Acting Tips For the narrators: Speak very clearly and slowly. Imagine you are speaking to someone at the far end of the hall. If possible, record yourself reading the play and listen to it to hear how you can improve it. Put feeling into it! Remember you are trying to entertain your audience - to keep them excited and interested by the story. Imagine you are the character speaking, and think what his or her feelings are. Then change your voice to suit. Make sure when reading the play aloud that you leave time for the actors to carry out the actions you are describing. Don't get ahead of them! It's fine to pause for a while. For example, when Theseus enters the labyrinth he can take his time wandering round the hall, in between chairs etc. as if going through the passages of the maze. This is necessary to build up the suspense so when he meets the minotaur at last the audience will be excited. A game for the two narrators: pick a scene in the play, then pretend you are two of the characters and have a chat with each other, making up your own dialogue. This helps you get an intuitive sense of the character, and also the tone of voice you should use to sound natural. For the actors: Make sure you stand in positions so the audience can see what you are doing. Ideally stand at 45 degrees to the audience when talking to another character - don't facing the other actor straight on. At other times try to face the audience directly. Make sure the audience can see your face - even though it is hidden by the mask. Make sure your actions are clear, so the audience knows what you are doing. Use 'big' gestures with your hands to show feelings. When the narrator is speaking your lines, move hands, head and body to show it is supposed to be you speaking. In ancient Greece, and even up to the time of Shakespeare, all actors were men, even those playing women characters. Juliet for example was played by a good-looking young man. And nowadays many male pantomime parts are played by women (like Aladdin). So dressing up as the opposite sex is a part of theatre tradition, and children should not be embarrassed if that is what they are doing. But they should think how a woman moves as opposed to a man. Remember fights scenes are just pretend. Don't hit anyone properly! (Children may want to choreograph their own fight scenes, between Theseus and the Minotaur, Perseus and Medusa, or even Odysseus blinding the Cyclops. In my experience children love this sort of preparation.) A game for the actors: make up a situation, such as going to to the shops to buy a dress, and mime it. Wear a mask if you have one. See if the rest of the class can guess what the actions and the situation is. Think about actors you think are good (film or TV stars). What is it about them that makes them good actors?