With five basic exercises presented in this paper as a guide, instructors and students can gain an immediate awareness of the performance and staging principles in Reader's Theatre which may be used creatively to visualize literature so that it becomes "alive" in the imagination of the readers as well as the listener. The paper begins with a discussion of selected conventions which distinguish Reader's Theatre from more typical theatrical productions and make it educationally valuable for classroom exploration. The exercises provide the foundation needed to promote further experimentation. Each exercise is framed as a working blueprint to stimulate student awareness of the basic principles of Reader's Theatre staging; to provide the primary ingredients of vocal and physical performance demands; and to stimulate initial appreciation of the mechanics involved in bringing a scripted program of selected literature "alive" in classroom performance. Exercises are entitled "Sardines Today!"; "Book Ends"; "I Beg Your Pardon, What Did You Say?"; "Vocal Traffic Jam"; and "The Body Beautiful!" (RS)