Drama
Showing 101–200 of 202 resultsSorted by latest
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2 Minute Monologs
$16.95Add to cartOriginal audition scenes for professional actors by Glenn Alterman. The search for professional audition length material never ends. Now, a new collection of character monologs from an established New York City playwright known for his uniquely original dramatic work. A winning stage audition depends on the material used as well as the actor’s talent. The wide variety of characterizations in this book offer many choices for male and female actors seeking challenging new roles. They range from gritty, real life drama to comedy. Over forty monologs for auditions, contests and acting practice.
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More Scenes That Happen
$18.95Add to cartReal-life snapshots of teenage lives by Mary Krell-Oishi. The drama of the teen years is played out in these thirty-four scenes and monologs for young actors.Written as teens speak and encompassing the myriad of emotions typical of the “growing up” years, the scenes cover real-life situations from teen experiences.The script lengths vary from two to twelve minutes. Themes include Bulimia, Gossip, Jealousy, Self-esteem, Friendship, Fitting In, Tests and Relationships – experiences to laugh and cry about. Scenes are included for boys, girls and mixed casts. Royalty-free performance with book purchase
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Scenes And Monologs From The Best New Plays
$19.95Add to cartAn anthology of new scenes from contemporary American plays edited by Roger Ellis. Forty-two selections from thirty-eight of the best new plays, culled from around the country, address the major trends and conflicts of today through revealing glimpses of society as we know it. Scenes are varied in tone and content, with humor, pathos, reflection, poignancy, angst, and other qualities for dramatic expression. Scenes are short for auditioning ease – no longer than ten minutes. A must for every auditioning actor, theatre student, or drama aficionado.
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Scenes That Happen
$18.95Add to cartSnapshot dramatizations about life in high school by Mary Krell-Oishi. Thirty-four real-life scenes for guys and girls and mixed casts of two to four actors. Suitable for classroom or stage performance. Excellent contest scripts because student actors portray themselves in the bearable and impossible situations of teenage existence. Themes include dating, popularity, growing up, graduation, suspension from school, and moving – experiences to laugh about and cry about. Scene lengths vary from four to seven minutes each. Royalty-free performance with book purchase
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On Stage
$20.95Add to cartTwenty-three one-act plays for performance by Robert Mauro. Most all of the plays in this book are easily adapted to classroom or stage performance. Suggestive props and simple costuming will provide the mood and setting. The emphasis is on contemporary characters in contemporary situations. Parts for actors of all ages from teens to middle age. Light drama, tragicomedy and satire. Small cast plays, monologs and duologs. A versatile source book of short plays for many uses.
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Doubletalk
$17.95Add to cartComedy duets for actors by Bill Majeski. Concise, incisive and very funny! These professional-level satirical dialogs are an actor’s delight. The characters are exaggerated, talking cartoons. Each short skit gets big laughs because the dialog bites, stabs and tickles with wit and insight. Simple staging and costumes. Excellent for drama competitions. Choose from fifty comedy duets. Arranged for two men, two women, one man and one woman. More of the best from a top comedy writer.
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Comedy Improvisation
$16.95Add to cart1. Basics Of Improvisation And Comedy
2. Improvisation In The Classroom
3. Simple Improv Structures
4. Character Improv Structures
5. Advanced Improv Structures
6. Advanced Acting Exercises
7. Forming A Comedy/Improv Show
8. Putting On An Improv Show
9. Protecting Yourself And Your WorkAdditional Info
Improv structures and exercises for young actors by Delton T. Horn. From the Renaissance commedia dell’arte to today’s Second City comedy troupe, improvisation has been a hit. Learn the structure behind the spontaneity of comedy improvisation. Over 35 performance-tested improv structures and performance tips in this book help even a beginner tackle this “off the cuff” humor with confidence. Learn the elements of successful improvisation: setting, characters, conflict and action, dialog and humor. Then have fun polishing your new skills in comedy clubs, coffee houses or acting classes. Instructions on loosening up, writing routines, coping with audiences and protecting original routines through contracts and copyrights are also included. -
Encore
$18.95Add to cartMore honest-to-life characterizations by Peg Kehret. So great were the reviews and the sales response to Winning Monologs for Young Actors, that we had to develop this sequel! It includes sixty-three more monologs written expressly for teenagers to use for classroom exercises, speech contests, play tryouts or as discussion starters on many educational themes. The book is divided into three sections: monologs for girls – for boys – for girls or boys. These are all “real talk” monologs portraying life’s funny situations and its pathos written as teens are thinking today.
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Audition Monologs For Student Actors
$16.95Add to cartEdited by Roger Ellis. The monologs in this text are highly original works not found in other published versions. All are from recently produced plays from both established and emerging new writers. The fifty-seven selections are specifically suited to auditioning. The monologs in this collection are for actors 15 to 30 years of age, suitable for competitive auditioning, class or studio work, or general reading. About two-thirds of the selections are for women, and about one-third are specifically for minority actors. These monologs address the major trends and conflicts of today.
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Get In The Act
$18.95Add to cartBy Shirley Ullom. These monologs, dialogs and short skits allow teenage performers a chance to laugh at the system, their teachers, their parents and most importantly, themselves! They create an awareness of the perils of drinking and driving, teenage parties, smoking, alcoholic parents and much more. Sixty superb, short scripts! For speech contests, acting exercises, auditions, variety shows and classroom use
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Acting And Stage Movement
$14.95Add to cartA complete handbook for amateurs and professionals by Edwin C. White. In one handy volume, a concise course in all phases of acting and stage movement. Speech control, interpretation of a character style – all the essentials of good acting are fully reviewed. Every phase of acting and motion is included: sitting, walking, standing, hand and arm coordination and opposition, the eyes, the head, body movement, exits and entrances, mechanics of emotional range and relaxation and tension. A fully illustrated book.
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Multicultural Theatre 2
$24.95Add to cartContemporary Hispanic, Asian, and African-American plays edited by Roger Ellis. Teachers nationwide have a great need for good, up-to-date writing on themes related to cultural diversity for literature classes, oral interpretation, and forensics. Roger Ellis’ original multicultural anthology of scenes and monologs has been in popular use for several years. Now, here’s a unique anthology of complete plays from new writers of the multicultural experience. These plays have been gleaned from over 100 playscripts on the basis of the opinions of producers, directors and audiences. Each of these plays contains a significant number of roles capable of being played by young actors. A valuable text for literary, forensics, or theatrical applications
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Playing Scenes From Classic Literature
$24.95Add to cartShort dramatizations from the best of world literature by Joellen Bland. The most fascinating characters from world literature step from behind the printed page into living portrayals for the stage or classroom. Key moments from the classics are seen and heard in dramatic form. Long John Silver, Sydney Carton, Jane Eyre, Huckleberry Finn, Elizabeth Bennett, Jean Valjean, Don Quixote, Jo March, Cyrano deBergerac, and Hester Prynne perform “live” in monologs and short scenes. Each scene in the book is preambled by a short description of the events preceding and surrounding the scene itself. The book’s many scenes may be used for acting classes, literature classes, rehearsal work, and auditions
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Multicultural Theatre 1
$20.95Add to cartScenes and monologs from new Hispanic, Asian and African-American plays edited by Roger Ellis.In our media-saturated society, multicultural writers have discovered the stage as their medium of choice. These scenes and monologs by new writers of the multicultural experience are certain to inspire actors and directors. Some playwrights included are: Akuyoe, Alvarez, Brody, Hazzard, Huie, C.W. Lewis, Mellencamp, Nord, Osborne, Shiomi, Svich, C. Smith and Karen Tei Yamashita. The scene selections offer unusually challenging characterizations for virtually any actor or acting student. All selections are for one or two actors. An excellent collection for expressing cultural diversity while offering an expanding range of new material.
