Readers' Theatre Script from Scientific Data

Reader One: Running Water
Reader Two: The source, or beginning, of a stream is in the hills. The clear water trickling out of the ground is joined by other streams and soon a small torrent is gushing down the valley.
Reader One: A “torrent” is fast moving water.
Reader Two: As it swirls around the boulders, its force carries smaller stones along with it.
Reader Three: Few plants can root or grow in the tugging water, but willow moss may coat some boulders.
Reader One: Willow moss is called an aquatic plant because “aquatic” means having to do with water.
Reader Two: A casual glance into the stream will detect no life, but closer examination will uncover animals who have learned to live with, or have adapted to, these conditions.
Reader One: In this sense, to adapt means that a species of plant or animal has changed from generation to generation over time in order to survive in this environment.
Reader Three: The stonefly nymphs can live in running water and feed on leaves and debris carried by the current. They in turn are food for the trout.
Reader One: A nymph is an immature form of an insect. It resembles the adult in basic form but undergoes some change as it develops. This is called incomplete metamorphosis.
Reader Two: Most animals living in these streams are flat so they can shelter under stones from the strong current.
Reader Three: If the flow is not too fast, little fish like the bullhead may make a home under the stones. Not many fish like strong flowing streams, but the trout with its streamlined, torpedo-shaped body, can swim against the current.
Reader Two: Other living things in the stream have suction pads to hold them to the rocks.
Reader Three: Caddisfly larvae glue their homes made of sand or plant debris to the rocks. Some do not build a case, but spin a net to catch food and to stop them from being washed away.
Reader One: Unlike the nymph, a larvae is very different from its adult form, so it goes through a complete metamorphosis.
Reader Three: A swift stream can also be home to the dipper, the only bird that can walk underwater. With its wings partly spread to hold it down, it searches the bottom for insects to eat.
Reader Two: No matter what environment you consider, it is teeming with a variety of life forms.

Staging: Reader One is the definer, Reader Two presents the concepts and Reader Three presents the plants and animals. Reader Two stands between One and Three. The Readers should make gestures that are representative of the movement of the stream and animals, but when Reader One reads, the other two readers should freeze. Illustrations could be used if large enough but not so large that they are distracting. Another possibility is putting the illustrations in a PowerPoint and project it above the readers.

Source Material Primarily: Stidworthy, John. Ponds and Streams. Nature Club Series. Mahwah, NJ: Troll Associates, 1990.

Readers' Theatre Script from Historical Data Part 1

Reader One: The Boston Ten Towns
Reader Two: The Revolutionary War is over.
Reader Three: The United States of American is an independent nation under the Articles of Confederation.
Reader Four: New Englanders look westward for new opportunities.
Reader One: Both Massachusetts and New York claimed the land which is today western New York. But these were lands still occupied by the Iroquois.
Reader Three: On December 16, 1786, commissioners representing each state met in Hartford, Connecticut.
Reader Two: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts was represented by John Lowell, James Sullivan, Theophilus Parsons and Rufus King.
Reader Four: Representing New York State were James Duane, Robert R. Livingston, Robert Yates, John Haring, Melancthon Smith and Egbert Benson.
Reader One: It was finally agreed that Massachusetts should relinquish to New York their sovereignty of the whole of the disputed territory, but in return receive the right of soil and preemptive right of Indian purchase west of a meridian passing through the eighty-second milestone of the Pennsylvania line, excepting certain reservations upon the Niagara River.
Reader Two: The title to the tract known as the "Boston Ten Towns," lying eastward of this meridian, previously granted to Massachusetts, was also confirmed.
Reader Three: This agreement is known as the Treaty of Hartford.
Reader One: Prior to agreement, a company of Boston investors
Reader Four: Originally 11, later expanding to 60
Reader One: was working to purchase a tract of this land.
Reader Two: They were incorporated as the Boston Purchase Company.

