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I really appreciate the suggestions here.  I'm not sure the Zimmerman shows are the right direction for us right now.  This is more an indictment of our audience than the quality of her shows.  

I find myself super frustrated by most of the large cast options out there.  The scripts are either silly and corny, poorly written, or inappropriate for high school (and I am proud of the way we have pushed the envelope with shows like Cuckoo's Nest, Almost, and SKM).  

As an example, I bought a perusal of a new show called June, July, August as Dramatists featured it on their high school page, it seemed like an interesting story with merit, and it fit our cast sized perfectly.  I didn't get past page two.  The content was so unbelievably explicit.

The search continues for that sweet spot of quality writing, a sizable cast, humor, and literary merit, along with something that is right for our audience.

Sorry for the rant, but I am at a real loss right now.  I will definitely look into the additional suggestions mentioned here.  When I've read the scripts for our past few productions, I just kind of had that feeling, you know?  The search continues.

Thank you for the input and keep the suggestions coming.

I really appreciate the suggestions here.  I'm not sure the Zimmerman shows are the right direction for us right now.  This is more an indictment of our audience than the quality of her shows.  

I find myself super frustrated by most of the large cast options out there.  The scripts are either silly and corny, poorly written, or inappropriate for high school (and I am proud of the way we have pushed the envelope with shows like Cuckoo's Nest, Almost, and SKM).  

As an example, I bought a perusal of a new show called June, July, August as Dramatists featured it on their high school page, it seemed like an interesting story with merit, and it fit our cast sized perfectly.  I didn't get past page two.  The content was so unbelievably explicit.

The search continues for that sweet spot of quality writing, a sizable cast, humor, and literary merit, along with something that is right for our audience.

Sorry for the rant, but I am at a real loss right now.  I will definitely look into the additional suggestions mentioned here.  When I've read the scripts for our past few productions, I just kind of had that feeling, you know?  The search continues.

Thank you for the input and keep the suggestions coming.

I really appreciate the suggestions here.  I'm not sure the Zimmerman shows are the right direction for us right now.  This is more an indictment of our audience than the quality of her shows.  

I find myself super frustrated by most of the large cast options out there.  The scripts are either silly and corny, poorly written, or inappropriate for high school (and I am proud of the way we have pushed the envelope with shows like Cuckoo's Nest, Almost, and SKM).  

As an example, I bought a perusal of a new show called June, July, August as Dramatists featured it on their high school page, it seemed like an interesting story with merit, and it fit our cast sized perfectly.  I didn't get past page two.  The content was so unbelievably explicit.

The search continues for that sweet spot of quality writing, a sizable cast, humor, and literary merit, along with something that is right for our audience.

Sorry for the rant, but I am at a real loss right now.  I will definitely look into the additional suggestions mentioned here.  When I've read the scripts for our past few productions, I just kind of had that feeling, you know?  The search continues.

Thank you for the input and keep the suggestions coming.

Hi K Lang,

I know this thread is from 3 years ago, but your initial message resonated with me so strongly.  Our theatre department is also growing, and now has a bunch of talented young women (and even a growing number of talented young men!).  I, too, am looking for both comedies and dramas with literary merit.  In particular, I have been looking for a comedy for next year, but have been disheartened by the lack of quality titles I've been able to come by.

For reference, our recent shows have been:

These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich (such a beautiful, moving play)

The Play That Goes Wrong (the first comedy we've ever done - HILARIOUS, and a great challenge for cast and crew)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (adapted by Noah Smith)

I am going to look into Almost, Maine, Dearly Departed, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but I was curious if you had come across any other titles (either comedies or dramas) for large casts that you were impressed with and maybe even ended up staging. Hoping to hear from you - thank you!

Hi, Matthew.  This was a fun thread!

As you probably read, I wrote a play called Alma Mater to try to check various boxes.  It was a huge success.  Imagine Dogberry or Michael Scott as the principal of a rural high school facing closure.  It's available for production.  Let me know if you'd like a free perusal.

We also produced Check Please (super fun but light one act).  This doesn't really fit the mold I was talking about, but we ended up doing it when we moved to two productions a year to get kids more exposure.

You Can't Take It With You was last year.  Lots of fun.  My kids were awesome and people raved about the production.  It is certainly dated though, and didn't resonate quite as well as some of the more modern shows we've done.

This year we produced my brand new, more involved, one act called Times Square.  In a nutshell it's a play about hiking and human relationships.  It's vignette-ish, funny, and accommodates a large cast.  I was interviewed on NCPR and a successful Adirondack podcast and the show received a ton of press.  This is also available for production and I can send you a free perusal.  You can easily google it to find lots of press.

For our multi-act, we produced Dearly Beloved.  One of the writers wrote for The Golden Girls.  Similar to Dearly Beloved, but instead of a funeral, the southern eccentrics are coming together for a wedding.  I enjoyed this, though it's pretty farcical and a little lighter on the literary merit.  Still lots of fun.

