NEWSPAPER READING MACHINE John White Directions for Performance For as many performers as possible Apart from an ‘agreed starting signal, each piayer works through his/her material independently. Instructions Each player selects a newspaper article containing eight fairly substantial paragraphs (all the material should be as different as possible). Then he/she interprets each Paragraph as follows (observing the difference between deliberate silence ond deliberate sound most clearly} Paragraph 1 Read silently (at normal reading speed). Paragraph 2 Read aloud very quietly (mumbiing). Paragraph 3 Mumble as in 2, but sing the word ‘the’ loudly every time it occurs (any note), Paragraph 4 Read silently except for the word ‘the’, which is sung as above, Paragraph 5 Read silently except for the sung ‘the’s and a loud ‘tic’ for each comma and ‘tup’ for each full stop (both of these should be short and emphatic). Paragraph 6 Read silently except for the ‘tic’s and ‘tup’s asin 5. Paragraph 7 Read all the words loudly and emphatically (plus ‘tic’s and ‘tup’s ). Paragraph & Read silently until the last five words of the paragraph, which should be repeated over and over (just the five words), starting low and quiet and then getting louder and more frenzied until out of breath, Stop abruptly. Remain silent until everybody else has stopped. Perform this piece BOLDLY AND CLEARLY. Duration is variable.