Kerry Hishon

Reflecting is an important tool in the drama classroom, and an essential part of personal growth. If your students ask you why reflections are important, here are five reasons you can give t…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, December 4, 2021

The Reflection Collection: A Round-Up by Kerry Hishon

We are all about reflecting here at Theatrefolk. You’ll notice that the vast majority of exercises and lessons here and in the Drama Teacher Academy include an exit slip or reflection que…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, November 27, 2021

Current Events: Diversity in Theatre Lesson by Kerry Hishon

The following lesson was created for students to discover, appreciate, and display respect for diverse, real-life issues and events in the theatre world. It can be done live in class, assign…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, November 20, 2021

Improv Game: Verbal vs. Nonverbal Cues by Kerry Hishon

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and felt like something was off? It might have been because the person you were speaking to was using body language that didn’t match what the…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, November 13, 2021

Hearing or Listening? by Kerry Hishon

Hearing is a passive, physical act of using the ears to perceive sounds. You can hear without understanding or acknowledging the sounds. Listening, conversely, is an active, internal behavio…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, November 6, 2021

Resource: Tons of Opening Line Prompts! by Kerry Hishon

If your students are having a hard time getting their scenes started, we’re here to help with 50 opening line prompts! Use them for scene devising, playwriting exercises, improv games, and…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, October 30, 2021

Resource: Tons of Food-Related Prompts by Kerry Hishon

Here at Theatrefolk, we love a good prompt collection! We’ve got outdoor prompts, job/occupation prompts, location prompts, and this collection is all about food! Don’t worry — all of …

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, October 23, 2021

Post-Exercise Exercise: Rate Yourself by Kerry Hishon

One of the five categories of social and emotional learning is self-awareness. For students, part of being self-aware includes being able to identify their own levels of effort in exercises,…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, October 16, 2021

Character Study: Self-Awareness by Kerry Hishon

The following exercise helps students learn self-awareness (which is one of the categories of social and emotional learning) and apply it by analyzing characters in a play that they are cur…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, October 9, 2021

Game: Challenging Negative Thoughts (SEL Self-Awareness) by Kerry Hishon

Negative self-talk is so common and can be very difficult to overcome, not only for students but also for teachers. It’s easy to fall into the trap of berating ourselves over mistakes and …

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, October 2, 2021

Making Connections: Students’ Strengths and Character Strengths by Kerry Hishon

The following exercise helps students identify their personal strengths and make connections with characters in a play that they are currently studying in drama class. It could also be used …

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, September 25, 2021

Resource: Tons of Location Prompts! by Kerry Hishon

Some improv games call for an action to start the scene, a job or occupation to define a character, or a location to get them started. Here are fifty location prompts you can use to set the …

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, September 18, 2021

20 Self-Reflection Journal Prompts by Kerry Hishon

Continuing on with our focus on Social and Emotional Learning (check out our other posts about SEL here), this post is filled to the brim with self-reflection journal prompts. Teachers can u…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, September 11, 2021

Change the Decision: Analyzing Character Choice by Kerry Hishon

In this article, we’re focusing on responsible decision making, which is one of the five areas of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). If the concept of SEL is new to you, check out this a…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, September 4, 2021

Round-Up: Theatre Games for Building Relationships by Kerry Hishon

In this round-up post, we’re focusing on relationship skills, which is one of the five areas of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). If the concept of SEL is new to you, check out this art…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, August 28, 2021

There’s Always More to the Story: Finding Empathy for the Villain by Kerry Hishon

In this article, we’re focusing on social awareness, which is one of the five areas of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). If the concept of SEL is new to you, check out this article to g…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, August 21, 2021

Self-Management in the Drama Classroom: Plan, Execute, Reflect by Kerry Hishon

In this article, we’re focusing on self-management, which is one of the five areas of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). If the concept of SEL is new to you, check out this article to ge…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, August 14, 2021

Cultivating Self-Awareness in the Drama Classroom by Kerry Hishon

We’re delving more deeply into the five areas of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). If the concept of SEL is new to you, check out this article: Social and Emotional Learning in the Dram…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM
Saturday, August 7, 2021

Social and Emotional Learning in the Drama Classroom: What Is It? by Kerry Hishon

The concept of SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) was defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) more than two decades ago to promote equity and excel…

SOURCE: Theatrefolk at 01:00AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards