We LOVED doing Swallows! We did it with the 6 main child characters, about 5 more secondary roles (mostly non-singing), a crew of about 6 or 8 black-wearing 'kokens' who controlled the boats, created the reeds, boathouse, etc., and then had a folk band of about 6. So all in all, while the number of characters is smaller than some shows, in many scripts, the minor characters only have tiny walk-ons. In contrast, the kokens were actively on stage for most of the show, as well as the on-stage band. So all 20-some students were actively on stage for most of the show. One difficulty was that the original score was created by Neil Hannon's established band, so the orchestrations are really incomplete. To pull it off, you need musicians who can function in a somewhat improvisational way. For example, we had a great violin and cello player, but they have only been classically trained and so following a piano player and filling in and flourishing as one would do in folk music was a challenge for them. Our musical director might still have some of the orchestrations she cleaned up if you're interested.
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Steven Slaughter
English/Theatre
Rosslyn Academy
Nairobi, Kenya
"Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-26-2018 14:35
From: Cassy Maxton-Whitacre
Subject: Straight plays with music
How was Swallows and Amazons? I just looked at that, but I was afraid it might be too British for audiences here, and I wasn't sure if I could expand the ensemble enough to accommodate my program.
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Cassy Maxton-Whitacre
Theatre Department Coordinator
Fishersville VA
Original Message:
Sent: 04-26-2018 13:56
From: Steven Slaughter
Subject: Straight plays with music
We did Swallows and Amazons, though that requires a couple of boys. Great show. I also just saw that Pigpen Theatre's "Old Man and the Old Moon" is now available – originally done by a male company but doesn't need to be performed that way.
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Steven Slaughter
English/Theatre
Rosslyn Academy
Nairobi, Kenya
"Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts." - W Berry
Original Message:
Sent: 04-10-2018 16:21
From: Janette Clark
Subject: Straight plays with music
Quilters
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Janette Clark
Drama Teacher
Minneapolis KS
Original Message:
Sent: 03-28-2018 13:17
From: Amy Sando
Subject: Straight plays with music
Hi, I am a drama student who is looking for a play for next year that is female heavy and is not a musical but has musical performances. We have a stage in a classroom instead of an auditorium, so there is not much stage space for a full on set. We have several strong females that can sing but only a few males. Do you have any ideas?
Amy Sando,
Douglas High School Drama
782-5136
"You've got to paint the picture and then walk into it. And if you ever find you can't paint the picture, just don't walk."