Acting & Theatre — stage, improv, voice work
Five dossiers on stage acting, improv, voice acting, screen acting and life backstage — how the craft really works, for teens, with a picture quiz.
Ages 11–13
What's inside
Stage Acting — live, no second take
Stage acting is telling a story with your whole body, live, to people breathing in the same room as you. Nothing can be edited afterwards, so everything you do has to land the first time. That risk is exactly what makes a theatre feel electric.
Improv — no script, no net
Improv is theatre made up on the spot, with no script and no idea what happens next. Someone shouts a word from the audience, and thirty seconds later a whole world exists that has never existed before. It sounds terrifying and it is actually the most forgiving kind of acting there is.
Voice Acting — your face never shows
Voice acting is doing everything — age, mood, size, species — with sound alone. No costume, no face, no gestures the audience can see, just breath and words hitting a microphone. It is the craft behind cartoons, video games, audiobooks and every dubbed film you have ever watched.
Screen Acting — small, true, on take nine
A camera lens sits closer to you than any audience ever could, so screen acting is the art of doing less and meaning more. A thought crossing your eyes can be bigger than a shout. The hard part is not the acting — it is doing the same true moment again, and again, and again.
Backstage — the invisible crew
For every actor you see, there is a small army you never see: builders, painters, costume makers, electricians, sound engineers and the stage manager who runs the whole night. They turn an empty room into a forest, a spaceship or a kitchen in 1902. If acting is not your thing, this is where a lot of theatre people fall in love.
Directing — the one who sees the whole
The director is the person who never appears on stage yet shapes everything you see there. They decide what the play is really about, then guide the actors, designers and crew so that a hundred separate choices all point the same way. A good director rarely shouts orders — they ask questions that help everyone else find the answer.
Playwriting — words built to be spoken
A playwright writes a story that will only ever be finished by other people — actors, a director, designers — standing in a room. Unlike a novelist, they cannot describe what a character is thinking; everything has to come out through what people say and do. That limit is the whole art: a great play makes you feel a hidden thought without a single word naming it.
Mime — silent stories, invisible worlds
Mime is acting without words, using only your body and face to tell a story. Mimes pretend to hold invisible objects and move through imaginary worlds. It’s all about showing, not telling. You can be trapped in a box, climb a ladder, or eat a giant sandwich—without a single sound!
Theatre Masks — face-changing, role-playing fun
Theatre masks are special face coverings used in plays to help actors become different characters. They can make a person look happy, sad, old, or even magical! Masks have been used for thousands of years, from Ancient Greece to Japanese Noh theatre. Wearing a mask lets you hide your real self and step into someone else's shoes.
Shakespeare & the Globe — theatre for everyone, all ages
William Shakespeare was a super-famous playwright from England. The Globe Theatre in London was where many of his plays were first performed. Back then, anyone could come and watch, even if they didn’t have much money. The Globe was round and open to the sky, making every show feel magical.
Commedia dell'arte — masks, mischief, and laughter
Commedia dell’arte is a type of theatre from Italy, full of wild characters, silly jokes, and colourful masks. Actors wore special leather masks and played the same roles again and again, like the clever servant or the grumpy old man. The stories were mostly improvised, so no two performances were ever the same. It was noisy, lively, and made people laugh for hundreds of years.
Puppet Theatre — strings, stories, magic hands
Puppet theatre is a form of storytelling where actors use puppets instead of their own bodies. Puppets can be made from socks, wood, paper, or even old spoons. Some are moved by strings, others by hands or sticks. With just a curtain and a bit of imagination, you can create whole worlds and characters.
Set Design — building worlds on stage
Set design is the art of creating the scenery for plays. Everything you see on stage — houses, trees, castles or even planets — was imagined and built by set designers. They use simple materials to bring the story’s world to life. Without set design, actors would have nowhere to live their adventures!
Costume & Make-up — become someone else
Costume and make-up are key parts of theatre, helping actors transform into their characters. Picking the right clothes, using make-up and styling hair all play a role. With creativity, you can look like a pirate, a king or even an alien! All this helps the audience believe in the story they see.
Dubbing — giving voices to characters
Dubbing is when you give voices to characters in films, cartoons, or video games in another language. Voice actors have to match their speech to the character's mouth movements on screen. It's a creative job that needs lots of focus and imagination. Thanks to dubbing, you can watch movies from all over the world in your own language.
Musical Theatre — sing, dance, act together
Musical theatre is a type of show where actors tell a story using songs, spoken words, and dance. It’s a mix of acting, singing, and moving all at once. Musicals can be funny, serious, or magical, and the music helps you feel what the characters feel. Some musicals are set in real places, others in fantasy worlds.
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