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Theatre And You
$20.95Add to cartAn introductory text on all aspects of theatre by Marsh Cassady. The fascinating world of the theatre is explored in this comprehensive new text by a director/playwright/author of distinction.Fifteen chapters present a complete overview of acting, directing, playwriting, scenery, lighting, costumes, and the history of theatre. Abundant photos and illustrations are used to explain each of the key concepts.Included are several plays and scenes to allow students to “flesh out” characters and gain perspective of various types of dramatic works.Playwrights include Shakespeare, Ibsen, Wilde, and several well-known contemporary writers
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2 Character Plays For Student Actors
$18.95Add to cartA collection of fifteen one-act plays by Robert Mauro. Each of the plays in this book is a complete dramatic work balanced for a two-actor performance. Lengths vary from ten to thirty minutes. Many different types of roles from liberated women to bumbling detectives, from childhood sweethearts to homeless immigrants. Many styles: slapstick comedy, modern drama, satire, character study and tragedy. No royalties required. Especially good for classroom and workshop use. Scripts are excellent for secondary and university-level forensic competitions
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Theatre Games For Young Performers
$18.95Add to cartImprovisations and exercises for developing acting skills by Maria C. Novelly. 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.
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Complete Book Of Speech Communication
$19.95Add to cartA workbook of ideas and activities for students of speech and theatre by Carol Marrs. “Students learn best by doing” is the essence of this lively textbook of creative activities. Ten chapters suitable for a full year’s course in speech communication. Involvement is essential, but these learning experiences are such great fun that students will want to participate. Sample activities include rap, pantomime, charades, a game show, Readers Theatre, TV news, a mock trial, talk show improvisation, and dozens more, including a “grab bag” of extra activities. Assignment instructions and the sign-up sheet may be reproduced. Cartoon illustrations throughout.
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Directing For The Stage
$25.95Add to cartA workshop guide of creative exercises and projects by Terry John Converse. The forty-two exercises detailed in this comprehensive guide provide both the instructor and the student a “user-friendly” workshop structure. It may be used for both beginning and advanced courses of Directing for Theatre. The basic concepts of directing are learned progressively. The approach is totally experimental – the student discovers the demands and problems of directing by actually doing it step-by-step. The student’s own directing style emerges with each exercise. Creativity and confidence building are the central benefits of this excellent workshop text. It is the only text that combines theory with active student participation
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Theatre Audition Book
$20.95Add to cartPlaying monologs from contemporary, modern, period, Shakespeare and classical plays by Gerald Lee Ratliff. The most comprehensive book of monologs ever! With 127 audition pieces, this handbook has a monolog for almost any audition situation. It’s important that the actor be inventive and imaginative in performing a monolog. This book shows students how to investigate dramatic and theatrical elements. The first two chapters provide a blueprint for preparing auditions and selecting audition materials. Each monolog also includes a character analysis. The monologs selected for audition performance are conveniently grouped in historical period from classical to contemporary. All are representative of competitive material found at auditions. A valuable resource.
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Stage Lighting In The Boondocks (Revised)
$16.95Add to cartA stage lighting manual for simplified stagecraft systems by James Hull Miller. This leading authority in small theatre stagecraft shows and tells how professional-quality lighting can be achieved within the limitations of school auditoriums, community theatres and churches. Part I contains a short section on stage lighting in general, plus a number of lighting solutions for specific programs and locations. Part II contains more detailed information on dimmers, lamps, spotlight types, filters, connectors, control boards, homemade equipment and the like. This is a workshop book with many art illustrations.
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Art Of Storytelling
$19.95Add to cartCreative ideas for preparation and performance by Marsh Cassady. Nothing will ever replace the active pleasure of telling and listening to stories. Only a live storyteller can impart to a tale that very human touch that brings a gleam of understanding to the listener’s eye. The wonderful world of storytelling is revealed in this resource manual for beginners and seasoned performers. Many ideas for finding, writing, adapting, and presenting stories are included. Story examples and exercises are given throughout. Each chapter is concluded with discussion questions and activities. A comprehensive textbook for oral interpretation.
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Scenes From Shakespeare
$15.95Add to cartFifteen cuttings for the classroom edited by Michael Wilson. Now students are able to easily study a variety of Shakespeare’s works and come to a more complete understanding of the world’s most famous playwright. Only scenes with small casts are included. Each scene is preceded by character descriptions and plot synopsis so that actors will understand the setting and motivation of the characters.All scenes are between fifteen and twenty-five minutes in length.Ideal for classroom performance or for auditions and acting workshops. Features scenes from Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Othello, Julius Caesar, and Hamlet.
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Acting Natural
$18.95Add to cartA book of monologs, dialogs and playlets by Peg Kehret. Short-length scripts expressing the honest feelings of teenagers – their joys and their problems. Subjects include the environment, diets, baby-sitting, self-image, drunk driving, teenage sex, and more – all treated with humor, warmth and realism. Most roles may be played by either male or female performers. May be staged with no special sets, props or costumes. Ideal for speech and drama classrooms, variety shows and forensic competitions.
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Forensics
$19.95Add to cartThe winner’s guide to speech contests by Brent C. Oberg.Forensics, more commonly know as speech and debate, is one of the most rewarding and beneficial educational activities available to students. This textbook is designed to introduce students to individual forensic events, giving suggestions and guidelines for their preparation. The text describes each event and the experience of competing. Students are shown how to select and perform winning materials, and how to achieve success. Chapters describe the structure and strategies of original oratory, extemporaneous speaking, humorous, dramatic, poetic, and duet interpretation, as will as prose interpretation, impromptu and expository-speaking required by many national forensics contests.
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Improvisations In Creative Drama
$18.95Add to cartWorkshops and dramatic sketches for student actors by Betty Keller. Students will learn both improvisational and structured drama by using the sequential workshops and plays included in the lesson plans of this book. A two-part book with fourteen dramatic sketches that can be done in the classroom. The workshops cover the basics of sound and music, words and movement, and poetry and imagination. The sketches allow the students to apply the basics they have learned. Many students may participate simultaneously in the workshops and playlets. This book can be the basic text for any acting class.
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Improve With Improv
$15.95Add to cartA guide to improvisation and character development by Brie Jones. This book is a complete improv curriculum program divided into twenty class-length workshops. Each workshop contains carefully selected exercises designed to help students focus on one aspect of a character’s personality. Students learn how to create characters from their own imaginations through the use of solo and ensemble pantomime, physicalization, vocal techniques, props, and more. Gestures, facial expressions, voice and body language are studied in isolation. Many ensemble sketches are included. Also includes a class syllabus and guidelines, a character outline sheet to duplicate, character examples, and a recommended reading list.
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Scenebook For Actors
$19.95Add to cartA book of selected scenes from the world’s leading playwrights by Norman A. Bert. Somewhere in this book is one or several perfect monologs or dialogs for your audition. Short cuttings from some of the very best scenes in theatre yesterday and today. All selections are by leading international playwrights: Pinter, Goldsmith, Ionesco, Mamet and many more. Powerful moments. Some soft and quiet. Others strident and commanding. The choices are many. The book explains how to find the right audition monolog for your voice, your face, your style, your stage persona. Valuable tips on how to develop your audition monolog for performance and how to build a systematic file of scenes for your personal working repertoire.
