B. Drama / D. Visual Arts · Drama and Visual Arts

Drama: Drama Forms Near and Far

B3.1 B3.2 B2.1About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can name drama and theatre forms I see at home, at school, in my community and in the media.
I can describe the special features (style) of a few drama forms.
I can describe ideas and feelings shown in drama traditions from communities around the world, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities.
I can share my thoughts and feelings about a drama form.

Words to know

drama form
A kind of drama, like a puppet show, mime, readers' theatre or a radio play.

features
The special things that make one form different from another, like masks, songs or no words.

mime
Acting without words, using only face and body.

readers' theatre
Actors read a script aloud with expression, using mostly their voices.

radio drama
A drama told only with sound: voices, music and sound effects. Podcasts can be radio dramas too.

tradition
A way of doing something that is passed down from older people to younger people.

Remember from Grade 2

You found drama at home, at school, in the community and in the media. You learned about shadow puppets from Indonesia, kamishibai paper theatre from Japan, British pantomime and Indigenous theatre in Canada.

In Grade 3, you will look closely at the features that make each form special, and think about the ideas and feelings that drama traditions share.

Guess the form!

A performer pretends to be trapped in an invisible box. Not a single word is spoken.
You close your eyes and listen to a story. You hear creaking doors, footsteps and spooky music.
A sock with button eyes tells a joke.

These are three different drama forms: mime, radio drama and puppetry. Each one has its own features.

A grey sock puppet with button eyes and a red felt tongue in a painted cardboard puppet theatre on a classroom table. — A sock puppet in a homemade cardboard theatre. Puppetry is a drama form where an object becomes a character. AI-generated image

Drama form	Where you might find it	Features (what makes it special)
mime	school shows, street performers, festivals	no words; big, clear movements; pretend objects ("invisible" walls and ropes)
puppetry	home sock puppets, library shows, TV	puppets play the characters; the puppeteer gives them voices and moves them
readers' theatre	school, libraries	actors hold scripts and read aloud; the voice does most of the work; few or no costumes
storytelling	home, school, community gatherings	one teller plays all the characters, often with no props, talking right to the audience
radio drama or podcast	radio, apps	only sound: voices, music and sound effects; you imagine the pictures
musical theatre	community theatres, school concerts	characters sing songs that tell the story; dancing
TV and movies	the media	the camera shows close-ups of faces; scenes can be filmed many times and edited

Drama forms and their features

Three drama forms and how the audience experiences them. Mime is all movement, radio drama is all sound, and in puppetry the puppet is the actor.

Drama traditions around the world

People everywhere use drama to tell stories, celebrate, teach lessons and share feelings. Here are a few traditions, each with its own features:

Tradition	Where it comes from	Features
Beijing opera (Peking opera)	China	Singing, acrobatics and bright costumes. Painted faces use colour to show character: for example, red often shows a loyal, brave character, and white often shows a sly, tricky one.
Kathakali	Kerala, in southern India	Dance-drama with huge, colourful costumes and painted faces (heroes often have green faces). Actors tell the story with hand gestures and eye movements while singers sing the words.
Noh	Japan (more than 600 years old)	Slow, careful movements, carved wooden masks, music from flute and drums.
Bunraku	Japan	Large puppets, each moved by three puppeteers who stay in view of the audience.
Commedia dell'arte	Italy (began about 500 years ago)	Funny, masked stock characters (like Harlequin in his diamond-patterned suit) who make up a lot of their lines on the spot.

A few drama traditions

Drama and storytelling traditions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit

Anishinaabe communities have a tradition of telling certain traditional stories in winter, when snow is on the ground. Many of these stories are about Nanabush (also called Nanaboozhoo), a character who can be funny, make mistakes and teach important lessons.
In many Inuit communities, people have long gathered in a large snow house called a qaggiq for celebrations with storytelling, drum dancing, singing and games.
Métis families share stories, fiddle music and jigging at kitchen parties and community gatherings.
Today, First Nations, Métis and Inuit actors, playwrights and storytellers create theatre, films and TV shows across Canada.

Respecting stories

Some Indigenous stories have rules about who may tell them and when (for example, only in winter). The respectful way to learn them is from community storytellers and from books by First Nations, Métis and Inuit authors. Listen carefully, use the Nation's name, and don't make up "Indigenous" stories yourself.

