run
The Life of
Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.
A Reader’s Theater
or Play Script for Elementary
School Students
Written By
Tapatha Cooksey
Readers Theater or Play Script
The Life of Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr.
Written by Tapatha Cooksey
Roles to Choose From

Narrator (can be shared by several students)

Martin- 1 boy

Boys- 2 boys

Boys’ Mom- 1 girl

College Professor- 1 boy or girl

US Congressman- 1 boy or girl

Nobel Peace Prize Award Giver- 1 boy or girl

White Passenger- 1 boy

Rosa Parks- 1 girl

Bus Driver- 1 boy or girl

Passengers on Bus (any number, they do not have a speaking part)

Police Officer- 1 boy

Boycotter 1- 1 girl or boy

Boycotter 2- 1 girl or boy

Bus Owner 1- 1 boy or girl

Bus Owner 2- 1 boy or girl
Suggestions:

Narrators do not have to memorize all of their lines.

Martin does not have to memorize lines from the speech. He can read
them at the podium.
Scene 1
Narrator: This play is about the extraordinary life of a man named Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. By the time he was only six years old, he
already knew what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.
[Martin is playing outside with two boys who are white.]
Martin: Tomorrow is my first day of school. When I get home, I’ll come
over to your house again to play.
Boys: Okay Martin! We’ll see you tomorrow.
Narrator: The next day Martin went back to his friends’ house. He
knocked on their door.
Martin: Good afternoon. Can your boys come out to play?
Boys’ Mom: Martin, you’re in school now. My boys go to a school for
white kids, and go to school with other African American kids. My
kids cannot play with you anymore. Please do not come here again.
Martin: I don’t understand. It shouldn’t matter what color my skin is.
Everyone should be treated equally.
[Martin walks away with his head down.]
Scene 2
Narrator: This experience changed Martin’s life forever. As Martin
grew up, he was determined to fight for equal rights for all people.
After he graduated from college, he went to Boston University to
study religion and became a preacher.
College Professor: Congratulations, Martin! You earned your
Doctorate Degree of Theology. You are now, DOCTOR, Martin Luther
King, Jr.! [Professor hands Martin his diploma.]
Martin: [wearing cap & gown, takes diploma] Thank you, sir!
Scene 3
Narrator: Years later, on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery,
Alabama, an African American woman named Rosa Parks was
sitting on a bus. At that time, there were bus segregation laws. This
meant that African Americans had to sit in the back of the bus and
had to make room for white passengers.
[Rosa walks on a crowed bus and sits in the front row. A passenger
who is white gets on the bus.]
White Passenger: The front of the bus is for white passengers only. You
need to move to the back of the bus right now.
Rosa Parks: I will not move. I should have the right to sit anywhere I
want to.
[Passengers look shocked.]
Bus Driver: I am calling the police!
Police Officer: Rosa Parks, you broke the law. You are going to jail.
[Police Officer arrests Rosa.]
Scene 4
Narrator: After Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her
seat on the bus, the African American community started a boycott.
Boycotter 1: Let’s start a boycott. A boycott means we will not ride
buses so the bus companies will lose a lot of money.
Martin: I will be the leader of the boycott. We will not ride the buses
until the bus companies agree to three demands.
Boycotter 2: First, we will demand that all bus drivers be courteous.
Boycotter 1: Second, we will demand first come, first served seating
on buses. People should have the right to sit wherever they want.
Martin: Third, we will demand that African Americans have the right
to be bus drivers. People should have the right to have any kind of
job they want.
Scene 5
Narrator: The African American community did not ride buses.
Instead, they walked or drove in their cars together.
Bus Owner 1: African Americans are not riding our buses. We are
loosing too much money.
Bus Owner 2: We can’t afford to lose any more money. It’s time to
give into their demands.
Scene 6
Narrator: More than a year later, the US Congress declared bus
segregation laws were unconstitutional.
US Congressman: It is not fair for African Americans to have to sit in
the back of the bus. From now on, all people can see anywhere
they want. It doesn’t matter what the color of their skin is.
Scene 7
Narrator: As you all know by now, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed
that all people should be treated equally. So, on August 28, 1963, he
organized and led a march on Washington, DC. This is when he
delivered his famous speech people call, “I Have A Dream.”
[Martin walks to podium. All student council members are standing
behind him.]
All Cast Members: I have a dream!
Martin: That one day this nation will rise up and live out the true
meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all
men are created equal."
All Cast Members: I have a dream!
Martin: That one day my four little children will live in a nation where
they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content
of their character.
All Cast Members: I have a dream!
Martin: That one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and
black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white
girls as sisters and brothers.
Martin & All Cast Members: I have a dream today!
Scene 8
Narrator: A year after his famous speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
was the youngest person to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Nobel Prize Person: You earned this award for all of your hard work.
You have peacefully protested for all people to be treated equally.
Martin: Thank you very much, sir.
Nobel Prize Person: We want to give you this check for $54,000 to
thank you for all of your work.
Martin: I am going to give the money to members of the Civil Rights
Movement so they can keep working for equal rights for all people.
Scene 9
Narrator: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. continued to be a leader of the
Civil Rights Movement until he was giving a speech on April 4, 1968.
A man named James Earl Ray shot and killed Martin Luther King, Jr.