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Acting Scenes And Monologs For Young Women
$18.95Add to cartNot just another book of scenes but a wide variety of topics by Maya Levy. Situations have been fine-tuned to recreate the day-to-day experiences of young women. This wonderfully diversified collection of monologs, dialogs, trios and quartets deals with subjects of self-discovery, survival in the real world, and daunting decisions both tragic and trivial. These sixty characterizations will make both performers and audience laugh, cry and know themselves better.
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Theatre Games And Beyond
$18.95Add to cartA creative approach for performers by Amiel Schotz. A teacher’s handbook of over 140 theatre games designed to stimulate creativity in students of all ages. The games progress from Orientation (“Face to Face” , “You and Me” ) and Trust (“Catch Me Falling” , “Lead the Blind” ) to more advanced games that develop the senses, coordination and spontaneity. A section on characters and stories builds improvisational acting skills. All of the essential elements are explored. Sample workshops provide a guide for using the games. Anyone working with young (or old) performers in schools, colleges or community theatre will find this book a valuable resource.
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Funny Business
$22.95Add to cartAn introduction to comedy with royalty-free plays and sketches by Marsh Cassady. For big laughs, comedy relies on exaggeration, incongruity, automatism, character inconsistency, surprise and derision. Now a book that defines and demonstrates each of these devices with twenty-two short sketches and one-act plays. This unique overview of high and low comedy defines all comedy genres: absurdism, tragicomedy, farce and melodrama. Following each sketch or play are notes reviewing what must be considered for acting the roles and preparing the total production. The book explains why references to events, places and people, both past and present are so important to each play or sketch. The reader will find many insights along the way about how to write and perform each comedy style successfully.
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Play Directing In The School
$19.95Add to cartA drama director’s survival guide by David Grote. Directing plays in schools requires knowledge and talents far different than directing for community or professional theatre. In ten comprehensive chapters the author explains the “real world” of producing effective theatricals in the school environment. He details the pitfalls and the problems while providing ideas for consistently successful shows. He covers budgeting, scheduling, faculty politics, motivating and disciplining students and many other school-life realities beyond a director or teacher’s job description. Anyone faced with producing a play needs this book as a “bible” for guidance and fulfillment of objectives. A drama director’s survival guide.
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50 Professional Scenes For Student Actors
$18.95Add to cartA collection of short two-person scenes by Garry Michael Kluger. More winning short scenes for auditions and competitions. This book is a sequel to Kluger’s Original Audition Scenes for Actors in popular demand for over ten years. It, too, is designed for professional actors seeking roles in TV shows, commercials and stage productions, but may be used by student performers who wish to work at a professional level. From this collection actors will find several scenes that can superbly showcase their unique acting styles. The book is divided into three categories of scenes: 1. Comedy, 2. Drama and 3. Monologs.Most scenes are generic, easily adaptable for use by male or female actors. Emphasis is on believable characterization, no cartoon types.
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Playing Contemporary Scenes
$26.95Add to cartThirty-one famous scenes and how to play them edited by Gerald Lee Ratliff. The best scenes from leading plays by the most famous contemporary playwrights. An exceptional collection that challenges actors of all ages and experience levels. The scenes offer a wide spectrum of performance styles for vocal and physical interpretation. Scenes are divided into several age groups. Each is preceded by performance hints and exercises. Also included are monologs for audition use. An excellent source book for teachers, students and professionals
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Everything About Theatre
$20.95Add to cartThe guidebook of theatre fundamentals by Robert L. Lee. It’s all here in one book – a complete overview of all aspects of theatre! The history, the crafts and the art of the stage are presented in eighteen easy-to-learn units. Theatre history in four parts gives the text an orderly structure. Between each part are bite-sized sections on acting, improvisation, makeup, lighting, props, costumes, and more. Each craft is described with exercises where appropriate. A comprehensive theatre arts reference book. Teacher’s Guide is B209
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Speechcraft
$19.95Add to cartAn introduction to public speaking by Brent C. Oberg. Many speech texts are either too theoretical or too bland for effective use in the typical classroom. This book provides students with enough theory and information to learn beginning speech, but emphasizes practical exercises and activities. Each unit supports one or two clear specific learning objectives with a number of different activities and assignments. The craft of public speaking is learned by doing it in a hands-on, workshop type of program. This text is the result of extensive research as well as practical experience. The techniques have been proven successful in the author’s own public speaking courses.
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Truth In Comedy
$18.95Add to cartBy Charna Halpern and Del Close. Foreword by Mike Myers. Edited by Kim “Howard” Johnson. The manual of improvisation. This manual introduced the concepts of the “Harold” — the innovative improvisational tool that helped Saturday Night Live’s Mike Myers, Chris Farley, George Wendt and many others on the road to TV and film stardom. The innovative concepts are described fully in this insightful book that has become the bible for wannabe improvisers. The “Harold” is a form imvolving six or seven players. It consists of many things: scenes, songs, games and monologs — the most important of which is the two-person scene beginning. A strong opening develops the point of view for “The Group Mind” to follow, often with three different storylines. It tells how to create a non-linear entertainment that remembers everything and wastes nothing — the key to successful improvising
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Acting Games
$18.95Add to cartA textbook of theatre games by Marsh Cassady. A four-section book of acting games and improvisations to assist students in developing their creative abilities. Section one includes games for relaxing and focusing. Section two helps students discover new ways of seeing themselves, others and the world around them. The third section demonstrates with improvisations how to use space to build scenes and create characters from imagination. Section four features acting games to analyze and play characters from existing plays. All of the essential elements of acting and character development are explored. A working textbook for acting students of all ages.
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1 Act Plays For Acting Students
$22.95Add to cartTwenty-three outstanding short length plays for a cast of one, two or three actors edited by Norman A. Bert. No cuttings. Each play is a complete dramatic work. No walk-ons. All balanced roles. About five minutes acting time for each character. Each playscript written by a nationally known playwright. Scripts are excellent for secondary and university level forensic competitions. Also included in the text are sections on rehearsal techniques and procedures. The anthology offers a variety of performance rights options including royalty-free classroom use. Recommended as an exceptional text for playwriting, acting and general theatre classes. Some of the playwrights included are: Tim Kelly, Megan Terry and Stephen Grecco.
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Small Stage Sets On Tour (Revised)
$19.95Add to cartWritten by the leading authority on portable stage sets, James Hull Miller. This book contains Miller’s fifty years experience in design, construction and application of portable stage sets. Dozens of actual sets and how to build them are included. Also examines various types of theatres and other playing spaces encountered in traveling productions. There are chapters on folding and clamped sets, stagecraft in schools and recital halls, and small theatre designs. An indispensable resource for stage crews and theatre students. Now in its second, revised edition
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Winning Monologs For Young Actors
$18.95Add to cartHonest-to-life characterizations to delight actors and audiences of all ages by Peg Kehret. For speech contests, acting exercises, auditions or audience entertainment in a stage review, these short monologs are to theatre what Art Buchwald is to journalism. Warm. Funny. And best of all – real! Sixty-five characterizations for girls, boys and both together.Any young person will relate to the topics of these scripts. And they will like them as performance material that is “scare-free.” The only book of “nontheatrical” monologs we know of.
