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  • 1.  Still looking for Plays...

    Posted 08-03-2023 07:58

    Hello,

    I am in the late process of choosing my full-length play after having read many. This is a mostly female-identified high school-aged school. I want something that is not parody and that actors can really act. We are also a diverse student body, so I need to make sure I am serving the needs and dynamics of our Ensemble. I have done the following in the past several years:

    Decision Height

    Gut Girls

    Misanthrope

    Men On Boats

    Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet

    Almost, Maine

    The Diviners

    Peter and The Starcatcher

    Importance of Being Earnest

    Radium Girls (not an option)

    Any others you would recommend that I have missed? Has anyone done Dance Nation? (not read yet). Thank you!



    ------------------------------
    [Jenni] [Jordan]
    [Director of Theater and Dance]
    [11th Grade Coordinator]
    [Day Student Advisor]
    [Miss Hall's School]
    [Pittsfield] [MA]
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Still looking for Plays...

    Posted 08-03-2023 10:19
    We premiered an excellent play that is great for October-November called "I Am Frankenstein" by John Haman. It tells the story straight from the novel, but also includes a chorus called The Blackbirds, and portrays a young Mary Shelley.  Very well written and published now by Your Stage Partners.  Nicely creepy.  Our student body was knocked out by it.  The final scene with The Creature cradling his creator in the flames was amazing.  I cannot recommend this play enough.

    --

    		  BOB BIRDSONG
      STAGECRAFT TEACHER,
      FACILITY ADMINISTRATOR, PCSSD          Phone: 501-234-2641
      RBIRDSONG1588@PCSSD.ORG






  • 3.  RE: Still looking for Plays...

    Posted 08-03-2023 14:00

    There are some great suggestions here: https://school-theatre.com/f/10-fantastic-full-length-plays-for-high-schools



    ------------------------------
    Brendan Conheady
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Still looking for Plays...

    Posted 08-04-2023 07:04
    Hi Jenni!

    You've produced some fantastic plays recently! We did Men on Boats last year, and it was an absolute blast. I highly recommend it to other theatre-makers.
    Dance Nation is really good, but the language could be an issue. Or, not.
    Others to consider:
    -The Wolves
    -Failure: A Love Story
    -Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Little Women adapted by Kate Hamill
    -MacBeth by Erica Schmidt
    -John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belfower
    -Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson
    -Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl
    -Lord of the Flies 

    I'll send some more suggestions later today.

    Also, our schools are not too far apart, so it would be great to connect.






  • 5.  RE: Still looking for Plays...

    Posted 08-04-2023 10:34

    I second the Kate Hamill recommendations. You could also look at Triangle by Laurie Brooks, The Good Fight by Anne Bertram, She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen, and Mermaid by Polly Teale. The latter is published by Nick Hern Books out of the UK, and they have a wide selection of female-heavy scripts that could work for you, particularly under their Platform imprint.



    ------------------------------
    Cassy Maxton-Whitacre
    Theatre, Film, and Communications Instructor
    Shenandoah Valley Governor's School
    Fishersville, VA
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Still looking for Plays...

    Posted 08-04-2023 11:13

    Thank you all for these fabulous recommendations! I have also done "She Kills..." I would love to hear more about the Kate Hamill versions of the Jane Austen pieces. What do you like about them?



    ------------------------------
    [Jenni] [Jordan]
    [Director of Theater and Dance]
    [11th Grade Coordinator]
    [Day Student Advisor]
    [Miss Hall's School]
    [Pittsfield] [MA]
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Still looking for Plays...

    Posted 08-07-2023 09:14

    The Kate Hamill adaptations that I've read feel very fresh and female empowered, while still being true to the original story. They have lots of great female characters, and Sense has a chorus of Gossips which can be super fun. I'm attaching the trailer for the Bedlam production, which I found really inspiring. Obviously, you'll have your own ideas and vision, but this shows you how creative and flexible you can be with the piece.

    Bedlam's SENSE & SENSIBILITY - YouTube



    ------------------------------
    Cassy Maxton-Whitacre
    Theatre, Film, and Communications Instructor
    Shenandoah Valley Governor's School
    Fishersville, VA
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Still looking for Plays...

    Posted 08-08-2023 07:53
    Yes, the Kate Hamill plays are active, fresh, funny, gender bending, and a great tie into literature. You can expand casting too. She has a strong take on these stories, with female empowerment at that heart of them all.
    I saw Sense and Sensibility(the production in the video that was shared) and it was fantastic! I saw it again at the Folger in DC and it was just as funny, moving, and powerful. I saw Pride and Prejudice last year, and again, a great adaptation. All her plays are on my short list. 



    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Still looking for Plays...

    Posted 08-29-2023 15:54
      |   view attached

    If you might have a couple of singers I would like to offer for your consideration "And Now Our Lives Evermore",

    Love lost leads to a tragic romance. A Romantic comedy told thru the mind of a man, from the memories with the woman of his dreams and the happily ever after fate did allow.

    I have included the script and a Soundcloud link to the 6 songs. Demos are poorly sung by me.   https://soundcloud.com/user-215519716/sets/and-now-our-lives-evermore/s-QKCoF4y1DUa?si=80aec35e72014612a26c4d6bdb4bf962&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

    I hope you enjoy and thank you for your time. Steve



    ------------------------------
    Steve Pinkerman
    ------------------------------

    Attachment(s)

    pdf
    And Now Our Lives Evermore.pdf   433 KB 1 version


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