Stories have main ideas and details. Being able to tell them apart is an important part of developing reading comprehension skills. In this exercise students select the main elements of a fairy tale and act them out. Afterwards, they're under pressure to act out the fairy tale even more quickly, so they have to make sure they identify the main ideas only.

1. 1
Title:
60‐Second Theater
Author:
Alan Rudt
Original Date:
September 2013
Revised On:
October 2013
Description
Stories have main ideas and details. Being able to tell them apart is an important part of
developing reading comprehension skills. In this exercise students select the main
elements of a fairy tale and act them out. Afterwards, they're under pressure to act out
the fairy tale even more quickly, so they have to make sure they identify the main ideas
only.
Instructions
1. Bring up a group of 4‐6 students.
2. Select a short story or fairy tale for the group to act out in 60 seconds. Allow the
students a short amount of time to huddle and decide the main points of the
story and who plays which role.
3. After the story is acted out, have the group re‐perform it in half the time. No
huddle to prepare is allowed.
4. Repeat Step 3; continue to request that the story be acted out in half the time
until an absurdly short rendition is performed.
Teacher says this:
Stories have main ideas and details. Being able to tell them apart is an important part of
developing reading comprehension skills. In this exercise I'm going to ask you to select
the main elements of a fairy tale and act them out. Afterwards, I'm going to put you
under pressure and ask you to act out the fairy tale even more quickly, so you'll really
have to make sure you've identified the main ideas only.
Let’s have a small cast come up. I have the names of fairy tales on slips of paper in this
bowl. Pick one. You have two minutes to prepare a 1‐minute version of the fairy tale.
Remember to perform only the essential elements of the story.
Copyright 2013 ImprovEducation.org All Rights Reserved

2. 2
Notes
For each performance, keep accurate time and stop the action when time is up. Ask the
class for feedback and discuss whether they covered only the main elements. Then,
halve the time and redo. Repeat again for 15 seconds, and culminate with a seven‐and‐
a‐half performance. The results are often hilarious.
Variation
Have a different groups of students come up to perform the same fairy tale each time
the story duration is halved. That way, more students will have a chance to participate.
Materials
Partial list of fairy tales
The Three Little Pigs
Alice in Wonderland
The Ginger Bread Man
Beauty and the Beast
Cinderella
The Golden Goose
Rumpelstiltskin
Rapunzel
Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs
Sleeping Beauty
Hansel and Gretel
About Us
ImprovEducation.org creates rich, engaging media for K12 educators and administrators. We
keep our content fresh and entertaining by working with people not normally found in
school corridors: actors, artists, comedians, business people, vendors... really just about
anyone who loves educators and has something of value to offer. We think educators gain
valuable inspiration and support by being connected to a diverse population outside of the
classroom. To participate or learn more please contact:
Alan Rudt
arudt@improveducation.org
(917) 881-7202
Copyright 2013 ImprovEducation.org All Rights Reserved