“READER’S THEATER” Bible skits

Here are some Bible stories written as play scripts, but with the expectation that they will be used as a group read-aloud activity, not as an actual play/skit.  (You are welcome to use them for actual plays/skits if you want to.)  The main difference between Reader’s Theater and regular play scripts is that Reader’s Theater often incorporates a narrator to “set the scene” for the dialogues.

These scripts stay true to the original text (except for the first one which is about the period between the testaments, so it is not in the Bible at all) so you can  use them as a way to present the Bible stories in a class.  I’ve found it tedious to have kids read Bible text out loud in a group, especially if some of the kids are not particularly strong readers. My observation is that the kids don’t really listen to each other read.  My students prefer if I tell the story in an animated way, but I really wanted to find a way to involve them in the stories somehow. This was my solution. My students love it when I bring Reader’s Theater to class.  They really engage and care about what is going on in the story.

I am likely to keep writing these occasionally, so hopefully as time goes on more will become available.  If you have good success with them, email me and let me know– I love feedback!

• “The Political Soap Opera Before Christ”
• “Some of Luke’s Parables”
• “The Sad Story of Abimlech”  (Judges 9)
• “The Birth and Childhood of Samuel”  (1 Sam.1-3)
• “Saul Rescues Jabesh Gilead”  (1 Sam. 11)
• “David and Goliath”  (1 Sam. 17)
• “The End of Saul”  (1 Samuel 27-31)
• “The House of David” Triumphs  (2 Sam. 2:8-5:10)
• “Trouble in the House of David”  (2 Sam. 10-20) (Includes age-appropriate version of the Bathsheba story. Also includeds Absalom’s revolt.)
• “The Last Days of David”  (2 Sam. 21,23,24, 1 Kings 1,2)
• “Solomon Cleans House”  (I Kings 2, 3)