Open Forum

I suggest looking at something with fantasy elements and maybe animal characters as these often flex easily for boys or girls to play various roles and also allow for those who don't have strong vocals to use character voices to sing through certain characters. I have found that incorporating non-singers into musicals is a great way to broaden their abilities and sometimes find the singer in them. My suggestions are:

Honk! - musical retelling of the ugly duckling with silly puns and cute songs and all ages appropriate,  animal characters with great opportunities for males and females and many gender neutral characters, flexible cast size with doubling easily done, and many characters who only sing in groups or with silly voices, not heavy dance requirements but room for fun choreography if wanted

You're A Good Man Charlie Brown - iconic characters, small core cast that fits your needs it sounds like and you can expand by adding additional ensemble members for bigger numbers if wanted but it's not necessary, some characters here are also gender flexible as I've seen a great female Linus and Snoopy before, again all ages appropriate so it's great for drawing in an audience, not heavy dance requirements either but again room for fun choreography if wanted

I hope this helps. 




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Kathleen McNulty Mann
mcnulkl@bay.k12.fl.us

Arnold High School Theatre
Panama City Beach, FL
Program Director and Thespian Sponsor

Florida Association for Theatre Education
Board Member
Membership Committee Chair
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-23-2017 08:55
From: Mark Dobbs
Subject: Looking for a musical script

Good morning. Our high school theatre department has avoided attempting musicals in the past for several reasons: we typically don't have the depth of singing talent to pull them off; our stage is not set up to perform live music; and I am not trained for voice or choreography. However, while running the sound/light board for our middle school "talent" show, I discovered a star who will be in my theatre class as a freshman next fall. So my question is this: what small-cast (3-4 girls, 2-3 guys) do you recommend? I have two girls I feel comfortable to be able to pull off solos (one really good), and two or three more who can sing in a chorus, ensemble, duet, etc.  I have 3-4 boys who can sing, but none of them can sing well enough to pull off a really powerful solo or anything that would require a lot of range. I know, right? Any suggestions?

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Mark Dobbs

Fairview High School

12 English, 12 AP English, Theatre

I feel your pain! I started doing musicals with a cast that sounds awfully familiar to yours.  I started with Pioneer Drama's "The Taming of Katy Lou."  I feel most of their shows work better for middle school, but it was a good start for a limited cast and a very inexperienced musical director. It was a super short, cute show. The second year, now with my feet under me, but we about the same cast, we took on Dramatic Publishing's "How to Make a Musical."  A little off beat, but the kids and I loved it!! The following year, Dramatic Publishing's "Perseus Bayou".  Awesome, awesome. (We actually won a state competition with this one...not too shabby only being three years into musicals).  But this one required a bigger cast and more complicated choreography, costumes, and staging. This was our peak, then addicted to musicals, I couldn't back off of them.  I actually started writing them, to suit my "special needs" cast.  Email me if you would like more info on those, one is a pirate musical and one is a 1920s musical, both short and very flexible casting (I had a great male lead who couldn't sing). They are independently published and would be a low cost start for you.

Hope all this helps!!

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Analiese Hamm
ECHS Drama Director
Lake Park GA
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-23-2017 08:55
From: Mark Dobbs
Subject: Looking for a musical script

Good morning. Our high school theatre department has avoided attempting musicals in the past for several reasons: we typically don't have the depth of singing talent to pull them off; our stage is not set up to perform live music; and I am not trained for voice or choreography. However, while running the sound/light board for our middle school "talent" show, I discovered a star who will be in my theatre class as a freshman next fall. So my question is this: what small-cast (3-4 girls, 2-3 guys) do you recommend? I have two girls I feel comfortable to be able to pull off solos (one really good), and two or three more who can sing in a chorus, ensemble, duet, etc.  I have 3-4 boys who can sing, but none of them can sing well enough to pull off a really powerful solo or anything that would require a lot of range. I know, right? Any suggestions?

--

Mark Dobbs

Fairview High School

12 English, 12 AP English, Theatre