Show Time!: Music, Dance, and Drama Activities for Kids
Introduction usicals are often our first introduction to the theater Annie The Wizard of Oz Beauty and the Beast and other family musicals are the first plays many young people see Dance classes often start at age three and children begin to sing almost as soon as they can talk Everyone who enjoys singing dancing acting or watching musical theater will enjoy the games and activities in this book A performer who can sing dance and act is sometimes called a triple threat In this book you will find a triple threat of activities Music dance and drama are all part of musical theater They provide three times the fun whether you are a fan a game player or an aspiring triple threat Teachers directors and choreographerSUSE games and activities to prepare performers for their shows Games are a fun way to practice performance skills and develop self confidence Parents can play many of these games with their children while at home in the car waiting in a doctor's office and any other time you have a few minutes to spare Singing dancing and acting are wonderful things for a family to do together You can even create your own family songs poems or shows to perform at holidays and other
The History of Musical Theater Overviews where theater's been and shows how far it's come It also lists important musical theater terms identifies who does what job and what everything means Here you'll not only find information on the history of musicals but also musicals about history such as 1776 Musical Themes divides musicals by their themes or topics If you have a favorite musical or will be performing in one you'll find games and activities here that may fit the theme of your musical and enhance your enjoyment of the performance Musical Reviews features ideas and activities for creating musical variety shows A review is a show put together with a combination of songs scenes skits and or dance often tied to a theme If you'd like to create your own review you’ll find activ ities here for creating original stories and characters as well as ideas for themes A Performer Prepares takes you through an actor's performance in a play beginning with audi tions through vocal warm ups to how to write your biography for the program and ending with how to take a bow and receive applause at the end of your performance With fun games and exercises you'll learn how actors memorize their lines and what they do to prepare for a role If you play a musical instrument or sing you will find the games and activities in I Got Rhythm help ful and fun Rhythm songwriting and even breath
support are a few of the skills that can be learned with these musical games If you like to move you'll feel like dancing when you see all of the fun games in Gotta Dance Whether you are a skilled dancer or just love to dance around your living room these activities will give you ideas for creative moves Theater games such as those found in An Actor s Life for Me are great for parties rehearsals and other indoor and outdoor fun Directors and teachers have used theater games for years to help actors learn to work together focus develop their characters and boost their energy at rehearsal If it's scripts you're looking for you'll find a vari ety of short plays and scenes for young people in Show Time From folk tales such as Paul Bunyan to classics such as Alice in Wonderland these scripts are sure to get your creative juices flowing Viola Spolin author of Improvisation for the Theater Theater Games for Rehearsal and Theater Games for the Classroom first introduced the idea of teaching the ater through games Actors have been using games ever since Games are a fun way to expand your cre ativity sharpen your focus learn to work with others on projects and build self confidence These games are for everyone not just those serious about becom ing actors So put on your dancing shoes and get ready to play because it's Show
The History of Musical Theater W illiam Shakespeare filled his comedies with music In A Midsummer Night's Dream the fairies sing and dance for their fairy queen French playwright Molière also included songs in his plays In A Doctor in spite of Himself the doctor prescribes a song with a merry note and a dance with a lively step to cure some of his patients Later Molière worked with composer Jean Baptiste Lully to create comedy ballets These were some of the first known dramas that included music and dance although they were not quite what we would call musicals today Musicals came about as composers began to par ody or poke fun at opera They lightened the mood of the music and changed its style to be similar to popu lar music of the day The Pirates of Penzance which hit Broadway in 1879 was one of the first musicals In the 1920s Tin Pan Alley a district of com posers and publishers of popular music in New York
