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School
& Youth Theatre
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Plays from the 52nd Street ProjectThe following are the books of plays published by the 52nd Street Project in New York with brief descriptions. They are available through New Dramatists. All of the plays are in books that are easy to duplicate and include music where appropriate. If the plays are performed free of charge and there is no suggested donation prior to admission the royalty fees are waived. The Spring Thing: A collection of 6 plays written by children between the ages 8 and 13. All the plays have two characters. All of them are quite short and are a good jumping off point for kids to write their own plays. Plays for Pairs (Not for Bananas): A collection of 5 plays written by adults for two children to perform. Again they are all very short and are great for use in classrooms. The Bedtime Zone: 19 short plays written by adults for children to perform. These plays were originally written to be performed by a specific child and an adult but could be performed by two children. The Butler Did It: 21 short plays written for the same program as The Bedtime Zone (written by an adult for a specific child, performed by that child and an adult - in this case a child, an adult and the butler) . These plays made up two evenings of hysterical theater. Each one features the butler (of course) who was played by the same actor throughout each bill. Quark Victory and The Dinosaur Musical: Two original musicals by 52nd Street Founder Willie Reale with music by Robert Reale. They are sold separately. Musicals written specifically to be performed by children between 8 and 13, they are a relief from the usual school musical fare. The books include all of the music and the book. Using these plays presupposes that the adults involved are interested in more than just giving the kids involved a traditional theatrical experience. Though of course the kids involved will get to act, sing, work on the technical elements, etc. The work of the 52nd Street Project is focused on children's creativity and what happens when committed adults work with children to create something new. Plays by Paul ThainPapa Panov is an adaptation of a Tolstoy short story which initially captivated my daughter when she was at primary school. I sold it to Samuel French as an alternative to the traditional Primary School nativity play and it's subsequently enjoyed over a 100 productions. As the children walk in with their lighted candles, the Storyteller takes us back to a Russian village, and the scene is set for this magical Christmas story. Papa Panov, the old shoemaker, now almost too blind to thread a needle, has a dream that Jesus will visit him on Christmas Day. All day he waits for Him, but the only visitors he has are a tramp, a roadsweeper, and a pauper woman with a baby. Selflessly he gives them his coat, his money and his soup. As he falls asleep in the evening, tired, ridiculed, and disappointed, he has another dream in which it appears that his special visitor did come after all. A perfect childrens play for Christmas. Published Samuel French Ltd - ISBN 0 573 06622 1 Stone Soup, a contemporary farce about famine, is aimed at much older kids and is best performed with a large, multi-ethnic cast. Its proved popular with Youth Theatres throughout the world, its last production being in South Africa. In this allegory of modern society derived from an ancient folk-tale, the wise Sophia enters a starving village and declares she will feed everyone with her magical stone soup, and in this way gradually encourages the villagers to share their hoarded goods for the benefit of the community as a whole. But Mr and Mrs North hold a monopoly on the one cooking pot and use this fact to try and gain control of the soup. And when Sophia philosophises about peace and justice, she is labelled a subversive by the autocratic government leader General Mayhem who attempts to nationalise the pot of soup and place it under State control. In the end, however, the spirit of sharing and co-operation prevails and the Play ends with a celebratory dance. Published Samuel French ISBN 0 573 15242 X Website : http://www.stageplays.com/stage.htm Mossy CapeMossy Cape, by Rosemary Poole-Carter, is a blend of the King Lear legend, upon which Shakespeare built his play, and the story of Cinderella. It is set in the southern USA. There are 4 male and 6 female characters. Further details, plus information on her other two plays, are available here. Plays by Sybill M. Odom PhDDr Sybill Odom is the director of the All Children's Theatre of Gainesville, Florida. She has a number of plays which her kids have done in the past and which are available for performance. They are, to my eye, more suited to a younger age group - top primary/lower secondary in UK terms. Go to the eighth page of plays |
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