Merlin and the Cave of Dreams

Charles Way Charles Way has written over fifty plays and specialises in writing for children, young people and family audiences. His plays are performed worldwide. Charles has won several major awards – A Spell of Cold Weather won a Writer’s Guild award in 2001, in 2004 he received the English Arts Council award for Red Red Shoes and in 2010 he won the German Children’s theatre prize for Missing. Charles is also well known for his versions of classic tales such as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and The Snow Queen. He has also written many plays for radio, and a TV poem for BBC 2, No Borders, set on the Welsh borders, where he lives and has spent most of his creative life.

“A major playwright.” The Guardian“Charles Way's lyrical script... displays many influences from European mythology, traces Arthur's journey from discovering the true identity of his parents to drawing Excalibur from the stone and becoming King. In between, he has to journey through the underworld and confront a number of difficult challenges, just like many other mythical heroes from different cultures and traditions.” British Theatre Guide“Forget chivalrous knights in shining armour rescuing love-sick maidens, round tables and the fabled glories of Camelot. Charles Way's delightful play takes the young rustic Arthur through his rites-of-passage towards self-awareness as the once and future kind to draw that sword from the stone.” The Stage“And dream we did, most delightfully, and wondered at the magic as we sailed with the young Arthur, a true son of Wales, to an Avalon of rugged standing stones, wizards, giants, grotesques and wicked kings and beautiful ladies.” Theatre in Wales