For Young Audiences, Literature Comes to Life on New York City Stages

Brushing up on Shakespeare probably isn’t the highest priority for your average school kid during summer vacation. But if getting young ones to read the Bard is too much of a challenge, they may enjoy the Looking for Shakespeare Young Company’s production of Cymbeline, on view August 2 and 3 at the Provincetown Playhouse. Aimed at audiences aged six and up, the performances are free; phone 212-998-5867 for reservations.

Kids who can’t wait that long to get a lit fix might want to check out TheatreWorksUSA’s newest production, an adaptation of the junior classic Sarah, Plain and Tall. The show begins previews at the Lucille Lortel on July 11. Julia Jordan wrote the script, adapted from Patricia Maclachlan’s novel, and lyricist Nell Benjamin and composer Laurence O’Keefe (of Bat Boy fame) wrote the songs. TheatreWorks productions are also free and are intended for the whole family; day-of-performance tickets are given out on a first-come, first-served basis beginning one hour before the show starts.

Although this one won’t start till January 2003, keep your eyes open for Making Books Sing’s production of Bird Woman: The Story of Sacajawea, a play with music that brings history to life by telling the story of that famous Shoshone heroine and her interaction with the Lewis and Clark expedition. Making Books Sing, formerly a program of the Vineyard Theatre, just became an independent non-profit organization this month and will continue adapting contemporary children’s literature for the stage.