My musicals are not based on fairy tales, traditional literature or historical events, but are built around universal themes in today's world with which the students can identify. I write from the kids' perspective of FUN, and subtly weave themes of unity and understanding in a world of unique and creative beings.
"Children's musical" does not have to equate with "children's" music, and while I write my songs to be singable by young voices, I also write them to be enjoyed by adults. I have learned to never underestimate what our children can do on a stage.
These plays have been performed by students in grades 2 through 5 and are suitable for middle school casts as well. Scripts can be adapted for cast sizes of 16 to 50 with flexibility for male/female role assignments. All my plays have a lot of flexibility built in to allow room for your own creativity in staging and interpretation. I will be happy to work with you in suggesting ways to adapt the scripts to fit your casting needs. Most plays have a running time of 30 to 40 minutes.
Rob Cohen has been writing musicals for elementary school children since 1998. A landscape architect by day, he began writing plays in his spare time for the local elementary school where his wife is a second-grade teacher. His plays' popularity among parents, students and teachers led to production requests from other public and private schools in the region. He enjoys the challenge of combining story, music and lyrics to match the inquisitive and optimistic nature of young children.
Recently he has written a song for the National Park Trust’s "Buddy Bison" ™ [www.buddybison.org] initiative to encourage children to experience our parks and public lands. The song was performed by elementary school students at an NPT award ceremony for Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar on December 9th, 2010.
Rob is a lifelong resident of the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC.
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