Reader's Theatre

What is Reader's Theatre?

Reader's theater is minimal theater in support of literature and reading.There are many styles of reader's theater, but nearly all share these traits:

• No full memorization. Scripts are held during performance.
  
• No full costume. If used at all, costumes are partial and suggestive, or neutral and uniform.
  
• No full stage sets. If used at all, sets are simple and suggestive. Narration provides the framework for dramatic action. Reader's theater was developed as a convenient and effective means to present literary works in dramatic form. This is still its primary use, though many scripts now published are original dramatic works rather than literary adaptations.

Originally popular on college campuses, reader's theater has now moved to the lower grades, where it is seen as a key tool for creating interest in reading. Kids love to do it, and they give it their all -- more so because it's a team effort, and they don't want to let down their friends! And if the script is based on an available book, they of course want to read it. What's more, reader's theater is a simple activity for the teacher, since it requires no setup apart from the reproduction of scripts.

Reader's theater has been found effective not only for language arts but for social studies as well. Performing multicultural literature is one of the best ways for students to become interested in and familiar with other cultures.

As to how to spell it, there's no one right way, so take your pick! All the following have been used:

• reader's theater
  
• readers' theater
  
• readers theater
  
• reader's theatre
  
• readers' theatre
  
• readers theatre

That's why it's sometimes easier to call it RT!

By Stephen Kohner (Source: Aaron Shepard's RT web site)
Teacher at Baie Comeau High School and RECIT animator for Eastern Shores School Board