Asserts that black world experience is complex and exciting, and presents themes dealing with: (1) Africa--the remote past and near present; (2) the ordeal of slavery in the New World; (3) reconstruction in the U.S.; and, (4) the survival and growth of black people in the U.S. (Author/JM)

Provides excerpts from scripts and students' self-reports on their participation in a class project that taught communication skills through playwriting and performing. (RL)

Argues that contemporary screenwriters have much to learn from journalism and from theater, especially in the move away from the linearity of the high-concept film to a richer, more complex screen story. Examines the writing skills and techniques of journalist and playwrights in developing both foreground and background stories. (KEH)

In order to develop a guide for teaching a course on playwriting, a study reviewed related literature and conducted a survey of information and opinions from practicing playwrights. Members of the Playwrights' Union of Canada, 145 playwrights, completed a survey of ten open-ended questions describing the processes of the playwright's art,…

Chosen for their literary quality and because they reflect the historical periods in which they were written, the 23 one-act dramas in this anthology represent the work of American female playwrights. The plays range from the realistic dramas produced in the "Little Theatres" of New York City at the turn of the century to current off-Broadway…

Radio plays can provide opportunities for high school or college students to act without having to memorize scripts. Elements necessary for a well-produced radio play consist of: (1) a suitable play, which may be a simple play or an adaptation of a short story or novel; (2) a radio script which is plausible and feasible within the limitations of…

Developed with the recognition that many playwrights have theater in their blood (e.g., Eugene O'Neill was the son of a famous actor), the three lessons in this package present, through experience, the fundamentals of dramatic structure. These lessons for the beginning playwright focus on elements of dramatic plot, conflicts, and crisis and…

The purpose of this book is to acquaint the beginning filmmaker with the tools and basic principles of filmmaking so that a base can be built for future, creative filmmaking. The film camera is described and its operation discussed in detail in a first section, a second section considers film composition, a third section details film lighting, a…

With the current education climate so focused on accountability, teachers need to ensure that their teaching practices are supported by today's content-specific standards. To meet this need, "A Comprehensive Guide to Readers Theatre" shows not only how to implement Readers Theatre in the classroom but also how to use it to meet current literacy…

This paper discusses how the topic of homelessness was explored for a course through research and a final project which consisted of a performance of personal narratives. The paper: (1) recounts how the script was created; (2) describes and shows the actual reproduction of the script; (3) presents a brief analysis of the script; and (4) describes…

The skills of playwriting are correctable, the craft of playwriting is teachable, and the art of playwriting is encourageable. In the area of craft, students can learn through models how accomplished playwrights deal with plot, characterization, dialogue, and theme. For the first element, plot development, students can look at written models to…

Intended for elementary school teachers, this short pamphlet describes the processes involved in executing a readers' theater. Much easier to implement than dramatic performances, reader's theater is seen as part theater and part oral interpretation. As outlined in the pamphlet, the procedures for implementing readers' theater in the classroom…

In this unit of work, the children will continue to learn about the features of playscripts, through reading and analyzing a play and writing a play based on a narrative. In the course of learning how to interpret and write stage directions, the children will apply their knowledge of adverbs. In the discrete work on vocabulary and spelling, the…

A survey of 200 colleges and universities was undertaken to determine to what extent a multicultural approach was used to prepare students to write screenplays for multicultural audiences. Content of scriptwriting courses was also analyzed and instructor attitudes assessed. Although teachers agreed stereotyping was undesirable, few included the…