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More One Act Plays For Acting Students (Reprinted)
$22.95Add to cartAn anthology of short one-act plays for one to three actors edited by Norman A. and Deb Bert. The success of One-Act Plays for Acting Students prompted this follow-up book of twenty-five contemporary short dramas by nationally known playwrights. Each play has a production time of ten to fifteen minutes, yet each script is a complete work – no cuttings. Twenty-three contemporary playwrights are represented, including William Borden, Julianne Bernstein and Bryan Harnetiaux. Also featured are sections on Securing Rights for Your Production and Rehearsing the Play, and a booklist of rehearsal helps.
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Sketch O Frenia
$19.95Add to cartWritten by Jon Dessler and Lawrence Phillis. Fifty short and witty satirical sketches. A rare collection of comedy sketches suitable for stage, television or film. Think: ants, fish and other unlikely creatures satirizing everything we consider normal and acceptable. Other spoofs in the collection parody many of the sacred icons of our everyday life. These super-funny sketches are short, incisive and certain to challenge any audience. Actors have the chance to perform as wildly different character types in off-the-wall situations. A supernova of fun for classroom actors or for a repertory group of performers.
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Complete Audition Book For Young Actors
$22.95Add to cartA comprehensive guide to winning by enhancing acting skills by Roger Ellis. This text is not a typical shake-and-bake manual of quickie tips on how to do a good audition. No other book puts auditioning in the context of acting training. The nuts and bolts are all here, but this book will do much more. It will develop audition and acting skills in a systematic way over time, throughout the actor’s study and career. This book is first and foremost an acting text. It shows auditioning as another kind of acting performance, not a technical exercise or desperate attempt to highlight every skill or talent the actor possesses. It is a step-by-step guide for training young actors to audition well by developing acting skills. Includes more than sixty relevant acting exercises or “explorations,” as well as fourteen sample audition pieces from contemporary playwrights and a wealth of other resource material. An all-encompasing audition text.
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Interpersonal Communication
$18.95Add to cartBy Brent C. Oberg. An introduction to human interaction. How we communicate with others is basic to our personal satisfaction, fulfillment, and success in life. Interpersonal communication is really the study of how we live every day. Unlike most theoretical communication texts that are impractical for the classroom, this book supplies an abundance of examples of how interpersonal communication affects our daily lives. Its relevance to self-knowledge, health, enjoyment, personal relationships, professional success and more are explained in this text. It begins with basic theory: levels of communication and the communication process with a graphic model demonstrated with examples, then moves into issues like communication apprehension. An excellent introductory communication textbook
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Millennium Monologs
$18.95Add to cartEdited by Gerald Lee Ratliff. 95 contemporary characterizations for young actors. Gerald Lee Ratliff has done it again! His latest book of monologs is a fresh collection of the new voices of the twenty-first century. Monologs are excerpted from: The Last Yankee by Arthur Miller, Women Behind Walls by Claire Braz-Valentine, Wasp by Steve Martin, Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deveare Smith, Happy Hour and Trophies by John Wooten, First Time by Ludmilla Bollow, Disturbed by Brad Boesen, and many more! Also includes chapters on scene study and audition techniques. An excellent theatre sourcebook for teachers, students, and professionals
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International Plays For Young Audiences
$29.95Add to cartEdited by Roger Ellis. Contemporary works from leading playwrights. Colleges, universities and high schools nationwide are seeking up-to-date writing on themes related to cultural diversity. Roger Ellis’ previous multicultural anthologies of plays, scenes and monologs have been in popular use for several years. This unique anthology of complete plays is directed specifically to young audiences fromnew writers of the multicultural experience. Many international cultures are represented including African-American, Native American, Central and South American, Caribbean, Pacific Island, Maori, Viking, Irish, Spanish, Gypsy, Canadian, Jewish, Muslim, Pakistani, East Indian and more.
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Lets Put On A Show
$19.95Add to cartBy Adrea Gibbs. A beginner’s theatre handbook for young actors. The “what”, “where”, “when”, and “how” of staging a show is included in this handy text. Each page is illustrated for quick and easy comprehension of theatre essentials. It covers scripting, casting, staging, sets and scenery, props, costumes and makeup. Also included are the basics of backstage and technical particulars
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New One Act Plays For Acting Students
$20.95Add to cartEdited by Deb and Norman A. Bert. A new anthology of 25 complete one-act plays for one to three actors. This latest volume in a series of short play anthologies compiled by Deb and Norman Bert provides roles for almost any mix of students in an acting class. The plays range in mood from serious and heavy to dark or satiric comedy to farce. The heart of the book includes 15 scripts for two actors. Also included are five monologs and five three-character plays. The playwrights are icons of the American avant garde, writers who have contributed much to regional theatre over recent years. An excellent resource for classrooms and festival competition use. Includes four sections: Scripts, Securing Rights for Production, Rehearsing the Play
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More Christmas On Stage
$28.95Add to cartSample Titles Include: Heavenly Committee Plans Christmas, The Nutcracker Story, Merry Christmas Plus Peace On Earth, The Story Of “Silent Night,” O Little Town Of Bennington, And The Child Was Born And More.
Additional Info
You’ll be amazed at the creative and varied ways our playwrights have dramatized the Christmas story. We’ve selected many of our best-selling plays for this book, from a traditional pageant for children to multicultural selections to laugh-out-loud comedies. There are dramas for many ages and situations, and they have all been audience-tested with resounding success. We’ve only included scripts that are user-friendly, with production suggestions describing how to stage the performances easily. Scripts feature a variety of cast sizes. The selections will carry you through from Advent through Epiphany. Best of all – the scripts are royalty-free! Anyone responsible for planning Christmas programs will appreciate this cost-effective and helpful resource. -
Grammar Wars 2
$18.95Add to cartBy Tom Ready. How to integrate improvisation and language arts. The original and very popular “Grammar Wars” text has been workshopped in classrooms throughout the U.S. Now a new text to answer questions about this unique and valuable technique for learning language and theatre arts. In addition to over 130 new games, the author explains productive and defensive behaviors that students exhibit in the performance of the exercises. By encouraging productive behavior, students learn performance skills as well as punctuation, grammar and parts of speech. An excellent supplement text.
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Mime Time
$17.95Add to cartA book of routines and performance tips by Happy Jack Feder. Forty-five complete mime routines for performers of all ages adaptable to audiences of different types. This book may be used as a class text or a library resource. In addition to the wide variety of routines are technique suggestions and ideas about makeup, props, staging, where and when to perform and teamwork! Routines for solo and ensemble presentation
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Introduction To Stage Lighting
$19.95Add to cartby Charles I. Swift. The fundamentals of stage lighting design. Everything you always wanted to now about theatrical stage lighting but were afraid to ask! All the basics are here in this comprehensive text for students of all ages. All of the latest lighting instruments and technical information are described in easy-to-understand and well-defined terms. The fundamentals of manipulating the key(source) light and shadow, intensity and balance, changing focus and mood and more are explained in detail with illustrations. The creative process of expressing emotion, pace and intent, as well as following cues, plots and schedules are also covered along with the production process of working with directors in rehearsal and performance. A valuable resource for anyone working with theatrical productions. Five parts: Tools and Terminology, Manipulating Light, The Lighting Process, The Creative Process, The Production Process.
