Below find many books I have found useful on a variety of subjects relating to Drama with and for Children and Youth. (Some of these books have been in my library for fifteen years, and many are in newer editions now than the ones I have.)
Most of these books are available from AMAZON.COM. Titles in blue are clickable--click to order.
SIX PLAYS FOR CHILDREN BY AURAND HARRIS
Ed. Coleman A. Jennings. New Orleans: Anchorage Press, 1986.
Until his death a few years ago, Aurand Harris was the unchallenged
elder statesman of American Theatre for Young Audiences. His Androcles
and the Lion and The Arkansaw Bear are classics of the genre.
This is an early anthology. THIS BOOK IS OUT OF PRINT, BUT AMAZON.COM MAY
BE ABLE TO FIND IT FOR YOU.
WISH
IN ONE HAND SPIT IN THE OTHER: A Collection of Plays By Suzan Zeder
Ed. Susan Pearson-Davis. New Orleans: Anchorage Press, 1990.
When it comes to challenging, innovative Theatre for Young Audiences,
Suzan Zeder is the standard against which others are measured. Her plays
are never easy, often controversial, and always wonderful. This anthology
contains most of her best-known works.
THEATRE
FOR YOUTH: Twelve Plays with Mature Themes
Ed. Coleman A. Jennings and Gretta Berghammer. Austin: University
of Texas Press, 1986.
A collection of challenging contemporary Theatre for Young Audiences.
"Mature Themes" here does not necessarily mean the plays are intended for
older children (although some certainly are), but rather that many address
themes that used to be considered taboo in Children's Theatre--but are,
I think, exactly those themes we should be addressing. Expertly edited
with commentary by Dr. Coleman Jennings, a leading authority.
THEATRE
FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
Ed. Coleman A. Jennings. St. Martin's Press, 1998.
A new collection of the best plays for young audiences. Many of
the plays included here are unfamiliar, but all are destined to become
classics. An excellent anthology.
PLAYS
CHILDREN LOVE
Ed. Coleman A. Jennings. St. Martin's Press, 1992.
A collection of classic and new plays for young audiences. This
anthology is especially good for very young audiences, and contains mostly
older, "classic" plays for children.
DRAMATIC
LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN: A Century in Review
Ed. Roger L. Bedard. New Orleans: Anchorage Press, 1984.
A definitive history of the Children's Theatre field in the United
States, from turn-of-the-century Settlement Houses to Harris's The Arkansaw
Bear. Read this book for the HISTORY here, which is fascinating and important,
more than for the plays.
CREATIVE
DRAMA RESOURCE BOOK for Grades K-3
Ruth B. Heinig. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.,
1987.
Real lessons direct from the classroom. The focus here is on practice,
not theory. You can immediately TEACH the lessons and activities in this
book. Very clear explanations and easy reference.
CREATIVE
DRAMA RESOURCE BOOK for Grades 4-6
Ruth B. Heinig and Ruth M. Heinig Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey:
Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1987.
Real lessons direct from the classroom. The focus here is on practice,
not theory. You can immediately TEACH the lessons and activities in this
book. Very clear explanations and easy reference.
DRAMA WITH CHILDREN
Geraldine Brain Siks. New York: Harper and Row, 1983.
Another college textbook for Creative Drama teachers. A little old-fashioned,
but very easy to follow, with lots of practical lessons. THIS BOOK IS OUT
OF PRINT, BUT AMAZON.COM MAY BE ABLE TO FIND IT FOR YOU.
IMPROVISATIONS
IN CREATIVE DRAMA
Betty Keller. Colorado Springs: Meriwether Publishing Ltd., 1987.
A collection of Creative Drama lessons-enough for at least a year's
work. The focus here is mainly Theatre training, but with a healthy dose
of process-oriented work. If you are looking for ready-made lessons that
WORK, this book has them.
DRAMATHEMES: A Practical Guide for Teaching Drama
Larry Swartz. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books, Inc.,
1988.
An excellent text that will help you construct Drama lessons to
support a wide variety of themes and curricular areas. The book includes
actual, useable lessons, but its strength is in the way Swartz makes Drama
out of subject matter.
THEATRE
GAMES FOR YOUNG PERFORMERS
Maria C. Novelly. Colorado Springs: Meriwether Publishing Ltd.,
1985.
A collection of classic "Theatre Games" for teens. All the activities
in this book are intended to train young actors in performance technique.
