From Issue #8 Spring 2005
Bill Adams, Friend and Mentor
by Lucy Rioux(Ed note: Ms. Rioux's regular column on RT in the classroom will resume next issue.)
On March 13th, Dr. William J. Adams, founder and inspiration for the Readers Theatre Institute, died at his home in San Diego. Although I had not known Dr. Adams as long as many of his other colleagues and friends,I feel compelled to share a few personal thoughts and memories with you,our readers theatre audience. The impact he had on my professional and personal life still amazes me to this day. Let me tell you a story…
In April of 1991, I received a brochure advertising a three-week Readers Theatre Institute Workshop to be held in Paris, France. I had majored in theatre-communications while in college and had always been involved in the performing arts at some level throughout my adult life. I had become a teacher/consultant for the Gifted & Talented program in my school system, and had actually used a very basic form of readers theatre (RT) with some of my students.
Since I had never traveled abroad and was intrigued by the concept of learning how to use RT as a teaching strategy, I decided to attend. I figured even if the workshop did not meet my expectations, how could I go wrong in Paris?
I was not anywhere prepared for what this workshop and what this amazing person would introduce me to. I went in as a neophyte, tentative and uninformed, and within three weeks I returned to Maine an RT disciple! There are truly not words to describe the passion and zeal that exuded from Dr. Adams on this subject, especially during his first two-days of inservice.
I knew this distinguished looking gentleman was in his 70's, but his presentation and energy could only be compared to an olympic-trained athelete. His every word about readers theatre kept all of us on the edge of our seats. He did his entire presentation without notes, without hesitation, and without doubt. I sat there, along with the other 50 or so participants, in absolute awe.
So much information was being directed at us that at the end of those two days, we were all quite in shock, but completely energized and excited. I was not quite sure where I was going with all this, but I knew the adventure would be anything but boring! At the end of those three weeks, I was now calling Dr. Adams "Bill", and I had learned more about how to script, stage, and adapt materials for readers theatre than I thought I could possibly retain.
I came home,enthusiastically shared my newly acquired information with my colleagues through several workshops, and watched the movement grow. Three yeatrs later, I signed up for another workshop, this time held in London,England. This too proved to be outstanding, and from there I couldn't stay away. I was invited by Bill to become a member of their teaching staff, and later became the Director of Classroom Instruction.
Bill's passion for readers theatre and his Institute never wavered, and his love of life in general was evident in everything he did. His contributions and accomplishments are innumerable, but I will always remember him as that amazingly charismatic RT teacher and mentor, who later became a dear, dear friend.
I will always be grateful for his guidance and trust, for adding such richness and beauty in my life, and for encouraging me to become a part of his very special RT circle of friends. Bill, you will be missed, but you will always be remembered…LR
LR
Further information about the Readers Theatre Institute can be found at; http://www.readerstheatreinstitute.com/
