Theatre for Youth and Community Collection
Play Collections
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Six Plays for Young People from the Federal Theatre Project (1936-1939)
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The subject of Swortzell's book is a selection of plays created by the Children's Theatre units of the Federal Theatre Project.
ISBN: 0313247803Publication date: 1986-03-18 -
Theatre for Youth
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Since the beginning of the theatre-for-youth movement in the United States, the majority of plays written for children have been fairy tales. By the 1960s, however, encouraged by changes in social attitudes toward children, playwrights began to respond to a growing tendency on the parts of both parents and teachers to have children face, rather than avoid, the more difficult truths of existence. Thus children's dramatic literature was opened to new subjects, themes and characters previously considered unsuitable for the young audience. Theatre for Youth seeks to identify and illustrate this trend by examining twelve plays that deal with mature themes: aging, death and dying, conformity, sexuality, divorce, moral culpability. The plays have been chosen not only for their mature content, but also for their professional integrity, the delicacy with which they handle their subject matter, and their respect for their intended audience. A foreword by Jed H. Davis, an introduction and summary paragraphs for each play by Jennings and Berghammer, and a lengthy annotated list of suggested plays for further reading or viewing make this volume extremely useful both for directors of children's theatre and for teachers.
ISBN: 0292780850Publication date: 1986-06-01
Additional plays
Playscripts
This page provides tools for finding plays in the Theatre for Youth and Community Collection. It also includes notable plays by donors, including award winning plays as recognized by American Association of Theatre Educators (AATE).
These plays range in publication from the early 1900s to present, and provide invaluable historical and cultural insight into cultural taste and perspectives on youth at the time. Many themes in these plays are still highly relevant and provide a foundation for future plays for young audiences. These themes and formats include, but are not limited to, fairy tales and folk tales; war and isolation; grief and death; friendship struggles; and the confusion that comes with growing up.
Note: Plays for young audiences are not limited to this collection at ASU Library. Navigate to the 'Theatre for Young Audiences' tab for additional suggestions for finding plays, collections, and more in our open collections.
Finding plays in ASU One Search
Search the Library Catalog by author or title, and limit resource type to 'book' to find play scripts in the library collection. You can also search "Children's Plays" as the keyword search.
Monologues and collections of monologues can also be found by searching the Library Catalog. In advanced search, search by Subject: Monologue.
AATE Award Winning Plays
American Association of Theatre Education (AATE) recognizes excellence in playwriting with several awards. These include the Charlotte Chorpenning Cup honoree, the Distinguished Play Award, Playwrights in our Schools Section, and the AATE Unpublished Play Reading Project award. Below are a few items that have received this distinguished award.
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Secret Garden - The Play - With Optional Underscoring
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ISBN: 0871291525Publication date: 1991-12-01 -
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Dragonwings byISBN: 94135613Publication date: 1983In the early twentieth century a young Chinese boy joins his father in San Francisco and helps him realize his dream of making a flying machine.
A Separate Peace, by Nancy Paul Gilsenan. Based on the book by John Knowles. (1988 )
The Chicago Gypsies: a Full Length play, by Virginia Glasgow Koste. (1989). The Man-Child
What is a children's play?
Playwriting for youth has shifted drastically even in the past twenty years. Looking at the history of playwriting reflects cultural values and constructs at the time. It also raises the question: what is a child? In its earliest history, playwriting was not just a means of entertainment, but a way towards moral education. From goals such as developing "ideal citizens" and emotional education, playwriting for youth has never been morally neutral. Playwriting models and practices are captured in the Theatre for Youth and Community holdings, and continue to evolve.