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Unit Plan
Orange Public Schools

Stagecraft

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The house lights dim, the curtain parts, lights slowly come up, revealing the stage. Before the actors appear, before a word is spoken, the audience is drawn in by the lighting, by the colors, by lines of the set, by the props, and...
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Unit Plan
Broadway GPS

The Lion King—The Broadway Musical Study Guide

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Musicals have been adapted from stage plays, novels, and movies. With The Lion King, Disney transforms its animated film into show-stopping, live-action musical theatre. The guide Disney provides to accompany a study of the award-winning...
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Activity
Phantom of Opera

The Phantom of the Opera: Ideas for Research and Discussion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
You could spend a full day discussing The Phantom of the Opera and not scratch the surface, but a set of lessons about the literary elements and themes of the musical production is a great start. Young thespians build upon the background...
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Activity
Curated OER

A Study Guide for The Phantom of the Opera

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Immerse yourself in the beautiful, twisted world of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. A detailed lesson plan provides important details about the writing, stagecraft, music, and literary elements of the famous musical, as...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alicia Keys, Songs in A Minor

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Need a musical lesson for your drama or performing arts class? VH1 has put together a really neat lesson, in which learners use biographical information about Alicia Keys to write and perform a one-act musical related to her life. This...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Movies That Rock": Moulin Rouge

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Upper graders explore musical film and the Bohemian lifestyle common in Europe during the turn of the century through the musical Moulin Rouge. After listening to (or viewing) songs from the movie, they discuss the Bohemian era and how...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

The Federal Theatre Project: Analyzing Conflict Among Relief, Art, and Politics in 1930s America

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
In the effort to soothe the suffering of the Great Depression, New Deal programs funded a variety of approaches - including a theater project that proved controversial! Using documents such as oral histories, as well as photographs of...
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Activity
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

Peter Pan: Teacher Resource Guide

For Teachers 1st - 12th Standards
What are some of the pros and cons of staying young forever? With the Peter Pan resource, learners discover the magical world of Neverland. Scholars create advertisements that promote eternal youth, and then write persuasive pitches for...
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Activity
First Stage

A Charlie Brown Christmas

For Students 2nd - 6th Standards
Charlie Brown may not feel the Christmas spirit this year, but your elementary students can use the season to practice important cross-curricular skills! A set of worksheets and activities based on A Charlie Brown Christmas guide apply...
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Lesson Plan
Simon & Schuster

Les Miserables Classroom Activities

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Modern readers apply classic themes to Victor Hugo's masterpiece, Les Miserables. After they discuss tricky vocabulary and plot elements from the novel, class members compare Hugo's written work to a stage or film adaptation of the musical.
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Unit Plan
Pearson

Musical Theater Performance

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Musical theater is a trifecta, requiring cast members to be actors, singers, and dancers. Help theater arts students develop these skills with a unit designed to prepare them for a staging of a musical.
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Unit Plan
Johnny Mercer Foundation

The American Musical

For Teachers 7th
General music students learn about the history of popular American music by creating and performing a one-act musical. After researching and creating an American Musical timeline, class members write a song with lyrics using Jam Studio,...
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Unit Plan
Beat by Beat Press

Teaching Musical Theatre

For Teachers 7th - 12th
The 16 lessons in Teaching Musical Theatre: The Essential Handbook are designed to help actors enrolled in a theatre arts class develop the skills they need to be successful in musical theatre. Check out this sample lesson to see if you...
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Activity
Orlando Shakes

Les Misérables: Study Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A writer has the responsibility to defend the less fortunate members of society. At least that was the view of Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables. The novel is the subject of a study guide from Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Learners...
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Activity
Orlando Shakes

Into The Woods: Study Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Fans of musical theater may know the title tune of Into the Woods well, but do they know what the show is all about? A study guide provides information about the classic musical, including details about the characters and a summary of...
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Activity
Orlando Shakes

West Side Story: Study Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Hey, enough frabbajabba about that stool pigeon, Daddy-O! Using the West Side Story study guide, scholars explore the language of the play and read about its historical associations and themes. Pupils also engage in a Spectrum of...
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Activity
Orlando Shakes

In the Heights: Study Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Before Hamilton, Lin Manuel-Miranda gained fame with In the Heights. A study guide prepares theater goers for a performance of the musical about a group of friends living in the New York City neighborhood of Washington Heights. Resources...
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Activity
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

West Side Story Suite and In The Night Fancy Free

For Teachers 8th - 12th
West Side Story and Romeo & Juliet—two classics in their own rights that help young literature lovers better analyze different works. Learners research and compare the characters and story elements of West Side Story and Romeo &...
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Lesson Plan
Thalian Association Community Theatre

West Side Story: Teacher Resource Guide

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
West Side Story is widely known as a modern-day Romeo & Juliet. Learners read a list of characters from the play and list their counterparts from Romeo & Juliet before completing a vocabulary enrichment activity and word jumble....
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Lesson Plan
Education Closet

West Side Shifts

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Combine math, language arts, music, and dance with an activity focused on "America" from West Side Story. After listening to the song, learners compare the film to Romeo and Juliet, analyze the song's meter, design choreography, plan...
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Lesson Plan
Tune Into English

America – West Side Story

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Anita's iconic rooftop ode to American life in West Side Story is the focus of a lesson on immigration. As class members listen to "America," they follow along with printed lyrics, and discuss whether they agree with Anita's assessment...
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Activity
Curated OER

Lesson 3 - Lighting Design

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
The final lesson in a series on theatre design spotlights how lighting is incorporated into a production. After watching videos that focus on lighting fixtures and their positioning, individuals create a basic design plan for a scene,...
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Activity
National Arts Centre

Create a Set Design

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Groups create a set for a play or story they select, build a model, and share their stage with the class. The team explains the rationale for their choices and the mood they feel their staging creates.
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Unit Plan
Broadway GPS

Kinky Boots—The New Musical: Official Show Guide

For Parents 9th - 12th Standards
Drag queens in thigh-high shiny red leather boots! Welcome to Kinky Boots, the Tony Award-winning musical about a young man trying to save his family-owned shoe-making business. With an engaging story line and songs by Cyndi Lauper, the...