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 Winter Lights 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!
CHOOSE 2-3 poems you want to bring to life. Can you connect these poems to create a story or should they stand alone as separate scenes?
WHAT kind of setting will you need? (Are you in a wintry forest, on a town street, in a home?) How will you recreate that setting in your space?
2. Next, think about the BODY and the movement /music for the journey:
In the poems you chose, are there lines or words that suggest movement or motion? If not, are there movements that could be incorporated to express the mood of the poem?
Is there a traditional song from one of the holidays mentioned that you could learn or play in the background?
Try memorizing the poems and recite them as part of your performance. You could have the whole group recite it together or assign lines to individual children.
3. Use your IMAGINATION, creating/collecting some props/costumes from around the house/classroom. Go back to your plan, the middle of your journey:
Light is a key theme of this book; how can you include light in your journey? What light sources can be brought in or created? (strands of lights, lanterns, battery powered candles, etc.)
Are there any clothing items you may need to bring to life your poem? (jacket, hat, gloves, scarf?)
Using a paper roll and some markers, as a group, can you create a wintry backdrop for your performance?
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!
