"101 Dialogues, Sketches & Skits: Instant Theater for Teens & Tweens" is a collection of short theater dialogues that can be performed on the spot. Each dialogue is introduced with suggested interpretations for the performers. Written primarily for drama teachers working with students ranging in age from 12 to 18 years old, the sketches and skits can also be used in many other middle and high school classrooms as well as by professional and non-professional theater-training groups of any age.
"101 Dialogues, Sketches & 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. These books encourage imagination, social interaction, and self-expression in children. To make the books easy to use, games are organized according to the skills they develop and then further marked with icons that highlight appropriate age levels, times of play, and group size. Most games are non-competitive, few requires props or equipment, and none require special skills or training. The series is widely used in homes, schools, daycare centers, clubs, and summer camps.
A family full of drama experts, authors Paul Rooyackers, his son Bors, and daughter-in-law Liesbeth Mende have created a book that will be fun for teenagers and their teachers. The authors know a good dialogue when they see one. 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. Bors Rooyackers, is a well-known actor, director, cabaret performer and stand-up comedian. Liesbeth Mende, is an author and a teacher of creative writing and play writing.
Teachers will appreciate the practical tips and suggestions for ways to use the dialogues to teach acting and storytelling while also maximizing entertainment value. Each dialogue centers around a theme related to teenage life: falling in love, arguing, gossiping, pets, food, parents, joking, clothes, hobbies, and movies to name just a few.
Students will get so much more out of these dialogues than just acting practice. These dialogues have been designed with improving students' overall academic performance -- and enjoyment of school -- as a priority. The dialogues also stimulate student's creativity and problem solving abilities. In this book the stories around the dialogues are omitted, giving students free rein to interpret them. As the authors explain in the Introduction,"In a dialogue you can count on the fact the the person speaking has a message to convey. This is very important to remember as a reader/actor. Why is my message? What am I really saying here? Every sentence contains a message, however futile it may sound."
Using performing arts activities such as the ones in this book in schools boosts literacy, cultivates curiosity, and has been shown to improve school attendance. In 2005, students involved in drama performance outscored the national average SAT score by 35 points on the verbal portion and 24 points on the math section.
These one hundred and one snappy dialogues -- short and long, serious and funny, simple and complex, absurd and realistic -- make for instant, entertaining two-performer theater. These simple dialogues can be practiced and performed with a minimum of preparation or experience. And "101 Dialogues, Sketches & Skits" isn't just a collection of dialogues. The introductory chapters give general recommendations for how to use dialogues as a teaching tool, and each dialogue is accompanied by expert guidance on how to make the most of it. With this book in the classroom, teachers and students alike will be having fun and learning.