Banned Books Week | October 1-7, 2023
Across America, books are disappearing from classrooms and library shelves- but it isn't stopping there. The censorship of stories has begun to impact our stages; often targeting artists of already marginalized communities. Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in libraries, bookstores, and schools. To recognize Banned Books Week, Plays for New Audiences put together a list of plays based on stories that have been banned throughout time. Something Happened in Our Town Named the 6th top banned book of 2020, this book was one of many racialized books banned and...
Introducing 'Recipe for Disaster' by Barry Kornhauser
Plays for New Audiences is proud to introduce the newest title in our catalogue, Recipe for Disaster by Barry Kornhauser! To celebrate, we sat down to talk with Barry about the inspiration for this piece. Barry's theatre honors include the Children's Theatre Foundation of America's Orlin Corey Medallion, the American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE) Charlotte Chorpenning Cup, Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Play (Cyrano), Ivey Playwriting Award (Reeling), Bonderman Playwriting Prize (Worlds Apart), and three AATE Distinguished Play Awards (This Is Not A Pipe Dream, Balloonacy, and Corduroy). His youth theatre program for teens living with disabilities and other life challenges was honored at the...
Great Titles for One-Act Competitions
It is almost time again for middle and high school one-act competitions! Our team of professional educators compiled our favorite picks for a stand out performance. Each of these titles includes permission to cut the script to your competition time limits. The Book of Everything Nine year-old Thomas can see things no one else can: tropical fish thriving in the Amsterdam canals, trumpeting sparrows and even a hailstorm of frogs. He also sees the unhappiness of his family, the violence in his father, and the pain that lingers long after the war is over. All this – good and bad...
Introducing 'Mother Goose' from Imagination Stage!
Janet Stanford has been the Founding Artistic Director at Imagination Stage for over 20 years. Under her leadership, Imagination Stage has become a leader for Theatre for the Very Young (TVY) programming around the world! Some of their original TVY works including Wake Up, Brother Bear, Inside Out, and Mouse on the Move are available in the PNA catalogue and we are excited to introduce their newest work, Mother Goose! Why do you find this work important for your community? Artistic leadership at Imagination Stage began seeing Theatre for the Very Young (TVY) plays at international festivals in the 1990’s...