by Debra Fendrich, www.pioneerdrama.com
Shakespeare. Robert Louis Stevenson. Louisa May Alcott. Frances Hodgson Burnett. Oscar Wilde. Jane Austen. Mark Twain. A treasure trove of classic literature awaits your middle and high school children, but reading and discussing these stories that capture timeless human experiences takes a considerable amount of time.
Reading play adaptations of literary classics offers a vibrant, highly accessible alternative that brings timeless stories to life much more quickly. Scripts strip away long pages of descriptive prose, allowing students to focus intensely on the storyline, setting, and characters. Imagine being able to read a complete adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in just 90 minutes and come away with a good understanding of the plot, including all the characters and their relationships!
Of course, reading a scripted adaptation is not the same as reading the original book, yet the trade-off is worth considering. Beyond the time savings, reading a quality play version is highly likely to be more engaging. This is especially true if the play is read aloud with each student assigned a role. Auditory learners grasp complex plot points and themes more easily, and all students experience classic literature as an active, engaging activity rather than a passive reading assignment.
The play structure of an adaptation invites the reader to step into a character’s shoes and develop a deeper understanding not only of the storyline, but also of the character’s motivations, relationships, and interactions. Suddenly, the student isn’t just reading words on a page. They’re thinking, “How should I read this?” “What am I feeling?” “Why am I saying this?” This in-depth character study can foster a richer understanding of the story.
Though there’s much value in reading a play adaptation of a literary classic, actually staging it elevates the educational experience even more. These stories act as windows into different eras, and preparing to stage a piece of literature requires a comprehensive study of the historical context in which it’s set. What style of clothes did people wear? What were the houses like? What did they do for fun? Challenging children to bring to life a classic adaptation on stage provides students the motivation and need to conduct a careful historical exploration of the story’s era.
Pioneer Drama Service offers a plethora of quality script adaptations of literary classics. As the largest play publisher dedicated exclusively to the educational and amateur markets, they are a family-owned and operated business with over 60 years of experience meeting the needs of school and homeschool groups. Their scripts include traditional adaptations of literary classics that remain faithful to the original text. Some of their most popular plays of this type include Little Women, Secret Garden, Pride and Prejudice, The Importance of Being Earnest, Treasure Island, and Sherlock Holmes. In fact, they have more than one version of some of these stories so you can choose the one with the running time and cast size that best fits your needs.
Beyond these classic adaptations, they also have adaptations that introduce another element to the famous story, usually as a way to enhance readers’ understanding or to provide modern relevancy. For instance, in Little Women… Then and Now, four modern day girls are assigned to read Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. As they turn the pages, scenes from the classic novel come alive and the girls begin to see themselves in the March sisters. They’re able to draw connections between the events in the book and their own trials and triumphs.
Another similar example of this is in a play called Midsummer Night’s Midterm, where four students are studying for a test on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As they read the text and we see it acted out on stage, the students interrupt the story to clarify and explain the entangled plotline and intertwined relationships.
Pioneer Drama also carries adaptations with an added dose of humor. Sticking with A Midsummer Night’s Dream as an example, Pioneer offers multiple other versions, including MSND, which tells the comedy of errors using modern English, and Midsummer(ish), which has both modern English and a contemporary setting to relate Shakespeare’s most famous comedy. Other play adaptations of literary classics that add a lighter touch include The Absolutely True Story of King Arthur, Marian and the Merry Men, Sense and Sensibility… and Margaret, and Dorothy in Wonderland.
Pioneer Drama has plenty of options for younger students, too, with many stage adaptations of fairy tales, fables, and folktales. From The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland to Robin Hood, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Aesop’s Fables, Pioneer Drama has dozens of adaptations of these classic stories. Even students as young as 8 or 9 years old will relish being part of the beloved Rainbow Fish play or musical. Imagine how much more meaningful the story’s universal messages of sharing and friendship become when students are actually part of bringing the story to life on stage!
Pioneer Drama’s play scripts are extremely user-friendly and make theatre possible for even the most amateur among us! You don’t need experience in theatre to read and perhaps even produce one of their shows. They offer cost-saving ways for you to preview play scripts, either physically or digitally, so you can make sure you like the adaptation before you buy a script for each cast member. The folks at Pioneer Drama are as friendly and personable as can be, priding themselves on being “old fashioned” in the best of ways. Can you believe an actual person answers the phone when you call them during normal business hours at 800-33-DRAMA? They are happy to give you advice, take your order, or answer any questions you might have. Don’t be intimidated to dive in and check out their website at PioneerDrama.com either. It is a very easy site to navigate and has a chat feature that’s staffed by a real person during business hours.
Integrating classics into your homeschool curriculum using play scripts transcends the simple act of reading literature, infusing lessons with profound character studies and vibrant historical explorations. Your students will find this approach enjoyable and meaningful, understanding the stories more deeply while creating memories that will last a lifetime. Ω