Narrator: Many people around the world were shocked and very
upset. Five days later his funeral became an international event.
Narrator: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. helped change America’s history.
He was an incredible man.
Narrator: We will always remember him when we celebrate his
birthday in January. Thank for watching our play about Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. We hope you learned a lot today!
Scene 1
Narrator: This play is about the extraordinary life of a man named Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. By the time he was only six years old, he
already knew what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.
[Martin is playing outside with two boys who are white.]
Martin: Tomorrow is my first day of school. When I get home, I’ll come
over to your house again to play.
Boys: Okay Martin! We’ll see you tomorrow.
Narrator: The next day Martin went back to his friends’ house. He
knocked on their door.
Martin: Good afternoon. Can your boys come out to play?
Boys’ Mom: Martin, you’re in school now. My boys go to a school for
white kids, and go to school with other African American kids. My
kids cannot play with you anymore. Please do not come here again.
Martin: I don’t understand. It shouldn’t matter what color my skin is.
Everyone should be treated equally.
[Martin walks away with his head down.]
Scene 2
Narrator: This experience changed Martin’s life forever. As Martin
grew up, he was determined to fight for equal rights for all people.
After he graduated from college, he went to Boston University to
study religion and became a preacher.
College Professor: Congratulations, Martin! You earned your
Doctorate Degree of Theology. You are now, DOCTOR, Martin Luther
King, Jr.! [Professor hands Martin his diploma.]
Martin: [wearing cap & gown, takes diploma] Thank you, sir!
Scene 3
Narrator: Years later, on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery,
Alabama, an African American woman named Rosa Parks was
sitting on a bus. At that time, there were bus segregation laws. This
meant that African Americans had to sit in the back of the bus and
had to make room for white passengers.
[Rosa walks on a crowed bus and sits in the front row. A passenger
who is white gets on the bus.]
White Passenger: The front of the bus is for white passengers only. You
need to move to the back of the bus right now.
Rosa Parks: I will not move. I should have the right to sit anywhere I
want to.
[Passengers look shocked.]
Bus Driver: I am calling the police!
Police Officer: Rosa Parks, you broke the law. You are going to jail.
[Police Officer arrests Rosa.]
Scene 4
Narrator: After Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her
seat on the bus, the African American community started a boycott.
Boycotter 1: Let’s start a boycott. A boycott means we will not ride
buses so the bus companies will lose a lot of money.
Martin: I will be the leader of the boycott. We will not ride the buses
until the bus companies agree to three demands.
Boycotter 2: First, we will demand that all bus drivers be courteous.
Boycotter 1: Second, we will demand first come, first served seating
on buses. People should have the right to sit wherever they want.
Martin: Third, we will demand that African Americans have the right
to be bus drivers. People should have the right to have any kind of
job they want.
Scene 5
Narrator: The African American community did not ride buses.
Instead, they walked or drove in their cars together.
Bus Owner 1: African Americans are not riding our buses. We are
loosing too much money.
Bus Owner 2: We can’t afford to lose any more money. It’s time to
give into their demands.
Scene 6
Narrator: More than a year later, the US Congress declared bus
segregation laws were unconstitutional.
US Congressman: It is not fair for African Americans to have to sit in
the back of the bus. From now on, all people can see anywhere
they want. It doesn’t matter what the color of their skin is.
Scene 7
Narrator: As you all know by now, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed
that all people should be treated equally. So, on August 28, 1963, he
organized and led a march on Washington, DC. This is when he
delivered his famous speech people call, “I Have A Dream.”
[Martin walks to podium. All student council members are standing
behind him.]
All Cast Members: I have a dream!
Martin: That one day this nation will rise up and live out the true
meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all
men are created equal."
All Cast Members: I have a dream!
Martin: That one day my four little children will live in a nation where
they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content
of their character.
All Cast Members: I have a dream!
Martin: That one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and
black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white
girls as sisters and brothers.
Martin & All Cast Members: I have a dream today!
Scene 8
Narrator: A year after his famous speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
was the youngest person to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Nobel Prize Person: You earned this award for all of your hard work.
You have peacefully protested for all people to be treated equally.
Martin: Thank you very much, sir.
Nobel Prize Person: We want to give you this check for $54,000 to
thank you for all of your work.
Martin: I am going to give the money to members of the Civil Rights
Movement so they can keep working for equal rights for all people.
Scene 9
Narrator: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. continued to be a leader of the
Civil Rights Movement until he was giving a speech on April 4, 1968.
A man named James Earl Ray shot and killed Martin Luther King, Jr.
Narrator: Many people around the world were shocked and very
upset. Five days later his funeral became an international event.
Narrator: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. helped change America’s history.
He was an incredible man.
Narrator: We will always remember him when we celebrate his
birthday in January. Thank for watching our play about Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. We hope you learned a lot today!