Open Forum

I am looking for a good comedy for the fall. I have great comic character men and a whole boat load of girls. I don't mind a  smaller play as I  do a large musical in the spring. Any suggestions for comedies kids really go for??? 

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Susan Pike
Director of Theatre Arts
Centreville VA
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I'll say it again:  Don Zolidis'  The Birds is great! Lots of parts for women, funny, Greek based, can't beat it!  

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John Perry
Drama Instructor
Atherton High School
Louisville KY
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My kids really like The Matchmakers by Don Zolidis. And I love Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 by ... John bishop???

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Shira Schwartz
Chandler Unified School District
Chandler AZ
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Really anything by Don Zolidis is great! My students, and the audience, enjoyed Greek Mythology Olympiaganza and Game of Tiaras. 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse is a great one act, too. I just finished reading The Hamlet Thrill-ma-geddon and The Craving and will most likely direct one of these this fall since I do a comedy every three years. I rotate with a drama and then a children's show. Have fun! :)

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Carolyn Kovar
Florissant MO
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Museum by Tina Howe is really fun and funny. You cast anywhere from 18, 9 men and 9 women with doubling to 44. Contemporary comedy with lots of quirky characters. A single 'gallery' set. Works on a proscenium or would be super in a three sided setting. The possibilities are limitless. You can bring the audience on stage or 'into the gallery' with your cast in character before the show or at intermission. Both students and audiences loved this show.

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Jill Campbell
Pine Grove Mills PA
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Thanks guys!

(Your kickback checks are in the mail...)

I write most of my plays with an eye on large, girl-heavy casts (where the girls are largely the focus of the action as well) - Game of Tiaras is brand-new and super fun - (it's basically Game of Thrones with Disney Princesses as the leaders of the houses, based on the plot of King Lear), but I have plenty of others as well. 

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Don Zolidis
Cedar Park TX
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Look at Leaving Iowa by Spike Manton and Tim Clue...funny and sentimental. It resonated with parents and the students loved it. I cast all the small parts individually with a couple of parts doubled. I also had Don the narrator and Don the boy as different people, same with Sis...I cast younger and older Sis. Mom and Dad stayed the same.
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Susan Cortesi
Director of Theatre
District 87
Bloomington IL
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Three come to mind: Allison Williams 'Drop Dead, Juliet!' and 'Postcards from Shakespeare'. Funny, lovingly respectful of Shakespeare whilst also acknowledging the reality that hey, it's Shakespeare.

A classic is Peter Shaffer's 'Black Comedy', which is slightly smaller but phenomenally funny. It's British, but I've seen it done (and done it) in American. :)

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Phillip Goodchild
Theatre Arts Instructor/Assistant Department Head of English
Hillsborough County Schools
Ruskin FL
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I have two that I would highly recommend.

Is He Dead?  by Mark Twain adapted by David Ives

Midsummer/Jersey by Ken Ludwig

We had so much fun with both of these scripts and they both offer an opportunity for some dramaturgical research so the students can learn beyond just the play itself.

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Rick Braun
Drama Teacher
Waunakee School District
Waunakee WI
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We did Charles Morey's Laughing Stock this year for our first fall play (the school had just done musicals prior to this year) and it was a huge hit! Hilariously funny, 13 roles (some larger than others, but all very well featured), and a real love letter to theatre itself. Highly recommended!

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Scott Harris
Theatre Director
Mamaroneck NY
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You Can't Take It With You is a classic. It's very funny, has a bunch of male and female roles, and the best thing is that every single character is fun to play. Everyone will have fun doing it.

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Jeff Johnson
Director of Theatre Arts
Del Oro High School
Loomis CA
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I agree.  You Can't Take It With You is one of my favorites.  Several good ones have already been mentioned here.  A more unknown play that I thought was very funny and made for an exciting production was Chateau La Roach by Lauren Wilson (Pioneer).  It is its own thing, but it definitely feels inspired by John Cleese's show Fawlty Towers.

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Jeff Westbrook
Downers Grove IL
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Ken Ludwig's leading ladies or lend me a tenor. Noises off. The foreigner by Larry shue. 

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Kimberly Taylor
Oakland CA
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Two of my favorites over my 20 years have been Dearly Departed by David Bottrell and Jessie Jones.  There are a variety of roles and sizes with opportunities for doubling.  Hilarious.  Probably my all time favorite is the classic theater comedy Noises Off.  The set is a little tricky and the timing/choreography backstage needs to be perfect, but so rewarding and so much fun.  I am looking for a good comedy as well, so keep the suggestions coming.  

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T. Thomas
Arvada CO
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We just did Charley's Aunt!  It is a great farce.  Samuel French owns the copyright.  The kids and parents loved it. 

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Don Markham
Math Teacher/Theater Director
Cleveland High School
Cleveland TN
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Jumping on the Don Zolidis bandwagon, we just finished an evening of 4 student-directed one acts ("Cloaked in Red", "Murder at the Grey's Hound Mansion", "Mirrors" and "10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse" ) and 10 Ways was by far the hit of the night. There was a cast of 16, but you can double up on the survivors, or just drown the stage in zombies to make the cast as large as you want.  

Don also has short scenes for actors on his web site taken from some of his plays.  I've been using them as midterm scenes for my Theater I students for years.  

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Robert Ellis
North Richmond VA
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I did Midsummer/Jersey by Ken Ludwig....big hit!

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Deanne Anders
Theatre teacher/Thespian sponsor

Marymount Middle School

Santa Barbara, Ca

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We did an original called Good Weird--about a woman with many phobias who inherits a TV station of lunatics while her mother is trying to take it from her--the theme is very theatre--being weird is good/finding your community--heavy female and non gender roles--lots of roles--and we can do rewrites if necessary

send me an email if  interested and I'll send you a copy of the script
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Matt Hanf
Drama Department Head
Elk Grove CA
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mhanf@egusd.net--

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Matt Hanf
Drama Department Head
Elk Grove CA
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