The Pinballs

A dramatization by Aurand Harris of the award-winning novel by Betsy Byars. A smashing success when premiered at Northwestern University Department of Drama for the entire community of Evanston. Winner of the AATE Distinguished Play Award. One set. Contemporary costumes. Cast of 2 women and 3 men.

Three children are bounced like pinballs from one foster home to another. Carlie, fifteen and street-wise and a natural leader, is a victim of child abuse. Thirteen-year old Harvey is wheelchair bound after his drunken father ran over both of his legs with his new car. Thomas J., eight, was abandoned on a doorstep as a baby. Each longs for the comfort of a real home. Now, in the play, they come together for the first time at Mrs. Mason's, an understanding foster mother who encourages them to follow Carlie's urging "to do something for ourselves." By the end of summer the "pinballs" have become a "family." Written in a theatrical and imaginative style, utilizing exciting musical, sound, and lighting effects, this play is both touching and funny. It treats a modern social problem with arresting insight, humor, and an emotional theatrical impact.