Open Forum

I am strongly looking into Aaron Sorkin' A Few Good Men for a show next year, but the numbers of men are lower than 14, most likely. Since we now have women serving on the front line in the military, is it feasible to do the show with more women in the Marines? I realize some characters would need to be gender-consistent (Santiago/Dawn/Downey, for example, since the code red happens in the barracks), but is this idea crazy? Just interested in reactions.

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Nathan Emmons
Theatre Director
La Jolla CA
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My initial thought is that you could probably add more to the courtroom scenes. I wouldn't add any female characters before, so the audience gets to see the scenes of Jo struggling as a lone woman surrounded by men who don't want to accept her.

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

Theater kills ignorance
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-19-2019 13:27
From: Nathan Emmons
Subject: "A Few Good Men" with more women...?

I am strongly looking into Aaron Sorkin' A Few Good Men for a show next year, but the numbers of men are lower than 14, most likely. Since we now have women serving on the front line in the military, is it feasible to do the show with more women in the Marines? I realize some characters would need to be gender-consistent (Santiago/Dawn/Downey, for example, since the code red happens in the barracks), but is this idea crazy? Just interested in reactions.

------------------------------
Nathan Emmons
Theatre Director
La Jolla CA
------------------------------

Original Message------

My initial thought is that you could probably add more to the courtroom scenes. I wouldn't add any female characters before, so the audience gets to see the scenes of Jo struggling as a lone woman surrounded by men who don't want to accept her.

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

Theater kills ignorance
------------------------------

Original Message------

My initial thought is that you could probably add more to the courtroom scenes. I wouldn't add any female characters before, so the audience gets to see the scenes of Jo struggling as a lone woman surrounded by men who don't want to accept her.

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

Theater kills ignorance
------------------------------

Original Message------

I am strongly looking into Aaron Sorkin' A Few Good Men for a show next year, but the numbers of men are lower than 14, most likely. Since we now have women serving on the front line in the military, is it feasible to do the show with more women in the Marines? I realize some characters would need to be gender-consistent (Santiago/Dawn/Downey, for example, since the code red happens in the barracks), but is this idea crazy? Just interested in reactions.

------------------------------
Nathan Emmons
Theatre Director
La Jolla CA
------------------------------

Even today, women only account for 8% of the Marines (and that is among officers- the number is lower when looking at the enlisted ranks.)  Further, a key part of the work is Jo's isolation- not surrounded or supported- by those in ranks with her.  In my opinion, adding women would lessen that impact.  I'd check with the publisher first, to see if what you are thinking is even feasible, and then consider the reality of military service for women- particularly in the Marines.

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Suzanne Katz
Washington DC
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-19-2019 13:27
From: Nathan Emmons
Subject: "A Few Good Men" with more women...?

I am strongly looking into Aaron Sorkin' A Few Good Men for a show next year, but the numbers of men are lower than 14, most likely. Since we now have women serving on the front line in the military, is it feasible to do the show with more women in the Marines? I realize some characters would need to be gender-consistent (Santiago/Dawn/Downey, for example, since the code red happens in the barracks), but is this idea crazy? Just interested in reactions.

------------------------------
Nathan Emmons
Theatre Director
La Jolla CA
------------------------------

i would say, why force a square peg?   Just look for another play where you might give an unknown playwright a performance.    Also AFGM is well known and the outcome is well known as well.   Why not a play where the audience doesn't know what is going to happen?

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Leon Kaye
Playwright for the Ages
Lhk@koa1.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-19-2019 13:27
From: Nathan Emmons
Subject: "A Few Good Men" with more women...?

I am strongly looking into Aaron Sorkin' A Few Good Men for a show next year, but the numbers of men are lower than 14, most likely. Since we now have women serving on the front line in the military, is it feasible to do the show with more women in the Marines? I realize some characters would need to be gender-consistent (Santiago/Dawn/Downey, for example, since the code red happens in the barracks), but is this idea crazy? Just interested in reactions.

------------------------------
Nathan Emmons
Theatre Director
La Jolla CA
------------------------------

Why do this play? Because its themes remain remarkably germane. Because we do plays all the time where the public knows the outcome (no ideas being original, just the execution) - Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Crucible...it's a long list. Because I don't see it as forcing a square peg, but rather a possibility to see the new landscape through a superb script. 
That said - I've nothing against lesser known playwrights, and it's certainly persuasive that the percentage of women in the Marines makes shifting casting hard (and of course, complying with Sorkin's wishes is important). But if a play is good, it's worth doing - regardless of the reach of their name.

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Nathan Emmons
Theatre Director
La Jolla CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 05-26-2019 15:20
From: Leon Kalayjian
Subject: "A Few Good Men" with more women...?

i would say, why force a square peg?   Just look for another play where you might give an unknown playwright a performance.    Also AFGM is well known and the outcome is well known as well.   Why not a play where the audience doesn't know what is going to happen?

------------------------------
Leon Kaye
Playwright for the Ages
Lhk@koa1.com

Original Message:
Sent: 05-19-2019 13:27
From: Nathan Emmons
Subject: "A Few Good Men" with more women...?

I am strongly looking into Aaron Sorkin' A Few Good Men for a show next year, but the numbers of men are lower than 14, most likely. Since we now have women serving on the front line in the military, is it feasible to do the show with more women in the Marines? I realize some characters would need to be gender-consistent (Santiago/Dawn/Downey, for example, since the code red happens in the barracks), but is this idea crazy? Just interested in reactions.

------------------------------
Nathan Emmons
Theatre Director
La Jolla CA
------------------------------