The interrelationship of performers, text, and audience in reader's theater may be better understood through philosopher Martin Buber's key concepts of polarity, dialogue, and inclusion. These concepts operate within four polar tensions identified by Buber: that between the performer and the character represented; that between the performer and…

Describes the use of Bertolt Brecht's theories regarding literature and performance. Details the selected use of Reader's Theatre techniques in analyzing and staging literature in the secondary classroom environment. (JMF)

The extensive use of improvisational techniques in rehearsals for chamber theatre productions develops for the performer a strong engagement with the text. The director can channel the movement and gestures that emerge from these techniques into the production itself, with results that more effectively convey the literature than traditional…

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…

One of the rhetorical dimensions on which theatre exists is the rhetoric of production. This implies that the production, through examples, takes and urges an attitude toward the text. This argument provides a foundation for both the nature and the implications of interpreters theatre productions that advocate social issues. Theatrical…

Suggesting that Readers Theatre is a simple, effective, and risk-free way to get K-8 children reading, this book provides strategies, organizers, and scripts that can be used as is or as models for readers' own scripts. The book provides ideas for planning and organizing Readers Theatre; oral interpretation; connecting Readers Theatre to…

Readers theater is a storytelling device that stimulates the imagination and promotes all of the language arts. Readers theater is an oral interpretation of a piece of literature read in a dramatic style. It involves and motivates students, energizes the language arts program, and stimulates learning. Geared for children in grades 1-4, this book…

This handbook defines Readers Theatre, explores the selection and adaptation of material, and discusses casting, rehearsing, and performing of literature. It is divided into three major parts. Part One, "Origins, Concepts, and Precepts," emphasizes current trends in Readers Theatre and considers problems stemming from the introduction of…

Reader's Theatre can be used to combine basic literature and writing instruction with creative arts. Improvisational playmaking by students, using literature in the form of plays, prose, and poetry, forms the basis of Reader's Theatre. Use of Reader's Theatre in the classroom can: (1) foster deeper understanding of character, setting, and plot…

The eight articles in this booklet suggest activities designed to help students see drama as an active, engaging pursuit. The first article uses excerpts from Harold Pinter's "The Caretaker" to illustrate how improvisation can be used to help students discover meaning in a play. The second and third articles provide suggestions for…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 15 titles deal with the following topics: (1) a taxonomy of educational objectives in acting; (2) contemporary musical theatre in Utah; (3) applying management concepts to educational theatre operations; (4) creative drama and…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 16 titles deal with the following topics: (1) children's theatre activities at Karamu House in Cleveland, Ohio; (2) the development, implementation, and significance of story theatre as a theatrical art form and performance…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 25 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the development of American theatre management practices between 1830 and 1896; (2) the aesthetics of audience response; (3) P. Picasso as a theatrical…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 16 titles deal with the following topics: an examination of inexperienced actors performing the plays of William Shakespeare; an investigation of the philosophies and practices of a summer theatre producer and manager; the…