New Catalog, New Plays

Today is the last day of proof-reading our new catalog. It's also the last chance to second guess every decision we're making, from the plays we've chosen to write, to the photographs selected, all the way to the fonts used throughout.

This catalog is completely new for us, since it's a larger format, with full-color printing throughout. This allows us to use photos of kids putting on plays, and the large size also makes it possible to feature the new and most popular plays while giving less space to the shows that don't sell nearly so well.

We've been lucky to have worked with Mary Ann Goldman, a graphic artist from Savannah, GA, who not only understands catalogs, but she understands Bad Wolf Press. That's an unusual combination. We're equally lucky to have found our photographers Leslie and Richard Stahle, who really know how to take interesting pictures of kids. Leslie has also illustrated our last five plays, and will be doing more this coming year.

After mail surveys of hundreds of customers, and talking to more than that on the phone, we've come up with what we hope are the three plays that will be most useful to teachers this year.
The first is Name That Internal Organ: The Bad Wolf Guide to the Human Body. It'll be aimed at grades 3-7 and will be available September 30.

Next is Pirates From Grammar Island, a show for primary students that will arrive November 30. For years we had requests for a pirate show, but clearly that subject is not part of anyone's curriculum. Finally a brilliant teacher suggested teaching grammar with a pirates theme, and we'll be doing that.

Last is Shakespeare Unshackled, in which we not only teach about the life and times of William Shakespeare, but provide a few scenes that have been Bad Wolfized. (Is that a verb?) In any case, this show for older students will be available February 20, 2007.

The printer will begin working on the catalog the end of this week, and if all goes well it'll be mailed in late August. We'll look forward to your comments.