67th POWELL RIVER FESTIVAL OF

THE PERFORMING ARTS 2011

Speech Arts

Appendix C

Adjudicator’s

Notes & Suggestions

READERS THEATRE By Andrea Johnston

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Readers Theatre is a performance by a group of interpreters seeking to explore, to

embody, and in special ways, to feature a given literary text. This convention of

performance, with a long history rooted in the presentational modes of the ancient

Greeks, is used today as an exciting and flexible method to explore drama, fiction,

nonfiction and poetry. From Oral Interpretation by Charlotte I Lee and Timothy Gura

Readers Theatre:

- is interactive

- has the narrative point of view ( rather than dramatic)

- not bound to time or space

- demands stricter attention to aural elements of the literature

- all vocal and physical action is used to enhance the literature and mustn’t

detract

Some Important Steps to take when preparing a Readers Theatre performance;

ANALYZE THE LITERATURE

Director should analyze the script

1. alone

2. with cast

Director should look at the script and study its structure. I always look to see if I can

organize the script into traditional story telling segments;

1. Introduction

2. Inciting incidents (there can be many of these that build to the climax)

3. Climax

4. Conclusion

This should help to shape the text into a living story.

Once the director is clear on the shape of the piece she can do the same work with the

cast, leading them along. This enables the cast to make the discoveries for themselves and

have a clear understanding of the journey of the text.

Explore the Intellect (content)

Emotion (feeling, mood)

Imagination (image life)

of the text.

Make choices on

1. central theme

2. character motivation

3. who is speaking

4. to whom the character(s) are speaking

5. moods at different times in the text

6. setting, time and place

7. point of view of each character

Discuss

1. vocabulary

2. syntax

3. meaning

STAGING

- make decisions on staging to enhance the relationship between the

characters and to support the text

- use risers, stools, boxes chairs etc. to create different levels

- place actors in a formation where all are seen and to support the text

- if you choose to move during the piece make sure it supports the text and

doesn’t distract from the text, choreograph the timing of this into the piece

- ensure actors do not fidget or change their eye focus from the one decided

by the director as this is distracting and diverts from the text. NOTE This

is the most important element of staging, ensure that this is

accomplished before doing any of the more complex staging styles. It is

best to see a simple semi-circle sitting or standing with no fidgeting and

no diverting focuses rather than a sloppy, distracting more complicated

staging.

CLOTHING

- at the very least be co-coordinated to show visual unity and to support the

text (all dressed in black works well as it is the basic speech arts uniform

and all usually own black clothing) variations on this; white on black,

colour coordinated

- use of simple costume can be used to suggest type of character eg. all

dressed in black but characters wearing different hats or scarves to suggest

their character

- NOTE costumes are not necessary, if you want to use should be very

minimal and support the text not detract

SCRIPTS

- held at same level, below eyes and slightly in front of body for easy

glancing

- can be used as a prop eg, a horn or a hat or a hammer etc. to support the

text at appropriate times

- work placement and turning of pages in unison

- NOTE purpose of using the script is so the actors don’t have to worry

about memorization they can focus on the text, main goal is to bring the

text to life through language

VOCAL EXPRESSSION

- phrasing

- pauses

- word emphasis

- colouring language (bringing it to life)

- pace

- vocal pitch

- inflection

- volume

- articulation

- NOTE you can score your text with symbols for each to ensure

repeatability of desired vocal expression

EYE FOCUS From Lee Bolton

OFFSTAGE The readers look out into the middle of the theatre with their lines

of vision intersecting slightly above the heads of the audience. As

the reader describes actions and events he will see them occurring

at this vocal point. A focus such as this is desirable because it

places the scene in the audience. It is a strong focus because the

body is in full view and the voice can be projected directly

forward.

ONSTAGE: The readers look at each other as in stage work. Useful if the cast

is small, dialogue is predominant in the script. Use sparingly as

the scene is taken out of the imagination of the audience and

placed on stage.

COMBINATION: Both on and off stage focus can be used if the script is appropriate

and if the change from one to the other is a natural development of

the story. The narrator, though, should always address the

audience as (s)he delivers lines.

Please Note: You can create your own readers theatre scripts however, it is

essential that the ORIGINAL TEXT FROM WHICH THE

SCRIPT IS BASED BE PROVIDED TO THE

ADJUDICATOR ALONG WITH A PRINTED COPY OF

THE ADAPTED TEXT. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL

RESULT IN YOUR ENTRY BEING REJECTED.

