About the Play:

The Jungle Book is a full-length drama by Joseph Robinette, based on the Mowgli Stories by Rudyard Kipling. Filled with excitement and humour, the play highlights the struggle of good versus evil, the worth of friendship, and the importance of loyalty and other values required for surviving the "law of the jungle."

One of literature's most enduring classics, The Jungle Book is brought vividly to the stage in this exciting adventure of Mowgli, the Indian boy, raised by caring wolves, befriended by Bagheera, the Panther, and Baloo, the Bear, and threatened by Shere Kahn, the evil tiger. Also present are an array of other jungle creatures who inhabit this action-filled play. Interspersed with the Mowgli tale is the equally intriguing story of a young Rudyard Kipling, who is sent from his home in Bombay to a British boarding school where he encounters his own "jungle," including people – both good and otherwise – who parallel many of the animal characters he created.

While the very young audiences will delight in the portrayal of the animals and the fast paced action, older children will be fascinated by the character relations and the story itself, as well as the unique introduction to Rudyard Kipling.

Cast: 10 to 25 women and men, flexible, doubling possible.

About the Playwright:

Joseph Robinette (1939-2025) was a lifelong educator and the author or co-author almost 60 published plays and musicals, qualifying him as one of America's most prolific playwrights. His works have been produced in all 50 states and in 21 foreign countries. He joined the faculty at Rowan University in 1971, where he taught theatre arts for more than three decades. He won numerous teaching awards and was named professor emeritus when he retired in 2005.