Four Short Plays for Young People

An entertaining collection of new short plays by popular children’s playwright Rachel Barnett. Specially commissioned for young people, these plays are a great resource for schools, colleges and youth theatres. With contemporary themes and a wide variety of roles, this is a collection which enables young people to engage with serious topics while enjoying all the fun of performance.

LOL: LAUGHING OUT LOUD, CRYING INSIDE
This is a play about bullying and bystanding – exploring the complex new world of cyber-bullying and
internet trolling.
“With the tragic consequences of cyberbullying being seen regularly in the media it is important that students are educated about the impact of their actions and the law surrounding this crime… LOL is a script I will return to again and again.” - Year 10 teacher

ROCKETFUEL
A forum-theatre play about peer pressure, making responsible choices about drinking and looking after your friends.
“Every child in my class was so absorbed in the play. You seem to have really hit the message home to them. A fantastic starting point for the rest of the year’s PSHE curriculum.” - Year 8 Teacher

THREE SHOES
A play which explores children working on stage and screen in the past and present, taking in the backstage life of a choirboy at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, a pantomime babe in Victorian England, and a pair of young film stars in the glare of the media today.

NOAH
A colossal storm is brewing and the great flood is coming. Yet only one man and his family are doing anything to prepare. The rain starts to fall, the Ark’s doors close and an extraordinary journey must begin.
“... a terrific re-imagining of the biblical story. Rachel Barnett’s writing is immediate, intelligent, bold, quirky, consistently surprising and compelling for young people.” - Youth Theatre Director – Chichester Festival Theatre

Rache Barnett's work has been performed at theatres in the UK and abroad, including The Royal Court, Theatre 503, and The Arcola Theatre, also at Chichester Festival Theatre, Royal and Derngate, Latitude Festival, Manhattan Theatre Source in New York, Live Girls in Seattle, Key City Public Theatre in Washington and Auroville in India. Following a BA in English Literature from Cardiff University and an MA in Writing for Performance from Central School of Speech and Drama she has specialised in working with young people, people with disabilities and community groups. Rachel sares her time between playwriting, producing, workshop leading, lecturing, copywriting, company management, fundraising, project management, consultancy and looking after her little boy.
Writing projects to date include original work, adaptations, translations, theatre in education projects, pieces for young audiences and young performers, and dramaturgy of collaborative devised work.