Childsplay is a professional theatre for young audiences based in Tempe, AZ. Founded in 1977, Childsplay currently produces a season of touring and in house productions.

In the spring of 2007 Childsplay will move all of its in house performances to the new Tempe Center for the Arts. Childsplay is currently in the process of renovating the former Mitchell Elementary School into the company's home base: The Cybil B. Harrington Campus for Imagination and Wonder. For the first time in the company's history administration, rehearsals, production shops and classrooms will be under one roof.

Since its beginning, Childsplay has been a company dedicated to the development and production of new work. Over the years a number of plays for young audiences were born at Childsplay: The Yellow Boat (David Saar), Hush: An Interview With America (James Still), The Highest Heaven (José Cruz González), and Even Steven Goes to War (Allison Gregory), to name a few. By the year 2000, the decision was made to establish a more formal program to aid in the development of new plays. And so the Whiteman New Plays Program was created with generous grants from The Flinn Foundation and the Whiteman Foundation. In its first three years, the program has contributed to the development of nine new plays, including: Cyrano by Barry Kornhauser, Salt and Pepper and Two Donuts by José Cruz González, Eric and Elliot and The Imaginators by Dwayne Hartford.

Childsplay Website