Childsplay Announces Free Virtual Plays for AZ Teachers

Childsplay Theatre, a pioneer in theatre for youth since 1977, makes a pivotal move from the stage to the screen in its 20-21 season - launching an array of new programs for schools, among them virtual field trips designed for the digital classroom.

Utilizing tried and true talents (and a host of new ones as well), its ensemble has taken books, short stories, and drawn inspiration from the world as we know it today, to create four brand new plays. Rehearsals also had a different look, as they recorded the shows over the summer amid the pandemic. Using cameras instead of stages and boom mics instead of soundboards, the entire rehearsal process transformed. With directors giving notes over Zoom, and actors and key staff in masks at Childsplay's Campus for Imagination and Wonder in Tempe, it's clear a new chapter has begun for the theatre company.

Seen (directed by Jenny Millinger and starring Jon Gentry) blends physical comedy and heartwarming gentleness. This play reflects on the experiences of young people who are being "kept in." This charming story explores what it means to be on your own - for amusement, for friendship, for comfort, for inspiration - and what happens when technology provides you with a connection to other people. In a time when we are all communicating through screens, what makes a connection real?

Pandora's Box (directed by Dwayne Hartford and starring Debra K. Stevens) updates Nathaniel Hawthorne's take on the Greek myth. Pandora and Epimetheus are not married adults, but rather children. Is curiosity a good or bad thing? When everything in the world seems terrible and cruel, what gives us the strength to go on? Hope.

The Book of Dragons (directed by Dwayne Hartford and starring Katie McFadzen) is a blend of short stories, reimagined from tales by Edith Nesbit. Audiences will find a dragon story for every need. Delight in three exciting, funny, and all-around entertaining tales of brave children who save their world from dragons... and a few more things along the way.

Dreamers (directed by Ricky Araiza and starring Anya Hernandez) is a poetic adaptation of Yuyi Morales' story that tells of resilience, hope, and the courage it takes to find one's voice when navigating a new place. Dreamers honors the passion, strength, and hope that is born from the challenges experienced in an immigrant's journey and reminds us that, "Someday we will become something we haven't even yet imagined."

FAST FACTS:

WHAT: 4 new plays (Seen, Pandora's Box, The Book of Dragons, and Dreamers) presented as virtual field trips

WHERE: Online (Digital Classroom)

WHEN: October - December 2020

PRICE: FREE for Arizona teachers

VISIT: childsplayaz.org/virtualFT