Colorado Ghost Story

Short Plays for English Learners, #3

These scripts will give students the opportunity to confidently practise language in a safe and structured setting where they can enjoy playing roles and bringing the story to life. ... they'll be having so much fun that they won't even realise that they are learning

—David Farmer, NILE training consultant, theatre director, and author

Trevor is an exchange student whose dream of the American west did not include a goat farm with a vegetarian host family. They won't even let him explore, especially at night.

But Trevor and his friend soon find out there's a reason his host family is so protective.

This engaging and suspenseful drama will get students talking about the difference between dreams and reality, as well as the realities of life away from the big city. They'll be practicing venting, as well as responding to venting.

And, this play was written for English students to improve their communication and speaking skills. As they read, practice, and perform these plays, they will learn:

• communication in cultural contexts
• conversational moves, such as changing the subject, expressing doubt, seeking clarification, and persuading
• use of intonation and body language
• high frequency lexical phrases and grammar patterns
• Short enough for a project in a speaking class, but expandable to fill a whole elective class, drama unit, or theater club production, Colorado Ghost Story makes drama in the classroom a good thing!

About the Play

4 characters, 8 scenes, about 17 minutes to perform.

Language of the play is graded to A2+/B1 (intermediate) level, although the demands of performance may be higher

In addition to the script, this book contains:

• Preview activities
• Pragmatics lesson on venting
• Advice on producing a play
• Pronunciation tips
• Glossary of theater vocabulary