Increase literacy through Theatre! How can theatre help? …

Why Theatre? For some children who struggle with understanding the written word, the provision of a physical and visual context can help them make sense of language. Drama can help children whose preferred learning style is auditory or kinesthetic opposed to verbal/visual. Playing with the sounds helps in the understanding of the words they refer to and paying attention to what words do to you physically deepens and clarifies their potential meaning. Enacting words reinforces their relationship with context and underlines the fact that the marks on a page are incomplete notations of how humans communicate verbally. Reading and writing are not just individual practices but are frequently shared and social. It is easier to read, write, plan and talk about drama in groups than individually. By working together pupils can stimulate and draw on each other's ideas. Seen in this light, drama should not be regarded as a frill in the curriculum but a potent force in the development of literacy. Source:Literacy changes lives

Reader’s Theatre Reader’s Theater is an activity in which students, while reading directly from scripts, are able to tell a story in a most entertaining form, without props, costumes, or sets.This is a reading activity, and students are not asked to memorize their lines. They are, however, encouraged to act and use intonation and gestures appropriate to their characters and their character’s words.

The International Theatre & Literacy Project (ITLP) The International Theatre & Literacy Project (ITLP) is a non-profit organization that brings theatre artists from the United States to developing countries to conduct community-based playwriting and theatre workshops for secondary school students and teachers, nurturing their creative voices to enable them to express their ideas and stories.

MCC Youth Company The MCC Theater Youth Company is a free, after-school program for New York City high school students interested in developing their acting and dramatic writing skills. develop skills in dramatic writing. In the fall, students collaboratively write a play which is performed by Acting Lab members in February. In the spring, students write individual short plays, the best of which are produced by professional actors and directors in August during The FreshPlay Festival.

Helpful Theatre & Literacy Sites Reader’s Theatre: com/ReadersTheater.php com/ReadersTheater.php International Theatre & Literacy Project: MCC Theatre NYC