Drama for Reading & Performance

Analyze or Perform—You Choose

Drama adds interest and variety to your curriculum, develops speaking and listening skills, and builds students' confidence as they read or perform. Each anthology features contemporary one-, two-, and three-act plays by distinguished playwrights and authors.


"…I have the Collection Two of Drama for Reading & Performance. The kids eat it up!"

Nationally Certified Teacher
Keenan Cola, South Carolina


Student Edition pages showing Novio BoyStudent Edition pages showing Novio Boy

Plays for Literary Analysis

Study plays as literature to develop:

  • Characterization
  • Motivation
  • Foreshadowing
  • Irony
  • Symbolism
  • Plot
  • Theme
  • And more!

Plays for Theatre & Performance

Explore plays for performance and address:

  • The set
  • Movement and timing
  • Improvisation
  • Creating a character
  • Costumes and makeup
  • Character analysis
  • Lighting and sound
  • And more!
Opening spread of Love of Three OrangesOpening spread of Love of Three Oranges

Diverse Drama Genres

Multiple dramatic formats broaden your students' perspective of drama:

  • Mime
  • Contemporary
  • TV and radio
  • Commedia dell-arte
  • NOH theatre
  • Farce

COLLECTION ONE is meant for middle school students and includes 17 plays.

COLLECTION TWO is meant for high school students and includes 20 plays.


Pages from the teacher resourcePages from the teacher resource

Comprehensive Teacher Resources

Access the teaching resources needed for literary analysis or performing the drama selections. Each features plot summaries, assessment opportunities, and enrichment activities.


Look Inside

Collection 1 Student Edition

Collection 1 Teacher Resource

Collection 2 Student Edition

Collection 2 Teacher Resource


Customer Review

"Perfection Learning's Drama for Reading & Performance, Collection One is an admirable mix of plays and teaching techniques. I found that the book and its attendant Teacher's Guide were well thought out and developed. There are numerous footnotes explaining vocabulary terms and concepts found in the plays themselves. The glossary at the back of the book is clean, clear and very readable. The books are very much aimed at the novice and intermediate theatre student. These books can easily be used for an entire year's worth of classes. There are seventeen plays in this book alone and, as the title suggests, there are other books in the collection. Each play has a different thrust for its teaching aims. One play will focus on language while another focuses on timing; or movement; or setting. This serves to illustrate these different aspects of the theatre very well for the young student.

The systematic approach of these materials builds nicely to a full understanding of theatre as Art onstage as well as theatre as Literature for reading and study. Everything is laid out in a very clear and readable fashion. Exercises accompany each play, designed for before and after reading the plays. After-reading discussion sessions are concise and to the point. Also included are short bios on the playwrights and/or artists focused upon in the notes.

The Teacher's Guide has good suggestions and additional materials and notes for a rich, full curriculum of the performance aspects of the Theatre Arts. Deliberate attention to the flow of the lessons in these books will deliver a very full understanding of what it means to be an alert, empathic, thinking actor on stage. I recommend these books whole-heartedly and can't wait to view the next book in the series."

Creative Drama Magazine, Fall 2000


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