Top 10 Ways that Theatre Has Prepared Me for Teaching

  I got a degree in theatre, which meant I didn’t sleep much, had weird homework assignments and generally enjoyed my 4 years of college.  There’s a misconception, however, that a BA in theatre doesn’t prepare you for the real world.  To that I say, “Nay!”  (that…wasn’t emphatic-sounding as I had hoped…) The lessons I have learned from theatre are immeasurable—from delegation to collaboration to project management, I learned a lot by doing what I loved.  But little did I know how much theatre would specifically prepare me for teaching…

10. Remember that time…in The Crucible where Keely would make us yell “A fart on Thomas Putnam!!” to the back of the theatre with the diaphramical gusto of a Marine football coach?  That power comes in handy after 5 classes of speaking over rowdy 7^th graders.  Though, I’ve learned that the quiet, scary voice of an upset Mrs. Baker is actually more effective.   

9. Remember that time…when I’d have to entertain a bunch of bored-to-death, too-cool-for-school, let’s-laugh-during-the-serious-parts High School kids for a 10am matinee?  It’s pretty the same as teaching an 8am class to a bunch of Seniors…except I have to do it without dancing in a feathery hat.

8. Remember that time…in Hello, Dolly! when we’d have to book it up stairs in heels to make our entrance after a ridiculously fast quick change?  That’s what it’s like when you realize you forgot your flash drive and you have to sprint back to your apartment in teacher clothes.

7. Remember that time…in Stage Combat when we learned how to fake slap someone?  Well….don’t report me or anything, but it was a big hit amongst the students. #ipromiseitrelatedtowhatwewerelearning  #nochildrenwerehurtinthisexcercise #allofmystudentswillforeverknownottocallsomeonefat

6. Remember that time….when we worked on diction?  Every day of our lives?!?  Yeah.  It helps with ESL. 

5. Remember that time…in Importance of Being Earnest when I, as Lady Bracknell, skipped ahead 10 pages had to find a way to fix my mistake so that the plot would actually make sense?  That’s the adrenaline rush you get when your picture-driven PPT doesn’t work, and you stare at your 25 expectant 7^th graders, knowing full well that you’re about to wing the performance of your life.   #insertcharadespictionaryandtheatregames  uhhhPANICK!makethemactitout!

4. Remember that time…that I was memorizing 4 different scripts in the same week?  Yeah…that still doesn’t help me remember the names of my 200 students, but it’s a start. 

3. Remember that time…when I didn’t feel good about an audition (so…pretty much every time), and Matthew Michael Moore said to “Paper Towel It”—wipe it up, throw it away, forgive myself and move on?  It’s a good mindset to have after a class that didn’t go exactly as planned.  No use in overthinking it.  Just nail it next time.

2. Remember that time…when I’d ask myself, “How can I make this text more interesting for the audience?”  Ummm…yes.  I basically ask the exact same question every time I plan a lesson.

1. Remember that time…when I made a fool of myself to make people laugh.  Nothing much has changed.  Bring on the dorky, I-promised-myself-I’d-never-do-this teacher jokes! The show must go on.  :p