Taking the Cue
Characters:
- NARRATOR: Guides the scene and describes subtle shifts in mood and setting.
- MAYA: The dedicated student stage manager who feels responsible for keeping everything on schedule.
- DEVON: A confident actor who thrives on spontaneous choices and personal flair.
- CHLOE: A calm, observant actor who notices how tension affects the entire ensemble.
Setting: A quiet corner of the middle school auditorium stage. Three folding chairs sit in a small arc under warm rehearsal lights. Behind them, pieces of painted cardboard flats show a forest backdrop.
NARRATOR: It is four o'clock on a Thursday afternoon. The auditorium has mostly cleared out after a rocky dress rehearsal. Folding chairs remain scattered, scripts sit face down on the floor, and the air still holds the sharp tension of an unresolved argument. Maya, Devon, and Chloe linger near stage left. Maya clutches a clipboard tightly against her chest, her pencil tapping an anxious rhythm. Devon sits slouched in a metal chair, arms crossed, staring firmly at the scuffed floorboards. Chloe stands between them, balancing her script on her knee, waiting for someone to break the silence.
- ensemble:
- A group of theatrical performers working together as a whole.
- cue:
- A signal or trigger for an actor to speak, move, or for a technical effect to happen.
- blocking:
- The planned physical movement and positioning of actors on the stage.
- improvise:
- To invent lines, movements, or actions on the spot without planning or rehearsal.
- flats:
- Lightweight painted upright panels used to create background scenery on a stage.
- riser:
- A raised platform or set of low steps used on a stage to create different levels.
- undermines:
- Weakens or lessens the authority, confidence, or effectiveness of someone or something.
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Main Idea
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Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Point of View
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Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
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Language & Tone
Interpret nonliteral language and analyze how word choice shapes tone and meaning.
Writing Prompts
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What specific action by Devon during the dress rehearsal caused the conflict among the cast and crew?
- 2Why was Chloe worried when Devon added his spontaneous movement?
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About this reader's theater passage for 6th Grade
“Taking the Cue” is a reader's theater reading passage about resolving conflict through communication, written for 6th Grade. It takes about 7 minutes to read (1,020 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.