I recently had someone ask me, “My son will not go on stage, but only works behind the scenes. Should I take him out of drama?” My answer was, “No, because drama is about teamwork and every person in every role is important to the team.”

Hi! My name is Danielle. After homeschooling from Pre-K through high school, we have found a lot of fun ways to fit drama into our homeschool and love to share what we've learned with you. 

Let's Go Team!

We always hear about teamwork when it comes to sports, but don’t often hear about it in drama. Drama is a perfect way to learn a lot of important skills including teamwork. Without a team of people, there would not be a performance. It’s not just the lead role that makes the play; it’s about all the people that supported that role that make the play a successful performance.

Let’s talk about some of the roles that are a part of putting on a show:

• Lead role

• Supporting roles

• Ensemble cast

• Stage crew/set design

• Costume designers

• Sound & lighting crew

• Director & stage manager

• Playwright

The list can go on and on…

The Lead Role is Not the Most Important Team Member

I put lead role first, but that doesn’t mean it’s the most important role in a performance. Although that may be the one the audience sees the most or the one that helps guide the story along through her conflict, climax and resolution, she would be nothing without the rest of the team.

Supporting Roles Require Teamwork

Who would the lead talk to if he didn’t have actors playing the supporting roles? How could the play be remembered without those supporting actors having conversation with and interacting with the lead role? What if the supporting actors didn’t think it was important to memorize their lines because they didn’t get the lead? What if the supporting actors decided not to show up? They support each other as a team to help make the entire performance a success.

Picture the play Macbeth without the insanity that develops in Lady Macbeth. Macbeth is clearly the lead, but his wife’s role is extremely important to the story. What about Macduff when he discovers King Duncan has been killed or, even worse, his own family? What if he just decided to plainly say his lines because he wasn’t the lead and it didn’t matter? When this actor understands the value of being part of a team, he gets into character and with emotion shows how he is feeling and that propels the story through to the end.

Ensemble Cast Requires Teamwork

As a kid growing up, I had the opportunity to be the lead role in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which is probably why it’s one of my favorites and why I decided to write a 30-minute version of the play for my kids and our fellow homeschoolers. However, most of the time I did not get the lead. I was either a major supporting role or part of the ensemble cast.

I have to admit, after playing major roles, I was not thrilled when it came time to be in the ensemble and thought it wasn’t worth even trying out for a play if that’s how I was going to be cast, but that was a mistake. (In high school we only did musicals and I’m not really much of a singer, so I never had a chance to be a leading role and stopped trying out for plays or taking tryouts seriously because of it. I missed out on some fun opportunities because of that attitude.)

One time in the Spanish Musical that I did participate in as part of our Spanish class, I was this random dog walker with an invisible dog. It really had nothing to do with the major plot of the story; I was just someone walking around town while the action was happening with the main characters. The reality is that it actually was an important role because it made the town come alive with people. It made the scene more believable because it wasn’t just the two main characters with speaking roles in the scene; it was a scene with action.  

In the play, The Big Race, the tortoise and the hare have fans who are cheering for them. This ensemble cast makes the action more exciting as they come to the race and cheer on either side of the finish line. They don’t each have their own lines, but together their roles are an important part of the fun of watching the race.

Stage Crew Requires Teamwork

Plays can be done without any scenery, but how much more does the story come to life with some background scenery, props, and people to help design and set it all up.

When my family was a part of a homeschool co-op, we had an opportunity for my kids and their friends to be in an art class that designed the sets and in a drama class to participate in the play as actors. Being in both aspects of the play helped the kids see the importance of choosing the right scenery to tell the story. Without a lot of money for big sets, they saw the value of using just the right materials and using creativity to design what they needed for their play. During the play, they saw the importance of working as a team to add props or take away scenery to get ready for the next scene. As they each worked together, it made the transitions run smoothly for a more seamless storytelling experience.

Maybe your student isn’t ready to get up on stage and say their lines as an actor, but that doesn’t mean their role isn’t just as important behind the scenes. They are using creativity, building skills, and learning to collaborate with others to help tell a great story when they develop sets and move them around during the play.

