Oh wow...this is an exciting thread!
I am always drawn to a story that is heavy on plot and have vital and important characters who have real stakes. I think high school actors crave meaty roles. Much of the literature that is geared for high school is what I call "over the top characters doing over the top things" in really far out situations. I realize that many people love that stuff. I do not. I want literature. I want a story. I want characters that matter. I don't want comic relief and teenagers running away from zombies or make excuses for why they don't want to be in a play. I also am not fan of the reporting style play either. The play where actors speak lines that feel more like narration than dialogue. I want dialogue that says something that cannot simply be said in any other way. For my tastes, I don't think it is really acting when an actor just basically speaks out loud events or storyline.
Sorry if this is rather heavy handed, you asked the question :)
Here are few things I think I would like to see:
1. Cast size 15-20. Drama. Heavy on the female roles, light on the male roles, but also some "either" roles. Something with compelling characters going through a real struggle. Not the usual melodramatic material we see in many of the plays that are targeted for high school students.
2. Plays with real characters, not these broadly drawn, over the top tropes I see in so many plays that are being published. I don't want another high school nerd, jock, moody, know-it-all, popular girl, etc. How about real people with real emotions doing real things, but with a stimulating plot that makes me want to keep watching.
3. Mystery. Not necessarily about murder or violence. But crime? Intrigue? Suspense? A crime that not only is solved, but teaches us along the way.
4. A musical with lots of roles for females actors, less male, and roles for non-singing characters. I used to love
Anything Goes because you can cast non-singers in leading roles and they are key to the storyline.
5. Plays that are written so that the character can be played regardless of the gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, age. High school actors are as diverse as the world we live in, write so that I never have to cast someone because the role wasn't written for them. Example, why does Dracula have to be male? That is such a great role, but does the gender matter? What if rather than a spoof it was written with a real character whose gender was not crucial to telling the story.
I hope you have great fun writing and I wish you all the best on your adventure.
I'm always looking for a wonderful script to use with my actors. Maybe you'll become my new favorite playwright.
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John Rutherford
Groves Performing Arts Company
W.E. Groves High School
Beverly Hills MI
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-01-2020 00:16
From: Sarah Keene
Subject: Play You Think Should Exist
As a young(er) playwright who also enjoys teaching writing in class, I have a question for all directors:
What's a play or storyline that doesn't exist that you think should?
...or...
Is there a specific genre you'd like to see more plays fit?
...or...
If you could throw a handful of ingredients (cast requirements/genre/storyline/age level - anything) into a blender to create a play you'd love to direct...what would the ingredients be?
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Sarah Keene
Theatre Director
Duncanville TX
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