Improvisation games provide an easy introduction to acting while allowing students to conquer their fear of being on stage. Begin with low-pressure games that involve little talking, such as charades. Later, you may move on to scene creation and audience participation activities.
A strong background in improvisation helps actors think on their feet in case of a missed line or unexpected change. Students work together to build improvisational scenes, creating a sense of teamwork and shared responsibility.
One of the most basic acting class lessons is the prepared monologue. Instruct students to choose and memorize a solo speech to perform before the class. Work with each person individually on pacing, diction and volume. The monologue affords an opportunity to cement the basics with students, while giving them an outlet for creative expression.
Once students are comfortable reciting lines on stage, they are ready to learn how to develop characters. Watch movie or theater clips with the children, pausing periodically to ask questions about the scene. Discuss accents, phrases or behaviors that the actors use consistently and why.
Have the students construct a character over several sessions. Remember that characters with extreme traits are often easier to portray than more normal people. Encourage students to invent or borrow verbal and physical characteristics, then connect them to a meaningful back story. This introduction to method acting will help the students create more believable and interesting characters on stage.
Actors need a highly attuned sense of physical awareness to interact with props and fellow actors. Teach students how to use the space of the stage by giving specific blocking instructions for their scenes. Children will enjoy learning choreography for dance or fight scenes.
To demonstrate the need for exaggerated physical motions and facial expressions in stage acting, let half the class act out a scene on stage while the other half sits in the back row. Striking the balance between campy exaggeration and imperceptible subtlety is a difficult task that will require careful direction.