Assuming multiple roles in the development of a Reader’s Theater course

This article was inspired by an exploration of readers’ theater as the focus of a semester long topics course, given as one of five courses required of full-time students enrolled in a university intensive English program. The article briefly describes how the author conceived the course as a strand within the context of a broader program. It provides a brief characterization of readers’ theater. It offers a cursory overview of theory and research attesting to the effectiveness of readers’ theater (and the underlying principle of repeated reading) as a tool for promoting reading fluency. It appropriates terms used to describe the functional division of labor in traditional theater arts to enumerate the various functions (scriptwriter, dialect coach, director, choreographer, set designer, and producer) that the teacher might perform in developing a course around the practice of readers’ theater. Finally, it addresses its central purpose as a “how to” article for those interested in experimenting with an enjoyable and creative means of promoting reading fluency