Timothy Mason: Ten Plays for Children : From the Repertory of the Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis (Young Actors Series) [Paperback]

Timothy Mason (Author), Marisa Smith (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Young Actors Series

This collection features adaptations of classic works of children's literature or folklore, as commissioned and produced by The Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis. The plays in this volume include: Kidnapped in London, African Tales, Pinocchio (Illinois), The Nightingale, Treasure Island, Beauty and the Beast, and many more!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up-This collection of plays adapted from classic children's tales has an array of familiar titles, including Pinocchio and Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp. Originally commissioned and produced by a professional theater company, the selections are generally true to the original works (with the exception of adding an occasional character.) However, there are some problems with these specific versions. While a few of the scripts have small casts and simple sets, most have more elaborate production demands and large casts. Suggestions for doubling parts are included, and imaginative directors will be able to simplify the set requirements. Nevertheless, Mason's scripts may prove rather daunting to others since no specific recommendations for adapting such devices as flying carpets are given. Running time is well over an hour for most of the plays. Some of the adult parts are quite sophisticated and would require reworking for companies in which children portray all of the roles. Occasional slips occur in the speech of various characters, e.g., Jim in Huckleberry Finn suddenly claims he's "ding-busted," a term totally out of character with the dialect he normally uses. More problematic, perhaps, is the fact that these scripts, written in the 1970s, contain offensive language. References to "rich A-rabs" and "niggers" in Huckleberry Finn, for instance, are unsuitable for children who do not understand their use in a historical context. Libraries would do well to consider titles published by New Plays for Children or Anchorage Press instead of the dated versions in this collection.-Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI

Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

Middle and high school English classes may enjoy reading this format for these classic literature stories. Highly recommended. -- Library Talk, November 1998

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Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Smith & Kraus Pub Inc (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575251205
• ISBN-13: 978-1575251202
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,627,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Timothy Mason's musical adaptation of Dr. Seuss' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! (music by Mel Marvin) has become a seasonal hit on Broadway and on tour. His plays have been produced in New York by Circle Rep, including THE FIERY FURNACE starring Julie Harris, BABYLON GARDENS with Mary-Louise Parker and Timothy Hutton, LEVITATION and ONLY YOU. He has had plays produced by the Actors Theatre of Louisville, South Coast Rep, Seattle Rep, Victory Gardens, Portland Stage, the Jungle Theatre, the Guthrie Theatre Lab and the Royal National Theatre, London. Mason created the 5-play "Young Americans Cycle" in collaboration with A.C.T.'s Young Conservatory (ASCENSION DAY, THE LESS THAN HUMAN CLUB, TIME ON FIRE, MULLEN'S ALLEY and MY LIFE IN THE SILENTS). He has won the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Award, the W. Alton Jones Foundation Award, the Berilla Kerr Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Award and the National Society of Arts and Letters Award. He lives in New York City. THE LAST SYNAPSID is his first novel.