Beyond the Musical: TYA Plays from Concord Theatricals

Flying peaches! Witches! Dragons! Aesop’s Fables! Commedia dell’arte! We’re highlighting some TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) plays featuring wonderful characters, unique experiences and a variety of styles to delight your young audiences. Below you’ll find beloved stories of Roald Dahl adapted for the stage, new spins on some classic characters, talking animals and clever fairies, and a PLAY-ful potpourri of titles to tickle funny bones, stretch imaginations, and even teach a little theatre history. Enjoy a deep dive into the plays of Concord’s TYA Library!

ROALD DAHL STORIES FOR THE STAGE

The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) by David Wood and Roald Dahl (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 4w, 4m)
The 24-feet-tall Big Friendly Giant (BFG) and a little orphan called Sophie team up to save the children of England from child-eating giants – assisted by the Queen of England and the Heads of the Army and Airforce with their helicopters. In this delightful adaptation, locations include the BFG’s cave in Giant Country, Dream Country and Buckingham Palace.

James and the Giant Peach by David Wood and Roald Dahl (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Comedy / 2w, 4m)
In David Wood’s masterful adaptation, the play begins at the end of the story, when a party of tourists (the audience) visits the major tourist attraction in Central Park, NY – the giant peach stone where James and his insect friends live. James, Miss Spider, Old-Green-Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybird, and Earthworm act out their epic journey across the Atlantic with live action, puppetry and storytelling.

The Witches by David Wood and Roald Dahl (US/UK)
(Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 6w, 4m)
Boy and his grandmother defeat the Grand High Witch and her followers, who are holding a Conference in an English seaside hotel. But these Witches are nothing like the ones who wear pointed hats and fly on broomsticks – they look very much like ordinary women, which helps their deception. This faithful adaptation offers many opportunities for illusions and inventive puppetry.

FRESH TAKES: CLASSIC CHARACTERS

Cinderella, Inc. by Thomas Hischak (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 8w)
Bored with palace life after she marries the prince, business savvy Cinderella begins an employment agency for women in the kingdom who want more out of life than just staying home and keeping house. With the help of her two stepsisters, Cinderella finds jobs for even the most difficult of her clients, including Lady Poindexter’s four very unusual daughters. This comedy is filled with laughs, surprises, and an all-female cast full of fun characters.

The Elves and the Shoemaker by Kristin Walter (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 3w, 2m, 1 girl)
In this clever telling of the classic tale, Eric, the lone shoemaker of Grimmsville, makes shoes that are miserably uncomfortable and torturous to walk in. Desperately wanting to help, his daughter Shannon uses a mysterious magical medallion to beckon a pair of elves that show up night after night creating the most fabulous shoes EVER! Soon, the newly successful shoemaker and his family realize that all the money in the world doesn’t necessarily buy happiness – for them or for the elves.

The Last of the Dragons by Kristin Walter (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 2w, 3m, 1 any gender (adult)
Traditionally, on a princess’ sixteenth birthday, she is tied to a rock, kidnapped by a dragon, rescued by a prince and lives happily ever after. But what happens when the prince is too afraid to fight, the princess wants to rescue herself, and the dragon is nowhere to be found? Adapted from the story by Edith Nesbit, The Last of the Dragons cleverly tells a tale of bravery, intelligence and unexpected friendship.

Willabella Witch’s Last Spell by Thomas Hischak (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 5w, 3m)
Now that Willabella Witch is 400 years old, she decides to retire from witchcraft. But her plans are interrupted when Hanzel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Snow White, the Frog Prince, Sleeping Beauty, and others show up with demands! Somehow the beleaguered Willabella straightens them all out and sets out on her new lifestyle with her pet Crow in this riotous farce that will please both young and adult audiences.

LIONS AND TIGERS AND FAIRIES, OH MY!

The Calico Tiger by Christian B. Garrison (US/UK)
(Short Play, Comedy / 8 any gender adult)
As the tiger enters the forest, the other animals are frightened and hide, leaving the tiger lonely and without friends. To make him less frightening, the other animals devise a plan — paint him calico, which works until it rains! Peace is restored when the animals realize that it is truly the nature of the creature that matters, not his appearance.

The Lion Who Wouldn’t by Gifford W. Wingate, Allan J. Friedman (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 4w, 6m)
A bookish lion, bored with circus life, refuses to renew his contract. His packing is interrupted by children who offer to help him rehearse his secret ambitions. Using his boxes for sets, the children set the stage for the lion’s dreams. When each dream dissolves in failure, the lion is persuaded to return to the role he plays best – circus star.

The Woodsmen and the Fairy by Aesop and Candice Cain (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 1w, 2m)
Henry, a happy woodsman, drops his axe into a pond when his friend Jim startles him. Lily, the water fairy of the pond, appears and returns Henry’s axe after he easily passes her honesty test. His friend Jim later miserably fails her honesty test and is turned into a tree. Only when Jim finally learns the importance of telling the truth and being honest, he becomes a man once again in this fun and educational play for children ages 5 – 9.

A PLAY-FUL POTPOURRI…

Heads and Tales by Carol Lauck (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 4 any gender adult, 1 any gender youth)
A whimsical, energetic Professor and his assistants help 10-year-old T.J. to free his imagination through comical adventures, dance exercises, story creation and silliness. “Do you know there are people who never use imagination?” asks the Professor. “Sad, but true,” he laments. “Almost as sad as people not using smiles.”

Patchwork by Carol Lauck (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 2w, 2m)
Promising to “wiggle your giggle and tickle your noodle” this cleverly designed ensemble of old-fashioned fables and contemporary foibles features 4 actors playing 41 roles in 14 scenes. Each scene is introduced by a patch ready to be sewn, with the completed quilt presented at the conclusion.

The Wise Men and the Elephant by Cleve Haubold and James Hitt (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 2m, 5 any gender adult)
Five foolish members of the Elephant Scholars of the World heatedly debate the nature of the elephant, which they have never seen. At an ancient temple in India, they are helped by a mischievous parrot, a kindly native peddler and his son, going from bewildered befuddlement to a chaotic comic climax which puts a delightful new ending to a favorite old legend. A musical score by James Hitt includes an opportunity for dances by the jungle animals.

This Site Unsuitable for Dragons by Dick Dotterer (US)
(Short Play, Comedy / 3w, 3m)
Starring commedia dell’arte favorites such as Pantalone, Capitano, and Arlecchino, laughter abounds as Arlecchino invents an invasion of dragons and uses every prank in the book. Chases, disguises and ghosts bounce about the stage in high gear as this exhilarating romp ends in wave after wave of laughter.

For some great musicals for young audiences, visit Concord Theatricals in the US or UK.