Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
by Laura Amy Schlitz
from Candlewick Press
Step back to an English village in 1255, where life plays out in dramatic vignettes illuminating twenty-two unforgettable characters.
Maidens, monks, and millers’ sons — in these pages, readers will meet them all. There’s Hugo, the lord’s nephew, forced to prove his manhood by hunting a wild boar; sharp-tongued Nelly, who supports her family by selling live eels; and the peasant’s daughter, Mogg, who gets a clever lesson in how to save a cow from a greedy landlord. There’s also mud-slinging Barbary (and her noble victim); Jack, the compassionate half-wit; Alice, the singing shepherdess; and many more. With a deep appreciation for the period and a grand affection for both characters and audience, Laura Amy Schlitz creates twenty-two riveting portraits and linguistic gems equally suited to silent reading or performance. Illustrated with pen-and-ink drawings by Robert Byrd — inspired by the Munich-Nuremberg manuscript, an illuminated poem from thirteenth-century Germany — this witty, historically accurate, and utterly human collection forms an exquisite bridge to the people and places of medieval England.
How Does the Show Go On: An Introduction to the Theater
by Thomas Schumacher
from Disney Editions
On Stage: Theater Games and Activities for Kids
by Lisa Bany-Winters
from Chicago Review Press
101 Drama Games for Children: Fun and Learning with Acting and Make-Believe (SmartFun Activity Books)
by Paul Rooyackers
from Hunter House
Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher's Handbook
by Viola Spolin
from Northwestern University Press
At Play: Teaching Teenagers Theater
by Elizabeth Swados
from Faber & Faber
Drawing on her own experience teaching inner-city children in the groundbreaking musical Runaways and in teaching the techniques of improv theater in schools around the country, as well as on her own background in experimental theater, Swados provides a step-by-step guide to bringing out the natural creativity and enthusiasm key to young people creating—and enjoying—improvisational theater. Covering the basics—from freeing the imagination to learning about how to work with an ensemble, from how to master different forms of movement and sound to how to create different kinds of characters—this is the book for teachers and students eager to learn how to express fully the creative talent that all children are born with.
Acting for Young Actors: The Ultimate Teen Guide
by Mary Lou Belli
from Back Stage Books
• Written by an Emmy Award-winning director and longtime teacher and actor • Information on unions, recommended classes, a glossary of terminology, television network contact information, bibliography, recommended plays and online resources are included • Aimed at teens age 12-18 and written in a fully accessible style and printed in a handy format
Do you know a teen that's been bitten by the acting bug? Here's just the book they need! Acting for Young Actors, aimed at teens and tweens, lets kids hone their skills and develop their craft. It begins with the five W's: WHO am I? WHAT do I want? WHY do I want it? WHERE am I? WHEN does this event take place? Sounds basic—but many young child actors are told simply to "get up there and act." This book explores each of these questions, using helpful exercises to allow young actors to work through problems of character identity and motivation. With comprehensive chapters on auditioning, rehearsal, and improvisation, plus a primer on how young actors can break into film, theater, and television, Acting for Young Actors is every kid's ticket to the big time.
Julius Caesar (Shakespeare Made Easy)
by William Shakespeare
from Barron's Educational Series
Here are the books that help teach Shakespeare plays without the teacher constantly needing to explain and define Elizabethan terms, slang, and other ways of expression that are different from our own. Each play is presented with Shakespeare's original lines on each left-hand page, and a modern, easy-to-understand "translation" on the facing right-hand page. All dramas are complete, with every original Shakespearian line, and a full-length modern rendition of the text.
Theatre Games for Young Performers: Improvisations and Exercises for Developing Acting Skills (Contemporary Drama)
by Maria C. Novelly
from Meriwether Publishing
Written especially for those who coach adolescent actors, this delightfully fresh workbook tells you the how, when, what and why of theatre games for young performers. Anyone working with young actors in schools or recreational centers will find this book exceptionally helpful. The basics of pantomime, improvisations, voice control, monologs and dialogs are all presented in game formats with exercises and worksheets for easy organization.
Magnificent Monologues for Kids (Hollywood 101)
by Chambers Stevens
from Sandcastle Publishing
Magnificent Monologues for Kids provides 5-12 year-olds with performable age-appropriate comedic and dramatic monologues, all 100% kid tested. Chambers Stevens, Los Angeles' #1 kids acting coach, introduces young actors to the joys and how-to's of performing monologues in preparation of auditions. More than 50 kid-friendly monologues are incorporated. Each monologue is named and subtitled for quick content perusal. A glossary of up-to-date industry terms, index and bibliography of magnificent performances by child actors in film are also included as a study and motivation aid. In the foreword, Steven Woolf, renowned repertory theater director, discusses the role of monologues in the development of today's actor. Monologues in the book are easy to read, easy to understand, require a minimum of props and work in impromptu settings. Perfect for teachers of theater arts, parents, counselors, troop leaders interested in increasing the self-confidence and self esteem of young people through the performance arts. Great for classroom, variety talent shows, parties, competitions, and ultimately, auditions.
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