From
Issue #4, Winter 2004
Books, web sites, and other media
Folktales on Stage
Aaron Shepard
Shepard Publications - Los Angeles
Just-published
Folktales on Stage is a collection of 16 reader's theater scripts
for young readers, adapted by award-winning children's author Aaron
Shepard from his own folktale retellings. A wide variety of countries
and cultures is represented, including Native America, Africa, the Middle
East, Russia, Southeast Asia, and China. The scripts may be freely copied,
shared, and performed for educational, noncommercial purposes. While
aiming mostly at ages 8 to 15, the collection features a full range
of reading levels.
Each script includes
production notes, and the long contents page presents a preview plus
genre, culture and theme notations for each script.
The quality of the
scripting is flawless and faithfully reflects the level of expertise
we have come to expect from Aaron Shephard. Anyone interested in learning
how to script for RT would do well to study these scripts with the original
source stories in hand.
The short table
of contents:
The Adventures of
Mouse Deer (Indonesia)
The Calabash Kids (Tanzania)
The Hidden One (Native American)
The Boy Who Wanted the Willies (Europe)
The Princess Mouse (Finland)
The Legend of Slappy Hooper (U.S.)
The Gifts of Wali Dad (India, Pakistan)
The Baker's Dozen (U.S.)
Master Maid (Norway)
The Magic Brocade (China)
Forty Fortunes (Iran)
Master Man (Nigeria)
Savitri (India)
The Enchanted Storks (Iraq)
The Crystal Heart (Vietnam)
The Sea King's Daughter (Russia)
Aaron Shepard's
web site: www.aaronshep.com
Compiled by R. Demers
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