What if your students could perform an entire play—without costumes, sets, or even a stage?

Welcome to the world of radio theater, where imagination does the heavy lifting and every student gets a chance to shine.

We’re Live! Radio Theater #101 is your guide to bringing high-energy, low-prep performances into the classroom. Whether you're a drama teacher or just looking for a creative spark, this book makes it easy to dive into voice acting, character development, and storytelling through sound.

Written by veteran theater educator Deborah Baldwin, this classroom-tested resource includes:

Clear steps for teaching radio theater (even if you've never tried it)

Tips on voice work, sound effects, and performance prep

Five original short scripts your students will love

A full unit plan ready to plug into your curriculum

Perfect for grades 3–12, radio theater builds reading fluency, collaboration, and confidence—especially for students who might shy away from traditional performance.

So turn down the lights, cue the sound effects, and let the magic begin. Your classroom is about to go live!

Deborah Baldwin, an acclaimed teacher and director with over four decades of experience, shares her journey. To engage shy, reluctant, or disinterested students in her pre-elective drama class, she recalled vintage radio shows and introduced radio theater plays as a creative solution. Voila! She experienced immediate success. Now, you can experience this phenomenon firsthand with We’re Live! Radio Theater #101.

About the Author

Deborah discovered her passion for writing at the tender age of five when she crafted a funny story featuring a pink pig. Since that early start, she has excelled in various creative endeavors, earning accolades as both a writer and a drama teacher and director.

In addition, she is a professional actress and youth theatre administrator for several companies in the Midwest. Many years ago, she co-developed a national playwriting contest for youth theatre plays which is still in existence today. Deborah has directed over 325 full length productions, plays, and musicals alike. She has created countless drama classes and taught for over thirty-eight years. Currently, she is a creator/author for her own store, Dramamommaspeaks on Teacherspayteachers.com. When she isn’t writing, teaching, or directing, she enjoys watching movies, traveling, and serves as personal assistant to her polydactyl cat. She and her husband, an instrumental music teacher, are both newly retired and grandparents to three perfect grandchildren. Check out her blog at Dramamommaspeakswordpress.com.

Book Review:

Five Stars Great Tool for the Teacher Toolbox "We're Live! Radio Theatre 101" is a valuable tool that has now been added to my teacher toolkit. As a Theatre and English teacher, I now have the knowledge to incorporate Radio Theatre into my classes. Baldwin includes many resources in her work to assist with getting teachers started using radio theatre. Her passion for this art shines through in her stories and writing and provided the motivation I needed to start planning out a unit and production for my classroom. Baldwin also provides ideas on how to incorporate radio theatre across the curriculum and embrace AI technology with this historical art form. Truly, a great tool that you won't regret taking a look at! Douglas Parks Reading Specialist. -- Douglas Sparks, Secondary ELA Reading and Theater Instructor Director