Open Forum

 View Only
Back to discussions
Expand all | Collapse all

Farce with a cast of at least 10

  • 1.  Farce with a cast of at least 10

    Posted 07-11-2017 08:36

    My students want to do a farce this fall after doing "12 Angry Men" last year, but everything I've read that I like either 


    - has a small cast (4-6 characters of any size) 

    - isn't really school appropriate (especially given that we have a new principal who I haven't met yet) 

    or

    - is very lopsided towards one gender or the other in it's cast and my talent for the upcoming year is (luckily) quite balanced 


    I also want to find something that will be a good challenge for them. In the past few years we've had success with "Complete Works..." (with a cast of 9) and "The 39 Steps (cast of 10).


    Any suggestions the group can send my way are greatly appreciated 


    Thanks



  • 2.  RE: Farce with a cast of at least 10

    Posted 07-12-2017 06:40
    You might want to look into "The Worst High School Play in the World" by William Gleason available through Dramatic Publishing. We performed it last year and did flexible casting on both numbers and genders. Students and audiences really loved it. The production side is rather simplistic as well.  

    --
    Darren McGarvey
    IB Coordinator
    937-499-1662
    English/Theater Teacher
    937-499-2460
    Kettering Fairmont High School
    darren.mcgarvey@ketteringschools.org



    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Farce with a cast of at least 10

    Posted 07-12-2017 08:47
    We had great fun and great audience response from
    "13 Past Midnight" by Billy St. John (Samuel French)
    "You Didn't Say It Was Haunted" by Michael Flynn (Samuel French)
    "Dark Deeds at Swan's Place (or Never Trust a Tattooed Sailor)" by Tim Kelly (Samuel French)

    The kids can really go over the top with all three.

    ------------------------------
    Valerie Gargus
    Play & Thespian Troupe Director
    Northern Burlington County Reg HS
    Columbus, NJ
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Farce with a cast of at least 10

    Posted 07-12-2017 11:18

    Farces tend to be smaller cast because of the difficulty of juggling all the plotlines. It's really hard to write a sustainable farce with more than 8 or 9.

    When you get larger casts, the plays tend to get dumber, unfortunately.

    At the risk of tooting my own horn, I tried my hand at larger-size farces - you could check out Nooses Off, (cast of 15-18, pretty even and flexible gender-wise), or the Tell-Tale Farce (cast of 9, 4f 5m), both are available from Playscripts.

    https://www.playscripts.com/play/2943



    ------------------------------
    Don Zolidis
    Cedar Park TX
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Farce with a cast of at least 10

    Posted 07-12-2017 12:10
    Here are a couple:

    Murder by Farce (Bigdogplays).  It has 5m, 5f, and 1flexible.  Great for physical comedy.  

    Big Dog Plays
    Bigdogplays remove preview
    Big Dog Plays
    FARCE. A reclusive billionaire has invited a gold digger, a business teacher, a personal secretary, an underwear inspector, and a bratty teenager to his mansion to solve a murder?his own!
    View this on Bigdogplays >

    Dating for Dietrich (bigdogplays) - 4m, 10f, and 2 flexible

    Big Dog Plays
    Bigdogplays remove preview
    Big Dog Plays
    COMEDY. "Committed man looking for a wife. Needs to be a little boring and willing to be engaged in one day." Tired of his parents treating him like a loser because he isn't married, Dietrich tells them he is engaged.
    View this on Bigdogplays >






    ------------------------------
    Kory Howard
    Manti, UT
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Farce with a cast of at least 10

    Posted 07-12-2017 19:33
    Two farces I like very much are BLACK COMEDY by Peter Shaffer. It's a play about a group of people during a blackout. The conceit is that when the lights are on onstage it's dark to the characters and when the lights are out onstage the lights are on to the characters. So it's a lot of characters scrambling about it the dark (but fully lit to the audience.) Great physical comedy. Cast of 8 (5 men, 3 women)
    Another one is THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND by Tom Stoppard. It's a spoof of Agatha Christie country house mysteries. Over the top surreal comedy ala Monty Phython. Also a cast of 8 (also 5 men and 3 women).
    Both plays are basically long single set one-acts (each runs a little under an hour) so they can be presented together as a full evening of theater and you can double or single cast as you choose. Without doubling that give you 10 men and 6 women (a couple of the male roles are very small however and could be double cast allowing for 8 men, 6 women).
    Both shows are fairly school appropriate. One of the characters in BLACK COMEDY is clearly gay, but it's never actually stated. He's merely a "flamboyant bachelor" and I think the word "bastard" is used a few time in INSPECTOR HOUND but you could probably get permission to change it.
    Also, these are two of the greatest English playwrights of the 20th Century so it's a great way to introduce them to your students.

