Theatre for Young Audiences

"A solid, well-organized, and informative anthology. It is an excellent text and source book."—Stage of the Art

"For librarians and other adults interested in the production of good children's theater, this excellent collection features 20 plays covering a variety of subjects and interests. Jennings has included original plays as well as adaptations of known works, all by award-winning playwrights who are recognized in brief biographical headnotes to the scripts. Hits such as Maurice Sendak's Really Rosie and Joseph Robinette's adaptation of Charlotte's Web are mixed with lesser-known treasures such as John Kauffman's According to Coyote. A conversation between playwright James Still and Sendak provides a motivational foreword . . . Highly recommended for school and public libraries and anyone interested in a substantial collection of plays for children."—Booklist

"The library of children's theater is understocked, and this collection partly redresses that situation. These mostly recent short plays are directed at children around ten, the ideal age to build a theater-going habit. The book begins with an interview with Maurice Sendak and includes a play of his, indicating the level of excellence the collection aims for and succeeds in achieving. None of these plays is doctrinaire or didactic, though they are full of wisdom. They engage children's imagination to communicate a sense of worth. There are coming-of-age plays, tolerance plays, and plays about children in society and war, and we are prefaced by useful introductions that will aid adult directors. Some are musicals. The best of them are based on folk tales from American Indian, eastern European, Russian, Japanese, and other traditions. Some are adaptations of children's literature such as Charlotte's Web and The Jungle Book. There is something here to meet every theater need and every child's anticipation. Highly recommended."—Library Journal