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Physical Theater

Tenth graders explore physical theater — mime, gesture, tableau, ensemble movement, and the stage picture — telling stories through the expressive, trained body, not just words.

Grade 10Movement50 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain physical theater.
  • ✓Use mime & gesture.
  • ✓Build a tableau.
  • ✓Tell stories with the body.
Essential Question

Some of the most powerful theater uses almost no words — just the body. What are the tools of physical theater?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Physical Theater Explorer

Project this and tap each tool. Have students learn the tools of physical theater.

🎭 Explore physical theater — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · Artistic Process (Warm-Up · Explore · Rehearse · Perform · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Theater Without Words

5 min

The most powerful theater can use almost no words — just the body. How?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a wordless moment.
  • Ask how it communicates.
  • Warm up bodies.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch.
  • Wonder.
  • Warm up.
2

Explore — Physical Theater

12 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Physical Theater Explorer.
  • Note mime and tableau.
  • Note the stage picture.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Note them.
  • Name.
3

Rehearse — Rehearse

14 min

Students rehearse.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Mime an object.
  • Make a tableau.
  • Move as an ensemble.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Mime it.
  • Freeze it.
  • Move it.
4

Perform — Perform

12 min

Students perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Tell a story with the body.
  • Use a tableau.
  • Give critique.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Perform it.
  • Freeze it.
  • Critique.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a tool.
  • Explain a tableau.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Explain it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Theatre, HS Accomplished).

NCAS
TH:Pr5.1.HSII

Use physical technique.

NCAS
TH:Cr1.1.HSII

Create with the body.

NCAS
TH:Cr2.1.HSII

Collaborate on movement.

NCAS
TH:Re7.1.HSII

Analyze physical storytelling.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Tool picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ tells the story by ___.”
  • Demonstrate each.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with mime and tableau.
  • Demonstrate a tool.
  • Make one tableau.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Devise a wordless scene.
  • Use ensemble movement.
  • Build a stage picture.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🎭Open space
  • 💻The Physical Theater Explorer
  • 🎵Music
  • ✏️Pens
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

physical theaterstorytelling through the bodymimemiming objects with movementgesturean expressive body movementtableaua frozen body pictureensemblethe whole groupstage picturethe visual arrangementbody languagefeelings shown by the bodyspacewhere bodies are placed
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is mime?
Creating objects and actions through precise movement, without props.
QUESTION 2
What is a tableau?
A frozen picture the actors make with their bodies.
QUESTION 3
What is the stage picture?
How bodies are arranged in space to tell the story visually.

Reflect: tell it with the body.

Have students create a tableau that captures a key moment from a story. A printable physical-theater sheet is in the Arts library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Physical TheaterFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Physical TheaterQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Physical TheaterPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: body language, ensemble, gesture, mime, physical theater, space, stage picture, tableau
  1. the visual arrangement
  2. storytelling through the body
  3. feelings shown by the body
  4. miming objects with movement
  5. a frozen body picture
  6. the whole group
  7. an expressive body movement
  8. where bodies are placed

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is mime?
  2. What is a tableau?
  3. What is the stage picture?
Answer key — Part A: 1) stage picture · 2) physical theater · 3) body language · 4) mime · 5) tableau · 6) ensemble · 7) gesture · 8) space
Part B: 1) Creating objects and actions through precise movement, without props. 2) A frozen picture the actors make with their bodies. 3) How bodies are arranged in space to tell the story visually.