Games
Erion, P. 1996. Drama in the Classroom: Creative Activities for Teachers, Parents & Friends. Lost Coast Press.
Keller, B. 1988. Improvisations in Creative Drama: Workshops and Dramatic Sketches for Students. Colorado Springs: Meriwether Publishing.
Peterson, L. and D. O’Connor. 1997. Kids Take the Stage: Helping Young People Discover the Creative Outlet of Theater. New York: Backstage Books. Deals mostly with play production (i.e. “how to put on a show”), but also has good standalone exercises on relaxation, sensory awareness, etc.
Pomer, J. 2001. Perpetual Motion: Creative Movement Exercises for Dance and Dramatic Arts. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, Inc.
Spolin, V. 1983. Improvisation for the Theatre. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press. Essential handbook of improvisational activities for skill-building and theatrical exploration.
Spolin, V. 1986. Theatre Games for the Classroom: A Teacher's Handbook. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.
Story-based Work
Booth, D. 1994. Story Drama: Reading, Writing & Role-playing Across the Curriculum. Pembroke Publishers Ltd.
Heinig, R. 1992. Improvisation with Favorite Tales. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Concise, practical ideas for creating drama lessons around folk tales.
Saldaña, J. 1995. Drama of Color: Improvisation with Multiethnic Folklore. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Terrific collection of lesson plans structured around ethnically diverse folktales.
Process Drama/Role Drama
Bowell, P. and B. Heap. 2001. Planning Process Drama. London: David Fulton. An excellent introduction to planning process drama. Simple, thoughtful, and enthusiastic.
Fennessey, S. 2000. History in the Spotlight: Creative Drama and Theatre Practices for the Social Studies Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Heinig, R. 1992. Creative Drama for the Classroom Teacher. Allyn and Bacon.
Heathcote, D. and L. Johnson. 1991. Ed. C. O’Neill. Collected Writings on Education and Drama. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.
Heathcote, D. and G. Bolton. 1995. Drama for Learning: Dorothy Heathcote’s Mantle of the Expert Approach to Education. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. A comprehensive look at the “mantle of the expert” approach developed by Dorothy Heathcote.
Morgan, N. and J. Saxton. 1987. Teaching Drama: A Mind of Many Wonders. London: Hutchinson. Examines the skills needed to be an effective drama leader. Full of practical advice and exercises to help specialists hone their craft. Helpful for experienced drama leaders.
Neelands, J. 1991. Structuring Drama Work. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. An invaluable “recipe book” of techniques for drama work as well as useful information on structuring lessons.
O’Neill, C. 1995. Drama Worlds: A Framework for Process Drama. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. An in-depth analysis of process drama and ways to enhance the experience of drama.
O’Neill, C. and A. Lambert. 1982. Drama Structures. London: Hutchinson. An excellent overview of the theory and practice of process drama along with annotated lesson structures that model how teachers can plan in response to student input.
Tarlington, C. and W. Michaels. 1995. Building Plays. Markham, Ontario: Pembroke. A step-by-step guide for creating performance events from process-oriented drama work.
Tarlington, C. and P. Verriour. 1991. Role Drama. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. A useful beginner’s guide to how role drama can be effective in the classroom. Excellent overview of how to plan a role drama.
Wagner, Betty Jane. 1999. Dorothy Heathcote: Drama As a Learning Medium. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Warren, Kathleen. 1994. Hooked on Drama. Waverly, New South Wales: Macquarie University, Institute of Early Childhood. Provides excellent information on doing process-oriented drama techniques with young children. The clear and elegant statement of philosophy is useful for any drama practitioner.
Winston, J. and M. Tandy. 1998. Beginning Drama 4-11. London: David Fulton. Good step-by-step introduction to drama work through an in-depth examination of a lesson, along with several ideas for using drama across the curriculum. Nice section on progression and assessment.
Wilhelm, J. and B. Edmiston. 1998. Imagining to Learn: Inquiry, Ethics, and Integration Through Drama. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Augusto Boal’s work:
Boal, A. 1985. Theatre of the Oppressed. Theatre Communications Group. Seminal text on the theories informing Boal’s work.
Boal, A. 1992. Games for Actors and Non-actors. New York: Routledge. An excellent source for unique games and in-depth explanation of image and forum theatre work. )
Boal, A. 1999. Legislative Theatre: Using Performance to Make Politics. New York: Routledge.
Rohd, M. 1998. Theatre for Community, Conflict, and Dialogue: The Hope Is Vital Training Manual. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. (AM). Although Michael Rohd’s technique differs from Boal’s, they share similar goals of using drama to encourage group dialogue and community-building. A must-have for anyone interested in using drama to address social issues.
