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Contents Page
Backstage at the Theatre .................................. 3
Jobs in the Theatre .............................................. 5
Lighting ................................................................... 8
Putting on a Show .............................................. 9
Box Theatres ........................................................ 13
Post Show Questionnaire ................................ 14
Quick Ideas!! ......................................................... 15
Theatre Glossary ............................................... 16
Backstage at the Theatre
In this unit you and your students will;
• Learn about what the theatre is and the people who work there.
• Learn about the elements that come together to create a ‘theatrical experience’.
• Discover the language used in the theatre
• Identify the processes involved in making a theatre production happen
Curriculum Links in this Unit
Values
Students will be encouraged to value:
• Innovation, inquiry and curiosity, by thinking critically, creatively and reflectively.
• Diversity, as found in our different cultures
• Community and participation, for the common good.
Key Competencies
• Thinking – students will reflex on their own thinking and learning after the personal experience
of attending a live theatre show.
• Using languages, symbols and text – students will recognise how choices of language and symbols
in live theatre affect people’s understanding and the ways in which they respond.
• Relating to others – students will develop the ability to listen actively and share ideas regard a
live theatre performance.
• Participating and contributing – students will be actively involved in their cultural community,
understanding the importance of creative environments.
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The Arts – Drama
Unde�rstanding the Arts in Context:
• Students will demonstrate an awareness that drama and live theatre productions serve a variety
of purposes in their lives and in their communities.
Developing Practical Knowledge:
• Students will explore the elements of role, focus, action, tension, time and space portrayed
through a live theatre production and their own dramatic play.
Communicating and Interpreting:
• Students will share a theatre experience and respond to the idea that drama tells stories and
conveys ideas. They will interpret these ideas in their own and others work.
Developing Ideas:
• Students will contribute and develop ideas in drama, using the personal experience of attend
ing a live theatre performance and their imagination.
The Arts – Visual Art
Understanding the Arts in Context
• Students will share ideas about the purpose, value and context of a live theatre show.
Communicating and Interpreting
• Students will share the ideas, feelings and stories communicated by their own and others
images.
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Jobs in the Theatre
There are lots of other people who were involved in making theatre shows; such as production managers
set builders, marketing managers, and booking coordinators, the list goes on! On the next page is a list
of the typical Jobs that you would find people doing in most theatre companies, for use with the following activity.
Learning Activity for Year 3-4+
Using an A3 sized photocopy of ‘Jobs in the Theatre’ cut each job into strips. Divide the class into
small groups and hand out a few jobs to each group. The students then read each job aloud to one another and discuss their meaning. The groups then make a presentation to the rest of the class about
their findings. They can use large sheets of paper and jumbo pens to write up the job titles and illustrate where appropriate.
Jobs in the Theatre
The producer is the person or company that invests the money in the production, commissions the
work and manages the project.
The playwright takes an idea or story they want to share with the audience and turns it into a script.
The director/choreographer co-ordinates all the artistic elements of the play, schedules rehearsals,
and directs and coaches the actors. The director interprets the script, designs the stage movements for the characters, selects the actors and guides their dialogue and action. In dance the
director is called the choreographer.
The choreographer coordinates the creative process of making movement for a production. This
may be the moves that the actors make in their parts and in the space onstage and it is also the
dance vocabulary that is devised for dancers when an idea is to be presented in dance form. S/he
is part of the production team and works closely with the musical director, composer, designer and
director.
The dancer is the performer who responds to the choreographer to make the ideas ‘move’.
The musical director co-ordinates between the director and the musicians. S/he chooses the instruments, arranges the rehearsals, supervises the arrangement of the music and conducts the orchestra. If
the music was new, s/he would also work with the composer.
