In two years, Danny and his mom have moved more often than most kids lose teeth...

Robert Neumann, Franziska Melzer, Johannes Geisser; Set by Georg Burger; Photo by Theater Magdeburg

Danny, King of the Basement

By David S. Craig

Ten-year-old Danny ‘Delco’ Carter is the ‘King of
Moving’.
In
two
years,
Danny and
his mom have moved
more
times
then
 most
kids
lose
teeth. But Danny
appears
to be thriving.
He
can
pack
his
bags
faster
then
it
takes
to
tie
a shoelace.
He
can
make
a
friend
in
a
 morning
and
a
best
friend
in
a
day.
When
Danny
moves
into
a
basement on
upscale
Clinton
Street,
the
kids
he
meet seem
to
have
bigger
problems
then
just
being
hungry.
Penelope’s
parents
are separated. Angelo’s
Dad
is as angry as a dinosaur.
Danny’s
imaginative
play
creates
a
sense
of
community
that allows
his
friends
to
cope
with
their
problems
and,
ultimately,
to
help
him
– Danny’s crisis isn’t losing a home, it’s gaining one.

Production History

In 2002, the play won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Production and, in 2004, was the first Canadian play to be nominated for the prestigious German Children’s Theatre Prize. Subsequently the play has been produced extensively in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. In the United States, the play had its American premiere at the Kravis Centre in West Palm Beach and subsequently was produced by the Seattle Children’s Theatre, Childsplay Theatre and has been performed across the country in touring productions. In 2005, the play was produced by the M6 Theatre in England and toured nationally for eleven weeks to major cities. In Canada, the play toured nationally twice, was performed on Parliament Hill in Ottawa for MP’s and in 2007 was sponsored by the Ontario Board of Education with a $150,000 grant. In 2024, the play premiered in Poland.  It is estimated that over a quarter of a million people have seen Danny, King of the Basement live making it one of the most successful plays for young audiences in the world.

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