Acting Out

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Like all great plays, the show on this cold January night had it all. Conflict. Emotion. Humor.

This show featured Erika, Eva, Jia Jia, Yu Wei, Kamyia, Clara, Khawana, and Samuel, adapting scenes from some of their favorite books to perform at library branches and literary events like book fairs around the city. Today’s show featured selections from The Breakup Bible by Melissa Kantor, Luna by Julie Anne Peters, Going Nowhere Faster by Sean Beaudoin, Ask Me No Questions by Marina Tamar Budhos, and Hallway Diaries by Felicia Pride, Debbie M. Rigaud, and Karen Valentin.

But instead of taking place on a Broadway stage, it happened at Chicago Public Library’s Albany Park Branch. And the performers are all teens, part of the Library’s Teen Volume Reader’s Theater Project, whose members chose the theme of “Celebrating Individuality,” and then selected the pieces they wanted to perform to fit that theme.

Reader’s theater isn’t exactly a play—there are no sets or props or costumes. But it is a unique theatrical experience in its own right. “They use their voices and faces and expressions to bring characters to life,” explains Robin Willard, Young Adult Specialist at the Library and the troupe’s advisor.

There’s also a bit of action. During the “A Baldwin Kind of Morning” scene from Going Nowhere Faster, Samuel and Eva act out a boxing lesson. And in two scenes from Luna, Khawana and Jia Jia deftly spin around to portray the two sides of the main character.

And the audience, which filled almost all the seats in the room, loved it. “That was awesome!” cried out one audience member over the applause as one of the scenes ended. And many of the audience members checked out some of the featured books.

Awesome Takes Practice

Of course, any great show takes preparation. The troupe starts by selecting scenes they want to perform. They look for scenes that are interesting, have the right amount of dialog, and don’t spoil the book in case the audience hasn’t read it yet. “We want a teaser, but we don’t want to give away too much,” Willard says.

After the troupe has written an adaptation, they ask the author for permission to perform the work. Willard says that there haven’t been any permission problems yet. “Some authors are so supportive that they’ve put links to us on their websites,” she says, adding that Chris Crutcher, author of books like Athletic Shorts and Deadline, even sent the group books and T-shirts.

After they have permission, the troupe rehearses. They rehearse once a month, with help from actors from the Promethean Theatre Ensemble. In addition to working on the specific scripts, the group also works on acting skills like voice and diction, monologues, public speaking, and improv.

“They’ve made excellent progress in their reading skills and in reading out loud,” enthused Nick Lake, education director for Promethean and one of the actors who works with the troupe. “They get into it after just a few rehearsals.”

Of course, the best reason to take part in reader’s theater is because it’s fun. Troupe members enjoy reading and acting, and reader’s theater is a perfect way to combine the two. “It’s a good way to interact with people outside of school,” says Jia Jia, since the troupe members come from all over the city and go to different schools.

Troupe members also sometimes get to meet authors, such as when they performed at the 2009 Banned Books Read-Out. Many authors appeared there, and “Lauren Myracle was really nice,” notes Erika.

Many public and school libraries have started reader’s theater troupes. If you’re interested in reading and performing, and are willing to commit the time needed to participate, ask your librarian if your library has one and how to join. And if there isn’t one yet, librarians are often really receptive to programming ideas, so ask if you can help start one!

Resources
Directing
by Bethany Bezdecheck
Want to be in charge of the play, instead of on stage? Directing lays out the process of directing a musical, from play selection and auditions through rehearsals.

Operation Yes
by Sara Lewis Holmes
A novel about how a class of sixth-graders in a rundown school outside a military base learn improvisational theater—and use these skills to give back to all who are in or have loved ones in the armed forces.

Acting Out
This book contains six original one-act plays by six different Newbery Medal-winners, all on the theme of young people confronting adult authority.

Photo: Chicago Public Library’s Teen Volume Reader’s Theater Project, giving one of its monthly performances.