Three Quest Plays

Sheree Haughian is an elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Dufferin County Board of Education.

Very few young people have ever had the experience of actually reading a
play. A few may have taken to the stage in a scripted school musical
extravaganza; a few more may have enjoyed the impromptu role-playing of
classroom drama. In any case, those who crave the magic of stage drama
can at least encounter the text in these Three Quest Plays for children.


Each of the plays in the trio has a trio of characters. In “The Echo
Box,” two friends must renegotiate their relationship when a newcomer
arrives at a beach they’ve been visiting for years. In “Moving
Day,” best friends must undergo the pain of separation, only to be
reunited three years later—older, but perhaps not so very much wiser.
In “Willa and Sam,” dramatic tension is born of the possibilities
for conflict inherent in human triangles, and in the psychological
rollercoaster of betrayal, jealousy, and joy that is the preteen’s
daily allotment of living.

Viewing these insightful glimpses into peer relationships on stage
would be ever so much more delightful than encountering them on the
printed page. Nevertheless, there is something for readers to gain from
this collection. The strong character development and natural yet
lyrical dialogue in these plays offer as much guidance to budding
writers as their performance would to a student audience. Recommended.