Welcome to Season 4 (2024-25)
Positive Stories for Negative Times is an international participatory project by Wonder Fools in association with the Traverse Theatre. Season 4 is all about opening up exciting cultural opportunities internationally, boosting the self-confidence of participants and changing the way we think about theatre for young people.
We have co-commissioned some of the most exciting voices in theatre to create new work for those between the ages of 6 and 25. Artists this season include Ella Hickson, Adura Onashile, Travis Alabanza, James Ley, Mammalian Diving Reflex, and Young Writer Hannah Low. The plays are written specifically for the times we are living in and will be available to participating groups from September 2024 to September 2025.
Participation is completely free, and you can choose to perform the plays in your local communities, create digital responses, or travel to one of our Positive Stories Festivals in Scotland (to be announced in October 2024). This season continues our mission to provide equitable access to high-quality new writing and professional support, ensuring young people feel authentically represented in the arts. Join us in this unique opportunity to explore and express the creativity of young people through innovative theatre.
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participating groups
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young people
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plays commissioned
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of leaders reported that their groups had developed new skills (Season 3)
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of leaders felt PSFNT had increased their young people's access to culture (Season 3)
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of young people felt more confident participating in drama activities (Season 3)
“I didn’t have anything like this, there wasn’t anything like this, there was nothing in Bognor Regis but there was definitely not this, there should be this happening in every town, in every school and in every possible place really.”
Tim Crouch (PSFNT Season 3 Writer)
“I would do it all over again, any time, a million times over, I would do it every day if I could!”
PSFNT participant
“One of the most vibrant young companies to emerge onto the Scottish theatre scene in recent years”
The Scotsman, 2021
Season 4
Get Involved
Wonder Fools are inviting any group working with young people aged between 6 and 25 to get involved. All participating groups will be sent their chosen script to perform rights free, a handbook of exercises to help their group explore, perform and document the play, and invited to CPD Workshops. You will also be given a pin on our map where you can upload and share documentation of your performance with other youth groups around the UK and beyond.
PSFNT Festivals 2025
We are excited to be bringing our four major youth theatre festivals across four regional hubs in Scotland, where we will showcase 24 PSFNT productions. Venues include the Tron Theatre in Glasgow 7th-8th June, Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh 14th-15th June, Theatre Royal Dumfries in Dumfries & Galloway 28th-29th June and An Lanntair in Stornoway 4th-5th July.
The deadline for festival applications is 12 noon on the 14th November. Find out more about the festival below or head straight to our sign-up page to participate.
The Writers
We are delighted to announce the writers of the six new Positive Stories plays for Season 4. They will collaborate directly with our Youth Board over the coming months to create brand-new plays for you to work on. The plays will be free to access from September 2024.
James Ley
Ella Hickson
Mammalian Diving Reflex
Travis Alabanza
Hannah Low (Young Writer Commission)
The Plays
Positive Stories For Negative Times: Season 4 includes 6 exciting new plays with varying and flexible cast sizes. The writers have been working with the new Positive Stories Youth Board to ensure that the plays are not only made for young people, but with them too.
All the ‘plays’ are very different and we believe there’s something for everyone no matter their size, age or experience of making theatre. We say ‘plays’ because not all are traditional plays, some of based around devising and are a blue-print for your group to base their own work around.
Hold Me Closer Bunny Baxter
by
James Ley
On the final night of an unsettling Scottish tour with queer music collective The Queer Animals, Bunny Baxter discovers the importance of finding your tribe.
Age range: 14 – 25
Cast Size: 14
We Ain’t Movin’
by
Travis Alabanza
An angry overhead announcement. The sound of bulldozers. One drama block at risk of being demolished. Can the students save their building?
Age range: 12 – 18
Cast Size: 6+
The Book of Spin
by
Mammalian Diving Reflex
Real world audiences are guided telephonically by performers, who provide instructions to engage with the world around them in intimate and unusual ways.
Age range: 12 – 25
Cast Size: 1 – 100
Roman Cardboard Swift
by
Ella Hickson
Three generations of one family help each other through tough times and learn the important lessons of looking forward and learning to laugh.
Age range: 12 – 25
Cast Size: 4 – 16
Careful What You Wish For
by
Hannah Low
A ‘paint’ your own adventure story featuring crazy characters, talking paintings and all your wishes brought to life on stage! (With an accompanying process drama)
Age range: 6 – 12
Cast Size: 8 – 50
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Season 1, 2 & 3
If you want to explore any of the plays from the last few years the collections have been published by Methuen Bloomsbury and include work by some of the UK’s most exciting artists including Bryony Kimmings, Tim Crouch, Robert Softely Gayle, Hannah Lavery, Sabrina Mahfouz, Douglas Maxwell, The PappyShow with Lewis Hetherington, Sara Sharaawi, Stef Smith, Leyla Josephine, Debris Stevenson, Chris Thorpe, Bea Webster, Wonder Fools and Traverse Young Writer Ellen Bannerman. Check out Season One, Season Two, and Season Three.
