101 Dialogues, Sketches and Skits: Instant Theatre for Teens and Tweens

by Paul Rooyackers, Bor Rooyackers, Liesbeth Mende

Overview

Originally written for drama teachers working with students aged 9 to 18, this collection of short, snappy theater dialogues makes the perfect short break activity in any classroom, camp, or youth group situation. Students get much more out of these dialogues than just acting practice: they increase alertness, cultivate curiosity, boost literacy, and improve school attendance. The one-to-one dialogue format facilitates friendships and allows shy students to demonstrate new skills. Written by a family of drama experts, each dialogue centers around a theme related to young life: food, parents, hobbies, movies, even falling in love, to name just a few. Each dialogue is introduced with brief notes suggesting different ways of playing them at different ages and tips for adapting the dialogues to different age groups and situations. 101 Dialogues, Sketches, and Skits is part of the SmartFun Activity series from Hunter House, which includes over 25 titles that have sold more than 200,000 copies to date.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780897936774
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	12/01/2014
Series:	SmartFun Activity Books
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	658,674
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	7 - 12 Years

About the Author

Paul Rooyackers is a well-known dance and drama teacher with over 20 years experience in children's education, including youth work and creative therapy. He is the author of many activity books for children published by Hunter House and also by Panta Rhei in the Netherlands, where he lives. These include 101 Dance Games and 101 More Dance Games, 101 Drama Games and 101 More Drama Games, 101 Language Games, and 101 Circus Games for Children. Paul lives in Haarlem, The Netherlands. Bor Rooyackers is a well-known actor, director, cabaret performer, and stand-up comedian. He's the son of Paul Rooyackers, lives in Rotterdam with his wife Liesbeth Mende, and performs with a cabaret troupe throughout the Netherlands. Liesbeth Mende studied play writing at the Academy of Arts in Utrecht. She is an author and a teacher of creative writing and play writing.

Read an Excerpt

From Series 1: Prologue/Short Dialogues
Dialogue 2 — Blue
Props: It's interesting to use no props with this game, but to act as if there are props.
Tip: This dialogue can be played in various tempos. Short and fast is probably best.
FREDO — Those blue trainers are cool. Where did you get them?
SAM — They're green.
FREDO — Blue. That's what I said.
SAM — They're green, man. Look.
FREDO — I'm looking.
SAM — This isn't blue, it's green.
FREDO — Blue. I've got a sweater that color.
SAM — That one with the v-neck?
FREDO — Yeah.
SAM — That's green man.

From Series 1: The Beginning and The End
Dialogue 13 — A Sack of Hay
Tip 1: In this dialogue the opening sentence is a strong message for Duke so it's important that it comes across clearly. Try out different ways of saying it and see which one has the right tone. Should it be sweet, angry, yelling, crying? The only way of finding the right way is to try it.
Tip 2: If Sheri names the people that think Duke is a sack of hay, then that many people can appear in the performance of the dialogue. In that case the names can be spoken slowly as the people come on.

SHERI — And that's why I think you're a sack of hay!
silence
DUKE — That's your opinion.
SHERI — Not only me.
DUKE — Oh? Who else then?
SHERI — Olivia.
short silence
Jack.
Simon.
Anna, Shirley, Vivian, Clare, Talitha, Monica, Joyce, Jill, Edith, Remi, Sabine, and Annabelle.
silence
The volleyball team.
Ben, Wesley, Viola, Larissa, Nanette, Babette, Listette, Yvette, Joni, and Talissa.
DUKE — Well. That doesn't mean anything.

From Series 2: The Message
Dialogue 24 — Nice Pants
Tip: Make up a situation where this dialogue can happen. Imagine that DORA is very rich, or very poor, or a student, or a homeless person. Add cynicism according to the context.
DORA — Nice pants.
NICK — Thanks.
DORA — They must have been expensive?
NICK — Yes.
DORA — Do you have to save up a long time to get pants like that?
NICK — I've got a paper route.
DORA — So with that paper route you can buy...what, a pair of pants every month?
NICK — Roughly.
DORA — And then a sweater the next month?
NICK — Maybe.
DORA — So after a year you've got roughly two pairs of pants, three sweaters, two T-shirts, a pair of boxer shorts and maybe...a new pair of shades.
NICK — That's possible.
DORA — And during summer. You have a summer job?
NICK — Usually for the first 4 weeks I go...
DORA — Apple picking? Strawberry picking? Tomato picking? Dish washing?
NICK — And then...
DORA — To Mexico for a week!
NICK — Yes.
DORA — And do you still have money left after that?
NICK — Yes. Why?
DORA — I'd love some French fries.

Table of Contents

Introduction
—Practical information for the teacher
—The Method
—How to use the dialogues
The Dialogues:
Series 0: Short dialogues
Series 1: The beginning and the end
Series 2: The message
Series 3: The location
Series 4: The use of the voice
Series 5: The rhythm
Series 6: The emotion
Series 7: The direction
Series 8: The power
Series 9: The character
Series 10: The loser and the winner

Editorial Reviews

"DORA — And during summer. You have a summer job?
NICK — Usually for the first four weeks I go . . .
DORA — Apple picking? Strawberry picking? Tomato picking? Dish washing?
NICK — And then . . .
DORA — To Mexico for a week!"
— from the book

From the Publisher