Ideas for Creating a Radio Play
- The literacy group could write and produce a radio play based on stories they
listened to when they were doing research.
- If you listened to several recordings or Elders’ stories, decide first as a group
which one you would like to base your radio play on.
- Listen to the story again to refresh your memory.
- You could write the play together as a group.
Steps in Creating a Radio Play1
- Start by describing the characters.
- Working on lip chart paper, brainstorm all the characters you will need for
your play. Write one character’s name on the top of each lip chart page
and add information about each character as you brainstorm.
- Brainstorm the physical characteristics of the character. What does she
ook like?
- Brainstorm the personality traits of the character. How does she act and
feel?
- Brainstorm the relationships between characters.
- In point form, write the plot line. What happens first, second, next in the
story? How does the story end?
- You could draw a long line on the blackboard or put a long sheet of paper
on the wall and draw a line on it – to show the progress of the story.
- People write events that happened in the story on sticky notes or pieces of
scrap paper and stick them on the line in the order they happened. With
this method, the order can be easily changed as the group thinks of more
events and ideas.
- Talk about whether you would like to add more details that the storyteller
didn’t mention. Or would you like to add fictional events to the story? If
you decide to do that, brainstorm ideas, write them on sticky notes or
scrap paper and stick them on the plot line in the order that its with the
original events.
- As the discussion continues, you can edit your plot line – move the papers
around to change the order of the events, add events or take some events
away.
- Divide the radio play into sections. People can divide into small groups or
pairs and write the dialogue for one section of the play.
- Dialogue is what the characters say to each other.
For example: Arnatsiak: Aapak, Look out! Rocks are falling!
Aapak: (screams) Aaiii!! (and runs)
Place the character sheets and plot line where everyone can see them or type
up character and plot handouts on the computer. The groups will need to keep
this information in mind as they write the dialogue.