Acting out in your library.
1.
Adapting from existing scripts vs. Scripting
your own. There are many books and websites with RT scripts
available ready made. Scripting your own is more work but also gives you
more freedom. Either way you will need to adapt material for your needs.
2.
What types of books are popular with your
children? Current favorites are emotional outlets. If no scripts are
available, they may take time to adapt but the result is worth .
3.
What tried and true books are still beloved
to their audiences. Favorites remain favorites for a reason.
Would your kids like to be Strega Nona? Max of the Wild Things?
Even fairy tales make great scripts.
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What stands out?
When adapting a script find key phrases and snippets of dialogue that stand
out. Don’t feel like you have to fit every piece of prose. You want the flow
between players to move quickly. Look for the strong characters in the story
and the strong “lines”.
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Party of One
In some cases there is one strong character in the story (Greg: “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”, The
Wolf: “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs”.) It may work best to look at this as a multi
person monologue. Have each “part” be the main character and the players switch off
telling their story. The results are usually fun and often read like a stand up comedy act!
These are also useful if you need a good script to finish off the class because drawing
roles are not necessary.

Avoid too many “cooks in the kitchen.”
Too many children at once can cause chaos. You want to make sure your
scripts are divided into a manageable number of players. You want to make
sure your players have an audience.

There are no “small parts” (really.)
Not everyone gets to be “the star” but everyone wants to feel important. Make
sure you divide lines up accordingly. If a “narrator role” is necessary write
them frequent interjections between other player’s lines. Reader’s theater is
as much about collaboration as it is about self esteem!
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So, no more than 5 parts per script.
When creating a script it is preferable to keep the number of players to 5. This
avoids , “too many cooks in the kitchen” and gives a chance for an
adequate number of lines for each child participating. You can go less than
5 if you like, but I do not recommend more unless you are ready to do crowd
control.
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SIGN UP RATIOS:
Consider the rule of 5. You have 5 players up but how big is their audience? In
order for RT to work you need an audience watching and waiting as much as
you need your “players” on stage. Pick a number divisible by 5, that way if
everyone who signs up comes you can give everyone equal stage/audience
time. It may be preferable to overbook just in case of no-shows. Fifteen,
twenty or twenty five are all manageable numbers we have worked with.
Though, I would hesitate to go over that.

TEAMS OR NO TEAMS:
Some librarians may prefer to break children up into teams in order to call them
up when it is their time to read. This works best if the full number of children
attend, however it is not always necessary depending on the size of your
group. You will probably find that children in the audience will always be
eager to get up and fill in if a team falls short of players.
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EMOTE:
To Give Expression or Emotion in or as if in a play.
I recommend defining this and giving an example before beginning with any
group. The definition can be tweaked to how you feel it would be best
understood.

SPEAK UP: Speak up so your audience can hear you!
Encourage them to speak towards the back of the room. This is not a quiet
program.

LISTEN:
Pay attention to your friends who are performing.
Remind them that they wouldn’t like it if children talk through their scripts.

CLAP:
Clap when a group is done. Its not always easy up
there!
Establish respect by having the audience clap when a group is finished. It is as
important to listen as it is to act out.
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Diplomacy!

Disappointment?

The quickest and most neutral way to assign parts is to
place slips in a hat and have the children pick blindly. Everyone has the same
chance. You may be surprised to see which part is most popular.
If you feel comfortable you may want to give
your group 30 seconds to trade parts. If no one seems too upset let it go. It is
better for someone to be momentarily upset by what they picked than to feel
as if the issue is being harped on.
Guys as Girls and Girls as Guys!
You will have cases
where a boy will pick a female part and vice versa. Unless they really
complain don’t push the gender issue. It is play acting! I have had MANY
boys enjoy using a funny voice for a female role and the same for a girl in a
male role. Of course if it really makes someone upset use your discretion.

Encourage Laughter!

Embrace Lack of Structure.
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Enthusiasm!
If your cast members get the giggles its
okay! If the audience is laughing everyone is doing something right. They are
having fun!
Though it may be hard for
some of us, these programs often develop a flow (or lack their of ) on their
own. If it is working, embrace it. Allow as much leeway as possible to
continue the program efficiently. After a session or two you will know when it
is time to use the reigns.
Make sure your players know you are enjoying their
interpretations as much as they are. This is one program where is more than
alright to be silly.