Readers' Theatre Script from Historical Data Part 2

Reader Four: Moses Ashley
Stephen Brown
Simon Larnard
Josiah G. Pierson
Asa Bement
William Brown
Elizabeth Lusk
Joseph Pierson
Asa Bement, Jr., builder of the Bement-Billings Farmstead
John Chapman
Reader Three: The Boston Ten Townships
Reader One: as the tract of land would be known
Reader Three: comprised an area of 230,400 acres in what was then Tioga County, but now northern Tioga and Broome Counties, between the Chenango River and Tioughnioga River to the east and the west branch of Owego Creek to the west, from the Susquehanna River to about twenty-five miles northwards.
Reader Four: Ebenezer Mason
Nathan Pierson
Anna Bingham
Dudley Coleman
John Morell
David Pixley
Elkanah Bishop
Ashbel Cone
Stephen Nash
Joseph Raymond
Reader Two: It includes what is now the northern half of the town of Owego and the towns of Newark Valley, Berkshire, and Richford in Tioga County, and a portion of the Broome County Towns of Lisle, Nanticoke and Maine.
Reader One: One of the investors, Colonel Avid Pixley, came to the area to negotiate with the native inhabitants for the land rights. He learned the Indian language and greatly endeared himself to the Indians. Many of the investors actually settled in the area, and were soon able to extinguish the Indian claims by purchase from the Oneida.
Reader Four: Nathaniel Bishop
Ebenezer Cook
Allen Newhall
Abner Rockwell
Elisha Blin, who sold his lot to Elisha Wilson, first settler of Newark Valley
Phillip Cook
Warham Parks
Erastus Sergeant
Asahel Bradley
Ezekiel Crocker

Readers' Theatre Script from Historical Data Part 3

Reader Three: One half-township of Owego
Reader Two: including the village
Reader Three: had already been acquired from the Oneida by James McMaster. Some delicate negotiations led to his claim being recognized as the McMaster Patent.
Reader Four: Elihu Parsons
Ira Seymour
Elisha Bradley
Elnathan Curtis
Eliphalet Parsons, a settler of Lisle
Orringh Stoddard
Josiah Bradley
Isaac Curtis
Jacob Parsons
Ashbel Strong
Reader One: Three of the original eleven soon came to this part of the county to “view the land.” These men were Amos Patterson, his brother-in-law, Colonel Avid Pixley and Captain Joseph Raymond.
Reader Two: The tract of land was divided into lots, each of the sixty proprietors taking his share of lots according to the amount of money he had invested.
Reader Four: Beulah Patterson Brown, one of the founders of the Congregational Church of Newark Valley
Henry Williams Dwight
Oliver Partridge, Jr.
Thaddeus Thompson
Elijah Brown
Azariah Egleston
Amos Patterson
Caleb Walker
John Brown
Jonathan Edwards, uncle to Aaron Burr
Silas Pepoon
Reader Three: On the original map
Reader One: now property of Library of Cornell University
Reader Three: each lot was marked on inch wide by two and one-half inches long.
The first settlers set out from Stockbridge, Massachusetts, on February 23, 1791, arriving in what is now Berkshire on April 1.
Reader Four: William Walker
Samuel Brown, head proprietor and Uncle to Abraham and Isaac Brown, first settlers of Berkshire
Jonathan Ingersol
Benjamin Pierson
Ebenezer Williams
Samuel Brown, Jr.
Isaac Jenks, whose descendents settled Jenksville
Jeremiah H. Pierson
Jonathan Woodbridge

Readers' Theatre Script: The Critics

Reader One: The Critics
Reader Two: A Fable by Ambrose Bierce
Reader Three: While bathing, Antinous
Reader Four: was seen by Minerva, who was so enamoured of
Reader Three: his beauty
Reader Four: that, all armed as she happened to be, she descended from Olympus to woo him; but, unluckily displaying her shield, with the head of Medusa on it, she had the unhappiness to see
Reader Three: the beautiful mortal turn to stone from catching a glimpse of it.
Reader Four: She straightway ascended to ask Jove to restore him; but before this could be done
Reader One: a Sculptor
Reader Two: and a Critic
Reader One and Two: passed that way and espied him.
Reader One: "This is a very bad Apollo," said the Sculptor: "the chest is too narrow, and one arm is at least a half-inch shorter than the other. The attitude is unnatural, and I may say impossible. Ah! my friend, you should see my statue of Antinous."
Reader Two: "In my judgment, the figure," said the Critic, "is tolerably good, though rather Etrurian, but the expression of the face is decidedly Tuscan, and therefore false to nature. By the way, have you read my work on 'The Fallaciousness of the Aspectual in Art'?"

Source: http://www.aesopfables.com/ This is a wonderful source of material for creating your own scripts.

Readers' Theatre Script: Who Is Silvia?

