Readers Theater

Reader’s Theater-For all ages – with scripts:

Are categorised as follows:

LiteratureLiteratureLiterature
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

  1. 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