The production manager manages the construction of the production, looking after the budget, making sure the director and designer have the resources they need and that everything being built
for the production such as masks, costumes, set and props are all on schedule. They act as a coordinator between the director of the play, the Producer of the theatre, the technical director and
the designer.
The set designer researches and designs sets and scenery for the play.
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The lighting designer uses light, shape and colour when designing lights for the play.
The props master researches, collects and makes props for the show.
The set builder interprets and creates the designs of the set designer an
The sound designer chooses and designs the sound effects for the play
The costume designer creates costumes for the different characters in the play.
The stage manager co-ordinates all the production’s elements and ensures that communication is
clear between the design team and the director. The stage manager makes sure that everyone is doing his or her job during rehearsals.
The technical manager looks after all the technical staging requirements of the show.
Make-up artists design stage make-up and hairstyles for actors.
The crew backstage shift scenery.
The lighting operator runs the light control board during the performance.
The sound operator runs the sound mixer during the performance.
The marketing manager is responsible for developing a marketing campaign for the show.
The publicity or communications officer works with the media to ensure the community knows
about the show and to attract an audience.
The Box Office is where the tickets are sold.
Front of House is anything which happens on the audience side of the curtain. This would include
ushers, ticket and programme sellers and refreshment vendors.
Questions about the Show
What is a theatre?
A theatre is a place where different types of entertainment are performed in front of an audience.
The word theatre comes from an old Greek word meaning ‘a place for seeing’. There are many different types of theatre performances, including; ballet, drama, dance, comedy, musicals, operas and
pantomimes.
Why do people go to the theatre?
To be entertained! Throughout history, in every country and culture, people have enjoyed putting on
and watching performances. Plays do more than just tell a story, they bring it to life vividly. As they
entertain, they also tell you about new ideas, other people and yourself.
What does a theatre look like from backstage?
See following page.
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This image will help to give children an idea of what happens backstage, in a major theatre production. This is a large theatre with several cast and crew members.
Most of our productions are performed in smaller theatres with less stage crew. There is usually one stage manager who looks after things backstage and an operator who controls all of the lights and sound from the operating position behind the audience.
Lighting
Lighting in theatres is very special. Usually, the main lights in the theatre, called house lights, dim
when a performance is about to start. Then the stage lights come on, creating a mood of anticipation
as the show begins. Lighting is a very important part of a theatre show, especially when puppets and
dancers are involved. Without effective stage lighting puppets and people can simply look like bits of
timber, foam, fabric, metal and paper. The lighting designer completes the illusion of magic.
Why do you need lights in the theatre? What do they do?
Discuss with your students why we need to use lights in the theatre.
Theatre lighting has many functions, the key functions are:
• To make the actors visible to the audience.
• To create changing moods for the show.
• To draw the audiences attention to the performance.
Theatre lights are usually called lanterns or lamps, from the old days when they were gas or oil. Today
they can be very powerful, sometimes up to 5,000 Watts (the bulbs you use at home are mostly 60 –
100 Watts.) There are many different kinds of lamps which create different effects on stage.
1. Flood lights – A lamp that fills the stage with
a wide beam of light.
2. Spotlights – A lamp that shines a controlled
beam of light on to the stage. Spotlights can
be used to project an image on stage to look
like the shadows of tree branches or a window.
3. Beam light – A lamp that shines a very strong
beam of light. They are often used to show sun
light on stage. The best example of a beam
light is a laser.
Lighting designers can add colour and effect to lights by using special coloured filters and metal
patterns to create images on stage.
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Putting on a Show
After discussing the variety of people involved in making a theatre production possible you can now
start to talk about the processes required. Here is a flow chart to give you an idea!
The Process of Creating a Theatre Show
Idea for a story!
Write a script
Choose the
performers
or treatment


