Stage Areas and Directions: Read the Map, Place the Actors

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Arts · Drama / Theater
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Page 2
Stage Areas and Directions: Read the Map,
Place the Actors
Arts · Drama / Theater · Grades 7-9 · 45 minutes
Time needed
45 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). Write “AUDIENCE” at the bottom of the board
and draw a simple 3-by-3 grid above it (optional).
Technology
None.
Student
independence
High. Students work alone with a reference map on the worksheet.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet, Whiteboard or chalkboard (optional)
Goal for today: Students will name the nine stage areas from the actor’s point of view and use them to read stage
directions and place characters on a stage map.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Optional: draw a 3-by-3 box on the board with the word AUDIENCE under it. You do not need to label the
boxes.
☐ Keep the answer key on your desk. The only rule you need: stage left and stage right are from the ACTOR’S
point of view, facing the audience.
Say this to start
Good morning! In theater, actors and directors use special words for the parts of a stage. Today you will learn the
stage map and then use it to place actors in a scene. This is a paper activity, so nobody needs to stand up or perform.
Work quietly, use the map on the worksheet, and ask a neighbor if you are stuck.


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Page 3
Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance the way the school requires. Hand out the
worksheet.
Write their name and read the directions.
5–12
Have students read the Stage Map and the short reading
aloud with a partner, or read it aloud yourself. Point out the
audience row at the bottom of the map.
Read the map and notice that stage right is
on the audience’s LEFT.
12–24
Tell students to complete the fill-in questions 1–6 using the
word bank.
Fill in each blank with the correct stage
term.
24–34
Tell students to answer multiple-choice questions 7–9.
Use the map to decide where actors move
and what the audience sees.
34–42
Tell students to place the four characters on the blank grid
and answer questions 10–13. Remind them to use the
actor’s point of view.
Write each initial in the correct box, then
answer questions about who is near or far.
42–45
Collect all worksheets. If time allows, read the answers to
1–6 aloud.
Hand in the worksheet. Complete question
13 if not done.
If things go wrong
• If students are confused about left and right, remind them: stage left and stage right are always from the
ACTOR’S view, facing the audience. They are the opposite of what the audience sees.
• If students ask why it is called upstage, say it comes from older stages that sloped upward toward the back.
The reading explains it.
• If students want to walk around and try the directions, politely say today’s task is on paper. They may use
their fingers on the map.
Early finishers
• Write a second stage direction for question 13 that includes an exit and an entrance.
• Draw a quick sketch of your classroom as a stage. Label where you would put a door, a table and a chair using
the stage area names.
Support and challenge
• Support: Let students keep a finger on the map while they answer, and skip question 9 and question 13.
• Challenge: Ask students to write three stage directions that would move one character from upstage left to
downstage right in two steps.


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Arts · Drama / Theater
SP-DRAMA-002  ·  Free to print and use in your classroom  ·  substituteplans.com
Page 4
Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:
Anything the teacher should know: