We’ve gathered together David Farmer’s top-selling books on one page so that you can decide for yourself which you need!

  • Three of these drama books were selected as part of the new Primary School Curriculum for Trinidad and Tobago. It’s encouraging to know that there are still parts of the world that value Drama for Primary children enough to include it in their National Curriculum!

DROP OF A HAT Drama Lessons, Games and Activities

‘A flexible, varied book filled with engaging drama activities’ – Drama and Theatre magazine, January 2021

This book is for any teacher who wants to bring the curriculum to life through drama and creativity. Each lesson is based on a story, poem or theme and divided into bite-sized sections. If you’re looking for a quick fix, just choose a couple of activities. If you’re new to drama, there’s a section at the back describing the games and strategies in detail.

You’ll find approaches for using drama to raise standards in literacy and to explore stories, characters and themes. Topics covered include global warming, looking after pets, dealing with bullying and exploring issues around refugees. There are over a dozen activities for using Drama in Science as well as a lively introduction to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

AVAILABLE NOW: £19.99 | ISBN: 979-8679056466 | Publisher: Drama Resource | 85 Pages

OR ORDER FROM DRAMA RESOURCE: ORDER DROP OF A HAT UK/WORLDWIDE

101 DRAMA GAMES AND ACTIVITIES

‘Belongs amongst the top 10 books any director or drama teacher should own.’ – English Touring Opera

A collection of highly effective games and exercises suitable for children, young people and adults – available in paperback or e-book format. Sections include improvisation, mime, ice-breakers, group dynamics, rehearsal, story-telling, voice and warm-ups so that you can quickly find an appropriate activity.

Acclaimed theatre director and drama consultant David Farmer has developed and refined these activities through thirty years of workshops with actors, teachers and children around the world. The pages are packed with tried and tested ideas for a whole range of activities useful for drama lessons, workshops or rehearsals.

AVAILABLE NOW: £12.99 | ISBN: 978-1442131613 | Publisher: CreateSpace | 90 Pages

101 MORE DRAMA GAMES AND ACTIVITIES

‘This book cheered me up. Buy it and smile. There will be a lot of laughter in your classroom.’ – Drama Magazine.

This sequel to the best-selling 101 Drama Games and Activities contains inspirational and engaging games and exercises suitable for children, young people and adults. The activities are particularly useful for rehearsing and devising scenes as well as drama lessons and workshops.

The lively warm-up games and vocal exercises will develop concentration, focus and team building. The drama strategies are creative tools for exploring themes and characters. Use the developing skills to arm participants with tools for improvising exciting characters and situations and play even more accessible and fun games in the storytelling and mime and movement sections.

‘…bubbles over with imaginative ideas which could be used to good effect by non-specialist as well as seasoned drama teachers. Excellent resource for primary, secondary and other drama teachers.’ – Teaching Drama Magazine, Spring 2013.

AVAILABLE NOW: £12.99 | ISBN: 978-1479343027 | Publisher: KDP | 138 Pages

LEARNING THROUGH DRAMA IN THE PRIMARY YEARS

‘Full of easily accessible advice… clear explanations and inventive suggestions.’ – National Drama Magazine.

This practical handbook explores how to use the greatest resource that teachers have available to them – children’s imagination. Play is a natural part of children’s lives before they start school, helping them to make sense of their place in the world. Such creativity can be harnessed through drama to enable active and interactive learning experiences throughout the primary years and across the curriculum.

The book provides guidance to teachers who have never taught drama before but are considering using it in a subject area such as science or history and offers new approaches to those familiar with common drama techniques (such as hot-seating and teacher in role). It includes 36 drama strategies, over 250 cross-curricular activities and three extended lesson plans including practical ideas for inspiring speaking, listening and writing.

“A must-have for those serious about the teaching of drama in primary school settings.” – Teaching Drama magazine, October 2011 *****

AVAILABLE NOW: £16.99 | ISBN: 978-1-4478-7732-5 | Publisher: CreateSpace | 176 Pages 

PLAYFUL PLAYS: Volume 1

‘David Farmer has hit gold with Playful Plays… an off-the-shelf, ready-to-go, high-quality rehearsal process ideal for primary-aged students‘ – Drama Magazine.

Lively collection of eight short plays for children and young people supported by inspirational drama games guaranteed to bring creativity to the rehearsal room. Stories are based on folk-tales from China, Ghana, Greece, Japan, Turkey and Scandinavia.

Young people can easily pick up the book and use it themselves. The plays can be performed by groups of children on their own, or under the direction of an adult. They feature performance techniques including mime, mask, freeze frames, audience participation, live music and song. The author draws on his experience in the professional theatre world to provide helpful advice for the young director and actor including warm-ups, tips on line-learning and ideas for character development, as well as games to develop acting skills, concentration, focus and ensemble work.

AVAILABLE NOW: £11.99 | ISBN: 978-1500630614 | Publisher: CreateSpace | 128 Pages