by Joanna Kraus
Dr. Joanna Kraus became known in the field for her groundbreaking 1963 drama The Ice Wolf. The play depicts the struggles of an albino girl born in an Inuit village who is demonized by those around her and banished when her parents are lost in a storm. The play appears in a half-dozen anthologies in the field and marks a turning point in the subject matter and its treatment in plays for young audiences in the United States.
Joanna has continued to write plays for more than 60 years, including developing and premiering two of her new scripts on campus at Utah Valley University, Tamales & Roses and Me2 with support from the TYE Center. She also developed her play Champion through an online reading with UVU students. These three plays are now available from Leicester Bay Theatricals, which also publishes an anthology of her plays that includes Tamales and Roses and Me2. Follow this link.
TAMALES AND ROSES
Joanna adapted this bilingual play from her own picture book, A Night of Tamales & Roses. It was premiered by Utah Valley University and produced by the TYE Center, with public performances in the Bastian Theatre and school performances throughout Utah County and beyond. Drawn from Joanna’s own family experiences, the play depicts a flower girl who panics and doesn’t walk down the aisle at her sister’s wedding. Rather than it being the story of a young person who triumphs at their task, it focuses on one who doesn’t achieve her task but learns to reconcile herself and move forward. It is available for licensing through Leicester Bay Theatricals, through this link:
https://www.leicesterbaytheatricals.com/?s=tamales+and+roses
ME 2
Two pre-teen girls meet each other in a chance encounter and discover that they are identical twins, adopted at birth by different families. During a visit that their adoptive parents arrange, one of them pressures the other to take an important placement test in her place. The play explores issues of identity and honesty. The script was developed in a reading at Utah Valley University and presented in a limited tour to local libraries. Follow this link for more information:
https://www.leicesterbaytheatricals.com/?p=10403
Both Tamales & Roses and Me2 appear in an anthology from Leicester Bay that features five of Joanna’s plays. The anthology also includes The Kimchi Kid, a semi-autobiographical play about Joanna’s adopted son from Korea, as well as two plays based on Korean folklore, The Dragon Hammer and The Tale of Oniroku, which she wrote for a local theatre to help her son appreciate his Korean heritage.
CHAMPION
This award-winning play was inspired by the true story of a teen female water polo player who was bullied and then achieved international acclaim. When Robin joins a water-polo club, she’s unprepared for the hostility she encounters. But with determination plus rigorous training, and an encouraging coach — who calls her a ‘natural’ — she becomes a skilled goalie, confronts a vicious teammate, finds friendship, and ultimately self-acceptance. It was developed in an online reading by Utah Valley University and premiered by Clark’s Summer University. The cast of six female and one male character make this a great choice for secondary schools. Follow this link for more information:
Newman Plays 