Fierce & True

Established in 1965, the Children's Theatre Company (CTC) of Minneapolis earned its reputation as the flagship theater for young people in this country by staging plays that both entertained and challenged children and their families. Around the age of twelve, however, young people tended to stop coming to CTC, perceiving that they had outgrown what the theater could offer them. In an effort to reach out to and engage these young people, the CTC began to commission and produce plays aimed at a twelve- to eighteen-year-old audience, focusing on the complexities, idiosyncrasies, and epic dilemmas in the lives of young people.Fierce and Truecollects four of these critically acclaimed plays:Anon(ymous)by Naomi Iizuka,The Lost Boys of Sudanby Lonnie Carter,Five Fingers of Funkby Will Power, andPromby Whit MacLaughlin and New Paradise Laboratories. Professional, full-length works not about teens so much as they are written for them. Ambitious, surprising, and complex, these plays speak directly to teens without pandering to them; they engage, challenge, and respect teenage minds. Diverse and utterly unique, these playwrights are bound together by the excellence of their craft and the power of their storytelling.Fierce and Trueboth redefines the field of theater for young people and provides an invaluable resource for theater professionals, educators, and the teens they serve.

Peter Brosius is the artistic director of the Children's Theatre Company.
Elissa Adams is the director of new play development at the Children's Theatre Company.