What is Readers Theatre?

Readers Theatre takes many forms, but we follow the tradition of  readers/actors (us) standing on stage, reading from prepared scripts.  There are no costumes or props, merely our voices to transport the audience ‘into’ the text.

We’ve revamped our own writing (selections from our novels or picture books) into theatrical scenes; we rehearse at length; we perform with scripts in hand.    Each scene runs about ten minutes, and two scenes from each author are included. All four authors appear in every scene.

Who are the authors involved in ART?

ART was founded in 2006 by Avi, Sharon Creech, Walter Dean Myers and Sarah Weeks.  The troupe has since expanded to include many wonderful authors, all of whom have participated in at least one ART performance. Click here for additional information on each author.   For information about which authors appear at which events, click here.

Can you give an example of the contents of one of your programs?

The pieces used in our programs change, depending on which authors are participating in the event. Click here for a sample program.  For this season’s details, click here. 

If you’d like to see us in action and learn more about readers theatre in general, visit http://teachingbooks.net/readerstheater

How long is the program?

The program runs approximately 90 minutes, including a question-and-answer session   We are happy to autograph books after the program.  Copies of our books will be available for sale and autographing at each event.

Is your program intended for children or adults?

Our target audience is teachers and librarians in conference-type settings.  That said, we enjoy an audience that includes some parents, young adults and children 9 years old and up.  Parents please be aware that some of the material may be aimed at a young adult audience.   At this time we are not offering ART for audiences that are solely children.

We require an audience of 500, minimum.

Where will you be appearing this season?

To see our schedule of appearances for this season, click here.

How can your group be booked and what is the cost?

We begin scheduling ART events about a year in advance. Please contact
Avi at awortis@qwest.net

We require:

• Minimum audience of 500.
• Theatre venue. If a ballroom setting is all that's available, theatre arrangement of chairs (no meal-function seating) and a raised stage.
• 4 black metal music stands.
• 4 wireless lapel mics and a professional sound/lighting person on site to set up and monitor during the performance.
• Sales of books at events.
• Travel and accommodations (i.e. hotel and food) for each author (four people, in all.) 
• A modest honorarium for the authors as well as a $750 fee for our manager, Amy Roberts, who assists in the planning of our events. 

Is there anyone you would like to thank?
           
Okay, this is not a question we are normally asked, but we couldn’t figure out where to place this important note!  We would like to thank our publishers, HarperCollins, Hyperion and Dial/Penguin, for supporting us in this endeavor, and  Joanna Cotler and directors Justin Chanda and Jill Santopolo.  We would also like to thank Andersons Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois, and Hicklebees in San Jose, CA,  and Susan Raab of Raab Associates for helping to launch us, and Nick Glass of TeachingBooks.net for all that he has done to make readers theatre accessible to teachers and students.  Finally, bountiful thanks also to our web designer, Jack Floyd.
                                     
Is there anything else an audience might want to know?

Yes.  We love what we do, and we bring enormous amounts of enthusiasm and energy to each performance.  We want you to love the time you spend with us!