Teaching an acting class can be a richly rewarding and entertaining experience. Keep in mind that you will be instructing students of all ages, with all sorts of aspirations. These aspiring thespians will look to you for guidance and the most important thing is to teach them the basics. The best acting teacher is one with experience, so you should be ready to give them a few examples of your own acting skill. Having a lesson plan that will allow students to methodically build up from the basics will optimize your effectiveness.
Instructions
1. Practice some acting parts you have performed or feel you can do well. You will instantly gain credibility and maintain the attention of your students if you can really nail a brief but memorable scene or two. Interact with your students onstage and resist the temptation to simply critique from a director's chair.
2. Provide instructive drills on stage direction, memorization techniques and auditioning. Include backstage theater instruction on the important behind-the-scenes roles, such as props and lighting. In his book, "The Great Acting Teachers and their Methods," acting coach Richard Brestoff says that understanding and appreciating all aspects of acting, including its history, helps create a better actor.
3. Make your class enjoyable. Encourage your students to connect with the inspiration that brought them there. Remember that even for aspiring actors, being onstage can be frightening. Practice acting out silly television commercials with the class as a way to break the ice and encourage participation.
4. Focus on bringing out the "voice" of your students. Practice breathing, singing and the importance of focus for finding their voice. Demonstrate techniques for optimizing their bodies, as effective body movement is critical for an actor in any genre.
5. Work on improvisation techniques. Tell students they can be anyone that they want and allow their imaginations to run wild in their impromptu performance.
Tags: your students, that will
