INVISIBLE MAN - Readers' Theater Lightfoot
Model for Peter Wheatstraw's song: Robert Johnson, "Hungry Calf Blues" (play for class before sending groups into rehearsal).
Pages to perform: p. 172 (2 voices); 173 (2 voices); 174 (2), 175 (2), 176 (2), 177 (2 narr), songs 234, 235, 242; 263 (2 + narr); a264 (2 + narr).
Instructions: Rehearse10-15 minutes; then present to class (on your feet -- except the IM in #4 is lying down, and the congregation in #1 might be sitting). Your performances should be expressive, bringing the passages to life, and should communicate meaning. (When reading aloud during your performance, hold your head up instead of looking down into your book.)
1. Italics pp. 9-12 - preacher in dialogue with a congregation of 2; then dialogue between IM and old woman plus speaker of narrative passages (3 actors).
2. Peter Wheatstraw & IM plus speaker of narrative passages (3 actors): 173t "She's got feet like a monkey" to 175b "You kinda young, daddy-o."
3. Peter Wheatstraw & IM & speaker of narrative passages (3 actors): 175b ""Well, daddy-o" to 177b "..flashed over me."
4. Hospital scene: dialogue between IM and doctor plus speaker of narrative passages.
234b "Oh, doctor, I thought..." to 235t "...for the steam."
Then 239-242: DOCTOR reads signs, IM and second speaker share readings of SELECTED, EDITED, MOST IMPORTANT, DRAMATIC PORTIONS OF responses, up to "...when they let me out of the machine," p. 242m. (3 actors)
5. IM & yam seller (2 actors) 263t "Get yo hot, baked Car'lina yam" to 264b "...not all of us, but so many."
6. IM & yam seller (2 actors) 265b "This is all very wild and childish..." to "267t "...it had made life seem simple."
7. IM's speech at the eviction, 277m "Did you hear him?" to 279b "...you feel ashamed--" (2 actors - divide the monologue in a creative way).
© Judith Lightfoot, 1999