100 Meters

By Kevin Booth

100 Meters – An EFL/ESL play about a girl who overcame disability, poverty and racism to become the fastest woman in the world.

 

This is the story of Wilma Rudolph, whom they called the "Black Gazelle". At seven years old, she caught Polio and could no longer walk. But Wilma wanted to play basketball and that is what she did. She eventually became an athlete, winning three Olympic gold medals and breaking a world record at just 20 years old!

 

Written in clear US English at Level CEFR A2, 100 Meters is ideal for lower intermediate English learners and above, aged seven and upwards. Perfect for ESL classroom readings or student productions, the play emphasizes particular language features and grammar structures in each scene. A Teaching Pack is available to download, offering over 15 hours of classroom activities.

 

First written and premiered in 1992 for the occasion of the Barcelona Olympic Games, 100 Meters was performed over 200 times in Catalonia, Spain. Theater productions were also mounted in Argentina (1995) and the Canary Islands, Spain (2000) to great acclaim. Thirty years later, publication now makes this play available to English language students and English-teaching theater-in-education companies worldwide.

 

This edition is adapted to US English. A UK edition is also available.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Poble Sec Books
• Release date: Aug 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9781999983659

Book preview

Table of Contents

Front Matter

Support a Working Author

First Performance

Introduction

Characters

Running Order

Scene One: 1947 Wilma and Sammy

Scene Two: 1947 Hospital

Scene Three: 1947 Illness and Friendship

Scene Four: 1948 Walking

Scene Five: 1949 In the Playground

Scene Six: 1949 The Kiss

Scene Seven: 1950 Freedom

Scene Eight: 1950 Basketball

Scene Nine: 1956 Melbourne Olympics

Scene Ten: 1957 Training

Scene Eleven: 1960 Rome

Scene Twelve: 1960 Finale

100 Meters Teaching Pack Instructions

A Brief Production History of 100 Meters

About the Writer

Copyright

100 Meters

A TEFL play about a girl who overcame disability, poverty and racism to become the fastest woman in the world

A play for lower-intermediate students of English and upwards

(CEFR language levels A2–C1)

US English edition (UK edition available)

by Kevin Booth

©Kevin Booth 1992. Registered in the Registre Provincial de Propietat Inteŀlectual de Barcelona; Solicitud No. 892.

Support a working author

Please do not copy this book. It is being sold at the lowest price possible so that you can afford to buy it. If you wish to read this book in class or put on your own theatrical production, please support a working author by purchasing individual copies. If you would like to perform this play commercially, contact us about acquiring the rights. Paying royalties allows writers to earn a living from their work.

If you have any comments or suggestions about either the play or teaching pack, you can write to us at:

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First performance 

100 Meters was first performed at the Escola Oficial d’Idiomes in Barcelona, in the summer of 1992. The original cast were as follows:

Mónica Lleó Cardenas as Wilma and Nurse

Terry McLean as Sammy, Father and Boy 1

Kevin Booth as Doctor, Coach, Boy 2 and commentator 

Directed by Kevin Booth.

Introduction

100 Meters is the story of Wilma Rudolph, a girl who had the courage and determination to fight against disability, poverty and racism to realize her dreams and change the world. 

I came across Rudolph’s story in the months leading up to the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. I was 27, recently having formed the theatre-in-education group Word Works Theatre with two other actors, performing in English for young audiences who were learning the language. I was researching a new play. Hoping to tell various true stories about people in difficult circumstances overcoming incredible odds to succeed,