Open Forum

Wow! There's so many...

For classwork Jonathan Dorf and Don Zolidis scripts make a hefty appearance in my classes. Pretty much anything from either of them I find works pretty well. Alan Haehnel scripts are another good choice. I also recommend having multiple versions of the same story. I think I have 5 Alice in Wonderlands (at least), a couple of Robin Hoods, a couple of 3 Musketeers, Dracula, etc. There are also some really nice adaptations of the classics you've probably read. The Diary of Anne Frank adapted by Wendy Kesselman is a good example. 

Some of the specific scripts my kids got really excited over and/or I thought provided a lot of learning opportunities were:

11 Variations of Friar John's Failure by Yuri Baraonsky(one act)

Booby Trap by Ed Monk (one act)

Happily Ever Once Upon by Virginia Kidd

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

Beauty and the Beast by Timothy Mason

Sherlock Holmes and the West End Horror by Anthony Dodge

Something I do at least 3-4 times a year is just go script hunting on the various sites. I order a single perusal copy of at least 40 scripts a year. This has the benefit of building my library while providing the students with regular "fresh" options when they are looking for new pieces to work.

Another good option is to contact the local theatre companies in your areas and see if they offer free preview options for teachers. I'm lucky enough to have this option and it helps a lot in providing new options for contemporary scripts. I'd stick with the equity companies if possible. They tend to have more luck when it comes to seeing original or newer works. 

:)

Shira, I just had to say thanks for the reading list shout-out. I'm taking a break from slogging through my taxes (which when you're self-employed is really not fun), and that made me smile.

Cheers,
Jonathan

A good source might be the top plays produced by high schools: The Most Popular High School Plays And Musicals

Also, here in MA we've been looking at many different one act festivals including MA and TX. There are a few shows that have risen to the top of being most produced in these events:

-The Miracle Worker

-The Diviners

-The Crucible

There are always the classics that you know from studying theatre, but what is being produced in professional theatre is not always the same as what is being produced in high school.  I find that today, professional theaters tend to produce small cast shows, and we, as high school directors, tend to produce large cast shows.  

Great pointers from Jessica and Shira already.

Bruce Miller's 'Acting on the Script' is a wonderful resource; it has a detailed but swift breakdown on teaching scene work with students, and then the second half of the book has a series of two person scenes ideal for scene work, with a list of focuses for that scene to work on, with a very contemporary feel. The scenes build one upon the other to create a complete story, with a final scene that includes all the characters that appeared in the previous scenes.

playscripts.com has a monthly refresh of 20 complete titles available to read in their entirety FOR FREE online. I've found some wonderful shows this way, and I would include for this list 'I and You' play, 'Exit Pursued by a Bear' for fun. (both dramatic, with comic elements). The list they put out every month is varied and is pulled from their extensive catalogue of comedies, dramas, etc.

I've committed to teaching 3 scripts per year in each of my acting/directing classes.  Each year we read a contemporary play - last year was Clybourne Park, this year it was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, I think next year it's going to be Peter and Alice - and then we focus on two other genres or playwrights.  Last year was Shakespeare's comedies and Commedia dell Arte, this year was Greek tragedy and Tennessee Williams.  Next year we're doing Shakespeare's tragedies and something else that I haven't decided yet.

The shows that I see monologues and scenes from a lot are The Children's Hour, The Diviners, a lot of Oscar Wilde (especially when they're looking for an easier classic), Alice in Wonderland, Laundry and Bourbon, Lonestar, Quilters, Laramie Project, Oh Dad Poor Dad..., Death of a Salesman, Christopher Durang...

We also have some great monologue and scene books that get used a lot.  Of course, those only have the monologue or scene, so if you're looking to read a whole script, those don't work.  I like having read a bunch of stuff so that when a kid comes to me wanting something I can point them in the right direction.  I try to stay especially up on contemporary work because that seems to be the hardest for them to figure out. That's another reason why we read a contemporary work each year - the kids just don't seem to get the exposure to it otherwise.

Best new text book out there!

Real-World Theatre Education: A Teacher's Guide to Growing a Theatre Education Program

Two of my favorites are Rabbit Hole and The Pillowman. Rabbit Hole is wonderfully written and is easy for the students to connect to, even though it is about an upperclass family dealing with the tragic death of their son. I've used it in both my Acting I and II classes. Pillowman is something else all together. A writer of dark fairy tales gets brutally interrogated about a series of grizzly murders. It is very dark, but the dialogue is so sharp. I've only used this with my Advanced Drama class, but they love it. The long interrogation scene in the beginning allows for so many approaches to the characters. 

If I may, you may want to start with a compilation of just the publishers/companies that have scripts dedicated for youth. Playscripts, youth plays, dramatic publishing, plays for young audiences, theatre folk, etc. 

I do agree that Don Zolidis, Jonathan Dorf are ones that I frequent in my classroom because the kids really love them (and so do I).

during grad school, we had a course that was specifically called "dramatic literature for youth" and in our class we read a different play almost every night. That was probably the best class for exposing us to some of this material.