Fairy tales in the theater - tips and tricks for representation

To create a play from a fairy tale - this is how you proceed

• First, the narrative text of the fairy tale has to be converted into a script. This is good exercise for students learning to write simple instructions. What is spoken and how is it spoken? (Volume? Timbre? Volume?) How does one have to move?
• In the next step, you should let the students determine which characters appear in the fairy tale text and which roles must be filled. It has to be considered which costumes help to portray main and secondary characters in the play.
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• Ask the children where the fairy tale takes place and what kind of setting is needed. It is typical of fairy tales that they are independent of time and place. Usually the setting in fairy tales is universal and a very simple backdrop and a small number of props are sufficient.
• Less is more when it comes to costumes and props: a simple chair can become a royal throne, a painted forest serves as the background for the scene, the dress and high heels reveal the princess. Above all, it is important that the children learn to playfully depict fairytale events with their voice and body.
• You don't have the right stage for your play? A correspondingly large space in front of the board is also sufficient. The board can either be hung with cloth or used as a backdrop.


Perform the fairy tale "Sterntaler" in kindergarten - this is how you make the props

A performance is planned in the kindergarten and a fairy tale is to be played. She …

• Based on the typical fairy tale characteristics as a basic scheme, children often learn as early as the 5th grade. Great to write your own fairy tales. You can also let the students use a fairy tale text they have written themselves for their theater performance.

Performing fairy tales in the school theater - this is how you plan correctly

Give yourself and the children enough time. Do not set the date for the performance until the text has been discussed and initial planning has been completed.

• The children can set their own schedule or Create a checklist: What still needs to be done or taken care of? Who does what? By what time do the tasks have to be completed? When should the play be performed?
• If you and the students are particularly ambitious, you can also design a small program to match the performance. Date and place of the performance, the cast, a short one Table of contents of the fairy tale and some photos should be included in the program booklet.
• Invite teachers in other subjects to help prepare for the play. in the Art lessons the students could make matching fairytale backdrops and with the music teacher you could put together a music collage for the respective game scenes.
• Rehearse not only individual scenes, but also the transitions from one scene to another. Is the technology correct, is everything going smoothly?
• Stay playful and give the students space to come up with new ideas. Suggestions for change and new attempts at play are part of successful planning.
• Don't skip the dress rehearsal, it's important. In this way you can see what is still missing, what needs to be changed or what needs to be improved.
• Possibly plan two performances. So the effort is worthwhile and all students get the opportunity to prove their skills on stage.

Rehearse more successfully with small warm-up exercises

With simple warm-up exercises at the beginning of rehearsals, you can make acting easier and more fun for the children.

• Start with small stretching and movement exercises to loosen up.
• Let the children create a scene impromptu, spontaneously and improvised.
• A pantomime game (representation without words) is also a good practice for theater play. A narrative pantomime, for example, is suitable for this: a student tells or reads a text, the other students play without words.
• It is also fun to mime emotions or scenes and let your classmates guess: The students help with the move - who is carrying which piece of furniture? Hot sand, sharp stones or wet grass - who is walking on which surface? Students act out a little everyday action (eat an apple, brush their teeth, etc.) - can the others guess what is being played?

A school theater performance is particularly successful if the students bring themselves to the rehearsals and planning with ambition and commitment.

If you approach the project in a playful and relaxed way, it helps the children to get rid of their inhibitions to play and to develop their own imagination. A school theater performance doesn't have to be "perfect". It depends on the joy of playing and the motivation.