Radio Plays Drama Lesson

In this fourteen page drama lesson, students will learn about the features and types of radio plays, acting in a radio play, and how to create a character through voice.

In the late 1920’s to early 1930’s, radio theatre was the most common and inexpensive form of entertainment. Families would sit around the radio and listen to their favorite programs. Back then, people did not have televisions, so they used their imaginations while listening to all genres of radio stories. There were comedies, dramas, crime dramas, mysteries, action and adventure, fantasy, historical, children’s dramas, theatrical plays, soap operas, horror stories, and even science fiction. These stories were performed by actors who would read from a script in a radio station studio. They were often broadcast live and also included mood music and sound effects to enhance the action in each scene.

This lesson plan includes:

• A brief history of radio theatre
• Elements of a radio ‘serial’
• Difference between radio plays and stage plays
• Vocal delivery techniques
• Vocal variety exercise
• Mid-Atlantic accent technique
• Sample scripts
• Creating a character through voice handout
• HUGE list of extra resources and hundreds of radio scripts!