SHOUTBACK! READERS' THEATER, Bundle 6, scripts for High School casts

What’s ShoutBack! Theater?

ShoutBack! – a one-act play, 10 to 15 minutes, usually humorous,

often with rhyming lines. Small casts – 5 to 8 actors – allow several

teams to perform in separate classrooms, at the same time.

A ShoutBack! works much like call-and-respond gospel songs, without the singing. During the performance, emcee invites audience to ShoutBack! a line or two.

Here’s Our Cast:

Narrator – appears in some ShoutBack! ‘s.

Actors – usually 3 to 5; mime with their dialog. Actors perform with scripts in hand.

Spurr – As Cast Captain, Spurr leads rehearsals and introduces the cast to the audience. As Emcee, teaches the audience their lines. Also discusses new words. As Prompter, cues the audience for their lines (cue cards provided).

SFX Artists – do sound effects, voice-overs, and oversee props. When cast performs for other classes, or at an assembly, SFX Artists do publicity.

SFX Artists provide 3 benefits:

· Voice-overs add characters that have too few lines to be onstage long.

· Audience smiles at SFX Artist-generated sounds.

· Shy students do well in this role.

Silent Helpers sometimes join the cast. These helpers react to lines & actions.

Audience plays its role, via cues from Spurr. In a ShoutBack! , everybody gets into the act.

Casting Notes:

A ShoutBack! sires energetic audiences. The fun we have hinges on the Spurr’s talent to rouse voices. Choose a confident, extroverted Spurr.

Ask for volunteers to fill the cast. Actors will choose their roles. Want to enlarge the cast? Add a character, given lines from other characters. Add another SFX Artist. A few extras onstage can act as Shout Leaders. The more voices, the merrier.

To amplify actors’ voices during an assembly, a Mikemaster can hold a microphone and scan it, speaker to speaker. ShoutBack!'s work well for in-school, closed-circuit TV.