Rockin’ Rehearsals

Overview

Once you’ve managed to get the right students in the place at the right time, rehearsals can begin. Very often, students are asked to practice in their own time too, so this activity describes how digital media and Web 2.0 can be used to enhance and enrich the rehearsal process from beginning to end.

Description

Use the web to enable pupils to practice at home more effectively. Either record tutorials of your own or use tutorials found on YouTube. We like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUfS256-jdk because (even though it is quite silly) it is engaging for students and helps break the ice. Pupils can also film their own tutorials and ask others for feedback.

Use digital media to get in touch with professionals. Ask directors, actors, costume designers, choreographers or lighting designers to take part in your rehearsals via Skype or FlashMeeting. Many theatres are very interested in getting in touch with young people since they are their future audience. Most of them probably won’t have the time to spend a whole day at your school but will be happy to join you virtually, via Skype, for an hour or so.

Document your process in a ‘Glee Club’ blog. Each week ask a group of students to write about what they did and to upload photos of them in action. This can help you to recruit new members and to show the rest of the school what you’re up to.

A step further would be filming rehearsals and using the videos to show your pupils what went well and what didn’t. You can use them to turn your blog into a vlog. You can also use these videos to promote your performance or even include them into your performance. As suggested earlier, we like asking students to create their own acting tutorials – as a teacher you’ll already know that showing others what to do or how to do something is a great way to learn!

Time needed 1-3 hours.

Resources

A blog / vlog.
Video cameras or mobile phones.
Website or similar platform.

Hints and tips

Again it’s a good idea to have a group of students responsible for arranging Skype meetings and filming rehearsals etc. Over the course of the project they will become more and more confident so that when it comes to filming the performance (station 5) you will have developed and trained an experienced team.

–> IT’S SHOWTIME!