If I Were You Readers Theater Performance Kit

Gr 7–10—This pulp-fiction story was originally published in the February 1940 issue of Five Novels Monthly. Circus midget Tom Little is adept at mimicking others. He's so good, in fact, that he's the star performer of a traveling circus, but his small stature gnaws away at him constantly. Tom wants more than fame and his antagonistic relationship with the Professor, the circus's sinister fortune-teller, takes a curious turn when the man dies and leaves Tom his collection of ancient books on the black arts. Tom delves into them, learning to exchange bodies with another member of the circus. The consequences are disastrous and make for classic pulp adventure. Galaxy Press has taken the original story and created a dandy reader's theater kit. The three CDs contain a sample live performance with music and sound effects that will give theater groups an idea of how everything works when integrated, as well as the full script in PDF format and all the required music and sound effects on separate CDs to facilitate a live performance. Young thespians and their mentors will have plenty of fun putting on a show. While the script and guidelines for using the music and sound effects are detailed and specific, there's ample room for creative license.–John Clark, Hartland Public Library, ME