25 Plays

This book of plays is collected from the work of several Waldorf teachers active in North America. The editor hopes that this book will inspire many new creations by class and subject teachers and that the variety of work included will serve as an inspiration for Waldorf teachers to write their own plays for their students. Magic occurs when a teacher sits down with a subject in mind and a class of students in focus. The personalities of the children weave into the writing, as characters are created for the play. When a teacher writes his/her own plays, he/she enters a realm of higher spiritual perception which enlivens the drama. Many pedagogical purposes can be achieved through drama, and such original plays may become "new" festivals within our communities.  Drama is a wonderful shaper of attitude; it enhances the experience and codifies it to a universal poetic, making our lives resonant with joy and meaning. With children, it reawakens the heart-memory.  Within this collection, there are simple stories dramatized, mathematics lessons portrayed, science lessons illuminated, myths brought to life, and humorous skits arranged for adolescents. Scenes from history are brought into crystalline focus in a form that will be remembered for a lifetime. There is a puppet play written jointly by a class and their teacher as part of an English assignment. The festivals and sense of community are made more accessible through some of the plays. The theme of love, prevalent in all of Shakespeare's plays, is the focus of one play and served as a portion of the academic studies of an eleventh-grade high school class.  All Waldorf teachers are allowed to use the plays without infringement of copyright. Waldorf Publications ISBN: 1-888365-04-8 Softbound 298 pages 8.5 x 11 inches+++David Mitchell