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  • 1.  Plays that are Good for Sensory Awareness Practice

    Posted 08-10-2020 19:39
    Hi Everyone,

    I'm writing my first unit for my Advanced/Pre-Advanced classes and I'm trying to think of plays that have environments that are different than what the students are used to (sunny, warm, California). I am looking to have them learn more about utilizing and activating their senses in an imagined environment. Almost, Maine came to mind but these kids did it last year for our fall play, so I'm trying to look for something else. Any ideas?

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    Matthew Fauls-Rivas
    Theatre Arts Teacher
    Carlsbad High School
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  • 2.  RE: Plays that are Good for Sensory Awareness Practice

    Posted 08-11-2020 05:58
    Try Edward Albee's Seascape. K2 is pretty good. Steel Magnolias for the South, and True West by Sam Shepherd for the desert.

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    Elisabeth Ledwell
    Falmouth MA
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  • 3.  RE: Plays that are Good for Sensory Awareness Practice

    Posted 08-11-2020 11:25
    Hi Matthew, 

    The Skin of Our Teeth, with the oncoming ice age in the first act, and the storm/flood in the second act comes to mind. 

    Cheers, 
    Linda

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    Linda Apperson
    Stage Manager, Mentor
    Milwaukie OR
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  • 4.  RE: Plays that are Good for Sensory Awareness Practice

    Posted 08-11-2020 13:33
    Terra Nova
    K2
    Necessary Targets
    Lost in Yonkers
    Tracers
    G.R. Point





  • 5.  RE: Plays that are Good for Sensory Awareness Practice

    Posted 08-11-2020 15:41
    Night of the Iguana comes to mind, as does A Streetcar Named Desire.

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    Anna Woods
    Drama Teacher/Theatre Director
    San Jose, CA
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  • 6.  RE: Plays that are Good for Sensory Awareness Practice

    Posted 08-12-2020 09:59
    Hello, Matthew--
    In my playwriting classes we always talk about the importance of environment. It's great that you're focusing on that, especially during this time when many people are stuck in one environment! 

    WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE by Deborah Brevoort is the first script that I thought of. It takes place in Scotland; the weather and the landscape, including the river where the women wash the clothes, is very much a character in the play. And since Deb uses Greek tragedy as a model, with a chorus (that she encourages to be expanded in number), I think this stylized play would work very well in an online platform. I happen to know that Deb is very available to meet remotely with a cast. I believe it's published by DPS and should be available for streaming.

    My own play LETTERS TO SALA takes place in the past and near present, with many scenes in the Nazi Germany labor camps. The young women there experience cold and hunger as they struggle to survive. The isolation and feeling of being trapped, along with the theme of a world that changes overnight, the play seems even more relevant than it was six months ago. It's published by DPS with permission for streaming, which some schools are already doing. (I'm very open to changes.) Sala's daughter Ann Kirschner and I are available to visit remotely. Ann has created a website with resources for teachers and students: https://www.letterstosala.com
    I'm happy to send you (or anyone) an updated script of the play, which has some minor changes and one new important scene written for the NY production after the play was already published. Request by email and I'll send a pdf of the manuscript to you or any other teachers: arlene@barrowgroup.org

    It was great meeting so many teachers last year at the conference in Nebraska. On this forum I've been impressed with all the creative solutions the teachers are sharing, keeping their programs alive and their students engaged. And thank you so very much for supporting living playwrights.

    Arlene Hutton


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    Arlene Hutton, playwright
    Letters to Sala
    I Dream Before I Take the Stand
    Kissed the Girls & Made Them Cry
    As It Is In Heaven
    Susie Sits Shiva (EdTA commission)

    faculty, The Barrow Group, NYC
    arlene@barrowgroup.org
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Plays that are Good for Sensory Awareness Practice

    Posted 08-12-2020 10:44
    Hi Matthew,

    This unit sounds exciting. I don't know what your boundaries are around language, but some plays that come to mind are:
    "Pool (No Water)" by Mark Ravenhill, The world of British Fine Arts
    "The Snow Dragons" by Lizzie Nunnery, A forest in Norway, during WWII
    Stephen Adly Guirgis' "Jesus Hopped the A-Train," The Tombs in Manhattan
    "Fairview" by Jackie Sibblies Drury, An Upper Middle-Class, Black home
    "Naomi, A Creation Story" by Stephen Spottswood, too many places to list
    "Play" by Beckett, Hell
    "Trojan Women," ancient worn-torn Troy


    Best of luck,

    Christian


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    Christian Ely
    Middle School Theatre Arts Teacher
    Montclair Kimberley Academy
    Montclair NJ
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  • 8.  RE: Plays that are Good for Sensory Awareness Practice

    Posted 08-14-2020 19:24
    Thank you everyone for the amazing suggestions!

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    Matthew Fauls-Rivas
    Theatre Arts Teacher
    Oceanside CA
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