by Richard Nelson (Author), Colin Chambers (Author)
Designed for young audiences but especially suitable for eight to fifteen-year-olds, KENNETH'S FIRST PLAY takes us on an imaginative journey into the history of Western theater. As young Kenneth (who with a few changes of lines provided by the playwrights can also be a female character named Katie) encounters his first play as a bored audience member, his whole view of theater changes once he steps accidentally onto the stage and into the frame of the play. Now as a character in many different dramas he discovers a world of excitement and pure delight: the theater of the ancient Greeks, a day in Shakespeare's theater, an encounter with a play by Anton Chekhov. By getting out of his seat and becoming an active part of the theater experience, Kenneth learns about the language of plays, their special joy, and why the classics are great. Included with the text are the authors' commentary and notes about the script and its production.