All The Worlds A Stage Book

THE STORY: A group of Boys and Girls assemble, guided by the Boy and Girl Narrators, to choose the parts they will portray in the play about to be presented. They can be anything they want to be - a procedure which is objected to by the Interrupter, who breaks in on them. When he is overruled, however, he elects to be a gangster, and takes everyone's money. Soon the others, perhaps affected by his actions, begin to bicker and disagree, until the Producer's Son appears and implores them to stop. But they are soon in open challenge, and it is decided that the Producer's Son, who stands in the way of their selfish interests, must be removed. He is roughly dragged off, but not before warning all the Boys and Girls that they must not allow the pressure of a few to destroy what is best for the many. After his departure, however, it is the worst, not the best, which emerges, and the Narrators are hard pressed to explain that only by allowing free choice could the Professor know who deserved credit for doing well. Then, quietly, the Producer's Son returns, to reassure them that as long as even one good actor remains on stage the play can be saved - no matter how hopeless it may seem. For the play is as long as the world, all of us are the actors and actresses, it is our play.Conceived for production at England's Coventry Cathedral, this charming and beautifully written play is designed specifically for presentation by children of grade school age and older. Set on an open stage, it offers a large number of brief acting parts which, within the 25-minute span of the play, are blended into a uniquely meaningful theatrical and moral experience. Especially appropriate for contest, church and school use.