At Play: Teaching Teenagers Theater [Paperback]

Elizabeth Swados (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0571211208 | ISBN-13: 978-0571211203 | Publication Date: June 13, 2006 | Edition: 1st

Young people and improvisational theater should be a natural combination--so why do we so rarely find this combo in today's classrooms? According to Elizabeth Swados--playwright, director, composer, poet, author of children's books and of an acclaimed family memoir--improvisational theater is the perfect creative outlet for junior-high and high-school students . . . if only they can be given the tools and the guidance to make the most of this natural yet rigorous art form.

Drawing on her own experience teaching inner-city children in the groundbreaking musical Runaways and in teaching the techniques of improv theater in schools around the country, as well as on her own background in experimental theater, Swados provides a step-by-step guide to bringing out the natural creativity and enthusiasm key to young people creating--and enjoying--improvisational theater. Covering the basics--from freeing the imagination to learning about how to work with an ensemble, from how to master different forms of movement and sound to how to create different kinds of characters--this is the book for teachers and students eager to learn how to express fully the creative talent that all children are born with.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Liz Swados has changed the lives of countless young people, and has changed the way all of us in the field think about making theater. Liz makes theater that matters; her fierce optimism that the world can be changed, by kids and by art, infuses this book as it does all her work. We are lucky to have her among us."
--Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director, The Public Theater

"Liz Swados is clear about the kind of theater she wants to create with young people. Theater has to connect to the heart, to what's authentic, but often buried and covered over by cliché and stereotypical thinking. To accomplish her kind of theater, Swados has created a comprehensive pedagogical system, which she describes in clear, often poetic yet immensely practical terms in her book, At Play: Teaching Teenagers Theater. She presents sets of teaching exercises, each of which is prefaced by deeply principled views on both theater and the world within which teenagers struggle. She is explicit about what each set is meant to accomplish for teacher and student alike. The end result is an extraordinarily valuable teaching manual for anyone who aspires to be an effective theater arts teacher. Liz's consistently brilliant work is the best evidence of the success of her approach."
--Mary Schmidt Campbell, Dean, Tisch School of the Arts and Associate Provost of the Arts, NYU

About the Author

Elizabeth Swados is a playwright, director, composer, poet, children's book author, and memoirist. She lives in New York City.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber; 1st edition (June 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571211208
• ISBN-13: 978-0571211203
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very useful text, September 22, 2007

By 

Kochu (Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At Play: Teaching Teenagers Theater (Paperback)

I looked at a lot of reviews before purchasing this book, and along with this book I also bought Gavin Levy's 112 Acting Games. I liked this book the best of the two (though both have strengths). I liked this book for two reasons. First I liked the clear explanations that came with the activities, including a little about the "aim" of the activity. Secondly, and more importantly, I liked the activities themselves. They seemed more mature than the activities in 112 Acting Games, and since I work with university ESL students, this was better for me. In the end, I think many of these activities have a nice depth and meaning to them that was clear to me. I would highly recommend this book for teachers working with junior/senior high school students or university esl students. Very nice book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very Disappointing, August 6, 2010

By 

T. Root "booklet" (Arizona) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: At Play: Teaching Teenagers Theater (Paperback)

I purchased this book to gain some new ideas for a drama class that I teach. While some of the exercises are new and interesting, mostly there is far too much of an emphasis in the book on racial tensions, bigotry, social justice, etc. and not enough emphasis on the art of acting. Also, there are several points in the book at which Ms. Swados contradicts herself when she makes statements on how she believes children should be taught. For instance, in one chapter she begins by explaining how she taught a student to play the part of a llama by encouraging him to find his own way into the character. She describes a very decent method for helping kids discover who they want to find in their character. Then, only one or two pages later she states emphatically that she never, ever puts children into a play written about adults as she feels they wouldn't know how to create an adult character. I find the argument to be ludicrous. They should be allowed to explore the character of a llama, but not the character of an adult person. This makes no sense to me. Children are always and quite naturally imitating adults, often with very positive results. My final analysis is that there are a few new exercises in the book that I can use in my class, but the majority of them I cannot use due to their overwhelming emphasis on negative differences in society. Also, most of the extra information regarding Ms. Swados philosophy on working with young folks is contradictory and nonsensical, so it is also of no use. I should have just bought a book of improv games or acting exercises and not spent the money for this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book, June 8, 2008

By 

Panda Wickers (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At Play: Teaching Teenagers Theater (Paperback)

I've been teaching theatre for over 10 years now. This book is the one book that I carry with me to all of my classes. It is a great reference, not only with teaching theatre games, but in creating an ensemble, dealing with teenager issues, and creating theatre that is meaningful and powerful. It is the best investment I've made in a while, and I've been recommending it to everyone.