The Giver

This stage adaptation features verbatim portions of the critically acclaimed novel, The Giver. In a dystopian world where all is the same, 12-year-old Jonas is selected to receive the memories of a far different life. During his training, the buried truth about the world that he was born into becomes hauntingly clear. This powerful performance explores themes of individuality, ethics, and social constructs.

California Content Standards easily applied in your classroom:

• 6.EN.LI.3.3: Analyze the influence of setting on the problem and its resolution.
• 7.EN.LI3.3: Analyze characterization as delineated through a character’s thoughts, words, speech patterns, and actions; the narrator’s description; and the thoughts, words, and actions of other characters.
• 8.EN.LI.3.4: Analyze the relevance of the setting (e.g., place, time, customs) to the mood, tone, and meaning of the text.

LESSON PLAN IDEA: Assign one half of the room to brainstorm principles of a perfect society and plans for implantation. Assign the other half to present arguments against these ideas. Students respond to the exercise in writing.

Visit the artist’s website at www.americanplacetheatre.org.