Based on the best-selling book by Viola Spolin, this new CD-ROM of Theater Games for the Classroom offers the most comprehensive theater instruction for all types of students, from small children to young adults. It includes over 130 theater games and exercises, instructional strategies, video examples, a lesson planning section, alignment to other curricular areas, and alignment to California Theatre Arts standards. First developed by Spolin, the originator of modern improvisational theater techniques, these games have been tried and tested for over fifty years.
In the instructional strategies section, Spolin explains how to teach theater, from how to count off for games, to putting on a complete show.
The game file section provides a complete list of the games referenced in a variety of ways, from traditional to advanced games, alphabetically ordered, or by educational standards.
The video section provides brief video examples of the games, especially helpful for those who have never played the games. There is also a video lecture, providing tips for the beginning teacher.
The reference section provides a theater glossary, a bibliography, related web sites, and categorizes the games by curriculum, by difficulty, and by alignment to state standards.
The lesson planning section provides a calendar and game lists for selecting and printing games for each class or workshop session. The teacher can select from sure-fire running orders developed by Spolin, or they can create a list of games from scratch.

Viola Spolin’s work in improvisation, along with her emphasis on play as a fundamental, necessary, natural human activity, have made her a central figure in the development of creative drama. Now, with this new CD-ROM, teachers can see her ideas come to life as children act them out. Since Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher’s Handbook was designed for the teacher with little or no training in the theater, this CD-ROM enhances the step-by-step approach of Spolin’s book.
Max Schaefer is a distinguished full-time teacher, actor, programmer, and president of Underdog Educational Software company. He studied and worked with Viola Spolin in the 1980s and has worked and studied with Paul Sills for the past two decades. He leads theater workshops around the country promoting the genius of Viola Spolin and Paul Sills, and he teaches fifth grade at Fenton Avenue Charter School. Schaefer also publishes Young Authors, a writing program that allows children to write and illustrate over 25 kinds of books. He lives in Hollywood, California.