Plays an 11 year old can read

[Calizzy]

Dd is 11 and is wanting to read a play. What would you recommend that would be appropriate for this age? I remember reading Thornton wilder in college, but now I can't remember anything about it. 

[Jackie]

Some Shakespeare can be read at this age by someone who is motivated and able to get through the language. Midsummer Night’s Dream?

Or, for a much easier read, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is an obvious choice if she’s read the HP series.

[Rosie_0801]

Pygmalion? The one 'My Fair Lady' is based off.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

We really like the graphic novel Shakespeare with the unabridged original text.  We did Midsummer Night's Dream last year at 11 and 9.  

 

[Farrar]

Cursed Child is literally the only thing I can think of.

There are a lot of classic plays that could totally be worth a middle schooler seeing - anything by Wilde, good adaptations of Moliere, certainly lots of Shakespeare, and even some heavier fare for the right kid. And some students might be up for tackling a number of those, but not most students. And they'd be better to see anyway.

Most plays performed by this age are based on other source material - musicals, Disney films, etc. and aren't great reads for their own sake.

[klmama]

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

 

 

[Calizzy]

Is there a version of Peter Pan that is written in script form? Maybe I just need to order some that have been adapted to become plays. She has written a few plays that she has then preformed with her friends. I know many say it's better to watch plays, but she specifically wants to see them written in order to get better at it too. 

[klmama]

I have a copy of Peter Pan in script form published by Samuel French, Inc.  It's available on Amazon, with multiple used copies for less, or you can buy it directly from Samuel French.  

ETA:  Since she's wanting to learn how to write plays, she might want to read one with more modern layout.  This one is quite cramped on the page - no space between characters.  

Edited December 20, 2019 by klmama

[Jackie]

I agree that if she’s wanting to learn to write plays, she should focus on more modern works. So, scrap my Midsummer Night’s Dream suggestion, though Cursed Child would still work.

Are there any junior theater groups in your area? Perhaps they would be willing to give her a copy of the script for recent productions?