Lots of fun.
STRUCTURING
DRAMA WORK: A Handbook of Available Forms in Theatre and Drama
Jonothan Neelands. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press,
1992.
An absolutely information-packed book discussing and contrasting
conventions and approaches to the teaching of drama. Contains lots of useful
activities-mostly appropriate for older kids. A really thorough overview
of the different ways drama teachers work.
ROLE
DRAMA
Carole Tarlington and Patrick Verriour. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Educational Books, Inc., 1991.
Role Drama is a technique pioneered in England. It is a Creative
Drama form in which students explore themes or stories in role-usually
with the teacher also in role. This is the easiest to understand book about
this exciting and challenging form that I have seen.
LEARNING
THROUGH THEATRE: New Perspectives on Theatre in Education
Ed. Tony Jackson. New York: Routledge, 1993.
A collection of articles about the British form Theatre in Education.
This is the best book I have found on the subject.
HOW
TO READ A PLAY
Ronald Hayman. New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1983.
This oddly-titled book is great for teachers introducing the literature
of the theatre to High-School students. In clear and entertaining language
it takes students through the elements of a written play so that they can
bring the drama to life in their imagination as they read. (Anyone who
has ever read Shakespeare with an English teacher who didn't understand
the Theatre will appreciate the need for this book.)
CREATIVE
PLAY DIRECTION
Robert Cohen and John Harrop. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall,
Inc., 1984.
Another directing manual. A little less "textbooky," but also a
little less thorough. Very easy to read.
DIRECTORS
ON DIRECTING: A Source Book to the Modern Theater
Toby Cole and Helen K. Chinoy. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co.,
1990.
A fascinating collection of writings by directors about the history
and process of directing. A must-read for any serious director or student
director.
GETTING THE SHOW ON: The Complete Guidebook for Producing a Musical
in your Theater
Lehman Engel. New York: Schirmer Books, 1983.
Tips on directing a musical from a broadway legend. THIS BOOK IS
OUT OF PRINT, BUT AMAZON.COM MAY BE ABLE TO FIND IT FOR YOU.
USEFUL PICTURE BOOKS Click here to see a short list of children's picture books that I use in my Creative Drama classes.
© 1998
Below find many books I have found useful on a variety of subjects relating to Drama with and for Children and Youth. (Some of these books have been in my library for fifteen years, and many are in newer editions now than the ones I have.)
Most of these books are available from AMAZON.COM. Titles in blue are clickable--click to order.
SIX PLAYS FOR CHILDREN BY AURAND HARRIS
Ed. Coleman A. Jennings. New Orleans: Anchorage Press, 1986.
Until his death a few years ago, Aurand Harris was the unchallenged
elder statesman of American Theatre for Young Audiences. His Androcles
and the Lion and The Arkansaw Bear are classics of the genre.
This is an early anthology. THIS BOOK IS OUT OF PRINT, BUT AMAZON.COM MAY
BE ABLE TO FIND IT FOR YOU.
WISH
IN ONE HAND SPIT IN THE OTHER: A Collection of Plays By Suzan Zeder
Ed. Susan Pearson-Davis. New Orleans: Anchorage Press, 1990.
When it comes to challenging, innovative Theatre for Young Audiences,
Suzan Zeder is the standard against which others are measured. Her plays
are never easy, often controversial, and always wonderful. This anthology
contains most of her best-known works.
THEATRE
FOR YOUTH: Twelve Plays with Mature Themes
Ed. Coleman A. Jennings and Gretta Berghammer. Austin: University
of Texas Press, 1986.
A collection of challenging contemporary Theatre for Young Audiences.
"Mature Themes" here does not necessarily mean the plays are intended for
older children (although some certainly are), but rather that many address
themes that used to be considered taboo in Children's Theatre--but are,
I think, exactly those themes we should be addressing. Expertly edited
with commentary by Dr. Coleman Jennings, a leading authority.
THEATRE
FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
Ed. Coleman A. Jennings. St. Martin's Press, 1998.
A new collection of the best plays for young audiences. Many of
the plays included here are unfamiliar, but all are destined to become
classics. An excellent anthology.
PLAYS
CHILDREN LOVE
Ed. Coleman A. Jennings. St. Martin's Press, 1992.
A collection of classic and new plays for young audiences. This
anthology is especially good for very young audiences, and contains mostly
older, "classic" plays for children.
