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School
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New PlaywrightsRun on a non-profit basis, we have a wide variety of plays from new and established authors. Visit the website or email me for a free paper catalogue. Of particular interest will be the award-winning youth pieces by David Walker, especially Acting Young Thanks Plays by Caroline SmallI am a freelance writer leader with a number of scipts, both published and unpublished, for children and young people. I spent sixteen years teaching drama and directing student productions in secondary schools before turning freelance. As well as writing I run drama and writing workshops in primary and secondary schools, deliver in-service training and lead workshops for the Crucible Youth Theatre in Sheffield. Most of the plays listed were written for performance by children and young people; others were commissioned by a professional theatre company and have now been adapted for young performers. All of the plays listed have been successfully produced. Paradise Park Paradise Park is simply a rubbish dump - an urban wasteland next to a disused canal - but to the children who play there, the "park" is something special. An oasis of freedom at the heart of the city. Unfortunately the local council, represented by its outlandish and operatic planning committee, has earmarked the "park" for re-development. The children join forces with the mysterious Jacob - an old storyteller whose barge is moored on the canal - and the battle for Paradise begins. Music includes rock numbers, ballads, a show-stopping comic number and an emotionally charged finale. With a large cast (32 speaking parts and flexible chorus) this show is ideal for performance in schools. Paradise Park was runner-up for the Award for Most Promising Musical for Young People at the 1999 Vivian Ellis Prize. Script, piano score and demonstration CD available The Hollow Country Deep, deep down in the World Below, Screwstone sits and dreams of the Sky. "Beware of the Sky!" the Rocks seem to whisper, but Screwstone is curious and finds his way out to the World Above. In the dazzling light he meets Jenny who helps him, and together they discover strangeness and sameness, laughter and danger, in the World Above and deep underground. The casting of "The Hollow Country" is highly flexible. The Chorus works as an ensemble to describe and re-enact the story. The language is both poetic and playful and the script offers scope for imaginative and experimental presentation techniques including mask work and physical theatre. Inspired by the landscape and mythology of Derbyshire's Peak District, "The Hollow Country" was professionally produced in 1998 and has been adapted for performance by young people. Script available from Caroline Small. Production Notes included. Keep Off The Grass! Jeremy and Jemima Tourist are determined to give their children a traditional picnic but the beauty spot they have chosen is the very last patch of grass in the world! They find themselves defending their right to picnic against a botanist, a farmer (and his cows) and a documentary film crew. More and more characters arrive to stake their claim on the grass forcing the Government Minister, Sir Oscar Wheatear, to step in. As the conflict reaches its climax, the characters turn to the audience and ask for help. Casting: 6M 6F 3M/f plus extras. "Keep Off The Grass" is a hilarious and thought-provoking introduction to environmental issues. Ideal for classroom use, easy to stage and fun to perform. Script available from New Theatre Publications. ISBN 1 84094 083 2. Includes Production Notes. Email paulbeard@new-playwrights.demon.co.uk Stop! Think! Rewind! Ten year old Beth has one big advantage over other children: she can pause and rewind her life like a video. When her best friend moves away, Beth is vulnerable, shy and lonely until she meets Kathy who smokes and drinks and wants Beth to join in. As her problems mount up, Beth appeals to the audience for help. For reading, discussion and performance by children, "Stop! Think! Rewind!" raises issues of personal responsibility and decision-making and is a powerful tool for education about drugs and substance abuse. Casting is flexible and the play is easy to stage. Script available from New Theatre Publications. ISBN 1 84094 084 0. Includes Production Notes. The Glorious Tale of the Golden Whale When a glorious golden whale arrives at a quiet coral reef, the creatures who live there are frightened then saddened by the tale he tells of his search for a golden partner. Visiting the reef is a Mermaid, the King of the Oceans' daughter. A lonely and unhappy child, she is determined to help the whale find happiness. Their friendship grows but disaster strikes and the whale falls into the hands of man. Anxiously the Mermaid turns to the reef creatures for help and a daring - and hilarious - rescue is mounted. A funny and poignant tale about friendship, the play is set mostly underwater and combines dialogue with poetic narration and scenes which are outlines for improvised movement, mime and dance. Casting is flexible and the script is both playful and challenging allowing experimentation with a wide range of performance techniques including puppetry, mask work and dance. Script, Production Notes and some of the original music by Paul Barker available from Caroline Small. Black Bread and Tired Feet Two travellers meet on a lonely road - a young man and an old woman with a head full of stories just waiting to be told. They travel together for a while and soon it is clear that the old woman is Baboushka, so weary from her endless journey that she feels ready to give up. The young man softens her heart and as they walk she tells him her stories of love and loss, of parents and children, of wise men and fools. Inspired by Russian folk tales, "Black Bread and Tired Feet" interweaves the stories of "Baboushka", "The Little Snowgirl" and "Ivan Gets it Wrong". Its first professional production was described by children's writer Berlie Doherty as, "Dramatic storytelling at its best." The script has now been adapted for performance by children and would make an ideal Christmas production. Script and Production Notes available from Caroline Small. Go to the thirteenth page of plays |
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