Kids in The Sandbox
Suitable for children aged 6-12 years of age
Characters Written originally for 8 females and 1 male, but most of the parts are gender-neutral.
Running Time The running time is approximately 15 minutes.
A short one act play about the life and times of kids. It is recess time and the first graders and kindergarten kids gather around the sand box for a discussion about school, dolls, fashion, food, literature, bullying and the infamous Thomas Smith Incident
A sample from the play
Thomas- (takes out a bag and pulls out a sandwich. He examines the sandwich. Smells it. Makes a face. He digs sand out of his bucket, and sprinkles it on his sandwich and takes a bite.)
Mallory-(sits down beside him) Whatcha doin?
Thomas-(Does not respond and continues eating)
Mallory- (Holds up her doll to Finn) This is my dolly. I call her Mallory. Whatcha doin?
While Kids in the Sandbox is for kids aged 6 to 12, the script pushes them beyond normal grade-approved reading levels. Bottle Tree Productions works with many kids with learning disabilities and other reading issues. Scripts like this challenge the kids and make them comfortable with complex words, phrasings, sentences and thoughts. Kids in the Sandbox challenges kids with its physical humour and wit. Similar in some ways to Peanuts by Charles Schultz, the kids in this play are like mini-adults but they must deal with the everyday issues of kids like bullying, fashion, social awkwardness and the authoritarian system that particularly affects them.
