Story theater incorporates the storyteller’s narration into dramatic scenes. It is a simple and fun way to present myths, legends, fairy tales, folk tales — even poems and picture books — as short plays. No actual stage required, because players use their bodies and voices to create characters, props, sound effects, music, and the scenery!
Story theater players get the all the benefits of playing theater games, plus extra practice in reading. It helps young readers in a variety of ways, including fluency practice, comprehension, engaging in a story, and focusing on vocal and physical expression.
A great deal of fluency research reiterates the need for repeated reading. Story theater is a fun and engaging way to get kids to re-read — a key factor in developing fluency.
Now scheduling for Fall Quarter 2020!
Classes are online using Zoom
Class Schedule: 6 classes, 55 minutes each
+ A Zoom Performance for Family and Friends
Workshop-style class blocks available
Cost: $200 per student (plus the cost of the book we use, if needed)
Sliding-scale spots available — just ask!
Sound fun? Schedule a free 30-minute class-planning conversation with me. We’ll chat by phone or Zoom to find a schedule and story for your young players.
How Story Theater Works
(1) We Choose a Story
Fairy Tale/Folk Tale Theater
What’s your favorite fairy tale, folk tale, myth, or legend? Based on your group’s interests, I’ll pick a tale for us to bring to life through playing theater games. For ages 6 to 12.
KidLit Theater
Based on your group’s interests, I’ll select a children’s book for us to bring from Page to Zoom Stage. For ages 6 to 12.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Kids
Learning about Shakespeare can be fun, I promise! Kids love playing with this story, which features mischievous fairies, magic flowers, mistaken identities, a dude who falls in love with a donkey, and a hilarious play-within-a-play. Using Lois Burdett’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Kids as a guide, we’ll present a favorite scene story-theater style.
This class works best for kids age 9-12. Kids ages 6-8 might have more fun being the tech crew — helping with sound and stage effects — with this one.
Shakespeare Corgi not included, but my corgi pup Edna may make an appearance!
Have a particular book you want to use, or a curriculum area (like science or social studies) that you’d like to explore using story theater?
Schedule a free 30-minute class-planning conversation — we’ll chat by phone or Zoom and find a good fit for your group.
(2) We Play and Rehearse
I recommend six classes scheduled over the course of 2-3 weeks to complete rehearsal. We can do this in workshop form (3 workshops, 2 hours for each block with a mid-session break) or as a series of six 55-minute classes.
We will:
- Warm up breath, bodies, and voices
- Read the story out loud together
- Play reading games with the story
- Explore the story’s “where” — a.k.a. the setting — using theater games
- Cast the story (In most cases, I will do the casting. I also may serve as narrator, depending on how much guidance the group needs.)
- Develop a skeleton of the play
- I will set the script (with room for improvisation, depending on the group — some of the most fun moments are often improvised!)
- Break the script down and begin playing the story, beat by beat
- Ask ourselves: What vocal sound effects can be used? Do we need music, and if so, how can we make it? Do we need any costume pieces? How can we show the scenery? Can players become physical objects like trees, houses, flowers, etc.?
- Gather costume pieces, and work on your lines! Memorization is optional — reading the script aloud also works great.
- Do a dress rehearsal and Zoom filming dry run
(3) We’ll Share Our Story!
If it’s a good fit for the group, we will present our work as a streaming Zoom performance, with family and friends invited. Otherwise we will do a performance with Zoom recording available for players, family, and friends to watch later.
About Cristin
I’m a Seattle-based theater artist, movement teacher, and theater games superfan! Some of my favorite roles include Tock in The Phantom Tollbooth, Wolfington (a vegetarian wolf who loves smoked peanuts) in The Fluffy Tale of Adventure, an Ensemble member in Wit at SecondStory Repertory, and The Fairy Goudamother in When You Wish Upon A Pizza by The 14/48 Projects.
I do my acting training at Freehold Theatre Lab in Seattle, where I’ve taken classes in Scene Study, Shakespeare, Auditioning, Voice, Clown, and Movement for Actors.
I learned Improv 101 at Unexpected Productions. Viola Spolin’s theatre games are the foundation of the work we do in class. I’ve practiced these games with guidance from many awesome teachers, including Aretha Sills, Viola Spolin’s granddaughter.
Like most actors, I have had a bunch of different day jobs! I was an attorney in a past life, so I’m passionate about using theater to teach reading and critical thinking skills. I’ve been a Storytelling Workshop Volunteer at the Seattle Bureau of Fearless Ideas, and I have a certificate in Writing for Children from the University of Washington.
When I’m not acting or teaching, I get pulled around my neighborhood by Edna Mode, my uber-excited corgi.
Check out some sample theater games and examples of my teaching here!
Coach Cristin 