Claudia Haas and Richard Cash
Claudia Haas says she was born with a theatre gene. She explains, “My theatrical journey has taken me through gigs as an actress, director and teacher but my most satisfying work has been creating a story and seeing it come to life. Sometimes it is exactly as I saw it in my head and other times it is wildly different, more imaginative as if it has taken a life of its own. But the very fact that a group of people have devoted weeks of their life to bringing my play to life always brings joy.” She makes her home in Minnesota with Paul, Matthew and Kirsten as well as four furry creatures. Richard M. Cash, Ed.D. is the Director of Gifted and Talented Programs, K-12, for the Bloomington Minnesota Public Schools, and serves as an Adjunct Professor at Concordia University in St. Paul, MN. Prior to this he taught first and sixth grade in an urban elementary school for gifted children and worked for many years as a children's theater director. He has co-author of four highly acclaimed children's plays with Claudia Haas. Richard is widely known for his theatrical and engaging presentation style.
Commedia Delight!
Commedia by Claudia Haas and Richard Cash
63 pages
5 m, 10 w, 15 flexible, 1 optional
Welcome to Delight, Italy! The once happy village is now a sad town ruled by the not-so-very-nice Signora Notsobene Pantalone. The townspeople are frightened of her, while her spirited daughter, Piccola, feels smothered by her mother's rules. Then a ragtag troupe of traveling actors turns everything upside down. Led by a woman who looks surprisingly like the signora, and with other characters assuming disguises, there's lots of comedic confusion. And it might just lead the citizens of Delight back to their heritage of fun. Winner of the Columbia Entertainment...
Tales from Five Continents
by Claudia Haas and Richard Cash
36 pages
Cast of 15 to 53
Take your young audience on a journey around the globe discovering other cultures. From Africa we have the tale of why the Sun and Moon live in the sky. From the Pacific Northwestern Native Americans is the story of the ocean and its tides. From South America we learn how the beetle got its beautiful coat, while from Asia is the tale of why toads croak before a rain storm. The play ends with an Aesop fable from Europe that tells why the bat flies alone and at night. Weaving it all together is a Cherokee fable that explains the bringing of stories into the wor...
Little Red: Life in the Hood
Fantasy by Claudia Haas and Richard Cash
50 pages
9 w, 24 flexible
It's a media moment! Little Red Riding Hood has come to tell her story on Terry Tellus' talk show but is rudely interrupted by her Grandmother and the Wolf. It seems Red Riding Hood's version is nothing but a fairy tale! The Grandmother and the Wolf insist on equal air time. Henny Penny, Chicken Little and Turkey Lurkey appear as insurance agents, and the Three Little Pigs and the Three Little Kittens are present, too, as we make our way through the twists and turns of the different versions. Decide for yourself if Red is the heroine, the Valley Girl or every...
The Birds
Classic by Claudia Haas and Richard Cash
58 pages
1 m, 7 w, 28 flexible
"The Birds" was originally written by Aristophanes as a satire on man's society. In this loose adaptation, three children embark on a journey that leads them to the Great Bird's Nest in the Sky. There they hope to live away from all the constraints of home and school, but instead of living "free as a bird," they find the birds trying to outdo humans in a far more complicated society. The cast is a mixture of children, meddling gods and goddesses, and a rich array of bird characters. Aristophanes' humor and satire are left intact as the play pokes gentle fun a...