Reader One: Who Is Silvia?
Reader Two: By William Shakespeare, from The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Reader One: Who is Silvia?
Reader Two: What is she,
Readers One & Two: That all our swains commend her?
Reader One: Holy,
Reader Two: fair,
Reader One: and wise is she;
Reader Two: The heaven such grace did lend her,
Reader One: That she might admired be.
Reader Two: Is she kind as she is fair?
Reader One: For beauty lives with kindness.
Reader Two: Love doth to her eyes repair/ To help him of his blindness,
Reader One: And, being helped, inhabits there.
Readers One & Two: Then to Silvia let us sing
Reader Two: That Silvia is excelling;
Reader One: She excels each mortal thing/ Upon the dull earth dwelling,
Readers One & Two: To her let us garlands bring.

Source: The Norton Anthology of Poetry. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1970.

Readers' Theatre Script: Rumble in the Jungle

Reader One: Rumble in the Jungle
Reader Two: By Giles Andreae
Reader Three: There’s a rumble in the jungle,
Reader Four: There’s a whisper in the trees,
All Readers: The animals are waking up/And rustling the leaves.
Reader One: The hippo’s at the water hole,
Reader Two: The leopard’s in his lair,
Reader Three: The chimpanzees are chattering/And swinging
All Readers: everywhere.
Reader Two: Some animals are frightening,
Reader Three: And some are sweet and kind,
Reader Four: So let’s go to the jungle now
Reader One: And see who we can find . . .
Reader Three: It’s great to be a chimpanzee/Swinging through the trees,/And if we can’t find nuts to eat/We munch each other’s flea!
Reader Four: The boa constrictor’s a slippery snake/Who squashes then swallows his prey./He knows that it’s not very friendly or kind,/But they do taste much nicer that way.
Reader One: Hello, I’m a big happy hippo,/I sleep in the sun till I’m hot,/And when I’m not sleeping/I mooch in the mud,/Which hippos like doing a lot.
Reader Two: If you meet a hungry leopard/Prowling through the night,/Make sure you call him
Readers One, Three & Four: sir/And be incredibly polite.
Reader One: The night has started falling
Reader Three: But the jungle never sleeps,
Reader Four: The vultures circle slowly
Reader Two: While the leopard softly creeps.
Reader One: And if you listen quietly/You might just hear the growl/Of a hungry pair of panthers/Who are still out on the prowl.
Readers One & Two: The lions
Readers Three & Four: and their little cubs
All Readers: Are sleeping in the den,
Reader Three: So let’s leave them till tomorrow
All Readers: When we’ll visit them again.

Adapted from Andreae, Giles. Rumble in the Jungle. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1996.

Readers' Theatre Script: One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

Reader One: One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
Reader Two: By Dr. Seuss
Reader Three: From there
Reader Four: to here,
Reader One: From here
Reader Two: to there
All Readers: Funny things are everywhere
Reader One: One fish
Reader Two: Two fish
Reader Three: Red fish
Reader Four: Blue fish.
Reader One: Black fish blue fish
Reader Two: Old fish new fish.
Reader Three: This one has a little star.
Reader Four: This one has a little car.
All Readers: Say! What a lot of fish there are.
Reader One: Yes. Some are red.
Reader Two: And some are blue.
Reader Three: Some are old.
Reader Four: And some are new.
Reader Two: Some are sad.
Reader Four: And some are glad.
Reader Three: And some are very, very bad.
Reader One: Why are they sad and glad and bad?
Reader Two: I do not know.
Reader Three and Four: Go ask your dad.
Reader Two: Some are thin.
Reader Four: And some are fat.
Reader Three: The fat one has a yellow hat.
Reader Four: From there
Reader Three: to here,
Reader One: From here
Reader Two: to there
All Readers: Funny things are everywhere

Adapted from Dr. Suess. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. New York: Random House, Inc., 1960.

NYS Learning Standards Addressed by RT

Besides the NYS learning standards listed below, Readers’ Theatre is an instructional tool which satisfies the learning standards of any curricular area where students benefit from preparing and participating in an interactive method of presenting content information.

English Language Arts
Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding
Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression
Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation
Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction
Mathematics, Science, and Technology
Standard 1: Analysis, Inquiry, and Design
Standard 2: Information Systems
Standard 5: Technology
Standard 7: Interdisciplinary Problem Solving
The Arts
Standard 1: Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts
Standard 2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources
Standard 3: Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art
Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences
Standard 3: Resource Management
Career Development and Occupational Studies
Standard 2: Integrated Learning

Oral Interpretation

Oral Interpretation is a dramatic reading involving a single performer. It differs from Readers’ Theatre in that there is generally no staging, with the possible exception of special lighting.

