People who do not know theatre may think the only creative artist in the field is the playwright--with actors, directors, and designers mere "interpreters" of the dramatist's vision. Historically, however, creative mastery and power have passed through different hands. Sometimes, the playwright did the staging. In other periods, leading…

This original account is based on the author's experiences with incarcerated girls participating in "Girl Time", a program created by a theatre company that conducts playwriting and performance workshops in youth detention centers. In addition to examining the lives of these and other formerly incarcerated girls, "Girl Time" shares the stories of…

This collection presents techniques for tapping a broad range of literary sources to inspire young writers. Drawing upon poetry, folk tales, story jokes, and more, Literary Ideas walks students in grades 3-8 through the process of creating new stories and developing them as scripts for choral readings, readers theatre, and classroom plays. The…

The contents of this book represent one critic's views on some qualities and questions in the theater between 1964 and 1975 and include relevant biographical (e.g., the career of Joseph Papp) and historical articles. The five parts of the book deal with theaters--American and foreign; productions--revivals and new plays; notes on music; stages of…

Based on the idea that the focus of theater is human beings and thus that theater can be related to experiences already familiar to students, this book aims to provide both instructors and students with informative, incisive, and pleasurable knowledge about the theater. The book is divided into 6 parts and subdivided into chapters within each…

Organized along broadly historical lines, this comprehensive collection of outstanding plays includes 41 works from the classical Greek period to the contemporary. As an introduction to the theater, the collection is unmatched for its theatrical variety and cultural diversity. It provides: (1) a general introduction on reading and witnessing a…

In a celebration of the expansiveness and inclusiveness of farce, this book describes the art form rather than defines it. Part 1 illustrates the nature of farce and its relationship to tragedy, comedy, and melodrama. Part 2 is a cumulative biography of farce, beginning with Greek and Roman writers and continuing through Shakespeare, Moliere, and…

Intended for teachers who have no particular experience or training in teaching theater, but who have a love of theater and enjoy a good play, this book discusses making theater with children. It explores improvisation, reading and acting with scripts, adapting plays for young actors, and writing plays. The examples presented in the text are…

Intended for classroom teachers, parents, theater people, and the general public, this book is an account of teaching a fifth grade class to write, direct, and perform their own plays as staged readings, videotapes, radio plays, and full stage productions. It can be read as a story or it can be used as a step-by-step guide for teachers. Each…

This collection of new plays for young actors comes from the repertoire of the Young Conservatory, a professional theater training program for young people ages 8 to 18 at the American Conservatory Theater. Each of the five plays in the collection was developed in this way: an outstanding professional playwright is invited to create a new play…

With the current education climate so focused on accountability, teachers need to ensure that their teaching practices are supported by today's content-specific standards. To meet this need, "A Comprehensive Guide to Readers Theatre" shows not only how to implement Readers Theatre in the classroom but also how to use it to meet current literacy…

Intended as an accessible resource for students researching the Greek dramatist Sophocles (born 496 B.C.), this collection of essays contains an in-depth biography of the playwright and writings from a wide variety of sources. The essays are edited to accommodate the reading and comprehension levels of young adults; each essay is introduced by a…

Chosen for their literary quality and because they reflect the historical periods in which they were written, the 23 one-act dramas in this anthology represent the work of American female playwrights. The plays range from the realistic dramas produced in the "Little Theatres" of New York City at the turn of the century to current off-Broadway…

This book begins by pointing out that although much has been written on how the drama elements of the English curriculum might be taught in schools, not much guidance is available for teachers who regard drama not as an adjunct of English but as an arts subject in its own right. The book (a collection of articles by drama experts) shows how the…

Written by English teachers considered successful in directing collaborative learning, this collection of essays focuses on the effective use of collaborative learning in the English language arts classroom. The essays and their authors are, as follows: (1) "None of Us Is as Smart as All of Us" (Dana Herreman); (2) "Collaborative…