(HOME)
From Issue #11, Winter
2006
READERS
THEATRE: A Family Affair?
by Dean Roberts
Every summer
we have at least one large family gathering at a camp on a small pond
in central Maine. Depending on the weather, this can be 20-40 people
of all ages from infants to very senior citizens. Mostly the entertainment
takes care of itself. There's the usual bag of pleasant distractions
like swimming, fishing, horseshoes, lots of reminiscing and, of course,
the Cookout.
Last summer on
the day before the big shindig, I was reviewing a batch of scripts for
possible inclusion in our regular Open
Book Players fall schedule. On impulse I made multiple copies of
a few of them and tossed them into the back of the Buick, the idea being
that if the available amusements were not enough to keep the gang occupied,
a session of impromptu RT might be worth a shot. I kept this all to
myself since the notion of including Readers Theatre in a family gathering
wouldn't make much sense to most of my kin whose acquaintance with any
kind of theater ended with high school - a very long time ago for many
of us.
Next day just
before the Cookout was to start, an appropriate moment came for bringing
out the scripts. A five minute introduction to RT caught everyone's
attention, the scripts were distributed at random, and the experiment
began under the direction of yours truly.
Everyone who
could read got involved and, an hour later and an hour late, the Cookout
got underway.
This brief essay
is not intended to offer how-to instruction on the subject of RT, but
to illustrate how a bit of creative thinking can open a whole new use
for this remarkably adaptable and flexible theater form.
Doing
something like this at a family gathering requires no great amount of
preparation. All it takes is an Instigator with working knowledge of
RT, a handful of scripts in multiple copies, and the chutzpah to stay
the course when certain individuals get a couple of negative comments
off their chest.
The
key to having a ball with this family activity is enthusiasm on the
part of the Instigator, and good scripts. The scripts should be short,
not over 10 minutes each, and FUNNY. As tempting as it may be to deliver
a 'message' to the family, or to explore the deeper meaning of life,
it could be a downer at a family gathering. Keep it light. FUNNY is
the keyword, respect it. If you have the time, a spoof of the idiosyncrasies
of certain family members can bring down the house, but be sure the
subject(s) of the roast can take it without being hurt.
This
is not likely to start a trend, but if anyone reading this has done
something similar or eventually tries it, please let us know. We could
be on to something.
DR
(HOME)