Treasure+Island+Reader's+Theater

Within your group, your task will be to identify **__a scene__** from the novel, **//Treasure Island//**, and bring it to life as a reader’s theater performance that will be presented on Friday, March 4th in front of the class. I will also be video taping these performances to share with other classes.  The scene you chose is up to you, but pick something fun. And make sure that you can create a performance with a fairly clear beginning and end. Don’t start your scene in the middle of the action taking place in the scene, but choose something with some sense of a beginning and ending. ** Writing the Script. **  At all times, remember that this is your creation. You are basing your performance on the events of the book. But--you know how, when you’re watching a movie, often the scenes don’t match up perfectly with the book? This can happen here as well. So have fun with it! Just understand that you can’t completely ignore the main theme, plot, and characters here. I’m just saying that you **do** have some freedom to “extend the text.” When writing, keep in mind these important things: · Everybody must have a part · You are probably going to need a narrator to let the audience know what it going on. Don’t assume everyone has read the story. Pretend we haven’t. · You may need to have one person in your group play multiple parts. That’s fine. Work together to decide who will do what. · Once you decide on a scene, and you decide on the characters of that scene, **it is the responsibility of each character to** **__ write your own lines __****. **** It is not up to 1 person to write this script. Each person is responsible for writing //__your own lines__//. **  · It is the responsibility of the entire group to work together, collaborate, and negotiate how these lines will fit together to make the performance work. ** Staging the Play ** Once you have the script written, think about the expressions and movements your characters might make. For example, think about how people look and move when they are mad, happy, angry, or nervous. Create a "voice" for your character(s). Ham it up and play creatively with the script to increase the entertainment value of the performance. You can use portions of the classroom or the entire classroom as a stage. The floor, tables, and desks can all be used. Just make sure that you are careful and safe. Use these simple tips to keep the performance smooth and entertaining. ** Extras: Costumes and Props ** The face and head command the most attention, so a hat, mask, or makeup can work as an entire costume. You will have your scripts in hand while performing. So keep this in mind when choosing props; objects that require two hands may not be practical. Also, feel free to use your imagination to transform everyday objects into props. A pen or marker could be a knife, for example. ** Rubric ** A rubric for this project is in the works, but I can tell you now that much of it will be based on both the bullet points and the bold comments in these instructions.
 * Treasure Island Reader’s Theater Project **
 * When reading, be sure you are positioned within view of all members of the audience. It is important that the audience can hear lines and see movements and expressions. If you choose to place all the readers in front of the audience at once, it is helpful to have them stand in a semicircle so that each reader can be seen by all the other readers and by the audience.
 * Don't allow one reader to block the audience's view of another reader.
 * Remember, **you should be looking at, talking to, and reacting to the other readers/characters.** However, the narrator may face and speak to the audience.
 * As an alternative to having all the readers stand together in the performance area, you may want to direct the performance by having readers enter and exit off to the side before and after delivering their lines.