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Directors Eye
$29.95Add to cartWritten by John Ahart. A comprehensive textbook for directors and actors. Can a theatre class textbook be both inspirational and informative? Yes! This holistic book on directing and acting does it all. Students will keep it as a lifelong career reference on how to make things work. Written subjectively, it’s based on nearly a half-century of teaching and directing. A text that compels involvement in all layers of creating memorable theatre. Thirty-five chapters in seven sections with assignments and convenient section summaries make a complete semester course. This text is far more than “how-to”, it’s a narrative about artistic discovery. Experientially it reveals how to jolt lagging imaginations into an ensemble of lively and invloved performers. Adaptable for use by student directors and actors from secondary to graduate level. Recommended by leading theatre educators as the text they’ve been waiting for. Sample chapters include: The Nature of Theatre, Finding Dramatic Action, Pinter Sketches, Rehearsal Rhythm, Memorization, Scenes from “Waiting for Godot”, Introduction to Style, Comedy Nuts and Bolts, Theatrical Space. John Ahart is Professor Emeritus of Theatre, University of Illinois. As Artistic Director of Illinois’ Theatre of Lincoln and the American Experience he was the subject of a PBS documentary and has received numerous citations
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Introduction To Readers Theatre
$19.95Add to cartBy Gerald Lee Ratliff. A complete textbook on all aspects of Readers Theatre for high school and college use. This contemporary text includes complete documentation of the earliest days of Readers Theatre and how it has developed into a modern art form for performing artists and lovers of literature in its many forms. It clarifies methods and techniques in adapting prose works of all types to a classroom stage. This current, more theatrical approach, utilizes much more than simply scripts and stools. It allows performers the convenience of Readers Theatre with theatrical staging as an added extra.
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Mel Whites Readers Theatre Anthology
$22.95Add to cartA collection of twenty-eight readings by Melvin R. White. A variety of stories from the pens of classical and contemporary writers, journalists and playwrights have been adapted for Readers Theatre performance in this new collection of scripts by a nationally-known authority on the subject. Sample titles include:The Taming of the Shrew, Sire de Maletroit’s Door, The Wind in the Willows and Where Have All the Flowers Gone? Included is a section defining Readers Theatre as a performance art.
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More Theatre Games For Young Performers
$20.95Add to cartby Suzi Zimmerman. Improvisations and exercises for developing acting skills. By popular demand, we offer a follow-up book of theatre games specifically for young acting students. Written especially for those who coach adolescent actors, this delightfully fresh updated workbook tells you the how, when, what and why of theatre games for young performers. Starter scenes allow first-time performers to ease onto the stage in baby steps. Spontaneity is encouraged along with etiquette and basic acting principles. The concepts of pantomime, improvisation, character development, voice and body control are all presented in game formats with exercises. Nine chapters include: Before You Begin, Preparing, Starter Scenes, Exercises, Games, Improvisation, Pantomime, Non-Acting Theatre Games and Activities, and Developing Your Program, plus an Activities Index. Anyone working with young actors will find this book exceptionally helpful.
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Teens Have Feelings Too
$16.95Add to cartBy Deborah Karczewski. 100 monologs for young performers. A collection of original monologs for young people from eleven to fifteen years of age. The book offers characters that talk like, think like and feel like real-life kids. Each monologs runs forom one to three minutes in length. The individual monologs are perfect for acting exercises or audition pieces. Mixed and matched, they may be combined to make a show filled with moments both humorous and profound. Any young person will relate to the topics of these monologs. The monologs are divided into four sections: Girls Humorous, Boy Humorous, Girls Serious, Boys Serious. Sample titles: Butterfly, Braces, Report Card, Ditz, Gross Habits, Romeo, Prejudice, Two-Faced, Myths, Panic, Con Artist, Too Short, Piercing.
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50 More Professional Scenes And Monologs For Student Actors
$18.95Add to cartby Garry Michael Kluger. A collection of short one- and two-person scenes. The success of “Fifty More Professional Scenes for Student Actors” prompted us to offer a new book of winning short scenes and monologs. Anyone who needs monologs and/or short two-person scenes for auditions and competitions will find this book to be a valuable resource. Designed for professional actors seeking roles in TV shows, commercial and stage productions, it may also be used by student performers who wish to work at a professional level. Actors have been using these same scenes to win roles at New York, L.A. and Chicago TV and film studios. Students in acting classes have been using them to advance their acting experience. This book is divided into two categories of scenes: Comedy and Drama. Most scenes are generic, easily adaptable for use by male or female actors. Emphasis is on believable characters, no cartoon types.
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Improvisation For Actors And Writers
$20.95Add to cartby Bill Lynn, forward by Kip King. A guidebook for improv lessons in comedy. Far more than simply an overview of improv comedy, this book helps actors, writers and comedians learn the basics as taught in all the major comedy schools. First, the do’s and don’ts of the Comedy Improv Commandments. Next, the concepts that, when understood, hit the student like falling anvils: Anvil #1: Collaboration – Working with the “Group Mind,” Anvil #2: Agreement – “Just Say Yes,” Anvil #3: Foundation – “Who, What, and Where,” Anvil #4 – “Finding the Game.” There are twenty-nine chapters in five sections: 1. Improv Comedy Schools, 2. Improv Comedy Basics, 3. Comic Character Development, 4. Long Form Improv and 5. Writing Sketch Comedy. Successful improv requires the skill of the actor, the talent of the comedian and the ideas of the writer rolled into one. This book tells how it can all be done for performers and teachers.
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50 Great Monologs For Student Actors
$14.95Add to cartA workbook of comedy characterizations for students by Bill Majeski. These are professional-level comedy monologs, but they can be easily performed by talented high-school actors.Most of all the characterizations can be effectively performed by either sex. The emphasis is on comedy and social satire. Nothing is sacred, yet all monologs are within the boundaries of good taste. In most instances, the monologist is making fun of his/her own dilemmas of everyday living. Good contest material. Excellent for classroom use. Each monolog is three to five minutes long
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Day Miss Grouchy Melted
$7.95Add to cartTrying to prepare a holiday children’s program is often a stressful affair for both the youngsters, who worry about memorizing their lines, and for their directors, who tear their hair out trying to make sure everyone attends rehearsals, not to mention coordinating props and costumes. Mel Ann Coley has devised a way to lower the stress for everyone involved while still providing a meaningful experience. Her solution is in the form of a story told by a narrator, with children “acting out” their parts. This frees children from memorizing lines, makes the program very adaptable (it’s easy to add or delete characters), and allows for many ages to participate. It’s perfect for churches looking for a fun, easy-to-do resource that requires a minimum of rehearsals and few props!
