The Fall 1972 issue of this publication focuses on oral interpretation, readers theatre, and creative dramatics. The lead article is on the subject of readers theatre for teaching interpretation to elementary school children. Two articles discuss the roles of creative dramatics and readers theatre in the high school curriculum. Relationships…

This volume of the Michigan Speech Association curriculum guide is a revision of the 1968 edition (ED 026 389). The first eight units comprise a first semester course that emphasizes theatre history, dramatic structure, and dramatic criticism and theory. There are also units on presenting a one-act play, music in the theatre, and children's…

The nineteenth-century scientism of Stanislavsky has produced actors who are mechanical and unspontaneous. An alternative to this traditional approach is based on the application of new psychological insights to the production of drama. This approach not only allows the actors to explore their "being," but also allows the audience to feel a…

Describes a three-week summer theater program for middle and high school students. Discusses the reconstructing of Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" by students in the class from prior viewings of movie versions of the play and from students' past experiences with the play. Includes the play script as rewritten by the students. (CR)

Examined how Asian American actors coped with the constraints of being minorities in an industry where physical appearance is crucial to success. Respondents' narratives reflected such coping strategies as not confronting issues of race, rationalizing that things are much better now for Asian American actors than in previous years, and believing…

Suggesting that reading plays aloud is an effective way to promote literacy and history in the grade 4-8 classroom, this book presents 22 short, readers' theater plays about extraordinary American men and women. The plays in the book are designed to enrich classroom learning by building oral literacy, fostering a knowledge of American heritage,…

Five actors were videotaped and audiotaped during 12 performances, in order to identify variables and to observe actors' behaviors and attitudes in positive, negative, and "unclaqued" audience response conditions. Audience response was effected by actors trained in nonverbal cues and placed in the audience as "claquers," to…

Observing that many of the women in an acting class were having more difficulty than the men with some physical exercises requiring strong use of the arms (labeled nonassertive arm movement behavior), a teacher educator researched the psychological and physiological reasons behind this behavior pattern. The search revealed numerous studies showing…

The articles in this publication trace the historical development of the theatre workshop, explain the relationship between the workshop and experimental theatre, and analyze the ways in which current drama workshops teach and develop the dramatic skills of the participants. The topics discussed include the special skills, production-oriented, and…

Interviews with representatives from ten foreign countries offer a base for the comparison of professionalism in children's theatre programs and indicate specific differences that exist in the United States and in each of the other countries. The United States differs from the other countries in its definition of professionalism, its lack of…

The two papers presented here reflect on experiences involved in founding and participating in La Compania de Teatro Bilingue, a bilingual theater group at a Texas university that recognizes the commonality of the Mexican-American and Anglo heritages in South Texas. The first paper discusses the need for such a group, explains its goal of…

The London Stage Information Bank (LSIB) is a machine-readable text of "The London Stage, 1660-1800," an 11-volume publication that contains information on plays, entertainments and afterpieces, casts, box-receipts, and contemporary comment compiled from playbills, newspapers, and theatrical diaries of the period. The LSIB can be…

Ideally, the act of performance involves the whole body of the performer. The solo performer of any poem (defined broadly to include all types of literature) becomes the poem; the poem takes flesh in the form of the reader. In this situation, the reader gives the audience a close-up, in which small gestures and minimal movements assume massive…

Stimulating and enjoyable dramatic activities in the classroom can nurture children's natural sympathies with drama. Re-acting a portion of a second-rate television show can help children become more perceptive critics and prepare them to view better drama that the teacher could bring to the classroom. Free, creative rhythmic movement allows…