List of Contributions

RE: Fundraising HELP!

Posted By Cary Shapiro 05-02-2019 17:33
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When I was teaching (I am now retired) I needed to raise everything for my department. I did a fall play, a spring musical, and Large Group Speech (a statewide activity that is basically Acting Contest). We also did trips to Chicago, London, and performed three times at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. ...

RE: Into the Woods, Jr- How to direct a show that didn't actually have a happy Ending?

Posted By Cary Shapiro 08-10-2017 17:27
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As a stand alone, do you mean just doing Act I? I have only done the full version (twice), but I would think that the whole point of the production is showing us that "happily ever after" doesn't always happen, and that our actions have definite consequences, and that those consequences affect more ...

RE: Spamalot productions???

Posted By Cary Shapiro 04-14-2015 16:50
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We did it in April, 2013 and had a ball. As a long time Python fan, I could not wait to produce this show. The humor is VERY Python, so once my students "got" the Python humor, they really took off with the show. We did minimal changes, using the guidelines from TRW. You know your audience and school ...

RE: Large cast ensemble plays

Posted By Cary Shapiro 01-25-2015 12:09
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Two shows that come to mind that I have done are M*A*S*H and Voices From the High School. Although Voices was written a number of years ago, its theme and multiple situations are still relevant today. And M*A*S*H is just a fun show with lots of characters that get to do lots of "fun stuff". Better yet, ...

RE: Plays with female leads

Posted By Cary Shapiro 12-14-2014 18:05
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If you want to go the comedy route, look at Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple, Female Version". You only need two males, and the rest are female. Two strong females in Olive and Florence and some good character parts for the girlfriends. It can get a bit mature so that might be a problem. Even so, it is a ...

RE: Spamalot Costumes - Props

Posted By Cary Shapiro 12-14-2014 18:01
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I directed Spamalot last year, and we had a great time with it... especially those of us who are Monty Python fans. For the costumes, I rented most of mine from Appleton North High School in Appleton, Wisconsin. I had seen their production and was amazed at the quality of their costuming. I rented most ...

RE: Larger Cast One-Act - Social Issue

Posted By Cary Shapiro 11-17-2014 14:03
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Patricia, Check out the plays of Jerome McDonough. Many of his plays deal with various social issues. Over the years I have done three of them -- "Dolls", which deals with teen pregnancy, "Juvie", which deals with kids in trouble and ending up in juvenile detention, and "Blues", which is a play about ...

RE: Grease, VS. Grease: School Addition

Posted By Cary Shapiro 11-04-2014 20:06
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I directed Grease last spring, the full version, and did not have any problems. The biggest complaint I heard was that several songs from the movie are not in the stage play (and you have to pay extra for those rights, and I did not). I am in the Des Moines metro area, and even though it is a rapidly ...

RE: Holiday Play HELP!!!

Posted By Cary Shapiro 09-15-2014 17:42
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Depending on how big or small your cast will be, another play to think about is Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some). It is in the Playscripts catalogue and very funny and relatively easy to produce. I did it with 5 kids (3 girls, 2 boys) and took it to the Fringe Festival in Scotland. It ...

RE: Good dramatic script for strong women

Posted By Cary Shapiro 06-19-2014 09:16
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Several scripts that I have used in the past include Crimes of the Heart, Steel Magnolias, Agnes of God and A Piece of My Heart. All include great character challenges for your girls. ------------------------------------------- Cary Shapiro Ankeny IA -------------------------------------- ...

RE: SPAMALOT costume rental?

Posted By Cary Shapiro 05-31-2014 09:33
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I rented many of my costumes last year from Appleton North High School in Appleton, Wisconsin. Great quality costumes and a reasonable price. ------------------------------------------- Cary Shapiro Ankeny IA -------------------------------------------

RE: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Posted By Cary Shapiro 05-18-2014 20:08
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I have directed this show twice, first in the mid-1990s and then in 2010. Both shows went off with no problems. In fact, once I explained to the girls what a courtesan was, they were even more enthusiastic about their roles. This last time I even had a guy play one of the courtesans -- in a dress and ...

RE:What are the problems with using an online ticketing company

Posted By Cary Shapiro 04-15-2014 20:23
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I have used Seat Yourself for two years and they are very efficient and easy to work with. My only problem has been on show nights when people come in without having purchased a ticket. We have had very long lines because the website does not move as quickly as I would hope. And maybe that is because ...

A "Grease" question

Posted By Cary Shapiro 03-27-2014 11:37
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We are doing "Grease" for our spring musical and ave a question for those who ave produced it recently. I last directed it in 1991, so obviously things have changed. How have directors handled the smoking aspects of the show. Most of the smoking I am just glossing over, but Frenchy needs to do something ...

Cary Shapiro

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