List of Contributions

Meg O'Connor

Upper School Theatre Teacher and Director,
The Masters School

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Upper School Theatre Teacher and Director,
The Masters School
Silver Member

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1 to 20 of 50+ total

RE: Hispanic plays

Posted By Meg O'Connor 09-17-2020 12:50
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Edit Villarreal:  My Visits with MGM (My Grandmother Marta) She also wrote a contemporary adaptation of Romeo and Juliet that I loved when I read it in college (a long time ago), but I can't find any evidence of a published version. ------------------------------ Meg O'Connor The Masters ...

RE: Thinking beyond porting theatre to Zoom

Posted By Meg O'Connor 07-08-2020 15:18
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Replying to Christina,  Hi!  I took the "Fictional Setting" project down over the summer, but you and others were able to view it  before then. I really appreciate the other ideas and plans here--I've had good experience with both Flipgrid and Soundtrap. ------------------------------ ...

RE: Thinking beyond porting theatre to Zoom

Posted By Meg O'Connor 07-03-2020 10:48
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I tried two experiments in different classes this spring, both involved me building free websites through one of the common "build your site for business! platforms." Experiment #1: I created a "setting" by building a "website" for a fake high school. There were a series of tabs at the top--athletics, ...

RE: Virtual Classroom Software

Posted By Meg O'Connor 06-18-2020 12:11
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Jennifer, I also teach at a Google School. We used Google Meet all spring, and the Grid extension works well. We had very few problems with it. We don't use Google Classroom, but I got a lot out of Jamboard and Lucidchart, which are also part of the Google Suite. I'll also add an endorsement of ...

RE: The Burnt Part Boys

Posted By Meg O'Connor 06-14-2020 16:25
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My experience with MTI has always been very positive. Good Luck! ------------------------------ Meg O'Connor The Masters School Dobbs Ferry, NY oconnormainstage.com ------------------------------

RE: Searching for Virtual Shakespeare Workshops for high school directors

Posted By Meg O'Connor 06-07-2020 12:29
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Hi Tracy, Contact Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA (easily found at shakespeare.org) and ask to speak to someone in the Education department. [The theatre company uses the "&" while the book store uses "and." ]  Their education program and specific focus on training high school teachers how to teach ...

RE: The Burnt Part Boys

Posted By Meg O'Connor 06-05-2020 22:08
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Yes! I saw it in the basement of a library when it was still in development, and later bought the cast recording when it was playing in NYC. I've been keeping an eye on the work Tysen and Miller ever since. I liked the original more than their eventual draft, but I still think it's a terrific show. ...

RE: African Ritual Theatre

Posted By Meg O'Connor 02-28-2020 08:57
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While I don't have any recommendations pertaining to ritual theatre, and I don't know if there's a particular region of Africa that fits with your curriculum more than others, I'd recommend a unit on the Market Theatre of South Africa in the Apartheid era. I don't know whether your world theatre unit ...

RE: Medium-cast play with few males

Posted By Meg O'Connor 01-31-2020 09:37
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I'd recommend Find Me by Olwen Wymark. It's designed for a flexible cast. As written, 5 actors play the main female protagonist. Other roles are also split among actors, and there are a large number of one-off characters (doctors, administrators, neighbors, children, etc.) Originally it was developed ...

RE: The Servant of Two Masters

Posted By Meg O'Connor 07-29-2019 21:30
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I just realized that while I own Dorothy Louise's script, I ended up using Constance Cogndon's adaptation, and it was she with whom I corresponded. (The heat wave clearly melted my brain.) But I think this thread is clear proof that there are a lot of good options! ------------------------------ ...

RE: The Servant of Two Masters

Posted By Meg O'Connor 07-27-2019 11:24
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I've done this show twice and had a great experience each time. I've also done Gozzi's For the Love of Three Oranges working from just the scenario, which is also something I'd recommend. I've used both Edward J. Dent's text and Dorothy Louise's adaptation. This may be a fever dream, but I think I do ...

RE: Painting a backdrop on a bedsheet

Posted By Meg O'Connor 06-28-2019 19:47
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Hi Stacey, I successfully painted bedsheets for use as backdrops once long ago in a small, outdoor/traveling show. It does work on a cotton sheet that has been pre-washed and sized.  I once found muslin that was 120" long for a low price per yard at a regular fabric store, which netted me more coverage ...

RE: Comedies for class

Posted By Meg O'Connor 06-18-2019 13:38
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There are lots of fantastic ideas here, and I've had great success with a bunch already mentioned. A few more to consider if mature language and themes are okay and you're looking to include more works from women and people of color: -Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea by Nathan Alan Davis  -Cost of ...

RE: Alice

Posted By Meg O'Connor 05-03-2019 18:54
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I really like the version of Alice in Wonderland by Andre Gregory and the Manhattan project. It has a mix of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and some movement/ensemble stuff. I think the rights are held by DPS. I've done it with about 9 kids, but was in a production in high school ...

RE: Bye Bye Birdie

Posted By Meg O'Connor 03-27-2019 15:39
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Many (many, many) years ago I played Rosie and was also the student choreographer for this show. I was mortified at the idea of seducing anyone, and I didn't like what the scene did for the Rosie/Albert relationship as I was playing it. So even though I knew full well what was supposed to be the story ...

RE: QLab and Vectorworks

Posted By Meg O'Connor 03-21-2019 12:29
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Just chiming in to recommend the PC version of Vectorworks; works great with no trouble. Instead of QLab, we used SFX, which is reasonably similar. ------------------------------ Meg O'Connor oconnormainstage.com ------------------------------

RE: Storage-or lacktherof

Posted By Meg O'Connor 03-21-2019 12:21
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The one time I had to make a case for keeping my storage I did what others here have suggested: break down how much it would cost to rent or buy new for every show. I was also able to work a sustainability argument (which had been the theme of the previous school year). The thing that put me over the ...

RE: No "Teaching" Experience

Posted By Meg O'Connor 03-21-2019 12:06
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Erin, With your degrees you can get a job teaching in independent schools. That's the route I took because I did not have an education degree and needed to start working (many years ago). I know a lot of people who are opposed to teaching in a private school, and the schools vary a lot in terms of mission ...

RE: Performing Shakespeare

Posted By Meg O'Connor 03-07-2019 17:34
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Hooray for Shakespeare! Just wondering: do you anticipate getting more kids into the class? You've got time to do some recruiting, and if you have a title and a pitch, kids will get more excited.  In my experience (used to be an artist-in-residence for a Shakespeare theatre, have helped revive/build ...

RE: Who Walks in the Dark

Posted By Meg O'Connor 12-11-2018 20:54
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Hi Karen, You're in luck! 1898 is a relatively easy silhouette to accomplish. For the women, a long, solid-colored full skirt and a long-sleeved, white cotton blouse with a high neck will do. Have the girls put their hair up if they can and put some sort of small hat, fascinator, or ornament in their ...