CHORAL SPEAKING

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Choral speaking is a group of many voices trained to interpret literature focusing on the

meaning and emotional content. Clues for interpretation are taken from the text through

exploration of the poetic metre or rhythm of the piece. Thus it is the art of interpreting

literature as a group and communicating that interpretation.

“There is no substitute for choral speaking. To the literature that demands this sort of

interpretation it brings vividness, clarity, freshness of meaning and the moving dramatic

power of many voices.” source unknown

SKILLS DEVELOPED

- recognize and develop the articulated sounds of standard Canadian speech

- speak clearly

- speak with ease

- speak expressively

THE PARTICIPANTS SHOULD

- speak with an appreciation of the flexibility of the voice as an instrument

- learn concepts of pitch, pace, pause, rate, intensity, volume

- develop the following interpretive skills

a) communicate the meaning of the piece of literature

b) express mood

c) explore natural rhythm

d) phrase for meaning

e) colour individual words

f) develop skills of presentation by becoming aware of the

importance of face, voice and body

g) develop appreciation for the enjoyment of literature

h) develop empathy through experiencing thoughts and feelings of

other people and other cultures as expressed through their story

i) develop language skills through the language processes of

speaking, listening, writing and reading

SPECIFIC CHORAL SPEECH SKILLS

- Listen to self and others

- Blend the voice with others

- Respond to cues given by leader

MATERIAL

- Suitability for the age and skill level

- Suitable material for choral speaking

COSTUME

- No costume

- Unified appearance (e.g. black on black / white on black / colour

coordinated

STAGING

- Unified formation

- Use of risers

- Arranged according to vocal blending dynamic

LIGHTING - Showing all the faces and bodies of speakers

- Warm or cool tome depending of the mood (if possible)

- General wash when lighting cannot be specific

CHORAL SPEAKING TERMINOLOGY

Unison speaking: The entire choir speaks as one person

Part speaking: Different groups take different parts of the poem

Line- a – child: Each person takes a line. They must flow from one

speaker to the next

Solo speaking: Line(s) are given to individuals

Antiphonal speaking: Two voices or two groups of voices

Cumulative speaking: More than two groups are speaking sections

NOTE: THE PUBLISHED BOOK FROM WHICH YOUR PIECE IS SELECTED

IS TO BE PROVIDED TO THE ADJUDICATOR. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL

RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION AND NO PERFORMANCE.

POETRY By Andrea Johnston

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“Poetry might be defined as a kind of language that says more and says it more intensely

than does ordinary language. (Poetry’s primary purpose is not to communicate

information. It) exists to bring us a sense and perception of life, to widen and sharpen

our contact with existence. (It’s) concern is with experience…. Poets, from their own

store of felt, observed, or imagined experiences, select, combine, and reorganize. They

create significant new experiences for their readers - significant because focused and

formed - in which readers can participate and from which they may gain a greater

awareness and understanding of their world. Literature, in other words, can be used as a

gear for stepping up the intensity and increasing the range of our experience and as a

glass for clarifying it.” From Sound and Sense by Laurence Perrine and Thomas R. ARP

Part of the performance of poetry is the preparation before hand. The purpose of all the

speech arts is to teach us about the world around us and then communicate those

experiences to an audience. Through exposure to, and an understanding of, different

types of literature we increase our comprehension skills, our compassion for the world

and those around us, and broaden our experiences though examination of worlds outside

ourselves. When we then choose to orally communicate the words of our great literary

geniuses we learn to communicate effectively and eloquently, not just the words of others

but our own thoughts and experiences.

For this reason exposure to the different modes and styles of poetry is essential before

selecting the one poem to perform. This is also why it is important to choose material

suitable to the age and experience of the student. Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, Bruce

Lansky are wonderful for the grade one and two students and some of their more

challenging pieces for the grade three and four student but beyond that it is too simplistic.

In addition to the Shel Silversteins of the world are other wonderful poets: poets like

Robert Louis Stevenson, A.A Milne , Karla Kuskin, Alfred Noyes, Christina Rossetti

(these poets also have suitable material for the grade one through four student). That is

why I asked that the students explore many different types of poems by different authors

before selecting their performance piece. Even if every grade one student chooses a Shel

Silverstein poem to perform, they will have been exposed to other poets and modes of

poetry along the way, which will in turn enrich their next encounter with poetry.

The RCM or Royal Conservatory of Music Syllabus is an excellent resource for finding

age- and experience-appropriate text. Many of the pieces are found in anthologies which

publish a wide array of accomplished poets and writers. If a poem is found outside of the

syllabus it can be compared to other poems in the syllabus to see if it is suitable for the

age and grade level of the student. The syllabus chooses material that examines different

modes of literature as well as pieces about different subjects. The material is meant to

enhance the students understanding of the world and self. It is also meant to expose the

student to as many of the great writers from the English Literature canon as possible.

