Some one acts I have used in class which might appeal to a literature teacher are:
"The Doctor in Spite of Himself" (One Act adaptation) by Moliere -- very funny, cast of 9
"The Proposal" by Chekhov -- also very funny once they "get it", cast of 3
"While the Auto Waits" -- a one act based on the story by O Henry, cast of 4, but one is a walk on
I would also suggest looking at Thornton Wilder's short one acts. There are two especially that might be of interest -- "The Long Happy Journey" and "The Long Christmas Dinner."
Following up on Kathleen's suggestion -- maybe use the O Henry script as an example and have them write their own short plays based on O Henry stories.
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David Sturdevant
Drama Teacher
Middleburg Academy
Middleburg VA
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-18-2017 15:14
From: Kathleen McNulty
Subject: 8th grade lit
Why not give the students a scene from a famous piece of literature, or a poem, and have them create their own scenes. That way it becomes less about memorizing lines in a short time (a week) and more about creating and playing with the material. Alternatively this could be done on a theme, such as "favorite authors", or "how we want to be remembered," or even something like "bullying." Students could easily write and perform their own original pieces in a weeks time and it would be fun and offer a lot of opportunity.
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Kathleen McNulty Mann
mcnulkl@bay.k12.fl.us
Arnold High School Theatre
Panama City Beach, FL
Program Director and Thespian Sponsor
Florida Association for Theatre Education
Board Member
Membership Committee Chair
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-13-2017 18:12
From: Nick Holman
Subject: 8th grade lit
Hi,
I have an 8th grade lit teacher looking to do a mini lesson at the end of the year. Rather than reading a full novel (Diary of Anne Frank originally the plan), since there are only a few weeks left, she is looking for 5-6 short plays that the students can read (in less than a week) and perform (a cast of about 6-8 students). The kids were hoping for something more uplifting than Anne Frank, as well. Any ideas are very appreciated!
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Karen Schwartz
Marietta, GA
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