This year, I directed an evening of one-acts. They varied wildly in length, but they worked together beautifully, and I found ways to stitch them together even more tightly than would appear on paper.
First up was Rich Orloff's Oedi, published by Playscripts, Inc. This is a spoof of Oedipus Rex. Next came Christopher Durang and Wendy Wasserstein's Medea, published by Dramatists Play Service, Inc., and whose comic target I hope is obvious. After that, we took an intermission break, then came back for Doug Rand's The Idiot and the Oddity, another Playscripts title, which hilariously purées the Iliad, the Odyssey, Antigone, and the Oresteia. I wanted to give the show the catch-all title Up the Greek Without a Paddle, but I figured that some uptight parent or administrator would take that the wrong way, so I settled for calling the show It's All Greek to Me.
My school's English department got on board, since different teachers at different grade levels here teach Oedipus, Medea, Antigone, and the Odyssey. They created an extra-credit writing assignment that students could complete after seeing the show. I gave them copies of the scripts, and they wrote text-specific prompts that required real attention to the plays. Between that, the comic nature of the show, and a cast of almost 50 students, we had attendance beyond our imagination.
The Idiot and the Oddity has a decent-sized chorus, and Medea (as written) has a small, all-female one, while Oedi has none, but I made the chorus the star of the whole show. I used four men and four women, along with a very talented student choreographer. We created an elaborate entrance at the top of the show where the chorus came down the aisles to the playing space, carrying (battery-powered theatrical) candles and accompanied by a scholarly recreation of ancient Greek music before a comic Jekyll-and-Hyde transition revealed that we really weren't going to play the whole show in deadly earnest. This played as a sort of prologue, to establish the group. The same chorus later returned for both Medea and Idiot, its role growing each time it appeared. During our curtain call, the chorus - given the final bow as a group - got the loudest, most enthusiastic applause from the audience!
There were other connections, as well. Creon (from Oedi) and Medea both appear in Idiot, so I used the same actors to play those parts across the board. Jason in Medea is a very small part that demands a very good actor, so I compensated him by also casting him as Zeus in Idiot and challenging him to leave the audience unaware that the two roles were played by one actor. Oedi has a tiny (but fun) role for a town crier, and both Medea and Idiot send up the ancient Greek convention of the messenger, so I cast one boy in all of those roles - as if to say that throughout all of ancient Greece, regardless of story, there was one and only one anonymous Bearer of Bad News. Such casting moves helped to cement the three pieces together as a single show, and we got great responses to it.
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Jeff Grove
Theatre Teacher, Aesthetics Department Chair
Stanton College Preparatory School
Jacksonville FL
Original Message:
Sent: 03-23-2016 10:35
From: Kristin Hall
Subject: Evening Of One Acts
This thread is great - so many good ideas. Thanks for getting and keeping it going.
We've done evenings of one act plays a few times at our middle school instead of one full length, and are planning on doing it again next fall. I will definitely look into the internet/cat plays - thanks for that idea!! Love lots of the others too ... if I were at a high school.
Some other pairings I am considering for next year (and would be happy to hear any reviews of these shows from the forum!):
"Work" theme: Paper or Plastic? (Dramatic Publishing) and Help Wanted (Eldridge)
"Stories" theme: Wiley and the Hairy Man and Once, In the Time of Trolls or Selkie (all Dramatic Publishing)
In past years we have done (some might be more middle than high school):
"Dreams and Journeys" - Journey to the World's Edge (Dramatic Publishing) and a short Midsummer Night's Dream (This was my favorite pair.)
Roald Dahl - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach (Kids loved it, a bit too much narration for me.)
School Theme - Somebody Catch My Homework and Seth's Anxiety (both Dramatic Publishing) (Worked well, and had some fun challenges.)
And this year we are doing (on its own) Baghdad Zoo (Plays for Young Audiences), which could easily be paired with another children during war themed play (so many possibilities).
Keep the ideas coming!
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Kristin Hall
Drama Director
Lincoln Public Schools
Arlington MA