Seattle Children's Theatre: Six Plays for Young Audiences Volume I [Paperback]

Marisa Smith (Author, Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2000 | Age Level: 10 and up

Seattle Children's Theatre is a national leader in the field of theatre for young audiences. Celebrating its 25th year of professional theatre for young and family audiences, SCT has premiered over sixty new plays, and has commissioned and produced plays by nationally recognized playwrights like Constance Congdon, Steven Dietz, Jon Klein, Kevin Kling OyamO, Y York and Suzan Zeder. SCT has also had collaborations with some of Europe's leading theatres for young audiences including Blauw Vier and Speeltheater-Holland. SCT has garnered numerous awards and grants, many of which had never previously been given to a theatre for young audiences including the AT&T Onstage Award, The Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Award, The Pew Charitable Trust/Theatre Communications Award, and the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Award.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8. While all six plays in this collection contain adult characters, the focal players are young adolescents. The Seattle Children's Theatre commissions original plays as well as plays developed from established children's fiction. There are three of each here. Louis Sachar's adaptation of his own There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom is understandably the truest to the sensibilities and style of the book. Y York's adaptation of Janet Lisle's Afternoon of the Elves succeeds with dialogue that realistically conveys the tension of preteen rivalries and Hillary's discomfort with the differences between her life and her neighbor's. R. N. Sandberg's adaptation of Anne of Green Gables is competently constructed with generally lively dialogue; however, true fans will find the creation of some passages that imitate Anne's heightened speech peculiar and false in tone. Of the three original works, Suzan L. Zeder's Mother Hicks, a tale of witch folklore that is set in Illinois during the Depression, is the strongest because of its consistent logic as well as the poetic language. Young actors need more plays intended for their range and interests. Even the weakest of these six has appeal. Those purchasing the collection should understand, however, that most of this material will require contact with an agency and many are royalty properties.?Sally Margolis, formerly at Deerfield Public Library, IL
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 9 and up. Although this collection is intended for adult theater groups, most of the plays could also be produced by middle-or high-school students. The plays vary in length and tone, but all explore the theme of "a young person attempting to define who he is and how he fits in the world." The Seattle Children's Theatre commissioned and produced the plays, which include The Rememberer, based on the memoirs of Joyce Simmons, a Squaxon Indian forcibly removed from her tribe in 1911 and sent to a BIA boarding school; adaptations of Louis Sachar's There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom and Janet T. Lisle's Afternoon of the Elves; a cutting from Anne of Green Gables; Mother Hicks by Suzan Zeder, based on folklore collected for the WPA Federal Writer's Project; and Y York's fantastic The Portrait the Wind the Chair. Information for obtaining performance rights is provided. Chris Sherman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 295 pages
• Publisher: Smith & Kraus; 1st edition (September 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157525008X
• ISBN-13: 978-1575250083
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,183,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL!, November 29, 2000

By 

Shannon Mueller (Wheaton, Il United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seattle Children's Theatre: Six Plays for Young Audiences Volume I (Paperback)

The Seattle Children's Theatre is one of the leading companies in the field of theatre for youth. This collection of plays is an example of how they have reached that status. Each play is well written, quality theatre. If you are looking for more than the slapstick, silly plays often written for children look here. These plays are stories of the heart and of real life situations often seen from the child's perspective. At the same time they are not overly sentimental or sappy. I can't wait to be able to produce any one of these plays myself!