About the Play:

The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) is a full-length comedy for young audiences adapted for the stage by David Wood from the classic book by Roald Dahl. Truly family-oriented theatre. Roald Dahl's humour, delightful use of nonsense language, and unique combination of fairytale and contemporary storytelling are faithfully adapted to the stage.

The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) is about the 24-feet-high Big Friendly Giant and a little orphan called Sophie and brings to the stage some of Roald Dahl's most memorable characters. The BFG and Sophie team up to save the children of England from the child-eating giants, Bloodbottler, Fleshlumpeater, Bonecruncher, Meatdripper, Childchewer, and Gizzardgulper. They are assisted by the Queen of England and the Heads of the Army and Airforce with their helicopters. Locations include the BFG's cave in Giant Country, Dream Country and Buckingham Palace. The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) has become one of Dahl's endearing classics with its creative combination of fantasy elements, such as giants with contemporary concepts like helicopters. Despite its setting in a comic and colourful world, The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) exposes some sincere elements of our real world; namely, the way we treat people who appear physically different.

The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) premiered in 19991 at Wimbledon Theatre in the London Borough of Merton, followed by a tour and a West End season for Christmas at the Aldwych Theatre. Since then there have been two major UK tours and two West End seasons at the Albery Theatre and Playhouse Theatre. The play has also become popular in North America, with productions by middle schools, high schools, colleges, community theatres.

Cast: 4 women, 4 men (several parts are doubled, so a larger cast could be used)

What people say:

"Roald Dahl's beloved children's book The BFG comes to very lively life in David Wood's stage adaptation with its language intact ... Perhaps the show's strength lies in its low-tech creativity; this is theatricality based on imagination rather than big-budget gadgets." — Variety

"Any child not delighted by The BFG must have a head filled with squashed flies and deserves to be fed for a year on disgustatious snozzcumbers." — The Guardian

"Like most David Wood shows, this will thrill the kids without boring the adults. I'd be bogswinkled if I didn't admit it is quite scrumdiddlyumptious." — Bristol Evening Post

" The BFG presents an awesome challenge which the children's dramatist meets with his customary panache… The chiddlers in the audience seemed genuinely enthralled – and it certainly makes a change from the telebunkum box." — Financial Times

About the Playwright:

David Wood is an English writer and actor who has been writing, adapting, directing and acting in plays for children for more than twenty-five years. Described by The Times as "the national children's dramatist," his plays have enjoyed international professional success and entered the repertory of amateur companies and school dramatic societies.

Roald Dahl (1916–1990) was a British novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, spy, ace fighter pilot, and medical inventor. He was born in Wales to Norwegian immigrant parents, so holidays were spent in Norway. When World War II began in 1939, he became a fighter pilot and in 1942 was made assistant air attaché in Washington, where he started to write short stories. His first major success as a writer for children was in 1964. Thereafter his children's books brought him increasing popularity, and his books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.