I’ve been keeping a bibliography of theatre education books since I finished my Bachelor’s degree, so this list of Creative Drama Books has been with me for a very long time.

If a title appears elsewhere on CreativeDrama.com, I’ve indicated it in PURPLE.

Amazon Affiliate Links appear in BLUE.

I’m always looking for new Creative Drama titles; let me know if you’ve read any recently!

Adland, David. Group Approach to Drama. Longmans, 1964.

Barton, Bob. Stories in the Classroom: Storytelling, Reading Aloud and Roleplaying with Children. Portsmouth, NH, Heinemann, 1990.

Bassinger, John. Creative Dramatics in Movement and Writing. American Educational Publications, Xerox Corp., Middletown, CT, 1972.

Booth, David. Drama in the Formative Years. Ministry of Education, Ontario, Canada, 1984.

Burger, Isabel B. Creative Play Acting. New York, Ronald Press, 1966.

Chambers, Dewey W. Storytelling and Creative Drama. Dubuque, IA, W.C. Brown, 1970.

Cheifetz, Dan. Theatre in My Head. Boston, Little, Brown, and Co. 1971. Find my review of Theater in My Head here. 

Chilver, Peter. Improvised Drama. B.T. Batsford, London, 1967.

Cotrell, June. Creative Drama in the Classroom: Grades 1-3. National Textbook, Lincolnwood, IL, 1987.

Cotrell, June. Creative Drama in the Classroom: Grades 4-6. National Textbook, Lincolnwood, IL, 1987.

Crosscup, Richard. Children and Dramatics. New York, Scribner’s, 1966.

Duke, Charles R. Creative Drama and English Teaching. National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, IL, 1974.

Durland, Frances. Creative Dramatics for Children: A Practical Manual for Teachers and Leaders. Antioch Press, Yellow Springs, OH, 1967.

Edwards, Charlotte. Creative Dramatics. The Instructor Publications, Danville, NY, 1972.

Ehrlich, Harriet, and Patricia Grastry. Creative Drama Handbook. Philadelphia, School District of Philadelphia Instructional Services, 1971.

Fitzgerald, Burdette. World Tales for Creative Dramatics and Storytelling. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1962.

George, Kathryn. Rhythm in Drama. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, 1980.

Goodridge, Janet. Creative Drama and Improvisational Movement for Children. Plays, Inc. Boston, 1971.

Haaga, Agnes, and Patricia Randles. Supplementary Materials for Use in Creative Dramatics with Younger Children. Seattle, University of Washington Press, 1952.

Heinig, Ruth, and Lydia Stillwell. Creative Drama for the Classroom. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1981.

A useful book with extensive examples and suggestions, it moves from warm-ups to pantomime to                     story dramatization in careful steps. There is an excellent chapter on the leader’s role in creating                         freedom and acceptance in a creative drama classroom.

Heinig, Ruth Beal. Creative Drama Resource Book: Kindergarten through Grade 3. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1987.

Heinig, Ruth Beal. Creative Drama Resource Book: Grades 4-6. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1987.

Kase, Robert. Stories for Creative Acting. New York: Samuel French, 1961.

Kase-Polisini, Judith, ed. Children’s Theatre, Creative Drama, and Learning. University Press of America, Lanham, MD, 1986.

Kase-Polisini, Judith, ed. Creative Drama in a Developmental Context. University Press of America, Lanham, MD, 1985.

Kelly, Elizabeth Y. The Magic If: Stanislavski for Children. Baltimore, National Educational Press, 1973.

Kelner, Lenore Blank. The Creative Classroom: A Guide for Using Creative Drama in the Classroom, Pre-K-6. Prentice-Hall, 1993.

Kennedy, Carol Jean. Child Drama: A Selected and Annotated Bibliography 1974-79. Washington, D.C., Children’s Theatre Association of America, 1981.

Klock, Mary Eileen. Creative Drama: A Selected and Annotated Bibliography. Washington, D.C., Children’s Theatre Association of America, 1975.

Koste, Virginia Glasgow. Dramatic Play in Childhood: Rehearsal for Life. Anchorage Press, New Orleans, 1978.

Lazier, Gil, and E.J. Karioth. The Inventory of Dramatic Behavior: A Content Analysis Technique for Creative Dramatics. Tallahassee, FL, Theatre Science Laboratory, Florida State University, 1972.

Learning About Learning Educational Foundation. I Create My World. Learning About Learning, San Antonio, 1977.

Lease, Ruth and Geraldine Brain Siks. Creative Dramatics in Home, School, and Community. New York, Harper Brothers, 1952.

Lowndes, Betty. Movement and Creative Drama for Children. Boston, MA, Plays, Inc.

Martin, William, and Gordon Vallins. Exploration Drama. Evans, London, 1970-77.