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Costuming Made Easy
$19.95Add to cart1. Materials
2. Theatrical Costumes
3. Christmas Costumes
4. Storybook Costumes
5. Quick And Easy CostumesAdditional Info
A book on how to make theatrical costumes from cast-off clothing by Barb Rogers. Make your own theatrical costumes for less than a day’s rental price and make them your way without conventional sewing using patterns. Included in this book are more than 110 ingenious costume designs with photos and diagrams. Included: Princess, Prince, Clown, Devil, Witch, Medieval Lady, Elves, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Pinocchio and many more. Also costumes for leading characters in popular shows: Camelot, Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls, King and I, Pirates of Penzance and more -
Drama Skits And Sketches 2
$24.99Add to cartHere are 62 brand-new, youth-group-tested scripts you can use to introduce a topic with flair . . . To retell a Bible story with humor . . . To apply your lessons with poignancy. And they’re flexible, too — have fun with them as informal, no-prep reader’s theater, or rehearse them seriously for polished performances. – Scripture Sketches . . . Don’t despair if your students can’t tell the difference between Beelzebub and Barnabas — the Bible will be brought to life for them as they act out scriptural episodes, stories, and passages. (And on page 6 is an index to all this book’s scripts by Bible reference. Teaching the Prodigal Son? 1 Corinthians? Exodus? We’ve got a script for you!) – Contemporary Sketches . . . Off with the togas, on with the tank tops. Here are right-now, real-life scripts for everything from event announcements (that you can tailor to your own events) to dealing with emotional scars. Thanks to the topical index on page 7, you can zip right to the script that fits your meeting. – TV Takeoffs . . . In a TV world of talk shows and sitcoms, sketches based on TV shows always kick off lively discussions. Since all these scripts are also humorous, they’re great as openers at camps and conferences, too. – Monologues . . . Does your youth group’s dramatic talent reside in only one or two students? Or do you want to raise interest in starting a drama ministry? A monologue is your ticket — one-person scripts that require little or no costumes or props, yet can be as powerful as a three-act play. – To the Tune of CCM (And More) . . . Take the music many of your students listen to, and use it for dramatic purposes! These scripts each use a song by a Christian artist (or a song whose lyrics encourage or challenge Christians).
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Littlest Christmas Tree
$7.95Add to cartUnable to find a Christmas play for their congregation that would be appropriate for all age groups, three creative members of Good Shepherd United Church of Christ in Slatington, Pennsylvania, collaborated to create one of their own. They wrote a play that included humor and the Christmas miracle of family love. Easy to prepare and present, this short vignette about a Christmas tree and Christ’s birth can be used and enjoyed by congregations of any size.
This play, cast in a nature setting, involves a family (two parents and three children), an angel, and 11 youth, each representing a different variety of tree. The presentation includes the singing of Christmas carols and the decorating of a Christmas tree.
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Strange Way To Save You And Me
$7.95Add to cartThis play is presented as a reading with the actors silently acting out their parts as the narrators read from the side of the stage or chancel. Accompanying the script are suggested solos and hymns for choir or congregational participation.
Requires no memorization
Minimal rehearsal needed
Ideal for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day -
Word Became Flesh
$7.95Add to cartThis 25-minute Christmas Nativity pageant tells the story of Jesus Christ from creation to present day. The birth of Christ is seen as an event with a much wider scope than an incident that occurred long ago in Bethlehem. This drama is unique in highlighting Jesus’ birth as part of the greater picture of God’s activity throughout history: in creation, in the words of the prophets, in the cross, in the resurrection, and in our world today.
The Word Became Flesh provides drama that is biblically sound, educational, and thought-provoking.
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Hear The Bells Ring
$7.95Add to cartAnyone who has used Cynthia Cowen’s resources knows that they have the following characteristics:
They are complete — everything you need is here;
They require little preparation, rehearsal, or props;
They are theologically sound and spiritually uplifting.Many churches have discovered recently that families wish to include worship in the festivities of their Christmas day. This is the perfect way to do it without requiring a lot of work.
It’s all here: call to worship, Christmas carols, litanies, meditations, scripture readings, and more!
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Whose Birthday Is It Anyway
$7.95Add to cartFor the small church that does not have a lot of time to prepare, here is an ideal Christmas program and worship service. It can be presented as part of a Sunday School program or Sunday worship service.
The true message of Christmas is spoken through the words of “the friendly beasts,” which include two donkeys, three doves, four cows and four sheep.
This program enables children to become involved in a Christmas project in which they share their Christmas ornaments and angel food cake with the congregation.
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Letters From Bethlehem
$7.95Add to cartFive monologues, in the form of short letters, take you into the thoughts and reflections of the traditional Advent figures as they share their experiences with those close to them. The vignettes may be memorized or may be presented in a modified reader’s theater format — the reader actually reading the letter aloud as it is being written.
The letters are from:
The angel to a friend
The shepherd to his family
The wise man to his court
Mary to her mother
Jesus to the childrenEach letter is followed by a hymn suggestion.
These five dramatic monologues for Advent will enrich your worship services.
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In The Carpenters Workshop 1
$13.95Add to cartAs a seminary student Jerry Eckert listened to his seminary professor, Dr. W.J.A. Power, encourage his students to realize how much of scripture is story. “Let that reality enter your preaching,” he instructed them.
Jerry Eckert became a master storyteller and began writing church members’ voices into his story sermons. The result of this involvement on the part of the congregation became a source of joy and fascination to both young and old at “sermon time.”
Have you tried preaching story sermons? If you are interested in learning more ways in which this preaching style can be used, this book will become the most useful resource in your library.
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Spontaneous Melodramas : 24 Impromptu Skits That Bring Bible Stories To Lif
$24.99Add to cartYou know them as hilarious, boisterous skits that get kids involved, whether they’re hamming up front, or in the audience cheering for the good guys, hissing the bad guys, and getting nearly as animated as the onstage actors.
Better yet, these no-rehearsal skits are comic takes on 24 of the classic Bible stories, from Babel to Zacchaeus. Use these skits to take your students into or out of your Bible lesson-for the humor never buries the central message of the Bible passage.
Inside you’ll find 12 Old Testament and 12 New Testament stories-like these:
*The First Tongue Twister (The Tower Of Babel)
*Josephine’s Dream (Joseph And His Brothers)
*The Young And The Hairless (Samson And Delilah)
*Dave, The Wave, And The Giant Kahuna (David And Goliath)
*Dances With Lions (Daniel)
*World Serious: The Empire Strikes Out (The Temptation Of Jesus)
*Good Same, The Levis, And Judas Priest (Parable Of The Good Samaritan)
*Showdown At Tombstone (Jesus And The Demon-Possessed Man)unchurched teenagers who can’t tell Samson from Solomon, or long-time youth group kids-everyone will love not merely hearing or reading Bible stories, but doing them.
Welcome to more than a year’s worth of slapstick, pratfalls, and melodrama. These Bible-story skits are anything but solemn, but they’ll make Bible stories memorable for your students.
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Voices Of Christmas
$7.95Add to cartUsing a skillful blend of irony and humor, this work is designed to reveal the realities of Christmas-both the detrimental and the divine. Involving no scenery or props, cast members address visualized listeners as if no interruptions from other characters or changes of subject occur. Lines may be read or recited and the cast may stand or be seated on various levels. No one needs to move about, though use of pantomime is suggested in some cases.
Characters include:
* Patient — a resident of a nursing home
* Homemaker — a food-happy matron
* Shopper — a wealthy, materialistic socialite
* Sportsman — a ski enthusiast
* Merchant — a toy store owner
* Traditionalist — a sentimental Swedish-American grandmother
* Corporation Man — a heavy-drinking partygoer
* Child — a greedy little girl
* Working Wife — a frazzled victim of the Christmas rushWith a presentation time of about 30 minutes, this creative, easy- to-produce play can be used in a variety of situations and settings. It will be one of the most popular programs of the entire year.
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Born One Of Us
$7.95Add to cartThis Christmas chancel drama, used by itself or incorporated into a worship service, uses seven speaking parts (from children to adults) and takes about 30-35 minutes to perform. It is designed as a readers’ theater so that little rehearsal is needed. Included is a closing litany for the minister and congregation which provides a gripping conclusion to the drama of Christ’s birth. (Copying privileges are also included.)
The action takes place in the home of a middle-class Jewish family in Bethlehem at the time of the birth of Christ. The father is a rabbi, the mother one who helps out in almost any needy situation, the daughter a dream-struck adolescent, and the son a rebellious young adult.