We are moving to a musical next year for our multi-act.  It's exciting and I have my eye on The Prom, among others.

The Play that Goes Wrong is on my shortlist for sure.  The cast size seems problematic, but the one act version could work.

Thanks for the message.  This type of dialogue is fun and productive.  Talk soon!

Hi K Lang,

I know this thread is from 3 years ago, but your initial message resonated with me so strongly.  Our theatre department is also growing, and now has a bunch of talented young women (and even a growing number of talented young men!).  I, too, am looking for both comedies and dramas with literary merit.  In particular, I have been looking for a comedy for next year, but have been disheartened by the lack of quality titles I've been able to come by.

For reference, our recent shows have been:

These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich (such a beautiful, moving play)

The Play That Goes Wrong (the first comedy we've ever done - HILARIOUS, and a great challenge for cast and crew)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (adapted by Noah Smith)

I am going to look into Almost, Maine, Dearly Departed, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but I was curious if you had come across any other titles (either comedies or dramas) for large casts that you were impressed with and maybe even ended up staging. Hoping to hear from you - thank you!

Hi,

We just finished The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong, and let me tell you it was the funniest play I have produced in my 18 years as a high school teacher!!

I would love a perusal of your script Times Square.

Thank you!

Hi, Matthew.  This was a fun thread!

As you probably read, I wrote a play called Alma Mater to try to check various boxes.  It was a huge success.  Imagine Dogberry or Michael Scott as the principal of a rural high school facing closure.  It's available for production.  Let me know if you'd like a free perusal.

We also produced Check Please (super fun but light one act).  This doesn't really fit the mold I was talking about, but we ended up doing it when we moved to two productions a year to get kids more exposure.

You Can't Take It With You was last year.  Lots of fun.  My kids were awesome and people raved about the production.  It is certainly dated though, and didn't resonate quite as well as some of the more modern shows we've done.

This year we produced my brand new, more involved, one act called Times Square.  In a nutshell it's a play about hiking and human relationships.  It's vignette-ish, funny, and accommodates a large cast.  I was interviewed on NCPR and a successful Adirondack podcast and the show received a ton of press.  This is also available for production and I can send you a free perusal.  You can easily google it to find lots of press.

For our multi-act, we produced Dearly Beloved.  One of the writers wrote for The Golden Girls.  Similar to Dearly Beloved, but instead of a funeral, the southern eccentrics are coming together for a wedding.  I enjoyed this, though it's pretty farcical and a little lighter on the literary merit.  Still lots of fun.

We are moving to a musical next year for our multi-act.  It's exciting and I have my eye on The Prom, among others.

The Play that Goes Wrong is on my shortlist for sure.  The cast size seems problematic, but the one act version could work.

Thanks for the message.  This type of dialogue is fun and productive.  Talk soon!

Hi K Lang,

I know this thread is from 3 years ago, but your initial message resonated with me so strongly.  Our theatre department is also growing, and now has a bunch of talented young women (and even a growing number of talented young men!).  I, too, am looking for both comedies and dramas with literary merit.  In particular, I have been looking for a comedy for next year, but have been disheartened by the lack of quality titles I've been able to come by.

For reference, our recent shows have been:

These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich (such a beautiful, moving play)

The Play That Goes Wrong (the first comedy we've ever done - HILARIOUS, and a great challenge for cast and crew)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (adapted by Noah Smith)

I am going to look into Almost, Maine, Dearly Departed, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but I was curious if you had come across any other titles (either comedies or dramas) for large casts that you were impressed with and maybe even ended up staging. Hoping to hear from you - thank you!

Hi,

We just finished The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong, and let me tell you it was the funniest play I have produced in my 18 years as a high school teacher!!

I would love a perusal of your script Times Square.

Thank you!

Hi, Matthew.  This was a fun thread!

As you probably read, I wrote a play called Alma Mater to try to check various boxes.  It was a huge success.  Imagine Dogberry or Michael Scott as the principal of a rural high school facing closure.  It's available for production.  Let me know if you'd like a free perusal.

We also produced Check Please (super fun but light one act).  This doesn't really fit the mold I was talking about, but we ended up doing it when we moved to two productions a year to get kids more exposure.

You Can't Take It With You was last year.  Lots of fun.  My kids were awesome and people raved about the production.  It is certainly dated though, and didn't resonate quite as well as some of the more modern shows we've done.

This year we produced my brand new, more involved, one act called Times Square.  In a nutshell it's a play about hiking and human relationships.  It's vignette-ish, funny, and accommodates a large cast.  I was interviewed on NCPR and a successful Adirondack podcast and the show received a ton of press.  This is also available for production and I can send you a free perusal.  You can easily google it to find lots of press.