A Brief History of Readers' Theatre

Though the origin of Readers’ Theatre may be traced back to Greece 2,500 years ago and also found in medieval times, they more recently have evolved from group readings in the early nineteenth century. The earliest use of the term Reader’s Theatre dates back to 1945 when a professional group in New York who called themselves Readers Theatre, Inc., produced Oedipus Rex. Their stated purpose was “to give the people of New York an opportunity to witness performances of great dramatic works which were seldom if ever produced.”

In 1951, a production of Don Juan in Hell, originally written by George Bernard Shaw, was performed using four well-known actors. The performers sat on stools and appeared to read from scripts placed on lecterns, but it was obvious they had memorized the material.

In 1952 Stephen Vincent Benét’s long narrative poem John Brown’s Body, adapted and directed by Charles Laughton, was presented by three readers and a chorus of twenty. Unlike the actors in Don Juan in Hell, who read the part of many different characters, these three actors each represented a single character. Critics and audience members recounted how each was able to come away with his/her own vision of the narrative because the staging left so much up to the imagination.

It should be noted that radio plays are, of course, a form of Readers’ Theatre. The actors perform using scripts. There is no “staging” in this case. This form of drama began in the twenties and reached its peak in the forties.

The first musical to be done professionally in Readers’ Theatre style was You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, opening March 7, 1967. Generally the term “Readers’ Theatre style” refers to productions where the staging and movement is minimal and representative, while the scripts (either present or absent) are memorized.

During the sixties, Readers’ Theatre became popular within college theatre departments and from there spread into secondary English education. These graduates would bring the practice into their high school English classroom. But more recently, educators have discovered, what I call, the literacy factor, and so Readers’ Theatre has moved into middle and elementary schools.

Adapted from Coger, Leslie Irene and Melvin R. White. Readers Theatre Handbook, a Dramatic Approach to Literature. Revised Ed. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman and Co., 1973.

Scripting

When you or your students are creating themselves, the number of readers is of prime consideration. Some times it is determined by the size of a preexisting group. This tends to lend an artificial element to the production but is often unavoidable in classroom situations. Balance and student ability is also a major consideration within the classroom. Because these presentations are often being assessed, fairness dictates this. The material, however, often make this rather difficult, and you may want to devise other way to give each student a fair opportunity to perform.

With narratives involving characters, each reader could represent a difference character, or group of characters, i.e., the townspeople, or audience, or relatives. The reader should read what the character says, thinks and DOES.

If possible, especially if you want your students to think “out of the box,” avoid including a narrator. Have the reader or readers, i.e., a choral reading, most closely related to the descriptive passages read them. Choral reading is difficult, so do not overdo it.

With non-narrative texts or narratives without clearly defined characters, think in terms of concepts. It could be divided by main idea (one reader)/supporting details (other readers) or the division could have to do with geography or time. Even a first person text could be divided: outward statements or actions vs. inner thoughts and feelings.

Feel free to edit the original text.

Methodology

It is essential that students plan carefully and rehearse sufficiently.

Direct cast members to speak directly to the audience, not to each other. (There may be some special times when you will break this rule and ask characters on stage to look at and react to each other). Generally, however, cast members will focus upon the audience just as a storyteller focuses upon the listeners. This engages the audience and helps them identify with the characters.

It may be appropriate for readers who are not reading at the moment, however, to focus on the person reading.

During rehearsals, encourage students to explore each character part in as much depth as time allows. Emphasizing eye contact, diction, character development, controlled movement or mime, and performance energy will help achieve a well-paced, well-rehearsed performance.

To lessen self-consciousness, it is sometimes helpful for cast members to focus eyes slightly above the heads of audience members.

Encourage the use of appropriate vocal and volume changes, facial expressions, posture, and varying tempo patterns.

Staging “rules” are just guidelines. When students ask to include costumes and props, firmly suggest that they be symbolic and minimal. Encourage creative thinking rather than elaborate productions. The idea is to spark the imagination of the audience through verbal expression rather than visual stimulation. But if you would rather fight other battles, focus on the literacy benefits and/or the presentation of important content material.

Platforms, chairs, stools, and such are useful to suggest environment and/or relationships. Thoughtful consideration should also be given to the arrangement of the readers.

Movement should also be minimal and often symbolic. In most cases, the performers position themselves in one place and stay there. Leaving a “scene” may be suggested by turning so the performer’s back is to the audience or by sitting down. Walking can be done in place. Hand gestures and facial expression, however, are encouraged.