The dialogue builds to the point at which the daughter returns struck by heaven’s light, which she calls a miracle. Her mother explains to her (and the congregation) that the real miracle is Jesus, who on that holy night was born, one of us.
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1st Christmas Present Ever
$7.95Add to cartVersatile — “ready-to-use” — no memorization required. Just what the volunteer ordered.
This program is appropriate for Christmas Eve or any Sunday morning in Advent. Involving children of all ages and one adult, it can be used in any size church with a few participants or many. Two versions — a longer version intended for a full-length service and a shortened version to be used in place of a sermon — are also included.
Symbols of Christmas (a tree, ornaments, candy canes, a creche and more) are combined with biblical readings and brief dialogue to create a greater understanding of Christian traditions. While the narrative dialogue is being read, a silent, active nativity scene is shown to illustrate the first Christmas present ever. (Copying privileges included.)
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Reflections Of Light Ponderings Of Mary The Mother
$7.95Add to cartHere are five brief dramatic monologues that tell the Christmas story through the eyes of Mary. A suggested order of worship includes hymns, scripture and a candlelighting ceremony, but the monologues could be used throughout Advent during the lighting of the Advent candles, in Sunday school or even weekday programs.
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And Him Crucified
$7.95Add to cartCrowd: (Each person selects a phrase and repeats at random) Let him be crucified! Death! Crucify him! Let him die! Away with him!
Pilate: Why. What evil has he done?
Crowd: (At random) Let him be crucified! Away with him! Crucify him! Let him die!
Narrator 1: So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd.
Based on Matthew’s Gospel, And Him Crucified is a complete worship service in readers’ theater format. It brings the events of Jesus’ last days into the lives of your congregation. It needs few rehearsals and no costumes or experienced actors. A vivid and powerful picture of the crucifixion of Jesus is drawn from these pages. Six readers and two narrators are recommended, however you may use nearly 25 different speaking parts. The theater is part of the complete order of service, lasting about one hour.
The service includes suggested choir anthems.
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Sunday Morning Readers Theater Cycle B
$15.95Add to cartA fresh look at scripture, a new presentation of the gospel, a deeper communication for God’s truths — this is what church drama has to offer.
“Sunday Morning Readers’ Theater, B,” offers nineteen skits for use during the church year. Each skit’s performance falls between five and 10 minutes with the exception of readings for major church days.
“What I hope to do is to help people see the gospels, Jesus and the other scripture passages with new vision, unclouded by familiarity,” writes Pamela Urfer of these readings.
This series provides one more form of worship designed to unfold the meaning of the lectionary readings, either as a replacement or a supplement to the sermon. The style varies from comic to tragic and the skits are set in both biblical and modern times.
Readings include the Sundays of Advent and Lent, Christmas Eve/Day, Martin Luther King Sunday, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week selections, Pentecost Sunday, All Saints’ Sunday, and Reformation Sunday.
This is a three-book series. It closely follows the Revised Common, Lutheran, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic lectionaries. -
Good Tidings Of Great Joy
$7.95Add to cartCASPAR: I had a strange dream last night, and I woke convinced that we should go in a different way.
MELCHIOR: Odd that you should say that — I had a dream, too! I am convinced that Herod has no desire to worship the child — he sees him as a threat to his throne. (From “The Wise Men” drama)
Here is a collection of short Advent dramas. The series can be presented with few rehearsals and limited props and costumes. Each drama easily fits within a worship setting. For a longer service, the dramas could be combined and offered as scenes for one complete service.
This series includes:
Mary and Elizabeth — Advent 1
The villagers of Nazareth — Advent 2
Ziph the Shepherd and his Wife Jerah — Advent 3
Gabriel — Advent 4
The Innkeeper’s Wife — Christmas Eve
The Wise Men — Epiphany -
They Followed The Master
$12.95Add to cartThey Followed The MasterM gives power and vividness to the Lenten experience for participants and spectators.
Characters are carefully based on the scriptural evidence, supplemented by imaginative re-creation of what they might have said.
The plays may be performed by any size congregation. Even so, the author kept in mind small churches during her writing, saying she has great sympathy for small churches — those with limited budgets and big ideas.
Plays include settings for:
Sundays of Lent
Palm Sunday
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
EasterDepending upon the drama, characters include Mary, John, Andrew, Martha, Lazarus, Judas, Judas’ mother, Matthew, Cornelius, and a host of other familiar and not-so-familiar biblical personalities.
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Sheep Will Be Scattered
$7.95Add to cartThe Sheep Will Be Scattered is an impressive Maundy Thursday communion service. It involves the symbolic recreation of the Upper Room experience through an easy-to-create Last Supper tableau.
Members of the congregation, invited beforehand, make up the tableau.
The service focuses on the tensions and circumstances surrounding the disciples on this night. It encourages worshipers to identify with those tensions in their own faith lives.
Elements include a suggested order of service, a brief commentary, introduction of each guest at the table, holy communion, a reading from Mark (for one to three voices), and a conclusion. The reading is the NRSV of Mark 14:26-50.
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Christmas Stranger : A One Act Christmas Play
$7.95Add to cartA Christmas play with a surprise ending!
The church youth group and adult leaders prepare to practice for a Christmas program.
They anticipate a visit by the church’s new custodian, who will clean and lock up the building.
A visitor arrives, who all believe to be the custodian. The visitor begins to help with the rehearsal. With his help, the real meaning of Christmas is clearly revealed to all.
The stranger leaves. To the surprise of the cast (but not the audience) the “real” custodian finally arrives. The cast ponders: “Who was that visitor?”
This simple play is easily adaptable for any size group. No special props are rquired other than a lectern and a Bible. -
Whats The Matter With Christmas
$7.95Add to cartFour youths, rehearsing a church Christmas play, are perplexed about why everyone appears so busy at Christmas. Through a series of events, the youths learn, to their surprise, that the real meaning of Christmas is God’s gift of Jesus.
Highlights of this drama:
Easy-to-rehearse
Simple, yet powerful message
Parts for four youths, up to 10 young children and two adults
Five original songs for young singers
Complete order of worship provided
Performance time from 35 to 45 minutes -
Golden Bells
$12.95Add to cartIs the need a Christmas message, adult casts, and great themes of literature? This book offers two solutions:
The Bells of Christmas Eve takes place in Italy in 1520. In the final moment of the play, the bells ring — it is a miracle. Speaking parts for 8 persons. Performance time about 30 minutes. Church bells should ring as sound effects at the play’s end.The Golden Gift is set in France in 1820. The story is based on a scene from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It includes the familiar story of the ex-convict and the good bishop. The ex-convict takes the golden candlesticks. Parts for 10 persons. Performance time is about 30 minutes.
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Tis The Night Before Jesus
$7.95Add to cart‘Tis the night before Jesus when all through the earth,
Every creature is stirring for a new baby’s birth.
Here is a Christmas Eve service that persons of all ages will enjoy. It may easily be presented by the younger members of your congregation.
It includes a complete order of service with:
? Suggested music for children’s choir
? Hymns for the entire congregation
? Parts for a speaking choir
? A brief monolgue by Mary
? One page listing additional hymns that could be used with the service
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Gift Of Christmas
$7.95Add to cartIt is Christmas Eve. All over town people are preparing for Christmas. Amid the hustle and bustle of the night a little church is open and prepared for any visitor. For some people on this night the scene at the little church’s altar will be a lifesaver.
