Discusses how Black orality, which combines elements of Black speech and music, is supplemented by dance and other nonverbal cues and actualized in the performance of contemporary Black poetry. (JMF)

The primary pedagogical principle of Reader's Theatre is that it "dramatizes" literature to provide both a visual and an oral stimulus for students who may be unaccustomed to using their imagination to experience literary works like novels, poems, essays, or short stories. Promoting a suggestive, "theatrical mind" approach to…

Composing oral poems and storytelling are two exercises that speech teachers can use in oral interpretation courses. Conducting the oral poetry exercise early in an introductory interpretation course allows students to become acquainted with each other and to encourage each other while sharing something of themselves with the entire class. This…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The seven titles deal with the following topics: (1) the effect of relaxation training on anxiety for the poetry recitation tasks among elementary school children; (2) musical theatre in higher education; (3) developing faith…

This journal issue deals with the ways in which elements of a literary text specify the manner in which an oral interpreter will present the text to an audience. After an introductory statement, four poems by a contemporary poet are presented as sample texts. Four commentators discuss the ways these poems might be interpreted to an audience, and…

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…

Designed to help students respond in a positive way to poetry, poetry theater integrates dramatic technique with various aspects of reading, writing, analyzing, and reciting poetry. Poetry theater presentations require approximately five class periods to complete, allowing 45 minutes per class. The first class period should be devoted to choral…

This book provides teachers, children, and parents with knowledge about children's literature and the oral interpretation of it. The procedures, suggestions, and resources in the book are intended to develop oral interpretation skills in the young reader and to assist the adult reader in improving his own skills. The content is divided into five…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 12 titles deal with the following topics: (1) awareness of self, awareness of environment, mental imagery, communicative competency, and theatrical improvisation; (2) the evolution of scenography in the Western theatre; (3)…

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…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 26 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) military theatre; (2) drama as pedagogy; (3) visualization and actor training; (4) the discomfort-relief quotient as an indicator of theatrical genre; (5)…