Drama Notebook contains the world’s largest collection of drama games, lesson plans, scripts and drama activities for kids and teens. The materials in Drama Notebook were originally created by Janea Dahl, who wrote the curriculum to support a team of teaching artists who led drama workshops and in-school artists in residencies in Portland, Oregon.
Thousands of teachers in over 100 countries now subscribe to Drama Notebook. Many school districts, including the New York City Department of Education, have group licenses for this amazing resource.
Janea and her team have spent over 20 years creating the materials inside Drama Notebook. What began as a labor of love is now one of the most comprehensive resources available for drama teachers. Janea’s mission is to inspire and uplift those who are devoting themselves to the important work of teaching drama. She hopes to help teachers: save planning time; introduce new, innovative lessons; and stay energized and positive when guiding their students toward higher creativity.
Janea Dahl
Creator and Author of Drama Notebook
Janea has a BA in theatre, and spent twelve years working in professional theatre. She was the founder of The Young Players, the largest drama outreach program in her state. For nearly a decade, The Young Players served over a hundred schools, and employed over thirty teaching artists each year. Thousands of public school children and teens participated in her award-winning workshops.
In 2010, Janea created Drama Notebook using materials she had developed for her own teaching staff. Since then, the resource has steadily grown, allowing drama teachers to have easy access to a wealth of drama teaching materials and scripts.
Jennifer Reif
Lesson Plan Writer, Playwright and Professional Development
Jennifer has been teaching, directing, and performing, around the Pacific Northwest for decades. She created Clay and Play, an inclusive outdoor summer arts program, served as Education Director for Studio East, Training for the Performing Arts, co-founded SecondStory Repertory Theatre, and has led drama programs for both public and private schools. She is a member of TPS (Theatre Puget Sound), AATE (American Alliance for Theatre and Education) and loves sharing her creative energy with other drama teachers. She holds her BA in Theatre from Morningside College, and also studied at Oxford University in England. Her time with The Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis filled her with a life-long passion for working and playing with young people. Her shelves are lined with children’s books and her happy place is in the woods. Jennifer has several theatre credits to her name, but her favorite roles of all-time are “Mom” to her adventurous kids and “Wife” to her theatre musician husband. Jennifer offers professional development for drama teachers worldwide.
Kathryn Kramer Waters
Site Artist and Contributor
Watch a video of Kathryn and Janea!
Kathryn Kramer Waters (site artist and contributor) has taught drama to kids for twenty years. She holds a Masters in Playwriting and Design from the California Institute of the Arts. She is accomplished artist with work in the Portland Art Museum and has shown in galleries throughout the Pacific Northwest. Her delightful drawings can be found throughout this website; a larger sampling of her collection may be seen at www.kramerwatersart.com. Her drawings, which have been featured in children’s books, magazines, newspapers and books, reflect her own particular blend of humor, talent and intelligence. As a collaborator, she is enthusiastic and efficient. Kathryn’s work is ideally suited to editorial and advertising projects alike. She is currently available for design work.
Julia Waters
Member Support
Julia grew up in Portland, Oregon in a household filled with creative pursuits. Her role at Drama Notebook allows her to combine a lifelong love of theater with her passion for connecting with people. Julia has a background in social service work, customer service, writing, music, astrology, and teaching kids and adults about the natural world. Julia holds a BS in Environmental Sociology from Oregon State University and has a myriad of ongoing projects. Alongside her work at Drama Notebook, Julia is the house manager for various touring plays in Portland, facilitator of reflective conversations for Oregon Humanities, and runs a mutual aid project that delivers farm fresh meals to people experiencing houselessness. On a day off from her projects, Julia loves immersing in the natural world, birding along a river, or playing piano without a time restraint. She also happens to be the daughter of the site artist!
Orion Bradshaw
Shakespeare Expert
Orion Bradshaw is a Storytelling Artist, Licensed Teacher, Equity Facilitator and Social Justice Advocate; he is a proud member of the Actors’ Equity, the National Education, and the Oregon Education Associations. He earned his Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Southern Oregon University in 2019, while also training with Southern Oregon’s Racial Equity Coalition and other groups. He’s been a Performer and Teacher for over 14 years, and has collaborated with innumerable schools, theaters, and organizations across the country – including the internationally-renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival for 6 total seasons. He is also a Shakespeare script adapter; his scripts have been utilized in classrooms and theaters from Oregon all the way to Lisbon, Portugal. Through their shared love for Shakespeare’s text and youth education, Orion and Drama Notebook have been collaborating since 2012! Orion currently serves as both a licensed Substitute Teacher for Portland area schools, and an EDI Facilitator with Matthew Reynolds Consulting, LLC. Orion wholeheartedly believes that, by intentionally harnessing our universally inherent capacity to be Storytellers and fostering that within others as well, we may grow toward realizing our biggest, fullest and brightest potential moving forward. May the Learning never cease!
Buffie LaRocca
Featured On The Videos
Buffie is an award-winning professional actress. She has a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Montana and has over ten years of experience teaching drama to kids. In addition to performing in over 100 productions, she founded her own theatre company, “The Blue Stockings,” and is the CEO of Ensemble, Inc. a corporate training form that uses theatre techniques to transform workplace issues.
Chris Harder
Featured On The Videos
Chris is a professional actor, educator and theatre maker dedicated to new work and artistic risk. He received his degree from the University of Wisconsin – Parkside and was a core member of Sowelu Theatre Ensemble for seven seasons. A recipient of multiple awards for acting he has appeared locally at Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, Third Rail, Sojourn and many other Portland area theatre companies. His film / TV credits include; Restless, Extraordinary Measures, Music Within, Rid of Me, Leverage and Recovery.
An experienced teacher of over ten years, he was the interim Director of Education at Artists Repertory Theatre (2007.) In addition to his private classes, he has taught regularly with Sowelu Outreach, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Portland Public Schools, Playwrites Inc., Actors to Go, and The Young Players. Having worked with students of all ages from grade school to adults, his classes focus on the many aspects of theatrical performance and acting technique.
You may visit his website at www.chrisharder.com
