The Arts · Year 2 · Stories on Stage · Term 3

Audience and Performer

Understanding the relationship between performers and their audience, and how to be a good audience member.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9ADR2R01
• AC9ADR2C01

About This Topic

In Year 2 Drama, the Audience and Performer topic examines the two-way relationship in live storytelling. Students discover how audience reactions like claps, cheers, or quiet attention shape a performer's energy, confidence, and choices during a scene. They practice being respectful audience members through actions such as facing the stage, staying still, and offering positive responses at the end. This builds on key questions about explaining audience effects, justifying respect, and comparing roles.

Aligned with AC9ADR2R01 for responding to drama and AC9ADR2C01 for creating performances that consider viewers, the topic strengthens empathy, social awareness, and collaboration. Students reflect on their own feelings as both actor and watcher, linking personal experiences to group dynamics in the Stories on Stage unit.

Active learning excels with this content because students experience the roles directly. Role reversals and guided audience simulations let them feel applause's lift or distraction's pull, turning social rules into lived insights. These hands-on shifts from observer to participant make etiquette and impact stick through trial, discussion, and peer feedback.

Key Questions

1. Explain how an audience's reaction can affect a performer.
2. Justify why it is important to be respectful when watching a performance.
3. Compare the experience of being an actor versus being an audience member.

Learning Objectives

• Compare the impact of audience reactions, such as applause or silence, on a performer's choices during a dramatic scene.
• Justify the importance of specific audience behaviors, like facing the stage and staying quiet, for a successful performance.
• Demonstrate understanding of the performer-audience relationship by switching roles and reflecting on the experience.
• Explain how an audience's energy can influence a performer's confidence and delivery.
• Identify respectful audience behaviors and contrast them with disruptive ones.

Before You Start

Introduction to Role-Playing

Why: Students need basic experience in taking on a character or role to understand the performer's perspective.

Following Classroom Rules

Why: Understanding general classroom expectations for listening and respecting others is foundational for learning audience etiquette.

Key Vocabulary

Performer	A person who acts, sings, dances, or plays a musical instrument in front of an audience.
Audience	The group of people who watch or listen to a performance.
Reaction	An action or feeling in response to something, such as a performer's actions or words.
Respectful	Showing politeness and consideration for others, especially by listening and not interrupting.
Etiquette	The customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Performers ignore the audience completely.

What to Teach Instead

Young students often believe performers are too busy to notice reactions, but trying boos versus cheers reveals instant emotional shifts. Role reversal activities let them sense this feedback loop, correcting the idea through direct experience and group talk.

Common Misconception

A good audience stays silent the entire time.

What to Teach Instead

Some think silence means no response ever, overlooking applause's role. Practicing timed reactions in workshops shows how cheers motivate without disrupting, helping students balance respect with engagement via peer modeling.

Common Misconception

Being a performer is always better than watching.

What to Teach Instead

Children may favor performing's spotlight, missing audience joys like anticipation. Journal swaps and discussions after role switches highlight both sides' strengths, building appreciation through personal comparisons.

Active Learning Ideas

Pairs Role Reversal: Scene Switch

Pairs create a 30-second story scene from a familiar tale. One performs while the other acts as audience, first silent then responsive with claps or nods. Switch roles and discuss how reactions changed feelings. End with whole-class share.

30 min·Pairs

Small Groups: Reaction Workshop

Groups of four brainstorm positive and neutral audience behaviors, then perform short skits for each other. Rotate audience roles, noting performer changes in voice or movement. Chart observations on a class poster.

45 min·Small Groups

Whole Class: Respectful Circle Performances

Form a circle for a shared story where each student performs one line or action. Class practices full attention and end applause. Debrief on what helped performers feel supported.

40 min·Whole Class

Individual: Role Reflection Journals

After activities, students draw or write one feeling as performer and one as audience. Include what made each role better. Share select entries in pairs.

20 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Attending a school play or concert requires students to practice audience etiquette, just as they would at a professional theatre like the Sydney Opera House.
• Professional actors and musicians rely on audience feedback, like applause or cheers, to gauge their performance and feel connected to the viewers.
• Sports fans cheering for their team at a stadium demonstrate how audience energy can motivate performers, in this case, athletes.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After a short student performance, ask: 'How did it feel when the audience clapped? What if the audience was very quiet? How did you feel as an audience member when the actors were speaking?' Record student responses on a chart comparing performer and audience experiences.

Quick Check

Provide students with scenario cards (e.g., 'Someone is talking loudly during the play,' 'The audience is cheering after a song'). Ask students to circle the action that shows respectful audience behavior and explain why in one sentence.

Exit Ticket

Students draw two pictures: one showing themselves as a performer receiving audience feedback, and one showing themselves as an audience member being respectful. They write one sentence describing each picture.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to teach Year 2 students about audience impact on performers?

Use simple demos: perform a scene with no reaction, then with claps, noting your energy change. Follow with student trials in pairs. Link to their experiences at assemblies. This 50-word approach grounds abstract ideas in observable shifts, reinforced by reflections on confidence boosts from cheers.

What activities build respectful audience behaviors in drama?

Incorporate circle performances where students practice facing forward, no talking, and end applause. Add signal cards for 'eyes on' or 'quiet.' Rotate roles to feel expectations. These routines, paired with positive feedback, embed habits over 4-6 lessons, fostering class community.

How can active learning benefit Audience and Performer lessons?

Active methods like role reversals immerse students in both positions, letting them feel applause's motivation or silence's support firsthand. Unlike lectures, simulations spark authentic discussions on emotions and etiquette. Paired debriefs connect experiences to standards, deepening empathy and retention through movement and peer input.

How to compare actor and audience experiences for Year 2?

Have students perform then watch peers, using thumbs-up charts for feelings like 'excited' or 'nervous.' Venn diagrams compare overlaps, such as shared story joy. This visual tool, after varied activities, clarifies unique aspects like performer's pressure versus audience's wonder.