Other references and resources:
Ackroyd, J. and J. Boulton. 2001. Drama Lessons for Five to Eleven Year-Olds. London: David Fulton.
Bissinger, K. and N. Renfro. 1990. Leap Into Learning! Teaching K-7 Curriculum Through Creative Dramatics and Dance. Kristen Bissenger.
Brady, M. and P. Gleason. 1994. Artstarts : Drama, Music, Movement, Puppetry, and Storytelling Activities/Grades K-6. Teacher Ideas Press.
Brock, A. (editor). 2000. Into the Enchanted Forest : Language, Drama and Science in Primary Schools. Trentham Books, Ltd.
Brown, V. and S. Pleydell. 1999. The Dramatic Difference: Drama in the Preschool and Kindergarten Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Charters, J. and A. Gately. 1987. Drama Anytime. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Looks to include some dramatic activities and some role drama work.
Bibliography & References (Continued)
Cottrell, J. 1990. Creative Drama 1 2 3. NTC/Contemporary Publishing Co.
Fleming, M. 1998. Starting Drama Teaching. London: David Fulton. Good practical introduction to what it takes to teach drama.
Frazier, N., N. Renfro, and L. Sears. 1987. Imagination at Play With Puppets and Creative Drama : At Play With Puppets and Creative Drama. Nancy Renfro Studios.
Furman, L. 1992. Creative Drama Handbook. Pioneer Drama Service.
Gerke, P. and H. Landalf. 1999. Mail and Mystery, Family and Friends: Drama Curriculum for Second and Third Grades (Young Actors Series). Smith and Kraus.
Gerke, P. and H. Landalf. 1999. Hooves and Horns, Fins and Feathers: Drama Curriculum for Kindergarten and First Grade (Young Actors Series). Smith and Kraus.
Grady, S. 2000. Drama and Diversity: A Pluralistic Perspective for Educational Drama. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Hornbrook, D. 1991. Education in Drama : Casting the Dramatic Curriculum. RoutledgeFalmer.
Hornbrook, D. 1998. On the Subject of Drama. New York: Routledge. Focuses on practical strategies for developing the drama curriculum in primary and secondary schools. The contributors consider all aspects of drama instruction and educational dramatic production. (description from amazon.com)
Hunt, T., N. Renfro, and L. Sears. 1987. Celebrate! : Holidays, Puppets and Creative Drama. Nancy Renfro Studios.
Kase-Polisini, J. 1989. The Creative Drama Book: Three Approaches. Anchorage Press.
Kelner, Lenore Blank. 1993. The Creative Classroom: a Guide for Using Creative Drama in the Classroom, PreK-6. Portsmouth, NH: Heinmann, 1993.
Kohl, M. Making Make-Believe: Fun Props, Costumes, and Creative Play Ideas. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House, Inc. Useful for teachers of very young children, this book describes art projects as a springboard into drama.
McCaslin, N. 1995. Creative Drama in the Classroom and Beyond. Addison-Wesley.
Manley, A. and C. O’Neill. 1997. Dreamseekers : Creative Approaches to the African American Heritage. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Merrion, M. and J. Rubin. 1996. Creative Drama and Music Methods : Introductory Activities for Children. Linnet Professional Publications. Chapters on both dramatic activities and story work.
Neelands, J. 1984. Making Sense of Drama: a Guide to Classroom Practice. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Norris, J., L. McCammon, and C. Miller, eds. 2000. Learning to Teach Drama: A Case Narrative Approach. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Beginners will appreciate the dialogue this book generates by presenting a classroom case study followed by responses from teachers, student teachers, and students.
Schwartz, D. and Aldrich, D. 1985. Give Them Roots...and Wings! A Guide to Drama in the Elementary Grades. Anchorage Press.
Somers, J. 1994. Drama in the Curriculum (Education Matters). Continuum.
Thomas, S. and S. Dinges. 1985. Curtain 1 : A Guide to Creative Drama for Children 58 Years Old. Trillium Press.
Woolland, B. 1993. The Teaching of Drama in the Primary School. London: Longman. Excellent practical information about using drama across the curriculum as well as moving from improvisation into production.
Other formats:
Porter, J. and J. Lamirand, directors. Creative Drama & Improvisation (Video). Theatre Video Series. 1990.
Heathcote, D. Three Looms Waiting (Video). Time-Life Films, 1972.
Heathcote, D. Making drama work with Dorothy Heathcote / Dorothy Heathcote working with Ian Draper (Video). Newcastle upon Tyne, England : University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Audio Visual Centre, 1991.