The Enchanted Attic
by Linde Hayen Herman
Play in two acts for 4 males, 5 females. Attic setting. One hour, for ages 5 to 11. $ 6.50
Three children, stranded in the attic of their great aunt's Victorian mansion while searching for a lost treasure, discover that the attic window has mysterious powers of transformation.
Of course, the children's wishes call up the characters and settings dear to children's hearts: a spooky atmosphere full of lurking shadows and non-stop action, a talking cat, duels and tight escapes, pirate ships and a puppet theatre in which the marionettes come to life. In short, all the elements that make children's theatre a joy to perform and direct.
We don't always need to go back to legends and fairy tales to capitalize on children's keen desire for fantasy and magic. Here is a contemporary story of contemporary children who discover the transforming power of imagination. The Enchanted Attic has been successful both in college productions and in a community theatre setting with performers of all ages. Either way, the play offers the deep satisfaction finding the "lost treasure"--the ability to believe. Said one viewer, recalling the joy The Enchanted Attic brought him, "I left the theatre vowing never to leave the attic."
The Enchanted Attic has all the ingredients any great children's show should have: magic, meaning, heart, and most of all imagination. The attic and its characters really began to feel alive to all of us who worked on the show. Its charming tale of imagination touched all of us that look at life as being full of what some might call magic.
Tom Sweitzer, Director
The Hill Playhouse
Middleburg, Virginia
