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…

Reading aloud is a rhetorical act. Its purpose is always to communicate, which is a transactional form involving the oral reader and at least one real or imaginary listener. Whenever a person reads aloud, the reader has some intent of reading to someone. In all such situations, readers interpret orally for the mood and meaning that seem…

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) ensemble as a process of actor training; (2) perspectives on the verbal performance of jest, abuse, and contest; (3) a course design for teaching black drama;…

This study presents a theory of oral interpretation as a communicative art. Oral interpretation is defined as a process of preparation, performance, and feedback. A descriptive model of feedback as an intrapersonal and then interpersonal communication process is developed. This process is described as containing the three subprocesses of…

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…

The field of oral interpretation has been influenced by both the analytical approach to literature study, with significant emphasis on understanding the literary text, and the interpersonal approach. While oral reading may utilize various performance arts or media such as dance, music, or film, the most popular movement currently is Readers…

Oral performance of literature can be compared with film viewing, in that both are strongly based on suggestion, which forces the spectator to participate actively in the creation of images. Film is actually a series of still pictures, but persistence of vision produces the idea of motion in the mind. Likewise, literature in performance involves…

The author states that because of recent interest in readers theatre, or concert readings, some objective methods of assessing audience response should be developed. In the first section of the paper, she provides a rationale for a critical suggestions form. The author's guidelines for an evaluation form include the use of expert judges, an…

At this 1972 conference, upper division and graduate students from nine western colleges submitted papers on the theory, history, and criticism of rhetoric. Three of them are published in this conference report, along with the principal address. In "Rhetorical Criticism as Argument," the principal address, Wayne Brockriede suggests that useful…

Summarizes seven documents on oral interpretation from the ERIC system, and states that they can be used to show students the importance of reading aloud with skill. Cites that they also provide suggestions for using oral interpretation in the study of many types of literature and contexts. (MM)

Suggests that the best method of understanding a poem is to experiment with reading it aloud rather than simply discussing the poem. (DF)

Describes a model for validating creative endeavor as equivalent to scholarship in evaluating teachers for promotion. (PD)

Readers Theater is a presentation by two or more participants who read from scripts and interpret a literary work in such a way that the audience imaginatively sense characterization, setting, and action. Traditionally, the primary focus of readers theater is on an effective reading of the script, not on a dramatic presentation. The scripts in…

Readers theater is a dramatic art that directs attention to the words of a text. During a performance, a reader (rather than an actor) presents and interprets the work within a narrative context intended by the author. In this project, the text, a collection of the words and writings of a woman known as the Peace Pilgrim, tells the story of her…

Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that adapting part of a novel into a dramatic reading makes students more intimate with the author's intentions and craft; and that a part of a novel may lend itself to various oral interpretations. The main activity…