About the Plays:
This collection of three popular plays is by one of Britain's leading writers of plays for children and young people.
"…more people in Wales have seen a Charles Way stage play than one by any other writer working here. He has also been produced in Britain more than any other living Welsh-based playwright… his plays can be complex, subtle, elusive, metaphorical, mythic, magical….." — David Adams
Playing for the Heart was nominated for a Theatre and Management Award (TMA) as best children's play in British theatre. A gritty piece exploring the struggle of young Evelyn Glennie to become a percussionist despite her profound deafness. Movement, music and text combined in performance. [For 8 years and over]
Cast: 2 female, 3 male, plus doubling.
What people say:
"An inspirational piece of children's theatre." — The Guardian
Eye of the Storm, a contemporary version of Shakespeare's The Tempest, which tells the story from Miranda's point of view, as she struggles to grow up, on a magic island controlled by her father Prospero. When two other young people arrive on the island, Trinculo (a laddish sailor) and Stephano (who is really Stephanie but has dressed as a boy and run away from home) the underlying tensions and conflicts between daughter and father are accelerated in an amusing and dramatic way. Will Miranda escape the island? Will she find out the truth about her long lost Mother? [For 12 years and over]
Cast: 2 female, 2 male.
What people say:
"…anything but Prospero's story, focusing on the sulky, bored, teenage Miranda…." — T.E.S.
Red Red Shoes won the Arts Council of England's Children's award. It is inspired by the folk tale The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Anderson, and the experiences of children caught up in the war in Kosova. The story centres upon Franvera, a girl who loves to dance. Her parents give her a pair of red dancing shoes and tell her that one day she will dance for her country. [For 9 years and over]
Cast size is flexible; can vary from 4 to 40 actor/dancers.
What people say:
"A rare and mature piece of children's theatre, in both thought and form and it satisfies on every level." — The Guardian
"Teenagers all over the country have been enjoying this witty, perceptive and enormously entertaining play… capturing the eternal struggle of youngsters to grow up and fly the nest." — South Wales Argus
"The script has a perfectly easy relationship with its literary ancestor, is written in language which manages to be both basic and poetic." — The Irish Times
About the Playwright:
Charles Way is an acclaimed Welsh playwright who now has written over 40 plays, which are produced around the world. He has written many plays for young people, including the classic fairy tales Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty, and has received several awards, including the Children's Award given by the Arts Council of England and three nominations for the Best Children's Play by the Writer's Guild of Great Britain.