Blair Cadden
Welcome To Blair's Page
Blair Cadden is a Boston-based director, theatre-maker and teaching artist. She holds a BA in Theatre from Wofford College and an MFA in Directing from Boston University. Blair is originally from Charleston, SC, where she was the co-founding Artistic Director of the theatre company 5th Wall Productions. Blair has taught acting and public speaking to students of all ages, from kindergarteners to young adults, at Lexington Children's Theatre, Spartanburg Youth Theatre, Boston University, and more. Whether it sparks a lifelong love of theatre, or simply brings more confidence and creativity to their everyday lives, Blair is so excited to share her experience and passion with the young people here at WhizKid.me!
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my Classes
class plan
Public Speaking
February
Week 1 | Speech to Teach: “How To” | Intro: Introduce ourselves to our classmates. Warm-ups for voice and movement.
Content: Plan and share a short speech to teach the class how to make your favorite snack, step-by-step. We will focus on speaking clearly, showing confidence, and making your speech organized and easy to understand.
Closing: Review and recap – What did we learn? What should we keep in mind when planning a speech? | none |
Week 2 | Show and Tell: Visual Helpers for Speeches | Intro: Introduce ourselves to our classmates. Warm-ups for voice and movement
Content: Discuss and brainstorm visual tools (pictures, props, illustrations) that can be used along with a speech to help our listeners follow along and understand. Prepare a short speech telling us about your favorite hobby or activity and why you love it. Create three pictures to show along with your speech to help your listeners.
Closing: Review and recap – What did we learn? How did your classmates’ pictures help you understand more about their hobby? | – At least 3 pages of blank paper. Markers, colored pencils, or crayons to draw with. |
Week 3 | Speech to Persuade | Intro: Introduce ourselves to our classmates. Warm-ups for voice and movement.
Content: Discuss strong tactics for persuasive speeches: what makes a speaker convincing? Use those tactics to create a short speech with the goal to persuade or convince your classmates to do something positive. (Like try your favorite hobby, volunteer for a cause you care about, etc.) Provide strong, convincing reasons for your classmates to take your suggestion.
Closing: Review and recap – What did we learn? What did your classmates say in their speeches that was convincing? | |
Week 4 | Storytelling | Intro: Introduce ourselves to our classmates. Warm-ups for voice and movement.
Content: Explore or review techniques for speaking clearly, and for expressive voice and movement. Put these tools to use when you tell your classmates a story you know well, like a fairytale or folktale. Work on making the story as exciting as possible for your listeners by using your voice and body.
Closing: Review and recap – What did we learn? What tools did we find for making our speech exciting and engaging? |
A-List Actors
February
Week 1 | Creating a Character | Intro: Introduce ourselves to our classmates. Warm-ups for voice, body, and imagination.
Content: Actors need to know all about the characters they play, inside and out. We will use a costume piece as a starting point to create a character, and explore how they think, talk, and move.
Closing: Review and recap – What did we learn? What questions are important for an actor to answer about a character they are playing? | A piece of clothing to use as a costume piece. If possible, this should not be something you wear in normal life; try to borrow from a family member if you can! |
Week 2 | An Actor’s Tools: Body | Intro: Introduce ourselves to our classmates. Warm-ups for voice, body, and imagination.
Content: Today we will focus on how actors can use their bodies to tell stories, without even using words. We will explore how we can use our bodies to show emotions, create characters, and explore different imaginary situations.
Closing: Review and recap – What did we learn? How can we use our bodies as tools to create a character and tell a story? | Set up for class in a space where you have plenty of room to move. |
Week 3 | Actor’s Tools: Voice | Intro: Introduce ourselves to our classmates. Warm-ups for voice, body, and imagination.
Content: Today we will focus on how actors use their voices to create characters and tell stories. We will explore all the different ways we can change our voices to show different emotions and characters.
Closing: Review and recap – What did we learn? How can we use our voices as tools to create a character and tell a story? | none |
Week 4 | Monologues and Auditions | Intro: Introduce ourselves to our classmates. Warm-ups for voice, body, and imagination.
Content: Today we will discuss what a monologue is and practice the important skill of auditioning. We will discuss what happens at an audition and hold our own mock audition with short monologues provided during class.
Closing: Review and recap – What did we learn? What are important things to remember at an audition? |
Using The Class Plan
Please Note: Both Age Groups (if applicable) will follow the same class plan structure and content. The content delivery will be tailored to the age group.