Readers Theater
Reader’s Theater-For all ages – with scripts:
Are categorised as follows:
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Key Stage I (5-7 year olds) | Key Stage II (7 – 11 year olds) | 11+ students which include teenagers and adults. |
What is Reader’s Theater?
It’s basically reading scripts minus props, costume changes etc i.e. taking the hassle out of drama productions – and just letting the characters do the talking! Hence, removing hassle and time constraints of performance – just great fun reading! No dumbing down of material – and a brilliant way of encouraging children to read with confidence and fluency.Suitable for groups of 6 (plus).
I think Reader’s Theater works really well for online teaching – small groups of readers (6 in a group) which can be swapped around due to the relative brevity of the scripts – around 10 to 20 minutes – some shorter (Fairy Tale Quickies – 5 mins) and some longer – most including a lesson plan with teaching input (background to the authors) plus Q & A/Discussion and Further Activities Suggestions. These R.T. scripts are for all ages – children and adults – so could work for book clubs as well.
Catalogue of Reader’s Theater Scripts
LITERATURE
Youngest (Key Stage I: 5 – 7-year-olds)
FAIRY TALE QUICKIES – 5-minute adaptations
Collection I
- The Old Woman and the Pig
- The Three Little Pigs
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears
- The Three Billy Goats Gruff
- The Princess and the Pea
Collection II
- Little Red Riding Hood
- Rumpelstiltskin
- Cinderella
- Hansel and Gretel
- Chicken Licken
Collection III
- The Emperor’s New Clothes
- The Ugly Duckling
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- Snow White
- Sleeping Beauty
2. Key Stage II (7 – 11-year-olds)
Fairy Tales – 3 Collections – Alternative or ‘Playfully Adapted’ Versions of the original stories
Grimms Brothers Collection of 7
- Rumpelstiltskin
- Rapunzel
- Little Red Riding Hood
- Hansel & Gretel
- Cinderella
- Sleeping Beauty
- Snow White
Hans Christian Anderson Collection of 5
- Emperor’s New Clothes
- Ugly Duckling
- Princess and the Pea
- Thumbelina
- The Magic Tinderbox
Other ‘Fairy Tales’ Collection of 6
- Pinocchio
- Peter Pan
- Peter and the Wolf
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- Three Billy Goats Gruff
- Three Little Pigs
Aesop Fables – 5 plays
Just So Stories Part I and II (2 collections)
Tales of Beatrix Potter Parts I, II, III and IV (4 collections)
The Wizard of Oz – 5 plays
Wind in the Willows – 5 plays
3. Students 11+ and Adults
Shakespeare:
- Shakespeare Plays (8 mini condensed versions)
- Set of 4 alternative Shakespeare scripts – Hamlet, Macbeth,
- Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo & Juliet (incl. detailed synopses and lesson plans)
- Alternative Hamlet script plus lesson plan
- Alternative Macbeth script plus lesson plan
- Alternative Midsummer Night’s Dream script plus lesson plan
- Alternative Romeo & Juliet script plus lesson plan
5 – 10 minutes (6 readers)
Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier: 5 – 10 minutes, 5 readers
*Oscar Wilde short stories:
- The Selfish Giant 5 minutes, 6 readers
- The Happy Prince 10 minutes, 6 readers
- The Nightingale and the Rose 5 – 10 minutes, 6 readers
- The Devoted Friend 5 – 10 minutes, 6 readers
Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stephenson: 10 – 15 minutes, 6 readers
Around the World in 80 Days – Jules Verne: 15 – 20 minutes, 5 readers
Persuasion – Jane Austen: 20 minutes, 6 readers
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte: 15 minutes, 10 readers
Silas Marner – George Elliot: 15 – 20 minutes, 10 (plus) readers
Time Machine – H.G. Wells: 30 minutes, 6 readers
Far From the Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy: 30 minutes, 5 readers
Bleak House – Charles Dickens: 35 minutes, 5 readers
*The Remarkable Rocket – Oscar Wilde: 30 – 40 minutes, 5 readers
Charles Dickens Collection – specially adapted to Cast of 6 (plus)
- Oliver Twist
- Great Expectations
- David Copperfield
- A Tale of Two Cities
- *Nicholas Nickleby
- Bleak House
*90 minute Pantomime also available
These Dickens adaptations are all around 20 – 30 minutes, with the exception of Nicholas Nickleby which is around an hour – can be split into two readings, 30 minutes each.
Available from www.plays-r-ussell.com in original play format AND as Reader’s Theater.
Other Subjects for KS I and II
See HISTORY/GEOGRAPHY/SCIENCE/RE/PE – Guided Reading Scripts – found on www.plays-r-ussell.com
Guided Reading Play Scripts (sets of 5 ‘plays’, 6 speakers each, plus quizzes)
GEOGRAPHY
- Our Planet – different habitats and man’s impact on the environment
- David’s Day script – on Wales
- George’s Day scripts – on England (available as single script plus ode, and as a set of five)
- Patrick’s Day script – on Ireland
HISTORY (to see ‘breakdown’ of 5 parts, scroll down to the end)
- Unit 6A Meet The Romans
- Unit 6B Meet the Anglo-Saxons
- Unit 6C Meet the Vikings
- Unit 7 Meet Henry VIII and his Wives
- Unit 8 Meet the Tudors: Rich & Poor
- Unit 9: World War II
- Unit 10: Meet the Ancient Egyptians
- Unit 11: Meet the Victorians
- Unit 13: Changes since 1948 (World Events in 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, & 90s)
- Unit 14 & 15: Meet The Ancient Greeks
- Unit 19: Meet the Tudor Explorers
- Unit 20: Famous People of the 20th Century
plus
- Amazing Women
- American Civil War
- American War of Independence
- Ancient China
- Ancient Greek Myths
- Black History
- Gandhi
- History of the Olympics
- Martin Luther King
- Meet the Presidents
- Myths & Legends of Ancient Civilizations
- Nelson Mandela
LITERATURE
- Ancient Greek Myths
- Myths and Legends of Ancient Civilisations
- Shakespeare Plays (8 mini condensed versions)
- Set of 4 alternative Shakespeare scripts – Hamlet, Macbeth,
- Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo & Juliet (incl. detailed synopses and lesson plans)
- Alternative Hamlet script plus lesson plan
- Alternative Macbeth script plus lesson plan
- Alternative Midsummer Night’s Dream script plus lesson plan
- Alternative Romeo & Juliet script plus lesson plan
- Midsummer Nightmare – cast of 10
PSHE - Amazing Women
- Gandhi
- Lennon
- Mandela
- Martin Luther King
- P.R.I.D.E. (Positive attitude, Respect, Intelligent Choices, Dreams, and Effort/Education) What it Takes to be a Winner: separate scripts on basketball, world cup football and winter Olympics
- R.E. (RELIGIOUS EDUCATION)
Single Scripts
- Different Religions of the World
- Martin Luther King
- David’s Day
- George’s Day -also available as set of 5 plays
- Patrick’s Day
SCIENCE
- Our Planet – different habitats and man’s impact on the environment
- The Planets – voyage through our solar system
SPORT
- History of the Olympics – Summer and Winter (separate sets)
- PR.I.D.E. – What it Takes to be a Winner: separate scripts on basketball, world cup football and winter Olympics
CALENDAR DATES
- David’s Day Play
- George’s Day Guided Reading Script plus Ode
- George’s Day Set of 5 Guided Reading Scripts
- Patrick’s Day Play