Reader's Theater

Each year during our study of American Romanticism, we read Dr. Heidegger's Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Wanna read it? Here it is: http://www.hawthorneinsalem.org/mirror_eldritch/dhe.html
Since I have to incorporate a study of different methods of communication starting with the Pony Express up until now, I always select an old time radio program from radiolovers.com for my students to listen to after we read the story. Then, I put them into groups of about five and instruct them to turn the story into an old radio show. They can write the script any way they want, but they must remember to include all important parts. They must also remember that all students will have their backs to the groups as they perform, so they must rely solely on their voices and sound effects to retell it as we will not be able to see their faces or their body language.
It usually takes one full and one half of a class period for groups to be ready to perform. They are often challenged by the task of turning this story, which contains very little dialogue, into a script. The end result is often very amusing. Students feel more comfortable knowing that nobody will be looking at them and the audience seems to enjoy hearing how other people can tell the same story in such a different way. The students also seem to enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to make sound effects, play music, etc. I think it's definitely worth the time it takes them to create their scripts!