The RCM Speech Arts syllabus is structured in different grade levels. Please note that an

RCM grade level is one level lower than the child’s school level; so a school grade one

student would select from the introductory level, a grade two student from the grade one

level etc. It is arranged like this so that a truly accomplished performer could choose a

poem from his or her actual school grade without the materials’ subject matter being too

advanced for the age and maturity of the performer. We wouldn’t want a grade five

student to perform “Porphyria’s Lover” by Robert Browning; that would be totally

inappropriate in the context of a festival. In my experience I find that the primary grades

can perform their school grade level just fine. However, from grade three to grade four

there is quite a big jump in the maturity level and complexity of the pieces and then doing

the RCM grade level below their school grade starts to make sense.

MODES OF POETRY

LYRIC

Lyric poetry consists of a poem, such as a sonnet or an ode, that expresses the thoughts

and feelings of the poet. The lyric poem addresses the speakers feelings, state of mind

and perceptions. Originally, lyric poems were sung with the accompaniment of a lyre.

Today lyric poems are spoken but they retain their musical quality through the rhyme,

rhythm and metre of the poem and the speakers vocal expression.

- author = speaker , mask of the poet (writers disguised self)

- evokes

- draws out

- suggests

- emotional responsiveness

- rhythm

- sound

- image

- sensory showing

- personal

Literary Speakers: to create the speaker, (not you, not the author)

EYE FOCUS FOR LYRIC POETRY

- inner closed (eyes are inside your head)

used when thinking out loud want to be alone with thoughts

- semi closed (eye focus above the audience heads, beyond the horizon)

used when talking to a muse, death, searching for something outside of

self

EXAMPLES OF LYRIC POETRY

- “To an Athlete Dying Young” by A.E. Houseman

- “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth

- “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost

- “Just Me” by Margaret Hillert

NARRATIVE POETRY

Poetry that tells a story, usually in linear, chronological description. Combines the

excitement of a story with the elements of poetry. A non dramatic poem.

- conflict / problem

- narrator tells the story

- poets voice submerged to the narrators

EYE FOCUS FOR NARRATIVE POETRY

- open focus (to the audience, look at them directly)

EXAMPLES OF NARRATIVE POETRY

“Casey at the Bat” by Earnest Lawrence Thayer

“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe

“The Cremation of Sam McGee” by Robert Service

“The Lady of Shallot” by Alfred Lord Tennyson

DRAMATIC POETRY

Poetry in which the author writes in the voice of one or more characters. Similar to

narrative poetry but the poet assumes more than one character’s voice to tell the story.

Employs elements of drama such as dialogue, conflict and characterization but excludes

works that are meant for theatrical presentation.

- characters clearly defined

- conflict / problem

- characters are defined speakers

- poets voice submerged to the character(s)

EYE FOCUS FOR DRAMATIC POETRY

- closed focus (on the horizon, out front)

- character placement ( above the audiences head, focus at edge of stage)

- open focus ( to the audience, look at them directly)

EXAMPLES OF DRAMATIC POETRY

“Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer

“My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning (Dramatic Monologue)

EPIC POETRY

Epic poetry is a form of narrative poetry. Traditionally celebrates the achievements of

heroes and heroines and is written using elevated language, high style. In more recent

times epic poems have become more personal and less formal in structure.

- narrators point of view

- has a storyline told by the narrator

- story can span several books

- move between poet, narrator and character(s)

EYE FOCUS FOR EPIC POETRY

- open focus when narrator (to the audience, look at them)

- closed focus when character ( on the horizon, out front )

- inner closed if character speaking thoughts out loud to self (eyes inside

the head)

- character placement (above the audiences head focus at edge of stage)

EXAMPLES OF EPIC POETRY

Traditional Epics

“The Iliad” by Homer

“Paradise Lost” by Milton

“The Odyssey” by Homer

“Beowulf” author unknown

Non Traditional Epics

“The Prelude” by William Wordsworth

“Helen in Eygpt” by H.D. (Hilda Doolittle)

VOCAL EXPRESSION

- phrasing

- pauses

- word emphasis

- colouring language (bringing it to life)

- pace

- vocal pitch

- inflection

- volume

- articulation

- NOTE you can score your text with symbols for each to ensure

repeatability of desired vocal expression

NOTE: THE PUBLISHED BOOK FROM WHICH YOUR PIECE IS SELECTED

TO BE PROVIDED TO THE ADJUDICATOR. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL

RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION AND NO PERFORMANCE.