Positive Stories for Negative Times, Volume Two: Seven Plays for Young People to Perform in Real Life or Remotely

Seven exciting new plays for young people written specifically in response to a world in the midst of a pandemic, accompanied by a handbook from Wonder Fools with guidance for staging the plays, and other creative responses, either online or live in the space.

Commissioned as part of Wonder Fools’ national participatory project Positive Stories for Negative Times: Season 2, these plays offer a variety of stories, styles and forms for ages between 6 and 25.

Spyrates 2 (Spies vs Pirates): Journey to the Forbidden Islandby Robbie Gordon & Jack Nuse
Featuring spies, pirates, robots, talking animals and everything in between, ’Spyrates’ is an interactive, playful and imaginative adventure story. Ages 6+

At First I Was Afraid... (I Was Petrified!)by Douglas Maxwell
A feel-good comedy drama about a girl who keeps a diary of all her anxieties; but as she moves from Primary School to Secondary, from normal life to Lockdown, all of her worries appear to come true. Ages 11 +

The Ravenby Hannah Lavery
A play full of adventure and an exploration of what shapes and what divides us, exploring issues of blended families, bullying, overeating, depression and isolation. Ages 11 +

Thanks For Nothingby The PappyShow
This not a play, but a process. It explores what it means to be thankful in this world we live in today. It’s a mix of games, challenges and exercises for you to tell your own stories, in your own way. Ages 11 +

Revoltingby Bryony Kimmings
A series of tasks and actions that make a narrative to be performed with props. We are agents of the revolution. How do we revolt? How do we not get into trouble? Where do we get power, and then how do we use it for good? Ages 13 +

The Skirtby Ellen Bannerman
An absurdist feminist fable for the next generation of feminists. Ages 16+

Write To Rave: Step Ponby Debris Stevenson
A play about the political power of a rave. Who has the right to rave, to dance and move freely? What is it to feel truly free in your own skin? It tells the story a queer group of humans trying their best to rave whilst the world tries it’s best to stop them. Ages 18 +

The accompanying handbook includes an exploration of Wonder Fools’ theatre-making process, step-by-step guidance in how to produce the plays either online or live in the space, and bespoke exercises and instructions in how to approach directing each play.

Wonder Fools are a theatre company and charity based in Glasgow that creates contemporary new work based on a diverse range of current and historical real-life stories. They have taken theatre productions, performance installations and workshops to over 10,000 people across Scotland, with over 15,000 more engaging with their digital work online. Productions include: McNeill of Tranent: Fastest Man in the World (2014-2015), The Coolidge Effect (2016-2020), and 549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War (2018-2020).