Behind the Scenes

Unit: Stagecraft and Performance

Lesson 1 of 24: Introduction to Stagecraft
Curriculum Area: The Arts – Drama
Level: Level 7–8 (Years 12–13) – The New Zealand Curriculum

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📚 WALT (We Are Learning To):

• Identify and describe the key components of stagecraft including set design, lighting, and sound.
• Understand the backstage roles in theatre and their responsibilities.
• Collaborate and communicate effectively in practical tasks.

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🎯 Success Criteria:

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
✔ Describe three main domains of stagecraft (set, lighting, sound).
✔ Identify at least five backstage roles and their functions.
✔ Contribute meaningfully in a group to a creative stagecraft planning task.
✔ Begin exploring how stagecraft supports performance storytelling.

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🕓 Lesson Duration: 60 Minutes

Class Size: 14 students
Physical Environment: Drama studio or performance space with break-out areas

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📖 Lesson Flow:

⏱️ 0–10 mins: Karakia and Drama Warm-Up

• Karakia timatanga (opening prayer/blessing)
• Physical warm-up (movement-based): "Light Switch" — energy-level game that reflects the concept of lighting cues.
• Vocal warm-up: "Echo Sounds" — students repeat unusual stage noises to introduce sound work.

Purpose: Establish collaborative energy, awaken physical and vocal awareness, and connect prior learning or personal experience of live performance.

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⏱️ 10–20 mins: What Is Stagecraft? (Whole Class Discussion)

Prompt Discussion Questions

• "What do you notice when you walk into a theatre before a show starts?"
• "What’s the difference between performance and production?"
• "Who’s involved when the spotlight goes on?"

Visual Aid: Dyslexia-friendly slide with ⬥ bullet points, OpenDyslexic font example of a sample show crew list and basic set plot.

🧠 Think-Pair-Share:
Each student picks one technical element and shares a past experience or something they’ve seen related to it (e.g. a concert, kapa haka, musical).

Whainga: Begin building individual connections between students' experiences and the elements of Drama beyond acting.

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⏱️ 20–35 mins: Stagecraft Gallery Walk (Interactive Activity)

Set-Up: Four stations around the room:

1. Set Design – 3D models, paint samples, photos of different levels and textured staging
2. Lighting – lighting gels, a lantern, gobos, pictures of lighting rigs
3. Sound – plug-in speakers, soundboards mock-up, description of cues
4. Roles & Responsibilities – printed cards describing various roles (Stage Manager, LX Op, Foley Artist, etc.)

Students move in small groups (3–4) station to station, rotating every 3–4 minutes.
At each station, they complete a short prompt on a shared class whiteboard (or in a digital Padlet if available):

• "I never knew..."
• "This made me think about..."
• "I wonder if..."

Whainga: Provide hands-on exposure while building foundational theatre knowledge using multisensory learning.

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⏱️ 35–50 mins: Creative Collaboration — Stage Crew Challenge

Scenario: "You’re the crew designing the stage for a 5-minute play set in Aotearoa 100 years in the future."

➡ Students group into Stage Teams of 3—4, each assigned a primary domain (Set, Light, Sound, Direction).

Task: Each group sketches or discusses their concept using paper, whiteboard or physical props.

Roles Within Groups: Assign a scribe, speaker, timekeeper, and idea generator to ensure full engagement.

Mini-Show 'Pitch': Each group does a 1-minute speaker pitch to explain their concept and who’d be responsible backstage.

🧠 DEEPER DIVE (Extension Option):
Advanced learners incorporate a kaupapa Māori worldview in their design — e.g. how does lighting reflect wairua or whenua?

🔁 Scaffolding for Differentiation:

• Sentence starters for learners who need support ("My set has... because…")
• Visual maps of roles
• Allow oral rather than written notes
• Use coloured overlays or larger print-outs for dyslexia support

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⏱️ 50–55 mins: Reflection & Connection

Group to Whole Class Circle

• "What stagecraft domain excited you most today, and why?"
• "Which crew role feels like you?"

📓 Optional: Quick entry into Drama Journal (can be typed, spoken using device, drawn):
“What surprised me today about what goes on backstage?”

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⏱️ 55–60 mins: Wrap-Up & Looking Ahead

• Recap three aspects of stagecraft as a group chant
• Assign Homework (optional): "Observe the stagecraft in a performance this week. Could be live, online, or a TV show — jot down lighting, sound, or set elements you notice.”
• Karakia whakamutunga (closing blessing)

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📌 Differentiation Strategies

Learner Profile	Strategy
Visual learners	Diagrams, colour-coded set examples, photos and realia
Auditory learners	Vocal exploration, sound cue identification
Kinesthetic learners	Movement warm-up, set mock-up, interactive tasks
Dyslexic / Diverse learners	Use of OpenDyslexic font, audio reflections as an option, coloured overlays; allow verbal reflection
Advanced learners	Layered extension questions and mātauranga Māori integration prompts

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🧠 Extension Activities Available

• Research a real-world theatre production and draw a backstage map
• Interview someone in a backstage role (even via email or online)
• Write a short blog post about how lighting/sound can change emotion in a scene
• Begin a sketchbook of fantasy stage models

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📌 Curriculum Alignment — The New Zealand Curriculum (Level 7–8, Drama)

• Understanding the Arts in Context: Investigate the functions, purposes, and technologies of drama in New Zealand, including theatre Aotearoa.
• Developing Ideas: Initiate and refine ideas with others to devise drama informed by theatre conventions.
• Communicating and Interpreting: Present and respond to drama using production, technologies, and dramatic conventions.
• 📖 Literacy: Exploring subject-specific vocabulary and expanding expressive modes (verbal, visual, physical).
• 💬 Key Competency Focus: Thinking | Participating and contributing | Relating to others

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🎭 Teacher Reflection Questions (Post-Lesson)

• Which students engaged most with which domains of stagecraft?
• Were student group dynamics balanced in self-led activities?
• How did students demonstrate their understanding through creative pitches?
• What do I need to revisit or expand upon in Lesson 2?

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🧭 Next Lesson Teaser:

Lesson 2 Title: Finding the Floor — Exploring Stage Layouts and Physical Space
An immersive exploration into stage configurations (thrust, proscenium, in-the-round) and what that means for tech and storytelling.

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Ka rawe tō whakaako! Let’s bring the backstage centre stage.