See also: English – English literature

There are a number of learning resources from the National Theatre, the Royal Opera House and the Royal Shakespeare Company looking at the stage and plays. There is also a wealth of resources on Shakespeare that will be useful for English Literature too. In addition, theatre and drama is about storytelling so activities such as making a model theatre are great ways to engage a child's imagination and deliver performance poetry, storytelling, puppetry or playwriting.

Information

The Story of theatre

www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-story-of-theatre

An excellent resource from the Victoria and Albert Museum charting the history of theatre in Britain from the middle ages to the present day.

Learning resources and activities

A Trip to the theatre

www.dur.ac.uk/4schools/learningonline/primaryonline/theatre

Recreate plays at home with these simplified playscripts based on original Ancient Greek plays. A great way to have fun, learn about Ancient Greece and storytelling through drama. Excellent.

Build your own puppet theatre

www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/news/2020/april/build-your-own-royal-alberthall- puppet-theatre

Downloadable templates to create the Royal Albert Hall with puppet characters from the archives.

Create a 3D theatre Inspired by Edgar Degas

www.courtauld.ac.uk/learn/family-activities/create-a-3d-theatre

A downloadable resource from the Courtauld to create a model theatre inspired by Edgar Degas and his ballet dancers.

Make A shadow theatre

www.lakesidearts.org.uk/take-part-learn/inwithlakeside/Little-Angel-Theatre-Shadow- Theatre.html

A story using shadow puppets from Little Angel Theatre, with a downloadable activity from Lakeside Arts (part of the University of Nottingham) to make a shadow theatre. Suitable for 5–11-year-olds.

National Theatre: resource packs

www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/content/resource-packs-list

The National Theatre has downloadable resource packs and rehearsal diaries for a significant number of productions and plays staged by the theatre. They are suitable for secondary pupils and teachers, along with parents supporting learning at home. Plays include Macbeth, Midsummer Night's Dream and His Dark Materials, to name but a few. In addition, it has resources within the Learn at Home section. These include How We Made It, which offers an insight into theatre-making at the National Theatre with an extensive collection of videos and audio recorded talks and events. Plus, How You Can Make It offers online YouTube tutorials on the art of theatre, with the chance to learn theatre-making skills from puppetry to playwriting.