Calderdale Theatre School has several original plays available for performance by other youth theatres. We know how difficult it is to find good plays for large casts of young people. These plays have all been successful and are available with production notes. Please contact us for more details, sample scenes and royalties.

The Battle for Badgers Wood by John Laing

Cast age: 11 upwards
Cast size: 25 (with opportunities for doubling)
Running time: 90 minutes (approx.)

This play was originally written for Polka Theatre for performance by adult actors to children. It as now been adapted by the author for performance by young people and songs added. Although originally written in the mid 1980's this play strikes a contemporary chord with many audiences as it tells the story of the fight to save a piece of woodland from developers - greatly assisted by the animals who live there. The cast play a huge and diverse array of characters including councillors, workmen, birdwatchers, huntsmen not to mention all the animals and birds.

The play contains excellent solo and group songs and provides opportunity for physical theatre and mask work should you wish to incorporate them.

Nightmare on Gibbet Street by John Laing

Cast age: 10 upwards
Cast size: 12 - 30 (depending on doubling)
Running time: 30 minutes (approx.)

A one act play. The play opens in the depths underneath Whitehall where we meet the Thinkers, members of a government think tank whose job it is to think of new ways for the government to raise some cash. They come up with a brilliant new idea – sell a town! One which no one will miss – Halifax! Thus starts a fast paced comedy as buyers from all over the world express an interest and it is down to George Pudding and the rest of his family to save Halifax from being sold. They are aided in their fight against Lord Hatchet and Councillor Badapple by the Halifax Liberation Front and an assortment of larger than life characters. Lots of scope for a large cast or a smaller cast with lots of doubling.

This play was performed by Calderdale Theatre School at BYTF in 2003 and since then by Sheffield Crucible Youth Theatre and York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre. Although originally written with Halifax as the location, it can easily be adapted to any place by including local references and jokes.

Life is a Four Letter Word by Stephen Finegold

Cast age: 14 upwards
Cast size: 46 characters (with lots of opportunities for doubling)
Running time: 120 minutes (approx. with interval)

This is an adaptation of the Everyman story for the 21st century. It's a new play written by local actor, writer, director Stephen Finegold and written specifically for performance by Youth Theatres. There are original songs - all but one are not character specific so that they can be performed by any cast members who can sing well.

The play looks at the age old question of life and what happens after it. Do our actions in life affect what happens after it? How will Joe Public fare when he is suddenly called to present his life's accounts? Will De'ath be impressed by what he has to say? Will his friends and family help him and volunteer to accompany him on his last journey? The Seven Deadly Sins also put in an appearance to try to 'help' him on his way. Life Is A Four Letter Word is both an amusing and thought provoking play.

Alice! by Louise Clark

Age: 11 - 16
Cast size: 50+ characters (with lots of opportunities for doubling)
Running time: 105 minutes (approx. with interval)

Join Alice as she ventures through wonderland encountering an eccentric egg, troublesome twins, a clever creepy crawly and a cat with a grin. The twists and turns of Alice's topsy-turvy journey lead from a very unusual tea party to a royal game of croquet with many other adventures in between. But will she ever find the elusive White Rabbit?

This is a new adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic tales Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. It takes the most well known stories from both books and weaves them together into a very enjoyable script. This play has been written specifically for performance by Youth Theatre groups; for example it's written for performance by 4 Alices. The arrival of all 4 on stage at the end adds to the general mayhem of the trial scene.

Original incidental music which can be used in the opening and throughout the play is available on CD.

Island of the Mighty by Robert Garrett

Age: 13 upwards
Cast size: 40+ characters (with lots of opportunities for doubling)
Running time: 105 minutes (approx. with interval)

This play was specially commissioned for Calderdale Theatre School. It is an exhilarating romp through Celtic history as it might have been and includes songs, music, dance, witches, knights, kings, princesses, treachery, heroism and much, much more... Ideal for performance by young casts, there are lots of larger than life characters for them to get their teeth into.

Young servant girl Gwenny overhears a plot to kill the King. She has to flee the court and in her quest to see justice done meets many diverse characters including Bobbie Hood and her outlaw band of Merry Women, a group of witches known as The Morrigen, Faeries and the inhabitants of the Underworld.

The play contains excellent group and solo songs.