Ideas and feelings we share

Even though these traditions look very different, many share the same ideas and feelings:

Tricksters who are clever, funny and sometimes learn a lesson (Anansi, Nanabush, Harlequin).
Brave heroes and sly villains.
Joy and celebration, sadness and courage.
Teaching the next generation what matters to a community.

Worked example

Example: Naming the form from its features

Read the clues. What drama form is it?

Clue 1: The actors hold paper scripts and read from them.
Clue 2: There are no costumes or set.
Clue 3: The actors change their voices a lot, so you can tell the characters apart.
Scripts in hand + voice does the work = readers' theatre.

It is readers' theatre. Its features are scripts in hand, few or no costumes, and expressive voices.

Just for fun

Joke: What did the audience say after the mime show?

Nothing. They were speechless too!

Worked example

Example: Comparing two traditions

Let's compare Beijing opera and Noh.

Same: both are old traditions from Asia; both use music; both show characters' faces in a special way.
Different: Beijing opera actors paint their faces with bold colours; Noh actors wear carved masks. Beijing opera has fast acrobatics; Noh moves very slowly.
Feelings: both can show heroes, villains, sadness and courage.

Both traditions show characters through the face (paint or masks) and share big feelings, but their movement is very different: fast and acrobatic vs. slow and careful.

A Venn diagram of the comparison. What the two traditions share goes in the middle, where the circles overlap.

Hands-on activity

One scene, three forms

You need: a short scene (for example, a cat chasing a mouse around the kitchen), two socks for puppets, and a phone or tablet for recording sound (ask a grown-up).

Mime: act the scene with no words. Make your movements big and clear.
Puppetry: act the same scene with sock puppets and voices.
Radio drama: record the same scene with only voices and sound effects (tap a spoon for footsteps, crinkle paper for a mouse in the cupboard). Play it back with your eyes closed.

Talk about it: "Which form was the easiest? Which one did you like best? What features made each one different?"

Your turn

What is a feature of mime?

In which form do you hear the story but see nothing?

Name one drama form you might see in your community.

In Beijing opera, what can a painted face's colour tell you?

Name a trickster character from a storytelling tradition.

What is a qaggiq?

Which drama form do you like best? Give a reason.

More practice: warm-up

True or false: In musical theatre, characters sing songs.

Which Japanese tradition uses puppets moved by three puppeteers?

Which form uses scripts in hand?

Name one drama form you can find in the media.

In which tradition do actors wear carved wooden masks and move slowly?

More practice: on your own

A TV show and a stage play both tell a story. Name one feature that is different.

Why do radio dramas need lots of sound effects?

What do Anansi stories and Nanabush stories have in common?

Why might Kathakali actors use hand gestures and eye movements so much?

How should we learn a traditional Anishinaabe story respectfully?

Challenge

Choose a fairy tale. Explain how you would change it into a radio drama. Name three sounds you'd use.

Many traditions use masks or painted faces. Why might a drama tradition use them?

Describe one idea or feeling that is shared by drama traditions from different parts of the world.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which form uses no words at all?

A story told only with voices, music and sound effects is ___.

In which tradition might a red painted face show a loyal, brave character?

Nanabush is a character in many stories of the ___.

Which is a feature of TV and movies that a live play does not have?

Which tradition began in Italy and uses masked stock characters like Harlequin?

What do many drama traditions around the world share?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 3 students identify distinct features of a few drama and theatre forms they meet at home, at school, in the community and in the media (B3.1), and show awareness of ideas and emotions expressed in drama from communities around the world (B3.2). They also share their own responses (B2.1).

How to help:

Watch short clips together of a puppet show, mime or a musical, and ask, "What makes this form special?"
Look for children's theatre near you; many cities have family shows. The Stratford Festival and Young People's Theatre in Toronto are well-known Ontario theatres for families.
Borrow picture books of Anansi stories and books by First Nations, Métis and Inuit authors from the library.

Respecting Indigenous stories: some traditional stories are told only at certain times (for example, many Anishinaabe stories are told in winter) or only by certain people. Rather than inventing "Indigenous stories", read stories published by Indigenous authors or attend events led by Indigenous storytellers.

Common difficulties:

Naming a form but not its features. Ask, "How is it different from a regular play?"
Thinking other traditions are "weird". Point out what they share with forms your child knows (heroes, tricksters, music, costumes).