In 2022, we began searching for a script of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” to use for our school’s end-of-year play. At first we thought it would be an easy task. Although we needed a script suitable for younger students, there are so many theatrical interpretations of this most popular book that the right one must be out there. Unfortunately, we soon realized that we were like Goldilocks in the Bears’ house – but with one key difference: the “just right” script did not exist. Scripts that were faithful to the book were too long and demanding for the ages of our students. Scripts suitable for young students were too simplistic. Many scripts had modernized their language, losing the flavour of the original. Most downplayed the focus of the entire work – the sacrifice of Aslan. We were specifically looking for a musical version, but all the musicals we found used a pop-music style that jarred with the dreamy magic of C. S. Lewis’ Narnia.
There was only one option left: create our own “just right” musical. It had to be complex enough to challenge 12-14-year-olds, but short enough to allow kindergarteners to take part. It had to be faithful to C. S. Lewis’ vision and transmit the message of his novel. The music had to be simple enough for untrained children to sing with confidence, but had to be written in a classical style, and had to convey the atmosphere and ideas of the story. Above all, our musical had to portray beauty, truth, and goodness.
This was the start of Classical Children’s Plays. We are a group of Christian writers, directors, a choreographer and a composer, who all share the same vision of raising children’s theatre to the highest standard possible. Most works are a collaborative effort, but we also accept submissions from other writers and composers whose works display our values. Our mission is to create original children’s stage plays and musicals based on the greatest works of literature in the English language. Each play or musical is centred around one great goal: to bring out the core of truth, the vision of beauty, the aspect of goodness that lies at the heart of every literary classic, and to make these both accessible and appealing to children.