For our multi-act, we produced Dearly Beloved.  One of the writers wrote for The Golden Girls.  Similar to Dearly Beloved, but instead of a funeral, the southern eccentrics are coming together for a wedding.  I enjoyed this, though it's pretty farcical and a little lighter on the literary merit.  Still lots of fun.

We are moving to a musical next year for our multi-act.  It's exciting and I have my eye on The Prom, among others.

The Play that Goes Wrong is on my shortlist for sure.  The cast size seems problematic, but the one act version could work.

Thanks for the message.  This type of dialogue is fun and productive.  Talk soon!

Hi K Lang,

I know this thread is from 3 years ago, but your initial message resonated with me so strongly.  Our theatre department is also growing, and now has a bunch of talented young women (and even a growing number of talented young men!).  I, too, am looking for both comedies and dramas with literary merit.  In particular, I have been looking for a comedy for next year, but have been disheartened by the lack of quality titles I've been able to come by.

For reference, our recent shows have been:

These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich (such a beautiful, moving play)

The Play That Goes Wrong (the first comedy we've ever done - HILARIOUS, and a great challenge for cast and crew)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (adapted by Noah Smith)

I am going to look into Almost, Maine, Dearly Departed, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but I was curious if you had come across any other titles (either comedies or dramas) for large casts that you were impressed with and maybe even ended up staging. Hoping to hear from you - thank you!

Hi,

We just finished The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong, and let me tell you it was the funniest play I have produced in my 18 years as a high school teacher!!

I would love a perusal of your script Times Square.

Thank you!

Hi, Matthew.  This was a fun thread!

As you probably read, I wrote a play called Alma Mater to try to check various boxes.  It was a huge success.  Imagine Dogberry or Michael Scott as the principal of a rural high school facing closure.  It's available for production.  Let me know if you'd like a free perusal.

We also produced Check Please (super fun but light one act).  This doesn't really fit the mold I was talking about, but we ended up doing it when we moved to two productions a year to get kids more exposure.

You Can't Take It With You was last year.  Lots of fun.  My kids were awesome and people raved about the production.  It is certainly dated though, and didn't resonate quite as well as some of the more modern shows we've done.

This year we produced my brand new, more involved, one act called Times Square.  In a nutshell it's a play about hiking and human relationships.  It's vignette-ish, funny, and accommodates a large cast.  I was interviewed on NCPR and a successful Adirondack podcast and the show received a ton of press.  This is also available for production and I can send you a free perusal.  You can easily google it to find lots of press.

For our multi-act, we produced Dearly Beloved.  One of the writers wrote for The Golden Girls.  Similar to Dearly Beloved, but instead of a funeral, the southern eccentrics are coming together for a wedding.  I enjoyed this, though it's pretty farcical and a little lighter on the literary merit.  Still lots of fun.

We are moving to a musical next year for our multi-act.  It's exciting and I have my eye on The Prom, among others.

The Play that Goes Wrong is on my shortlist for sure.  The cast size seems problematic, but the one act version could work.

Thanks for the message.  This type of dialogue is fun and productive.  Talk soon!

Hi K Lang,

I know this thread is from 3 years ago, but your initial message resonated with me so strongly.  Our theatre department is also growing, and now has a bunch of talented young women (and even a growing number of talented young men!).  I, too, am looking for both comedies and dramas with literary merit.  In particular, I have been looking for a comedy for next year, but have been disheartened by the lack of quality titles I've been able to come by.

For reference, our recent shows have been:

These Shining Lives by Melanie Marnich (such a beautiful, moving play)

The Play That Goes Wrong (the first comedy we've ever done - HILARIOUS, and a great challenge for cast and crew)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (adapted by Noah Smith)

I am going to look into Almost, Maine, Dearly Departed, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but I was curious if you had come across any other titles (either comedies or dramas) for large casts that you were impressed with and maybe even ended up staging. Hoping to hear from you - thank you!

Late to the party, but I penned some comedies that can accommodate larger casts:

Train of Terror (a comic retelling of the 1972 horror fiction movie Horror Express starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee). It is intercut by Son of Svengoolie-like comic scenes. (In fact, we have a signed congratulatory photo of Sven in our room!) The play features a couple of song spoofs ("Red Glowy Eyes" for "Betty Grable Eyes" and "Better Run" for "Long Train Runnin.'"  (Available in annotated and unannotated, songs and theme music available in mp3s)

Bad Prom is a one-act play that is kind of a cross between Mean Girls, Boy Meets World, and the TV show Lost. It features a large, easily-expandable cast that is onstage nearly the entire run-time. (Available in annotated and unannotated scripts)

Space Hamilton is a one-act musical. It is a mash-up of different 1980s sci-fi plots and tropes, especially Flash Gordon. For the curious, there is a YouTube video of our performance of it.

Bernard Sell

Director, Drama Department

Rensselaer Central High School