McCaslin, Nellie, Ed. Children and Drama. New York, David McKay, 1975. ISBN: 0-679-30269-7

McCaslin, Nellie. Creative Drama in the Classroom. 5th Edition, New York, Longman, 1990

McCaslin, Nellie. Creative Drama in the Primary Grades. Longman, White Plains, NY, 1987.

McCaslin, Nellie. Creative Drama in the Intermediate Grades. Longman, White Plains, NY, 1987.

McGregor, Lynn, Maggie Tate, and Ken Robinson. Learning Through Drama. Heinemann, London, 1977.

McIntyre, Barbara. Creative Drama in the Elementary School. Peacock, Itasca, IL, 1974.

McIntyre, Barbara M. Informal Dramatics- A language Arts Activity for the Special Pupil. Pittsburgh, Stanwiz House, Inc., 1963.

Moffett, James. Drama: What is Happening? National Council of Teachers of English, Champaign, IL, 1967.

Nobleman, Roberta. 50 Projects for Creative Dramatics. New Plays, Rowayton, CT, 1974.

O’Neill, Cecily, Linnell Lambert, and Warr-Wood. Drama Guidelines. Exeter, NH, Neinemann, 1977.

Percival, Rachel and Vera Gray. Music, Movement, and Mime for Children. London, Oxford University Press, 1962.

Pierini, Mary Paul Frances. Creative Dramatics: A Guide for Educators. Herder and Herder, New York, 1971.

Popovich, James E. A Study of Significant Contributions to the Development of Creative Dramatics in American Education. Ph.D. Dissertation, Northwestern University. Illinois, Northwestern University, 1955.

Prokes, Sister Dorothy. Exploring the Relationship between Participation in Creative Dramatics and Development in Imaginative Capacities of Gifted Junior High School Students. Ph.D. Dissertation, New York University. New York, New York University. 1971.

Rosenberg, Helene S. and Patricia Pinciotti. Creative Drama and Imagination: Transforming Ideas Into Action. New York, Holt, Rhinehart, and Winston, 1986.

Rubin, Janet. Creative Drama and Music Methods: Activities for the Classroom. Lanham, Maryland, Rowman and Littlefield. 2011.

Saldana, Johnny, Ed. Drama with the Kindergarten. Department of Theatre at Arizona State University, Tempe, 1985.

Schattner, Regina. Creative Dramatics for Handicapped Children. New York, The John Day Company, 1967.

Schwartz, Dorothy and Dorothy Aldrich, Eds. Give Them Roots and Wings. Washington, D.C., American Theatre Association, 1972.

Scott, Graham S. A survey of Selected Approaches t to the Teaching of Creative Drama in the United States and England. M.A. Thesis, University of Calgary. Calgary, Alberta, Canada, University of Calgary, 1972.

A Development of a Taxonomy of Educational Objectives in Creative Dramatics.Ed.D. Dissertation, Columbia University. New York, Columbia University, 1968.

Siks, Geraldine Brain. Children’s Literature for Dramatization. New York, Harper & Row, Publishers, 1964.

Siks, Geraldine Brain. Drama with Children. 2nd Ed. New York, Harper and Row, 1983.

Siks, Geraldine Brain. Creative Dramatics for Children. New York, Ginn and Co., 1961.

Siks, Geraldine Brain. Creative Dramatics: An Art for Children. Harper and Row, New York, 1980.

Siks, Geraldine Brain and Hazel Brain Dunnington, eds. Children;s Theatre and Creative Dramatics.

Slade, Peter. Child Drama. University of London Press, 1954.

Slade, Peter. The Experience of Spontaneity. London, Longman, 1968.

Slade, Peter. An Introduction to Child Drama. Hodder and Stoughton, London and Toronto, 1976.

Stewig, John Warren. Informal Drama in the Elementary Language Arts Program. New York, Teachers College Press, 1983.

Stewig, John. Spontaneous Drama: A Language Art. Columbus, Ohio, Charles E. Merrill, 1973.

Tyas, Billi. Child Drama in Action: A Practical Manual for Teachers. Toronto, Ontario, Gage Educational Publishing, 1971.

Van Tassel, Katrina, and Millie Greimann. Creative Dramatization. New York, Macmillan, 1973.

Wagner, Betty Jane. Dorothy Heathcote: Drama as a Learning Medium. National Education Association, Washington, D.C., 1976.

Wagner, Jeannine, and Kitty Baker. A Place for Ideas: Our Theatre, revised Ed. Anchorage Press, New Orleans, 1978.

Ward, Winnifred. Stories to Dramatize.

Ward, Winnifred. Playmaking with Children from Kindergarten to High School. New York, Appleton Century Crofts, 1957.

Wilder, Rosilyn. A Space Where Anything Can Happen: Creative Drama in a Middle School. New Plays, Rowayton, CT, 1977.