Surprising plays for libraries from Spinning Pizza Arts
Professional, innovative and creative plays for all ages.
Encourage literacy, inspire reading, provoke thought, discussion and delight!
LOTTERY and LOST IN A BOOK are two short plays (35-40 mins each).
They create a performance event in public, private, school, college or independent libraries.
The action of the plays is sequential and - with an interval - provides libraries with an opportunity to showcase their services, offer games and refreshments, or simply a chance to meet others.
LOTTERY by Lowri Potts
A tender story about love and a lost lottery ticket - set in a library
Synopsis:
Stepping inside a library is a daunting experience for eighteen year old Alan. He is dyslexic. But he must find his grandfather's lucky lottery ticket - lost in one of the library books. Then Alan bumps into Fizz, a former schoolfriend. As she helps him search, Alan confides his difficulty and finds help from an unexpected quarter. In a race before closing time, they discover a bright mixture of love, truth, pain - and something both young people are missing - a voice!
Themes: The play touches on dyslexia - although the word is never actually used - and contrasts different ways of meeting its challenges. It shows the value of peer support - and that with shared friendship and kindness, it need never be ‘too late’ to learn.
Through an engaging love story and a race against time, we show what the stigma of a learning difference, such as dyslexia, can mean for adults and young people. The dialogue also reveals some of the help that's available, and the signs to watch for.
(Our thanks to Dyslexia Scotland for research and resources)
FIZZ: Who is Attention anyway?
ALAN: And what do we owe him?
ALAN/FIZZ: Nothing! We don’t think in straight lines, we think in fireworks!
Length: 35 - 40 mins
Requirements: A library with enough room to seat an audience, small library table and chair and existing bookshelves.
VIDEO DOCUMENTARY: https://vimeo.com/53687963
In 2017, Lottery was performed in Australia by young actors from Kids Like Us (Australia) in Victoria.
Links: https://kidslikeus.org.au
The audience liked it because......
“It has great energy, two very engaging characters and a fantastic premise. The way it elaborates the difficulties of growing up with dyslexia is very powerful, and the playful world it evokes would make for an exciting and varied piece of performance.”
Tom Latter, Artistic Director of msft www.makingtheatrework.com
“I enjoyed it for its sheer bravura and genre-busting good humour” John Retallack (playwright, director and founder Company of Angels)
“The play deals with dyslexia in an informed yet subtle way.…..the language used by Alan is lovely and moving towards the end. ...I also like the way it shows his facility with words despite his reading problems.”
Judith Johnston, Lecturer in English and Communication, Clydebank FE College.
"It made me feel lucky that I can read and write." (12 yr old)
"I liked it because it was funny." (12 yr old)
"Thought the writing was fantastic, great choice of subject as I had a child who went through dyslexia" (Parent)
"Use of expressive language and metaphors made the message of the play even more powerful. Setting the play in a real library worked extremely well."
"I don’t know much about dyslexia – this play has given me a good starting point to learn and understand."
Brought back memories of schooldays how I wasn’t pushed so didn’t achieve all I could (FE)
Developed with the support of Dyslexia Scotland
LOST IN A BOOK by Lowri Potts
A swashbuckling story about getting lost and finding yourself again - in a book
Synopsis:
The library has closed after a busy day. Librarian Jane kicks off her shoes and tidies up the scattered books – but not for long. A surprising encounter challenges her to question everything about herself, and fight for it.
Themes: Identity, the relationship between fantasy and reality, the pleasure of books and reading journeys that can lead to empowerment and empathy.
Over forty popular stories are referred to in the course of the play, along with information about libraries and a celebration of what they offer us all.
VIEW A PRESENTATION
JANE: So you’re a hero are you?
CHARACTER:Yes. I’m a hero-in-waiting, waiting to star in my story. Aren’t you? Aren’t we all?
JANE:I…I suppose so. I’d never thought about it like that.
Length: Approx 35 mins
The audience liked.....
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that it catered for adults and young people alike, and drew bystanders in from the library!
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the many references - from Shakespeare to William Burrows to Douglas Adams
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the action sequences and surprises - that it was about the life of the library and books
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the librarian’s character, had empathy with her
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the humour
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the use of the library space and the quirky things on shelves - and the song
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the way it made a library come to life in a new way
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the fight scene!
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how it really portrayed the library as so much more than books! It has great potential for a community and book festival audience.
Developed with the support of Creative Scotland