Drama Teacher's Survival Guide--Volume 1: A Complete Handbook for Play Production Paperback – Illustrated, March 1, 2007

I purchased this book when I was preparing to direct a play in which children as well as adults would appear and I wanted tips on working with children. The children I worked with were younger and much less experienced than Ms. Johnson's groups but I found her her very honest anecdotes helpful. Thankfully, my experience is almost over and while it'll be a long time before I'll want to work with youth theater again, this book was a great reference.Ms. Johnson's advice on solving the universal problems stemming from competing for space, time and personality conflicts as well as the importance of providing a respectful atmosphere and positive reinforcement were quite valuable and not just useful in a school setting. My young (and old!) actors responded well and managed to finish the play's run on excellent terms with each other and the theater. If I ran a school drama program, I'd be using this book daily.

Almost a step by step instruction on how to be a successful teacher ... From contracts to tryouts to costumes to rehearsal to final performance.....with little solutions for the inevitable hiccups along the way- like how to get stage makeup stains out. Her side bars on pitfalls to avoid will save headaches and make you look good in front of the whole drama department. (Almost feels like cheating to have it all laid out for you!) I bought her advanced book as well which would be great if you have already done a few productions.

I got this book to self educate me on my passion of teaching drama. It lays out everything perfectly step by step. Even covers all the technical aspects. Has great tools to use as well. Highly recommend for new drama teachers, people who want to self educatate, and anyone who needs a refresher.

Although I am already an experienced veteran of the theater, I bought this book in preparation for a job as drama teacher at a local high school. This book is highly informative, extremely in depth, and highly organized. After reading it, I felt as though I was armed and ready for my first day as the new theater director. Great book!

I am entering my 10th year as a Theatre teacher and I still found this book useful. It is a good reminder of those things you have let slip over the years for whatever reason. I think it is a good refresher for us old dogs, but I think it would be a wonderful resource for a first or second year teacher, too. I loved it.

This was a gift for a young friend who is about to begin her first year of teaching. It's an excellent book with lots of help for theatre teachers of all experience levels! She has begun reading it in preparation for fall!

It served well..

This book would be better suited to someone who had never, ever done a play or had any involvement in theatre before teaching.PRO: It is really straightforward, easy to follow, and still has some good tips for how to navigate a limited drama budget.CON: Language like "play practice" and "tryouts" are telling. This should tell you from the get-go that this is really basic info. I think more serious theatre artists or people with a professional background who are just getting involved with teaching will find this book redundant.For beginners, probably worth it. For those with any theatre experience, skip it. I wish I'd used the money on a different book.