DRAMATIC
LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN: A Century in Review
Ed. Roger L. Bedard. New Orleans: Anchorage Press, 1984.
A definitive history of the Children's Theatre field in the United
States, from turn-of-the-century Settlement Houses to Harris's The Arkansaw
Bear. Read this book for the HISTORY here, which is fascinating and important,
more than for the plays.
CREATIVE
DRAMA RESOURCE BOOK for Grades K-3
Ruth B. Heinig. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.,
1987.
Real lessons direct from the classroom. The focus here is on practice,
not theory. You can immediately TEACH the lessons and activities in this
book. Very clear explanations and easy reference.
CREATIVE
DRAMA RESOURCE BOOK for Grades 4-6
Ruth B. Heinig and Ruth M. Heinig Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey:
Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1987.
Real lessons direct from the classroom. The focus here is on practice,
not theory. You can immediately TEACH the lessons and activities in this
book. Very clear explanations and easy reference.
DRAMA WITH CHILDREN
Geraldine Brain Siks. New York: Harper and Row, 1983.
Another college textbook for Creative Drama teachers. A little old-fashioned,
but very easy to follow, with lots of practical lessons. THIS BOOK IS OUT
OF PRINT, BUT AMAZON.COM MAY BE ABLE TO FIND IT FOR YOU.
IMPROVISATIONS
IN CREATIVE DRAMA
Betty Keller. Colorado Springs: Meriwether Publishing Ltd., 1987.
A collection of Creative Drama lessons-enough for at least a year's
work. The focus here is mainly Theatre training, but with a healthy dose
of process-oriented work. If you are looking for ready-made lessons that
WORK, this book has them.
DRAMATHEMES: A Practical Guide for Teaching Drama
Larry Swartz. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books, Inc.,
1988.
An excellent text that will help you construct Drama lessons to
support a wide variety of themes and curricular areas. The book includes
actual, useable lessons, but its strength is in the way Swartz makes Drama
out of subject matter.
THEATRE
GAMES FOR YOUNG PERFORMERS
Maria C. Novelly. Colorado Springs: Meriwether Publishing Ltd.,
1985.
A collection of classic "Theatre Games" for teens. All the activities
in this book are intended to train young actors in performance technique.
Lots of fun.
STRUCTURING
DRAMA WORK: A Handbook of Available Forms in Theatre and Drama
Jonothan Neelands. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press,
1992.
An absolutely information-packed book discussing and contrasting
conventions and approaches to the teaching of drama. Contains lots of useful
activities-mostly appropriate for older kids. A really thorough overview
of the different ways drama teachers work.
ROLE
DRAMA
Carole Tarlington and Patrick Verriour. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
Educational Books, Inc., 1991.
Role Drama is a technique pioneered in England. It is a Creative
Drama form in which students explore themes or stories in role-usually
with the teacher also in role. This is the easiest to understand book about
this exciting and challenging form that I have seen.
LEARNING
THROUGH THEATRE: New Perspectives on Theatre in Education
Ed. Tony Jackson. New York: Routledge, 1993.
A collection of articles about the British form Theatre in Education.
This is the best book I have found on the subject.
HOW
TO READ A PLAY
Ronald Hayman. New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1983.
This oddly-titled book is great for teachers introducing the literature
of the theatre to High-School students. In clear and entertaining language
it takes students through the elements of a written play so that they can
bring the drama to life in their imagination as they read. (Anyone who
has ever read Shakespeare with an English teacher who didn't understand
the Theatre will appreciate the need for this book.)
CREATIVE
PLAY DIRECTION
Robert Cohen and John Harrop. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall,
Inc., 1984.
Another directing manual. A little less "textbooky," but also a
little less thorough. Very easy to read.
DIRECTORS
ON DIRECTING: A Source Book to the Modern Theater
Toby Cole and Helen K. Chinoy. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co.,
1990.
A fascinating collection of writings by directors about the history
and process of directing. A must-read for any serious director or student
director.
GETTING THE SHOW ON: The Complete Guidebook for Producing a Musical
in your Theater
Lehman Engel. New York: Schirmer Books, 1983.
Tips on directing a musical from a broadway legend. THIS BOOK IS
OUT OF PRINT, BUT AMAZON.COM MAY BE ABLE TO FIND IT FOR YOU.
USEFUL PICTURE BOOKS Click here to see a short list of children's picture books that I use in my Creative Drama classes.
© 1998 matt_buchanan_88@post.harvard.edu