Lesson 4 - Experience
Reader’s Theatre
The Grown-Up Scoop
Books Alive! Student Entertainment (BASE) Reader’s Theatre is designed to engage participants in social emotional learning and apply lessons taught through reading and stories.
Creating Your Production
Together create your own version of Max Found Two Sticks in its entirety or part. To help you through this process, follow these five steps:
1. Think about a journey you will take. Use VOICE/WORDS, to describe a plan, divided into three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end. Just a sentence or two will do!
What parts of Max’s journey will you highlight? (finding the sticks, interactions with his dad or mom, watching the marching band, etc.?)
2. Next, think about the BODY and the movement /music for the journey:
Just as Max is making up a beat as he goes, can your students improvise a short beat during the performance?
How could your students use the tambourines they made during the play? (supply background noise?, all play when the marching band walks by?)
3. Use your IMAGINATION, creating/collecting some props/costumes from around the house/classroom. Go back to your plan, the middle of your journey:
What props can you create using materials found around the house/classroom? (plastic containers as buckets or hatboxes, cut up scrap paper as rain, etc.) Take a trip outside to find your own pair of sticks to play with!
4. Now FOCUS:
How are the child(ren) feeling about this endeavor? Why? Are they able to verbalize their favorite thing about this process? What feels easy? Are there problems?
5. PRACTICE: run through your production in full costumes and using all your props.
COOPERATION for your own dress rehearsals: Not all children may want to perform, solo or in a group. All members of a family, classroom, or community can contribute to a performance. Cooperating comes in many forms: gathering props; drawing artwork for scenery, invitations, programs; creating outfits; singing/dancing; providing background sounds; adjusting lighting; distributing flyers; and LISTENING!
Perform!
You’ve created your play, now it’s time to perform it! When your group feels ready, invite an audience. Your audience could be family members, friends, other students/classes, or community members!
