This teacher's guide, the result of a 3-year Title 3 project, is a sequentially arranged program designed to introduct high school students to acting and to provide them with an understanding of the uniqueness of dramatic literature, particularly Shakespearean drama. The processes of the theatre are explored, introducing improvisational exercises and theatre games which deal with (1) the dynamics of the "action-reaction-action" process as reflected in acting, (2) the physical and aesthetic demands of the stage, (3) experiences which provide students with a method for getting at the core of a scene, (4) the exploration of feelings, moods, tensions, atmosphere, and tone in acting, (5) practice in actor-concentration and character-building, (6) the experience of words as the expression of an emotion, or as the dynamic mask of true feelings, and (7) the skills necessary for analyzing and discussing a play. This sequence of activities culminates with the production of a play and the students' critiques of the production. Lesson plans provide objectives and suggested activities, procedures, and questions. (JM)