Theatre as Literature

From the early works of Sophocles to the modern plays of Tom Stoppard, we have taught theatre as literature. But as any student of Shakespeare knows, reading a play is not the same as hearing or seeing the play. The spoken word transforms theatrical writing, giving it an immediacy that the printed page lacks.

History of Theatre

Long before the printing press, before the written word, humans had "ritual theatre." By acting out the stories gods people were able to pass their traditions from one generation to the next. Almost every culture has a theatrical tradition based on such rituals. A literature class could examine the various theatrical traditions of regions and cultures.

Cultural Differences

Too often we assume the Western theatrical tradition is the only one we need to explore in our classrooms. Students can explore the different traditions, such as Chinese Opera and African Dramatic Dance. Not every culture tells stories in a linear manner, for example. How did these traditions evolve? Why have these narrative techniques not entered the Western tradition?

Introducing Readers' Theatre

Readers' Theatre is a popular way to explore reading with elementary students. Research suggests that readers' theatre is age and ability appropriate for second grade (age 8). By the second grade, the stories we adapt to readers' theatre are familiar to most of our students. Because familiarity with the story is important, it helps to read various versions of the story in class so all students have equal access to the cultural cues and norms within the story. In classes with immigrant students we cannot assume universal familiarity with Western fairy tales, for example.

We use familiar stories in readers' theatre so the students are more comfortable with the texts. Studies show that reading skills and vocabulary increase measurably when students engage in readers' theatre throughout an 11-week semester. It is likely that that using readers' theatre for even longer, or transitioning to another activity that is equally engaging, will continue to build vocabulary and reading skills. (Read about the research on the podTheatre on our background wiki page.) 

Students should be encouraged to bring stories from their cultures to the attention of the teacher.

10-Minute Plays

There are a great many one-act / ten-minute plays appropriate for the classroom. Most of these plays are "imagination theatre" — which means they are similar to readers' theatre or radio dramas. There is usually spoken narration in a ten-minute play, which helps the audience "see" the setting and any action.

After staging various ten-minute plays, students should be askecd to write their own plays. This leads naturally into lessons on dramatic form and writing.

Learning Dramatic Writing

Teaching dramatic writing can help students appreciate narrative structures. Because radio dramas and podTheatre are dialog-driven media, students learn a great deal about characterization, too. Scripts do not allow for expansive descriptions of scenery or long blocks of exposition. Stories must advance quickly, driven by character actions and statements.

Our students are part of a media-saturated generation. They appreciate the fast-paced nature of scripts.