Using Readers' Theatre Texts to Improve Comprehension

The following article is comprised of a number of extracts from PETAA Paper 171, Readers' Theatre texts to improve fluency and comprehension by Margery Hertzberg

What is Readers' Theatre?

Readers’ Theatre is the oral reading of a narrative or poem. Usually the prose is adapted to make it suitable for performing as an oral reading. Texts with a lot of dialogue are best, and as far as possible, the original text is used in Readers’ Theatre. For example, indirect speech might be altered to direct speech, but the original meaning and the vocabulary used by the author is retained. At times the narrated text might be split and allocated to different readers. The scripts are written so that the characters in the role of narrator are allotted to different readers. In many cases the script includes one or more narrators. While Readers’ Theatre can be rehearsed and refined to include stage sets and costumes, when used as an activity within a reading program, the focus remains strongly on how the text is to be read. Therefore, there is usually an absence of stage sets and costumes. Performers remain ‘on stage’ for the duration of the reading and they read the script rather than memorise lines. In addition, there is minimal stage movement by performers, and they face the audience as they read the story.

Readers’ Theatre is sometimes described as ‘theatre of the mind’, because with its semblance to a group story telling, the audience visualises the story by interpreting the readers’ use of voice, facial expression and body gesture to convey meaning. It is sometimes also called ‘Interpreters’ Theatre’ because the participants interpret the story through their presentation — both spoken and gestural. Similarly, the audience interprets the meaning as they watch and listen. Hence, Readers’ Theatre is a valuable classroom strategy for enhancing talking, listening and reading skills.

Readers' Theatre and Critical Literacy

When involved in Readers’ Theatre, students are actively engaged in analysing a text, but they do so from within it. That is, by taking on the roles of the characters and enacting the author’s choice of language students become text participants. As well, students gain an insight into the author’s possible intention and positioning of them as the reader or text analyst. This can be a very powerful outcome. In one Year 5 class, for instance (Hertzberg et al, 2006), several groups of children were preparing a Readers’ Theatre for I am Jack. The children debated the tone of voice the mother should use. Was she cross with Jack or was she just trying to appeal to him to be patient? There were varying opinions within the groups and all were correct and well justified. It therefore led to different interpretations by the various groups and these variations were viewed and then discussed and debated (text analyst).

Suggested Lesson Sequence for Readers' Theatre

Note: the below is based on a teacher-written script, adapted from a book the students are familiar with.

  • Ensure students are already familiar with the book and it has been used in prior shared reading.
  • The teacher-prepared script is displayed on an overhead projector (OP), or interactive whiteboard (IWB).
  • The teacher reads (models) the entire script as students follow.
  • Students are then split into several mixed-ability groups of X (X being the number of roles available in your script).
  • The Readers' Theatre instructions (see below) are displayed on the OP/IWB after first being explained to the whole class. The groups can then refer to these instructions as they rehearse.

Readers' Theatre Instructions:

  1. Decide on your roles and highlight your part.
  2. Practice reading the script together.
  3. In the following practices, think about the following aspects and as a group decide on:

Verbal expression: How will you speak your part?

  • tone (e.g. happy/sad)
  • volume (e.g. loudly/softly)
  • pace (e.g. quickly/slowly)

Body language: What sort of expressions will you have? What sort of gestures?

  • facial expressions
  • hand and other body gestures

Position: What position will you take when you read your part? (In Readers' Theatre you do not move very much)

  • where will you stand or sit?
  • will you alter your position at times?

Sound effects: Do you need sound effects? If so, which?

  • do you want to use some instruments for sound effects?
  • do you want to use body percussion?