Readers Theatre

Alicia Eames, Curriculum Connections -- School Library Journal, 12/13/2007

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While attending the National Council of Teachers of English annual conference in New York City a few weeks back, I eagerly secured a seat at a standing-room-only Authors Readers Theatre performance by Avi, Sarah Weeks, Katherine Paterson, and Brian Selznick. Founded in 2006, A. R. T. is a traveling troupe of authors who have joined forces to keep the written word alive by adapting selections from their novels for the stage. What’s even more exciting is that their suggestions and resources encourage students and teachers to do the same, reminding us that Readers Theatre is an inspiring teaching tool with broad appeal across the grades for both struggling and proficient readers.

The A. R. T. site links to Aaron Shepard’s Web page. A respected writer on Readers Theatre, Shepard has been sharing his passion for the medium on the Internet since 1994 and offers myriad scripts searchable by title, genre, and theme, along with valuable tips on preparing, rehearsing, and performing.

Print materials worth checking out include Judy Freeman’s Once Upon a Time: Using Storytelling, Creative Drama, and Reader’s Theater with Children in Grades PreK-6 (Libraries Unlimited, 2007), a potpourri of tips and suggestions for encouraging active participation in storytelling by children, and Anthony D. Fredericks’s Mother Goose Readers Theatre for Beginning Readers (Libraries Unlimited, 2007), which includes scripts in English and Spanish featuring traditional characters such as Old MacDonald, Little Bo-Peep, and Humpty Dumpty.

Finally, be sure to visit TeachingBooks.net, which features a Readers Theatre performance by members of A. R. T. and offers a long list of first-rate Readers Theatre resources.

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