50 Best Plays for Young Audiences

Vicky Ireland MBE has worked as an actress and as a presenter on BBC TV's Words and Pictures. She was Artistic Director of Polka Theatre (1988-2002) and has since adapted and directed six books by Jacqueline Wilson. Television includes two adaptations of Allan Ahlberg's Happy Families for BBC TV receiving a Writers' Guild nomination. Vicky is co-artistic director of A Thousand Cranes Theatre and Vice-Chair of Action for Children's Arts. Paul Harman started work as an actor in repertory theatres in 1963 and soon found his way to professional theatre for young audiences via the Coventry Belgrade Theatre in Education team. He was founder and Artistic Director of Merseyside Young People's Theatre in Liverpool 1978-89 and Artistic Director of Cleveland Theatre Company in Darlington 1994-2008. His productions for young audiences have toured to many countries and he has translated plays for young audiences from French and German. Currently Chair of TYA-UK Centre of ASSITEJ (the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People), and a member of the Executive Committee of ASSITEJ International from 2008-2011.

• Preface by Vicky Ireland 9Foreword by Sir Ken Robinson 11What Are TYA and TIE? by Paul Harman 13The Pioneers 26Theatre in Education is Born by Gordon Vallins 34The 'Incredible Vanishing' Plays 45A Movement Begins... 52The 50 Best Plays Selection 54Production Images 97Index of Plays for Young Children 146Index of Plays for Children (8+) 147Index of Plays for Young People (13+) 148The Writers Speak 149Adaptations: Why and How? by Vicky Ireland 174Acting Like Children by Nina Hajiyianni and Kevin Dyer 182Other Theatres, Other Worlds by Paul Harman 187Thank You, Lyn Gardner by Nina Hajiyianni 197Useful ResourcesPublishers and Literary Agents 200Playwrights on the Web 200Books for Further Reading 201TIE Texts 202UK Government Policy, Reports and White Papers 203International PublicationsBelgium 203France 204USA 204Germany 204Research in TIE and TYA 205Further Study 206Archives 206UK TYA Companies and Festivals 207The Future by Vicky Ireland 214

"This is a must-have seminal resource." stageplays.com; "This book has information about the variety of children's theatre available in the UK. It is a testament to the vitality of the sector that it is able to continue despite the cuts. Ideal for anyone new to British Theatre or wanting to find out the kind of work on offer from different companies. Children's Theatre is something we excel at and is a major cultural export - this guide gives contact info and other useful info for any would-be programmer." - Amazon review; "This useful book is likely to help anyone who wants to stage young audience work. Two people who really know (Ireland is a former director of Polka Theatre and Harman of Cleveland Theatre Company) provide the practical lowdown on plays ranging from David Wood's The Gingerbread Man to Nick Wood's Warrior Square and Peter Rumney's Cosmos. What is the play about? How many actors does it need? Who premiered it? What do they say about it? Where can you get the script from? It's all here along with advice about festivals, resources, sources of advice and a list of companies specialising in plays for young audiences." Susan Elkin, The Stage; "The newly released 50 Best Plays for Young Audiences, edited by Vicky Ireland and Paul Harman... provides a rewarding counterbalance to Wooster's focus on the companies and methods behind TIE, showcasing the diversity and range of writing over the last half-decade. Ireland and Harman have devoted almost their entire working lives to TYA and TIE respectively; their book, while brief, contains some key insights, particularly Gordon Vallins' splendid insider's take on the beginnings of TIE - born on Wednesday 15 September 1965, according to him!" - Ben Fletcher-Watson, Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance;