I am starting a new series with my students called, Theatre Around the World. Instead of playing theatre games I am going to teach them about different types of theatre throughout history and around the world. Where to start: where else but with Ancient Greek Theatre. I teach this theatre class to a group of kindergartners and a group fo 1st through 5th graders so you have to keep in mind, I have to keep it very simplified. I just tried to hit on some key points of Greek Theatre. Theatre was for and about the Greek gods. It started off as a chorus of people chanting and then Thespis introduced the idea of the actor where we get word "thespians" from. Since I went to Athens on Europe trip, I showed them some pictures of the Theater of Dionysus.
I was able to find online a very simplified kid friendly play about "The Odyssey." (Not technically a Greek play, but its a Greek mythology and great story to act out.) The lesson went better and they were more engaged that I had expected them to be. They really had fun with the play and the older kids read the lines and acted it out very well.
I am looking forward to my future lesson on Shakespeare, Commedia De'll Arte, Chinese Opera, and Japaneses Bunkraku puppet theatre.
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