AFRICAN STORYTELLING - Master Man Play

Master Man
A Tall Tale of Nigeria

Told by Aaron Shepard

Reader’s Theater Edition #27
Adapted for reader’s theater (or readers theatre) by the author, from his picture book published by HarperCollins, New York, 2001

For more reader’s theater, visit Aaron Shepard’s RT Page at
www.aaronshep.com/rt

Story copyright © 2001 Aaron Shepard. Script copyright © 2001, 2002 Aaron Shepard. Scripts in this series are free and may be copied, shared, and performed for any noncommercial purpose, except they may not be posted online without permission.

PREVIEW: Shadusa thinks he’s the strongest man in the world—till he meets the real Master Man.

GENRE: Tall tales, folktales CULTURE: West African, Nigerian THEME: Machismo

READERS: 12 or more READER AGES: 8 and up LENGTH: 10 minutes

ROLES: Narrators 1–4, Shadusa, Shettu, Woman, Baby, Master Man, Farmer, Porter, Stranger, (Other Farmers), (Other Porters)

NOTES: This is a tale of the Hausa, the largest ethnic group of northern Nigeria. Mostly Muslim, they have lived mainly in towns and villages on the savannah. For best effect, place NARRATORS 1 and 2 at far left, and 3 and 4 at far right, as seen from the audience. BABY’s noises can be made partly while others speak. Shadusa is pronounced “sha-DOO-sa,” rhyming with “a goose a.” Shettu is pronounced “SHET-oo,” rhyming with “get two.” Wah is an African exclamation with no literal meaning.

NARRATOR 1:  Once there was a man who was strong.

VOCAL WARM UPS & ACTIVITIES

VOCAL WARMUPS & ACTIVITIES

In this section of the workbook, we will discuss how to prepare your voice for the stage.  As we discussed in the Imagination Worksheet your voice is one of your most important tools as an actor. Your voice can help you to create and define characters, create sound effects, and establish mood and attitude for the story you are presenting.  In order to use your voice effectively and without hurting it, it is important to learn how to warm it up and prepare it for performing.