Lionboy by Zizou Corder, adapted by Marcelo Dos Santos
Cast: 2-6F; 6-13M
Synopsis: Charlie Ashanti lives in a future where phones are powered by the sun, cars are banned, and companies are more powerful than countries. Charlie is a perfectly normal boy, except for one thing: he can speak to cats. When his parents are kidnapped, he sets off on a rescue mission – with a little help from a floating circus and its pride of performing lions.
Why it's great: Based on the trilogy of bestselling novels, this sparkling adaptation – staged by acclaimed theatre company Complicite on tour around the world – fuses storytelling and circus to magical effect. It offers lots of opportunities for creative design work, using props and an inventive approach to sound to trigger the audience's imagination.
Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman, adapted by Sabrina Mahfouz
Cast: 4F 4M doubling (playing 22 characters)
Synopsis: Sephy and Callum sit together on a beach. They are in love. It is forbidden, because Sephy is a Cross and Callum is a Nought. Between Noughts and Crosses there are racial and social divides. A segregated society teeters on a volatile knife-edge. As violence breaks out, Sephy and Callum draw closer, but this is a romance that will lead them into terrible danger.
Why it's great: This award-winning adaptation of the modern classic novel – a captivating Romeo and Juliet story of love, revolution and what it means to grow up in a divided world – has been seen on a Pilot Theatre tour around the UK, and is now widely studied for GCSE.
The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon, adapted by S. Shakthidharan
Cast: 4F 4M doubling (large cast possible)
Synopsis: Subhi is a refugee. Born in an Australian permanent detention centre after his mother fled the violence of a distant homeland, life behind the fences is all he's ever known. One day, Jimmie appears on the other side of the fence, bringing a notebook written by the mother she lost. Unable to read it, she relies on Subhi to unravel her own family's mysterious and moving history. Together, Subhi and Jimmie must find a way to freedom, and they must be braver than they've ever been before…
Why it's great: This powerful and deeply moving play, adapted from an award-winning novel, explores the displacement and treatment of refugees and sanctuary seekers. The published playscript includes a range of teaching materials and resources designed to help educators bring the play to life for their students.
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne, adapted by Laura Eason
Cast: 3F 5M doubling (very large cast possible)
Synopsis: The fabulously wealthy Victorian gentleman Phileas Fogg wagers his life's fortune that he can circumnavigate the globe in just 80 days. Along with his hapless valet Passepartout, he sets out on a dazzling escapade that takes him from the misty alleys of London to the exotic subcontinent and on to the Wild West as they race against the clock on a dizzying succession of trains, steamers, a wind-propelled sledge and an elephant.
Why it's great: This frantic, fun and highly popular version of the classic novel packs in more than 50 unforgettable characters, and is able to be performed by anything from a smaller ensemble cast to a group numbering dozens.
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome, adapted by Helen Edmundson and Neil Hannon
Cast: 5F 6M doubling
Synopsis: When John, Susan, Titty and Roger are granted their wish to set sail on their beloved boat Swallow, they know it will be the summer holiday of a lifetime. But their adventure truly begins when they encounter Nancy and Peggy, the self-proclaimed Amazon Pirates, and the dastardly Captain Flint.
Why it's great: Arthur Ransome's famous and much-loved children's classic is brought thrillingly to life in this wonderfully theatrical adaptation, with ‘delightfully catchy and often witty’ (Telegraph) songs by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy.
To apply to perform these plays, visit nickhernbooks.co.uk/plays-to-perform