Here is a Christmas Eve drama in modern-day setting. It includes parts for six adults, four teenagers and seven children.
Scripture, read by a narrator, are from Luke. Three familiar Christmas carols, for singing by the congregation, are part of the drama. Performance time is 15 to 20 minutes.
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Legends Of Christmas
$7.95Add to cartThis delightful Christmas pageant includes speaking, reading, and non-reading parts for all the children in your congregation. Pre-schoolers, younger children, older youth, and their adult audience will all enjoy exploring a variety of charming Christmas legends from around the world. Familiar carols highlight each legend and involve your entire congregation in song and celebration.
Sets and props can be simple; costumes for most players consist of ordinary school clothes. Performance time is approximately 49 minutes.
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Choices
$7.95Add to cartYour congregation’s children are the focus of this spectacular service for Christmas Eve.
Traditional Christmas scripture texts are skillfully interwoven with mimed dramatizations, dramatic dialogs in contemporary language, and familiar hymns and carols in this complete order of worship.
With something for everyone to do, from pre-schoolers to high school seniors, your children — and their parents — will personally experience the joy of the Christ child’s birth — and the choices which that miraculous event gives us.
Performance Time: approximately 45 minutes.
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Of Love And Miracles
$7.95Add to cartPresent the Christmas story to your congregation this year with story, song, verse, and warmth of candlelight. This beautiful service includes an optional service of Holy Communion, suggested hymns and prayers, and a complete order of worship.
The service can be presented by the pastor alone or with the help of as many lay participants as desired. The order of worship may also be adapted for use during the Sundays of Advent.
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Shepherds Of Bethlehem
$7.95Add to cartThis Christmas Eve Candlelight Service takes your congregation to the hills and homes of Bethlehem on the night that Jesus was born. Monologs by local shepherds and their families reflect on the hopes and expectations of the common people who populated that quiet, historic town. Prayers and suggested hymns combine with traditional Christmas readings and the drama of candlelight to create a spectacular and reverent Christmas Eve worship event.
Staging and costuming can be simple or complex. Includes reading parts for up to eight older youth and adults, and walk-on parts as desired.
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I Was There
$7.95Add to cartThis gripping tenebrae worship drama confronts your congregation with the powers of darkness and destruction which were responsible for the crucifixion of Christ. Brief monologs by Sorrow, Fear, Death, and four other shadowy personae (presented on stage or spoken from off stage), and an eerie, dimly lit stage create the somber and mournful mood which all Christians feel on this day.
This flexible worship drama requires only a few easily obtained props — a large cross, candles, and a spotlight. Costumes are optional, and monologs can be either spoken or read. Whether presented alone or as part of a full-length service, this moving worship experience will leave your congregation prepared to fully appreciate the joyous celebration of Easter morning.
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Come Sing And Celebrate
$7.95Add to cartHere are two delightful Christmas plays for a special celebration with your parish’s children, youth, and adults.
The Night Love Was Born by Mary Jane Mulder is a contemporary re-enactment, in word and song, of the first Christmas story, set within the world of imagination — where even a cynical toy soldier can learn the true meaning of Christmas.
Originally written for participation by up to fifty children, this flexible pageant can be tailored to suit the needs and resources of large or small congregations. Staging can be either simple or elaborate, and the entire performance can be presented in forty minutes.
Angels We Have Heard on High Street by J. Richard Coyle is a modern version of the Gospel’s account of Christ’s birth, using contemporary characters who present their message in music and mime. Parts are involved for participants of all ages, and congregational involvement is required. Staging and production are flexible, and can accommodate abundant or limited resources. Performance time is also flexible.
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Light Shines In The Darkness
$7.95Add to cartThe familiar music and scripture of the Christmas season is interwoven with prayers and responses for the congregation in this well-crafted Christmas Eve candlelight worship resource. Four readers share speaking parts. Suggested music may be sung either by the congregation or by choir or soloists. Holy Communion may be included as a part of the service.
The message suggested for inclusion with the service is a powerful modern take about a twelve-year-old Salvadoran refugee named Jesus (pronouced Hay-SOOS), who stumbles across the international border into Arizona following a time of terror in his home country. In modern dress, the story focuses on the horror of King Herod’s plan to exterminate his enemies in the days of Jesus’ birth 2,000 years ago.
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Isaiahs Surprise
$7.95Add to cartWhat might have happened had the Prophet Isaiah been able to transport himself, through time, to the date of Jesus’ birth? Nancy Steltz asked that question. The result is this delightful Christmas pageant. Isaiah, wide-eyed and unsure of how his prophecies are coming to fruition, punctuates the dialog and action. Seven scenes introduce the congregation to all the familiar Christmas characters from the narratives in Saint Luke and Saint Matthew. Parts are included for children from nursery through senior high.
Scenes include:
The Annunciation
Joseph’s Quandary
The Roman Decree
Finding a Room
Jesus’ Birth
The Shepherds
The Wise Men -
Come Holy Spirit
$7.95Add to cartCome, Holy Spirit was created by a pastor in the United Church of Christ and a laywoman in the American Lutheran Church. Nevin Feather’s order of service includes rich historical background, locating the roots of the Christian festival in the Jewish harvest celebration. Complete plans are included for the construction of a Pentecost banner for use on this day. Myrtle Collins’ sermon drama, “The Treasure That Makes All Things New,” focuses upon the gifts which every member of a Christian congregation has received from the outpouring of God’s Spirit.
Breathe new life into your congregation’s celebration of the Festival of Pentecost by using this complete program in your parish year.
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Joy To You And Me
$7.95Add to cartJoseph, Jesus’ Guardian; the Bethlehem shepherds; and aged Simeon are featured in these three new Christmas worship dramas. Any of the three could provide the message for the service for one of the Sundays in Advent, or for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or a special worship time near Christmas. With the use of selected prayers and hymns, any of these dramas can provide a complete worship service.
When Joseph Doubted confronts the congregation with the turmoil with which Jesus’ guardian was faced when God gave him the task to stand by Mary and her infant son. The drama involves a cast of four.
Off-limits To Shepherds features the first visitors to the manger in a Nativity play for eight participants. The Old Torch Lighter, with three speaking parts, tells the story of Simeon, who waited in the Jerusalem Temple hoping to see the Messiah.
All three dramas are easily staged with a minimum of props.
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Darkest Day
$7.95Add to cartThe centerpiece of this Good Friday worship service is the monologue, The Ghost of Judas. Designed to be presented by the pastor or any lay-person who can speak with a sense of drama, the monologue places Judas Iscariot at center stage on the day Christ died. His reflections on his own behavior, his remorse, and his deep sense of regret and self-examination lead the worshiping congregation to search their own souls, an appropriate activity on this most profound of all Christian days.
The monologue is sermon length. If not available in local hymnals, suggested hymns may be replaced by others more appropriate.
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2 Nativity Dramas
$7.95Add to cartEither of the two dramas in this book are suitable for use as a Sunday church school Christmas program, a special Christmas season worship service (hymns may be added), or a program for a youth group or other church organization during the Advent or Christmas season. Either can be produced with simple props, and parts can either be read or recited from memory.
The Tinsel Time Machine is a charming Christmas fantasy in the style of H. G. Wells. An unlikely contraption proves capable of transporting members of a disillusioned Midwestern family to other times and places at the Christmas season.
Rag Doll Number Thirty-Seven tells the story of an aging couple who create and give away a homemade gift of love each Christmas season — a rag doll, intended for someone in special need.
