The purpose of this project was to prepare a script for group interpretation based upon the theme of "alienation" as it occurs in selected works of contemporary American poets. The script was produced for an audience on the North Texas State University campus under the direction of the writer. The thesis includes the script, a discussion of the process of adaptation, and an evaluation of the production. The evaluation is based, in part upon the written critiques of four expert guest critics.

This oral interpretation thesis studies the use of oral interpretation in social contexts. The context chosen was the Hospice movement, which deals with assisting terminally ill persons and their families through the stages of death and bereavement. A readers theatre script was compiled for "Ann's Haven: Hospice of Denton County," which was selected for the locus of this thesis. The script was presented to various civic groups for the purpose of informing the public and eliciting support for Ann's Haven. It was found that oral interpretation is a viable rhetorical tool and is well liked by audiences as a means of public enlightenment.

The thrust of this study was twofold: to research and compile a script of English Medieval and Renaissance literature and to direct a group performance of the script in the oral interpretation mode at Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie, Texas. The study sought to show that a Readers Theatre script compiled of literature from the oral tradition of England was a suitable art form for a twentieth-century audience and that Readers Theatre benefited participants in the Scarborough Faire workshop program. This study concluded that the performed script appealed to a modern audience and that workshop training was enhanced by Readers Theatre in rehearsal and performance.