Write the music
Design the
props, scenery,
puppets
Design the
lighting
Run a dress
rehearsal

Rehearse the
show

Run a workshop


Promote the
show and book in
the audience


The show is
now ready to
perform!
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Writing a Simple Script
Have your students got an experience that they could write a play about?
Is there an incident in their lives which is funny? Sad? Scary?
• Ask the students to think about these things.
• How many characters does your script need?
• What research do you need to do?
Using the ‘Writing a Script’ flow chart (below) students can design how their stories will unfold:
Step 1: Brainstorm your ideas and all associated ideas to do with the show.
Step 2: Think about the characters, the setting associated with your story and the theme(s) for your
story – it needs a purpose.
Step 3: Plan a beginning, middle and end – give your script a structure.
Step 4: Begin writing your story.
Step 5: Read it to yourself or a few friends – what is working, what is not working?
Go back to Step 3: Re-work the parts that need changes.
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Design a Set
Try designing a set for your script. What elements of the stage do you need to remember?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What size or shape should the stage be?
What materials you will be using? e.g.: fabric, wood, metal?
What will you use for a backdrop?
How easy will it be to put up and take down?
What lighting will be most effective?
Will you include special effects?
If necessary – how will the performers be hidden from the audience?
1. Draw and label a diagram to show what your set will look like. You could draw a bird’s eye view or
the view from the audience…
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2. Describe the features of your set.
Size: How small, big, tall, wide is the set?
Materials: What is the set made out of?
Back Drop:
Lighting:
Special Effects:
Props:
3. How can the set be used on stage by the performers and stage manager? Can it turn around, can
doors open, is there a trap door? etc…
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Box Theatres
These three theatres, made out of large cardboard boxes, can be used with simple puppets on sticks
and decorated backdrops.
How to make a Box Theatre. Taken from “Puppet Talk” by Lilian Coppock Belair Publications, 1997.
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Post Show Questionnaire
1. List the characters in order of when they appear on stage.
2. Choose a character from the show, draw a picture and describe them. What do they look like?
What are they wearing? How do they move? What sort of personality do they have? How are they
feeling?
3. Make a list some of the props that you saw on stage. How many can you remember?
4. What was your favourite part in the show? Why?
5. Were there any messages in the show?
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Quick Ideas!!
The Arts – Drama
• Work in groups to make a drama and plan the imagined space where it takes place.
• Attend a live performance and then talk about how memorable moments were created through the
use of space, action and contrasts between movement and stillness or darkness and light.
• Discuss how performers use props or costumes combined with voice and gesture to convey informa
tion depicted in a drama.
• Investigate how puppets have been used over time to pass on the values, stories and news of various
communities. Use puppets to explore and present a local issue.
• Experiment with and discuss the positioning of people and objects in a performance space to focus
audience attention.
• Interview a person involved in drama or theatre about the value they place on theatre as part of
their own lives and the life of the community.
The Arts – Music
•
•
•
•
Listen to a story or play and create music to fit the mood and themes.
Use body percussion to add mood, tempo and pitch to a piece of music or writing.
Prepare and present performances of several different styles of music to the same drama piece.
Make a musical statement about a topical issue and present it to others.
Technology
Putting on a show – discuss the use of these things:
•
•
•
•
Lighting and Sound in the theatre
Designers and puppet makers
Tickets for the show
Marketing the show on radio, posters, television
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Theatre Glossary
On the following pages you will find a glossary of theatre terminology. You may find this useful while
your students are learning all about the theatre.
Learning Activity
A great way of becoming more familiar with new language is to play a matching game; this can be done
with the whole class or in small groups.
• Photocopy these two pages.
• Cut each line into strips and then cut off the definitions.
• Hand out one definition and one non-matching term (or more if in small groups) and tell the children
to find their two matching partners.
• Once the children have found their matching partner they can then read out the terms and
definitions to the class and stick them up onto a large chart.
Act
Auditorium
Backdrop
Beam light
Box Office
Cast
The part of the theatre where the audience sits.
A large cloth decorated with a scene.
A lamp that shines a very strong, fixed beam of light. They are
often used to show sunlight on stage.
The counter inside the foyer where tickets are sold.
The actors who take part in a show.
Director
The person who is responsible for the overall look of a show.. This
person gives the actors guidance on how to play their parts.
Dress Circle
The seats on the first floor of the auditorium.
(Above the stalls.)
Dress
Rehearsal
Dressing
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One section of a play.
A rehearsal which is as close to a real performance as possible.
The show is performed straight through without stopping, with
light and sound effects, and scene changes. The actors wear full
costume and make-up.
A prop that decorates a set, but which is not used by an actor, such
as a pot plant.
Floodlight
Gallery
House Lights
Playwright
A lamp that fills the stage with a wide beam of light.
Seats on the top floor of the auditorium, also known as the gods.
Lights above the auditorium, which are normally dimmed when a
show commences.
A person who writes plays.
Props
Objects used by the cast during a performance. It is short
for properties.
Puppeteer
A person who manipulates inanimate objects (puppets, pieces of
the set, etc) in such a way to give them life.
An early rehearsal at which the script is read from start to finish.
Read Through
Run-through
Scenery
Script
Set
Sightline
Spotlight
Stage
Stage Manager
Stagehand
Stalls
Theatre
Upstage
A rehearsal of the whole play. The actors go through the whole
play without stopping. They do not usually wear costumes or makeup.
All the painted backdrops and flats that show where a play is set.
The written words or text of a play.
All the scenery, furniture and props used in a scene.
An imaginary line from the eye of a person watching the show to
the edge of the stage. It is used to make sure that the audience has
a clear view of the acting area.
A lamp that shines a strong beam of light on to a small area of the
stage.
The area on which actors, singers and dancers perform.
The person who makes sure a performance runs smoothly.
Someone who moves props and pieces of scenery into position.
The seats on the ground floor of the auditorium.
A place where different types of entertainment are performed in
front of an audience.
The back of the stage, furthest from the audience.
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