How teachers can help students overcome resistance to the language of Shakespeare. (CH)

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…

This book explores the art of oral interpretation of literature and presents exercises designed to encourage awareness of various aspects of the interpretation process. Chapter one, "Harnessing Resources," examines the awakening of the body and voice and discusses basic sensory training. Chapter two, "Responding to Literary Worlds," details the…

When church lectors and beginning and advanced drama students read the same passage, the drama students used faster articulation, faster speech rates, and fewer pauses than church lectors. Expert and nonprofessional evaluators preferred the advanced drama students, followed by the beginning drama students and then the church lectors. (Author/RL)

Discusses the advantages of teaching students the language of public performance, focusing on drama but providing implications for the reading of poetry as well as for public speaking. (RL)

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 31 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) American drama between the world wars; (2) an emotion theory of stage fright; (3) the female androgyne in tragic drama; (4) creating and directing a musical…

If dramatic characters are to be rendered "three dimensional" in performance, both the dramatist and the actor/interpreter must create them with proper attention to the physical, sociological, and psychological aspects of character. If oral interpreters understand these dimensions of a particular character, they can analyze such elements as…

The fourth edition of a guide originally prepared in 1964, this publication is designed to meet the need for active competition among students of varying levels of experience in the areas of speech and drama. The co-curricular program outlined is designed for use as a supplement to senior high school instruction and activities. Included in the…

Describes a project involving the presentation of "Le petit prince" as an exercise in dramatics by children in a French-Italian bilingual education class. Two steps in the process are discussed: (1) the study of the text, and (2) the activities involved in getting the play ready for performance. (AMH)

Provides an annotated bibliography of sources that will help teachers select materials and structure activities in oral interpretation, readers theatre, improvisation, and creative speaking for the English classroom. (MM)

In an attempt to make poetry interesting to high school students, a teacher tried a "Dramatic Readings Assembly," which was planned, written, and produced by students. Four students were selected to plan the theme and structure of the production, read and research the program material, and write the final script. The plan chosen for the program…

The 10 readings collected in this volume emphasize the value of oral interpretation as an approach to teaching literature in the secondary school. Wallace A. Bacon indicates how the act of interpretation as it is experienced in the reader's mind can recreate the act of literature. Frances L. McCurdy, Margaret M. Neville, and Allen Bales discuss…

Discusses drama in foreign language instruction, especially as a means of improving oral expression. Two basic approaches are outlined and three techniques that have been used successfully with various age groups are described. (AMH)