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  • 1.  Plays with strong women roles

    Posted 05-14-2021 08:53
    Suggestions please:  we will have a lot of girls next year, weak on boys, unfortunately.  Can you recommend some good "women" shows? A few guy roles are fine!  I'm considering "Dancing at Lughnasa" and "Vanities". Anyone done either? Send me any titles you love!

    Jolaine Orlin
    Speech - Theatre - English 
    Glenbard North High School
    630-653-7000


  • 2.  RE: Plays with strong women roles

    Posted 05-14-2021 14:42
    Women of Lockerbie is the first one that comes to mind. It's 5w, 2m, but you can have as many women as you would like. Wit can be done with just a few boys, though that has one clear lead who is onstage the entire show. Both are beautiful shows.

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    Ken Buswell
    Drama Teacher
    Peachtree City, GA
    http://mcintoshtheater.org/

    Theater kills ignorance
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  • 3.  RE: Plays with strong women roles

    Posted 05-15-2021 03:28
    Two great modern plays with all female casts:
    Men On Boats (read the casting notes)
    https://www.dramatists.com/previews/5529.pdf
    Dramatists remove preview
    View this on Dramatists >

    Decision Height
    Decision Height | Concord Theatricals
    Concord Theatricals remove preview
    Decision Height | Concord Theatricals
    From the winner of the 2013 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, comes a story about friendship and the complex though essential role of women in wartime
    View this on Concord Theatricals >


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    Billy Houck
    Theatre Teacher, Retired
    Northern Rep to the California Thespian State Board
    Carmichael, CA
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  • 4.  RE: Plays with strong women roles

    Posted 05-15-2021 03:08
    If you want something a little older, Stage Door and Children's Hour both have predominantly female casts.





  • 5.  RE: Plays with strong women roles

    Posted 05-15-2021 12:35

    Hi.

    We've had a lot of success with Jane Austen adaptations. We've done both Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. I recommend the Joseph Hanreddy adaptations. He writes for larger casts, but there are other good adaptations that use smaller casts.

    Hope this helps. 

    Erik



    ------------------------------
    Erik Stein
    Casting Director/Recruitment Coordinator
    PCPA Pacific Conservatory Theatre

    Author of No Caution! A step-by-step guide to preparing auditions for Universities, Colleges, Conservatories, and Beyond!

    Available on Amazon.com and other online booksellers
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Plays with strong women roles

    Posted 05-16-2021 10:25
    Take a look at 

    Silent Sky- Lauren Gunderson (4w,1m) --Could double cast if you have more students.

    Ugly Lies the Bone - Lindsey Ferrentino (3w 2m) -  Main character is a young woman who is a returning Afghanistan veteran. It follows her struggle to overcome PTSD and to rejoin her community after being severely wounded by a roadside bomb.  Ability to do projections is helpful, but it's got two great roles for women  Jess, the main character, and her sister Kacie.

    I'll also second Men on Boats.

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    Blake Wilson
    Theatre Arts Director
    Orange High School
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  • 7.  RE: Plays with strong women roles

    Posted 05-17-2021 08:27
    DECISION HEIGHT is great, but it doesn't have any guy roles. We did it the same season as THE GOOD FIGHT by Anne Bertram, which had LOTS of great women's roles and some decent male roles. We had a great time pairing SILENT SKY (4w, 1m) with Kate Hamill's SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. I un-doubled the women's roles and expanded the gossip chorus to get a cast of 20. I also enjoyed working on TRIANGLE by Laurie Brooks.

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    Cassy Maxton-Whitacre
    Theatre Department Coordinator
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  • 8.  RE: Plays with strong women roles

    Posted 05-19-2021 02:54
    Always loved "Vanities"   It was at the WestSide Arts Theatre in NYC for decades.
    All the King's Women, published by Concord Theatricals, has 17 strong roles for women.

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    Luigi Jannuzzi
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  • 9.  RE: Plays with strong women roles

    Posted 05-20-2021 08:30
    CRIMES OF THE HEART has some great female roles! Of course, THE ODD COUPLE (Female Version) is another good one. Best of luck!
    GT

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    Garry Tiller
    Theatre Arts Teaching Artist
    Sidwell Friends
    Washington, DC
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  • 10.  RE: Plays with strong women roles

    Posted 05-20-2021 13:52
    These Shining Lives!!  It was our play that was canceled last year, and I'm so sad, it's such a beautiful script.

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    Laura Steenson
    Theatre Director
    Reynolds High School
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