Playwright, Greg Banks, is the 2024 recipient of the American Alliance for Theatre in Education's (AATE) Charlotte B. Chorpenning Playwright Award for his outstanding body of work for young people! To celebrate, let's dive into some of his award-winning scripts.
Greg has established an international reputation in his work for young audiences of all ages. His plays take the realities of life and the harshness of our classic stories and render an epic work that speaks directly to, not at, young people. He trusts young audiences to grasp big emotions and ideas. His plays are works of transformation and grand adventure. His scripts have a fluid muscularity, a rhythm that is echoed in the strongly physical nature of his direction. Music is an essential component. A close collaboration with composers and on stage musicians to create a live and original score, ensures that the music is fully integrated into the work, driving the story forwards, evoking place and emotion in a very specific way.
Antigone
It takes guts to stand up to the most powerful man in the country. Especially when you’re 15. After both of her brothers kill each other in opposing sides of a war, Antigone dares to defy her uncle, King Creon, by burying her ‘traitor’ brother in spite of the cautions of her sister, Ismene. What follows is a faithful rendering of Sophocles' classic tale that calls into question notions of just leadership, the authority of elders over youth, and the responsibility of the individual versus rules of society. In the character of Antigone, young people will find a worthy heroine unafraid to stand up for what she believes is right against all odds.
Snow White
This is not your usual “Once Upon a Time.” Classic? No. Wild? Yes! To start with, it’s a two-person play. Do the math. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves? Two fabulous, whip-smart, super-fast actors play Snow White, the huntsman, the prince, and all seven dwarves! And it’s funny. Really, really funny. So expect the unexpected in this fabulous fairy tale with a (spoiler alert) you-won’t-see-it-coming twist.
Pinocchio
From the moment Gepetto creates him from a stick of wood, Pinocchio dreams of being a real boy. But will the all-too-tempting delights of puppet shows and Playland be too much for Pinocchio? When Gepetto is swallowed by a whale, it is up to this little puppet to show his courage and prove his love for his Papa is real. This is a new, fast-paced, story-within-a-story version of the classic Pinocchio tale.
The Jungle Book
Mowgli is rambunctious and curious, scrappy and silly. Sound like a kid you know? This new adaptation of the beloved Rudyard Kipling story finds a child lost in the Indian jungle, where he is adopted by Baloo the Bear, Bagheera the panther, and all the beasts who call the mysterious wilderness home. This fast-paced retelling keeps you perched on the edge of your seat as young Mowgli comes face-to-face with sneaky monkeys, noisy vultures and his mortal enemy: the tiger, Shere Khan.
Robin Hood
Greg Banks goes medieval – with muscle. High-powered and action-packed, this is not your yeomanly tale of yore, but a lean, mean swordfight-fueled story of good vs. evil, trickery vs. heroism, compassion vs. greed. Blink and you’ll miss something: A sharp joke, a sly jab, a treacherous attack, a band of underground heroes rallying for those who cannot.