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Dramatic Interpretation
Dramatic Reading
By Wendy C. Rivera

Stephanie never realized the treasure she possessed in the form of her adoring, autistic brother, until it was too late. It begins at a grave site, where the beautiful teenage girl stands near a coffin. Then it jumps back in time to when Stephanie and her autistic brother, Shane, used to play pretend prince and princess together "before she clearly understood about her brother's mental handicap." Then it skips to another scene, when Stephanie is a little older, and Shane embarrasses her at school in front of her "new friends." It is on that day that Stephanie made up a new "game": "From that day on, Stephanie and Shane Cassick were to be neighbors -- never brother and sister at school. Stephanie somehow convinced Shane daily that she was not serious at school-- just playing around. Thus, day by day, year by year the deception continued. And by the time Stephanie was a Junior in high school --- she could not stand to look at Shane! He reminded her of the lie she was living." Disgusted with Shane, one day Stephanie peels out of the school parking lot,and begins to yell at him in anger! Then Shane sweetly and innocently shows her a piece of paper. It is a portrait he has drawn of her, as a princess, "wearing a diamond crown, and holding some perfectly defined wild daisies." But as she reads the shaky signature with tears in her eyes, she does not see the tractor trailer! Shane is thrown from the car, and Stephanie is trapped in the car and blinded. Shane pulls her from the wrecked car, and protects her from the explosion with his own body. Powerful, moving, and emotionally courageous, this reading is all that a dramatic reading should be. It can be used in many different settings, for it is applicable to everyone.

7-10 minutes