    I also assume you've looked at NOISES OFF?  6 men and 4 women. Tricky set (two story and it needs to revolve) but definitely a classic farce that's very popular with high schools.


    John D. Monteverde
    PHS - Drama Teacher
    jmonteverde@pittsfield.net



    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Farce with a cast of at least 10

    Posted 07-14-2017 07:16
    Funny no one has suggested the Jeffery Hatcher adaptation of Gogol's The Government Inspector.  One of the funniest plays ever!!  Large cast and flexible.  I've done it twice!  The full length and with permission as a one act for competition.

    ------------------------------
    Marcie Berglund
    Washington Cty. Schools Play Coach
    Musical, One Act, Spring Play
    Woodbury, Minnesota
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Farce with a cast of at least 10

    Posted 07-15-2017 09:35
    While the Lights Were Out and Afraid of the Dark are both hilarious shows that can be played as straight or as ridiculous as you want!  Both are (I think) between 12-16 depending on how you chose to do some of the casting.  They both are also basic unit sets.
    Neil Simon's Rumors fits exactly what you're looking for, but some of the language is really adult for most high school productions.

    ------------------------------
    Annie Rice
    Spring Hill TN
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Farce with a cast of at least 10

    Posted 05-02-2018 09:02
    Also interested in this show - how have people casted it?  Gender bending? Any room for expandable casting with an ensemble?

    ------------------------------
    Christina Kemmerer
    Upper School Theatre Director
    Brooklandville MD
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Farce with a cast of at least 10

    Posted 07-16-2017 11:38
    A Flea In Her Ear by Feydeau... large cast, a little risqué, a little long. Two distinct sets, a drawing room and a hotel lobby with a cutaway into one of the hotel rooms. many doors...it's a farce.

    Is Head Dead. a recently discovered play by Mark Twain. A starving American artist in Paris fakes his own death in order to make his paintings worth more. He then has to show up in drag as his long lost twin sister in order to collect the profits.

    Out of Order, a typical Ray Cooney Farce, a little risqué, one room, several doors, broad physical comedy.

    ------------------------------
    [Ron] [Gingerich]
    [Drama Teacher]
    [Phoenix] [AZ]
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Farce with a cast of at least 10

    Posted 07-16-2017 12:41
    I would suggest looking at noises off. 





    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Farce with a cast of at least 10

    Posted 07-17-2017 12:57
    Play On! by Rick Abbot, handled by Samuel French has 10 characters.  So much fun!  And you just need a box set that is supposed to look pretty bad.  Hilarious fun!

    I also love Fools by Neil Simon.  I was able to get permission from Mr. Simon to eliminate--not change--some f-bombs by being very specific about what we couldn't say in our school.  He calls is a "comic fable" and high school kids most find a point about not allowing yourself to be labeled by other people--although I seriously doubt Mr. Simon had that in mind when he wrote it.

    Both shows are awesome vehicles for teaching comic timing, and both require very minimal sets.

    ------------------------------
    C. J. Breland
    Asheville High School
    Asheville NC
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Farce with a cast of at least 10

    Posted 07-17-2017 02:16
    My students enjoyed Play On by Rick Abbot.  It's a silly farce with fun characters.

    ------------------------------
    Lisa Crew

    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 14.  RE: Farce with a cast of at least 10

    Posted 05-03-2018 09:06
    I totally second the suggestion of Jeffrey Hatcher's adaptation of Gogol's The Government Inspector.   

    Also, Shakespeare in Hollywood by Ken Ludwig.  Very clever, with really fun production elements.  And the tie-in with the English department was another plus.


    ------------------------------
    Eric McNaughton
    Theatre Director
    Marist School
    AtlantaGA
    mcnaughtone@marist.com
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


Related Content