The Yellow Boat
By David Saar.
Product Code: Y29000
Full-length Play
Drama | Tragedy
Cast size: 4m., 3w.
Limited Streaming Rights Available
Awards: AATE Distinguished Play Award | ASSITEJ: Outstanding International Play for Young Audiences
Rights and availability
This title can be licensed and sold throughout the World.
* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.
Synopsis
The story of The Yellow Boat is a glorious affirmation of a child's life and the strength and courage of all children. This dramatization is based on the true story of David and Sonja Saar's son, Benjamin, who was born with congenital hemophilia and died in 1987 at the age of 8 of AIDS-related complications. A uniquely gifted visual artist, Benjamin's buoyant imagination transformed his physical and emotional pain into a blaze of colors and shapes in his fanciful drawings and paintings. A Scandinavian folksong tells of three little boats: "One was blue, one was red and one was yellow as the sun. They sailed far out to sea. The blue one returned to the harbor. The red one sailed home, too. But the yellow boat sailed up to the sun." Benjamin always concluded his bedtime ritual by saying, "Mom, you can be the red boat or the blue boat, but I am the yellow boat." Benjamin's remarkable voyage continues to touch audiences around the world. Recommended for children age 8 and older, parents, families and adults. Music in book.
Notes
Limited Streaming Rights Available
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An authorized shortened version for performance in competitions is available.
Details
- Status In stock
- Type of Show Full-length Play
- Product Code Y29000
- Minimum Cast Size 7
- Pages of Dialogue 76
- Min. Royalty Rate $110.00/perf
- Approx. Run Time 75 min
- Staging Open stage, simple set.
Categories
- Target Audience Young Audiences | Middle School | High School | College and Adult | Family (all ages)
- Performing Group High School | College Theatre | Community Theatre
- Genre Drama | Tragedy
- ISBN(13) 9780876023525
Customer Reviews
This is a beautiful story for all ages. So many opportunities to come up with creative solutions to staging this performance.
The Yellow Boat is timely in the pandemic, reminding audiences to find joy and resiliency in uncertain and frightening times. A lovely play with exciting opportunities for stunning visuals, but the characters can compel audiences in a simple setting as well.
What a beautifully crafted script! It has been an honor to tell this story of a young man (Benjamin) who deserves to be remembered through this touching tale.
Hints, Tips, and Tricks
The script opens itself up to a beautifully creative rehearsal process. One of my favorite experiences as a director.
Production Map
| Location | City | State | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sumter High | Sumter | SC | 04/03/2025 | 04/04/2025 |
| Bountiful High School | Bountiful | UT | 04/28/2025 | 05/03/2025 |
| Oak Park & River Forest High School | Oak Park | IL | 05/09/2025 | 05/17/2025 |
Downloads
| File Description | File Format | |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Poster | Download |
Poster Suggestions
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- You can print the poster in its original format and hand write your information.
- Your local copy shop should be able to create prints from a file saved to disk. They might even be able to increase the size of the poster for you (although some loss of resolution will occur).
Gallery
The Yellow Boat-Weber High School, Ogden, UT
The Yellow Boat - Children's Theatre Workshop of Toledo, Toledo, OH
Also By These Authors
Jeff Skiba, Eastern Arizona College, Thatcher, Ariz.