Swortzell, Lowell (editor). Theatre for Young Audiences: Around the World in 21 Plays. New York: Applause Books, 1997

Characters: variety of characters from 21 plays

Setting: various settings and countries from around the world

Theme: variety of themes and topics are covered in the plays throughout this anthology such as imagination, living in poverty, cultural issues, fairy tales and myths, trickery, historical figures (Fredrick Douglass), coming of age stories

Genre: children's plays; plays / drama; American; performing arts; collections

Golden Quote: “Do you realize that among all the other fascinating things moving about in your mind there’s also a theater?...So reading a play becomes a total theatrical experience as you both imagine a performance and sit back and enjoy at the same time!”

Summary: See the world through the ages in this international volume of classic, modern, and contemporary plays. Heading the expedition is Lowell Swortzell, whose compelling introductions propel the reader into the historical and social background of each play.
Among the crew of this theatrical vessel are the masters of the craft from Strindberg to Moliere, Gertrude Stein to Langston Hughes. Journey in myth, fantasy, and folklore, and, inevitably, back home again into everyday life. Meet great heroes such as Fredrick Douglass and Clement Clark Moore in the course of this extraordinary dramatic odyssey.

Audience: 3rd grade to high school
Curriculum ties: depending on which play is chosen and what content area is studied, any of these plays could be used as supplemental material to enhance any curriculum, students can act out plays, discuss their historical or social context within the play itself, and even talk the context in which the playwright was writing within as well; students could write their own plays using the characters from the plays, reader’s theater

Awards: None

Personal response: This is wonderful collection of plays for children ranging from middle to upper elementary school to high school grade levels. What I liked most about this anthology is the variety of geographical locations, issues, and eras that it spans. Not only are there humorous and rather silly plays like Jack Juggler from England (one of the first plays written for a young audience somewhere between 1553-1558 and published around 1563 by an unknown playwright), but there are also contemporary plays from contemporary playwrights and award-winning playwrights addressing divorce and foster home life to ancient legends and myths. For each play, Swortzell writes a brief introduction giving relevance to the play in terms of its connection to the intended audience as well as its historical context. Any teacher can find a play in this anthology to supplement their curriculum in a variety of content areas. ( )