Encourage students to find out what unfamiliar words mean. It is up to you how they do it, but the fastest method might be best because your primary goal should be help the student add those words to his/her vocabulary, and using them in a Readers’ Theatre production will accomplish this. You or other classmates might be a better resource than a dictionary so that the student, especially those who have reading difficulties, is not discouraged.

For shorter scripts (four pages or less), mount them on card stock for handling ease. For longer scripts, binders are recommended. Even music stands can be used for older student who would not be blocked by them. Music stands have the advantage of freeing both hands. Every student should have his/her own script. Strongly recommend that each reader highlight his/her own lines.

Benefits

Communication: Readers’ Theatre develops both verbal and nonverbal communication skills, along with encouraging active listening.
Collaboration: Readers’ Theatre helps students develop their ability to work cooperatively while responding to a given task. It provides opportunities for students to predict, plan, organize information, and solve logistical and aesthetic problems collectively.
Experiential Learning: Readers’ Theatre provides active instructional opportunities suitable for all students with different levels of ability. It stimulates interdisciplinary learning in a variety of subject areas, such as social studies, language arts, mathematics, science, home and careers, and business.
Multiple Intelligences: Readers’ Theatre simultaneously addresses all aspects of learning: interpersonal, intrapersonal, cognitive, emotional, kinesthetic, ethical, and social.
Character Development: Readers’ Theatre develops trust, patience, perseverance, and strong interpersonal relationships.
Process to Product: Reader’s Theatre involves both the learning process and its product, as students work individually and collaboratively when making choices about how to structure their ideas in a form appropriate for performance and within the confines of this particular dramatic form.
Creativity: Readers’ Theatre encourages students to use their imagination through either planned or spontaneous dramatic action where unique and individual responses are highly valued.
Aesthetics: Readers’ Theatre is an art form where students develop an awareness of beauty and a heightened perception of the world around them.
Community: Readers’ Theatre helps bridge diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, allowing students to consider different values and responses.
Self-awareness: Readers’ Theatre helps students understand themselves and others. It allows them to explore a variety of social roles, encouraging them to identify and empathize with others.

Adapted from Theatre, a Resource Guide for Standard-Based Instruction

Essential Questions

For Understanding
• How should I say this word, phrase and/or sentence?
• How does the character feel at this point and how should I convey that emotion?
• What information should be included and/or excluded?
• In what order should this material be arranged?
For Analysis
• What is the overall message I/we wish to convey to the audience?
• How will I/we best convey that message?
For the Interpersonal
• How will this information be understood by others?
• How will I/we capture and maintain the audience’s attention?
• How will I/we present myself/ourselves to be taken seriously by the audience?
• What must I do to be a full cooperating member of the group?
For the Imagination
• What creative elements can I/we include in our production?
• What will we do to encourage the audience to use its imagination?

Essential Skills

• Literacy
Practicing reading fluency
Interpreting text for comprehension
• Communications
Writing for information and understanding
Expressing text verbally to disseminate information
• Presentation
Staging for understanding and entertainment
• Cooperative Social Interaction
Working together for decision-making
Working together for information gathering
Working together for division of labor
Working to balance fairness among participants with aesthetic considerations
• Aesthetics
Using symbolism to present information and concepts
Using other creative means to present information and concepts
Using limited resources to maximum effect
• Evaluation
Deciding what information to include and/or exclude
Deciding in what order to present particular information

For Presentation

Too often when students are asked to do group presentations, especially in disciplines that do not readily lend themselves to narrative, these presentations are deadly for the remaining students in the class. With Readers’ Theatre, students can present the same information in a creative and entertaining fashion. The quality of the information will be better as well because it will be scripted.

For Literacy

Through the reading for fluency during rehearsal of a Readers’ Theatre script and its classroom presentation, students improve their literacy skills. Two testimonials on Literacy Connections (http://literacyconnections.com/ReadersTheater.php ), offer the following insight: Readers’ Theatre “provides repeated reading practice—an important factor in building fluency. Repeated reading practice also improves students’ confidence in, and enthusiasm for reading. It’s an enjoyable change of pace from everyday practice sessions. My students love it! And so do I. Students are so thrilled at their newfound skill that they ask to perform for younger classes” and “It’s a wonderful opportunity for children who are used to feelings of failure to provide expertise entertainment for others.” Also, if the script contains vocabulary that challenges the student in any way, that vocabulary soon becomes the student’s own though the rehearsal process.