“From the Page to the Stage”
    I am a teacher and now a Professor. I am a writer and regular contributor to EFL Magazine but my first love has always been acting. It started in middle school when I decided being shy was likely to be a problem in later life and acting offered a possible solution. To be fair, though, it probably had something to do with the fact that there were a lot of pretty girls in the acting club and only one other boy but I digress.
    Acting is a journey of exploration. It allows you to discover worlds and characters you would never otherwise encounter but – even more importantly in my opinion – it helps you discover things about your own character and personality you could not discover in any other way except perhaps as a creative writer but again I digress.
    Acting is built on the foundation of emotional triggers or episodes from real life which serve as the basis for meaningful performances onstage. Further, good actors are expert observers of real people in real places that can serve as the inspiration for imaginary people in imaginary places onstage or on film.
    Acting may begin with a script and lines or stage directions on a page, but the process of taking the printed words and making them resonate within a performance that grabs hold of an audience and transports them into an imaginary world is truly magical. This workbook is designed to show you how to start that journey for yourself with theater games, activities and worksheets as well as a bit of essential theory. It is based on over 30 years as an amateur and professional (meaning paid in this case) actor, founding member of the Seoul Players and English advisor to our departmental drama Club for 12+ years. If your journey is even half as magical and unexpected as mine has been, it will be a good one I am sure.
Please note that some of the material below has been adapted or modified for use in my classes. I have attempted to cite these where the original source was still available.
Dr. Tory S. Thorkelson, M.Ed., Ph.D.
Actor, Historical Animator and Director/Advisor.

Table of Contents:
I: Introduction:
Acting Out: How to Dramatically
Improve your classroom.
II: Warm Up QuestionsActing Questions: Why am I here?
III: Theory Section:*Methods.
*Models
* A Practical Handbook for the Actor Questions
IV: Games Section:*Warm Ups
*Imagination
*Character Building
*Body Language
V: Activities Section:* THEATRE TIMELINE (Pairs)
*Worksheets
* Wh. Questions: Character Sketch
*Monologue/Scene Checklists
*Musical Places
*Crash Course Theater Questions
VI: Answers Section*Theatre Time Line Answers.
VI: Resources/Information Section*Life is a Poem
*Advice for the Actor
*Theater Sites/Resources.
V: Who am I?Author’s Biography