Great American events on stage

School Library Journal

Gr 5-UpFifteen short plays based on American history. Two of them are "round-the-table reading" plays, which include descriptions of the settings and actions in the dialogue. The remaining 13 plays are accompanied by notes for costuming, props, settings, and special effects. Casting requirements range from 5 actors to 40 (or more, depending on the number of extras used). Most of the plays center on one individual (Nathan Hale, Molly Pitcher, Martin Luther King, Jr., etc.) or on one aspect of history (the fight for equal representation at Jamestown, the Underground Railroad, the World War II home front, etc.). The final entry is a pageant of many brief vignettes and speeches, presenting an overview of the country's entire history. When appropriate, many of the authors have included the actual written or recorded words of known historical figures, frequently combined with fictional or imagined scenes and characters. History is necessarily simplified in these offerings, and while they are all optimistic, less than favorable aspects of our country's past are mentioned and commented on in several cases. Groups looking for plays for young people to perform will be pleased with the selections offered here.Darcy Schild, Schwegler Elementary School, Lawrence, KS