Costume Designers Require Teamwork

We’re usually on a tight budget but have been fortunate to have the parents chip in to help make or provide a costume for their kids to be a part of our plays. We’ve had some of the simplest costumes and some really creative and elaborate ones. The students and parents often have fun working together to create just the right outfit to help their character come to life for the audience.

We’ve had a lot of animal characters and the students have learned that it’s important not to cover their mouths because it's hard to hear them when they say their lines. They have become very creative in finding ways to make a beak, for instance, because of this. Understanding the importance of the actor projecting their lines helps when creating a costume. Also understanding that they have to be able to get around stage easily, so nothing too long that they could trip over or nothing too heavy that is either hard to walk in or incredibly hot to wear. These are all important factors when creating costumes and why the costume designers are an important part of the team.

Sound and Lighting Crew Requires Teamwork

When you have the means to have lighting and microphones, the sound and lighting crew are an essential part of the team. Without them there is no one to turn on and off the mics or to adjust the sound if the actor cannot be heard during the performance. Without them, the same lights stay on the entire time, instead of the option to get darker at night or between scenes or for that all important spotlight moment.

During tech week, for larger performances, the sound and lighting crew have to work on the timing of their important roles while they watch the play come together. What mics do they need to help the actors fully project? Will each actor have their own lavalier mic? Probably not, so what type of mics will work best and where should they be located to help every character tell their story well. What lines are said right before that scene where the lights go out and there’s a scream? The sound and lighting crew may be behind the scenes but are still an essential part of the team.

Director and Stage Manager Require Teamwork

The director and stage manager help guide the actors from auditions through performance night. Without their guidance and understanding of how the story develops, the actors might feel lost and not sure how to put a show on. They help organize each of the rehearsals, give notes where there can be improvement, and encourage the actors to develop their characters more as they get closer to performance night.

On performance night they are also behind the scenes making sure everything is going as planned, and helping when it does not. They may be managing a team of people handing out the props and making sure that young actors know their cues to come on stage. It’s important for someone to take on those lead roles and it doesn’t necessarily have to be adults that take them on. Students can learn a lot of leadership and organizational skills by directing and managing a play.

The Playwright is a Part of the Team

Wait… what? The playwright? Yes, remember, there wouldn’t be a play without a playwright. Someone has to write a script in order for there to be a play to perform. Maybe your student isn’t comfortable getting up in front of an audience to perform as a character but has a creative mind that loves to write and tell a great story. As a playwright myself, it’s a wonderful experience to see something you’ve created come to life as it’s performed. Oftentimes, I have specifically written something to meet the needs of our group. It starts with an idea in your head that later comes to life on a stage for others to enjoy. (Check out our How to Write a Play drama curriculum to learn how you or your student can write a play today!)

The Audience is an Important Part of the Team

I didn’t put this one on the initial list but thought about the importance the audience plays in a performance. Without an audience, there is no one to perform for. Without an audience who responds to the action of the story, it feels like you aren’t doing a good job. The audience is an important part of the team because they encourage you with their laughs, sighs and applause. A great audience gives actors, stage crew, costume designers, light & sound crew, directors, and playwrights a reason to do what they do.

So, if you’re not ready to perform and put on a show, go to a homeschool production, public or private school or a community theater production and cheer on the team that has worked so hard to put on the show night after night. Maybe it’ll inspire your kids to want to be a part of the team in a different way next time. 😊

There Are a Lot of Ways to Learn Teamwork through Drama

As you can see the majority of the team is behind the scenes, so whether you are an actor or the playwright or anything in between, you are an important part of the team:

• Lead role

• Supporting roles

• Ensemble cast

• Stage crew/set design

• Costume designers

• Sound & lighting crew

• Director & stage manager

• Playwright

• Encouraging audience member

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Do you want your student to learn the skill of teamwork through drama? Check out our plays and drama curriculum for a lot of collaborative ways to work as part of a team!

Thanks for joining us!

Danielle at homeschooldrama.com