Production Details

The Lost Children

Book and Lyrics by Alexander Williams   

Music by Alexander Williams

Please find below production details which might help you decide if The Lost Children is suitable for your school, drama club, youth group or organisation. I sincerely hope it is! Any questions don't hesitate to get in touch.

Short synopsis:

‘Ladies and gentlemen, grandfathers, grandmothers, spinsters, maiden aunts and octogenarians. Welcome to Calpurnia, a city in mourning. Today is the day when we officially, give up the search for the lost children of Calpurnia. One year ago the monster Rushwilden, heaven bless him, stole our children from us. We searched high and low, we searched near and far, but unearthed not even a gummi bear to indicate their whereabouts. Today, my friends, it is time to give up the search…’

Exactly one year ago, the monster Rushwilden stole all the children from the peaceful town of Calpurnia. Quite content with their new child-free existence, the Calpurnians support the mayor’s new law forbidding anyone to enter the forest to search for the children. Emily, the only girl left behind, is still desperate to find her sister Eve and decides to break the law. She enters the forest to continue the search and on her quest meets a host of colourful characters including the pessimistic Bluebird, Ursula the jazz princess, and the resourceful gutter-boy. With their help she finally meets Vanessa, Queen of the Forest, who helps them defeat Rushwilden and free the lost children. The children are welcomed home and a happy ending ensues.

Show Length:     

Approx. 70 minutes

Cast Size:                 

Male 11 Female 11

A note on cast: 

This musical is designed for schools, and therefore the casting is designed to allow a great deal of flexibility. For example:

·      Many roles that are nominally male or female, such as the mayor or master secretary, can easily be played as the opposite gender, allowing children to be cast to their strengths. 

·      Roles that are scripted as one character, such as the narrator, can easily be played by many actors if the lines are split, giving more children the chance to have a speaking role. 

·      Similarly, some characters can be doubled-up (i.e. played by the same actor) for smaller casts.

·      There are substantial chorus parts, such as the citizens of Calpurnia and the Puzzle Bugs. These choruses can be as large or small as required, and in the case of the Bluebird chorus and Badger chorus can also be eliminated without impairing the narrative.

Songs:

                  

13 songs, 5 of which include ensemble. 

·      A full piano score is available, however one of the major selling points of this musical is that no written score is needed to stage a full production. Instead those hiring the musical can receive the vocal tracks for rehearsal and the backing tracks for performance. With these resources children and schools are able to mount a musical without the expense of band rehearsals or hiring musicians, both of which are common prohibiting factors for schools thinking of putting on a musical for key stage 2 and 3.

·      ‘The Monsters Always Win’ can be performed as a chorus rather than solo song if desired, for example in casts where the narrator is a split role.

·      The main ensemble song ‘It’s Better With The Blighters Out’ is reprised as ‘It’s Better With the Blighters Here’.

·      The ‘Paradise/ Puzzle Bugs Finale’ is designed as a finale to incorporate the bows.

(The current CD features the arrangements and playing of Ben Tavener.)

Sets: 

          

The play opens and closes in the town of Calpurnia, and the majority of the action takes place in the nearby forest. The scene run at the start of the script lists locations.

Costumes:

          

The play is set in that mythical fairy tale time of ‘once upon a time’, which allows great freedom in choice of costume. Aside from obvious ideas like the queen wearing a crown, or the gutter boy being dressed in rags, it is worth noting that thematic costuming (such as a Steam Punk theme) can be extremely successful, and the Bad Badger can be wittily dressed in a karate kit with black stripes.

Musical Score:        

A full piano score is available, however no written score is is needed to stage a full production as recorded vocal and backing tracks will be provided with all hires. This is a key strength of the piece, allowing easy rehearsal and performance for schools.

Properties: 

          

All necessary props are easily sourced and clear in the script.

Publicity: 

       

Your organisation is welcome to produce your own publicity. The writer must be appropriately credited. My thanks to Vic Hazeldine for the current image (above) which is available for use when the script is hired if requested.

License fee:

The license and royalty fee is negotiable, though in most instances a flat hire fee of £200 or a 70:30 box office split for a single performance is typical.