Readers theatre is a presentation by two or more participants who read from scripts and interpret a literary work in such a way that the audience imaginatively senses characterization, setting, and action. This book offers 50, two-page reproducible scripts to entice the preschool and kindergarten group into beginning to read. These patterned…

Unlike traditional Readers Theatre, which is typically limited to literature-based scripts, Curriculum-Based Readers Theatre (CBRT) allows teachers and students to create scripts based on any topic, any work of literature, any textbook, or almost any collection of facts. It can be easily incorporated into the existing curriculum, and because this…

Science is a subject that offers itself to a variety of instructional modes. Many educators have suggested that teachers need to make science more real and interesting for students. This activity is a Christmas play that allows students (grades K-6) to celebrate both the holiday season and the wonders of science. While participating in the play,…

A list of plays having American premiers in 1973. (CH)

Ten readers theatre scripts based on some of the most famous, sensational trials in U.S. history provide a fascinating glimpse into our past and our justice system. These compelling dramas are based on actual trial proceedings, and have been adapted to the interest and reading level of students in upper elementary and middle school. Details of the…

This collection of short plays for young actors features a young person's point of view and is intended to be used as a sourcebook by students and teachers. The collection is designed to appeal to a wide variety of theatrical tastes and embraces a variety of styles and themes. Although the unifying factor of the collection is the aforementioned…

A discussion of the pros and cons of considering the theatre as literature despite the "performance" qualities of dramatics. (CH)

Clara Tree Major, the first producer to provide professional touring plays exclusively for children's audiences (from 1925 until 1954), not only produced these plays but also wrote the scripts by adapting children's stories for the theatre. This paper investigates Major's playwriting principles and techniques, examines Major's philosophy in play…

The distinctive philosophies of Bertolt Brecht and Jean-Paul Sartre concerning man's existence directly influence their attitudes toward character, action, and the total drama. Both playwrights reveal that drama is an inseparable and reciprocal molding of content and form. The relationship between their ideas and their expressions of them is so…

Reaffirms the position of directors (Peter Brook, Tyrone Guthrie, Peter Hall, and others) concerning the "balance of power" between director and playwright in transforming a playscript into a theatrical performance. (PD)

Addresses the task of teaching plays, emphasizing both the written script and the live performance. (AEA)

Texts of nonscripted theatrical performances, unauthoritative and highly contingent translations from theater language into verbal language, present problems of interpretation and translation. (DD)

Offers practical advice for directors and actors regarding script analysis. Contains questions which the director can use to create a thorough analysis of the script and questions to challenge the actors. Asserts that answering these questions helps actors build a detailed character analysis providing directors with hints about how gesture and…

The one-act, royalty-free plays in this book dramatize notable events in United States history. Historical selections include dramatizations of the Declaration of Independence, the Boston Tea Party, the Continental Army at Valley Forge, the birth of the Constitution, and George Washington crossing the Delaware and feature such historic figures as…