Combining elements of conventional theatre and readers' theatre in adapting and staging an original script for Knoxville Community Theatre

This oral interpretation performance/research project was conceived to determine whether or not technical theatrical accoutrements such as music, dance, costumes, stage properties, business, movement and line memorization--common to conventional theatre-can be used effectively in a Readers' Theatre production.

This student directed the original Readers' Theatre piece Many Voices, compiled by Knoxville Community Theatre members for public performance at ten locations throughout Knoxville, Tennessee during November 1976. It was taped twice during December 1976 for public broadcasting over Channel 20, a local community cablevision station, and WUOT, the University of Tennessee radio station.

This thesis consists of a comparative analysis of Readers' Theatre definitions and theories and a record and analysis of the various technical theatrical accoutrements used in solving the production problems of Many Voices. It includes an explanation of the casting, a description of the rehearsals and physical aspects of the production, and an evaluation of the total production experience.