Hi everyone! I'm in the process of picking a show for my middle school's fall play, but I haven't yet found a script that feels quite right -- and since this community is always such a great resource, I thought I would turn to you for suggestions!
I'm looking for something a bit more sophisticated than the type of plays often written for middle school. I want a play that really challenges my 8th-graders, while still being content-appropriate and accessible for my brand-new 6th-graders -- not an easy balance to strike! I'm often drawn to literary adaptations and scripts with opportunities for both ensemble work and individual characterization.
Other things to consider:
-- It needs to accommodate a cast of 30-45, or potentially more. (I cast everyone who auditions.) At least 20-25 speaking roles would be great.
-- I'm looking for a full-length rather than a one-act, but preferably a shorter full-length. Our last two plays each ran 75 minutes, which was perfect. Anywhere in the 60-90 minute range would be fine.
-- As always, I'm looking for something that is female-driven!
We produced
The Phantom Tollbooth last year, and before that we did
Circus Olympus by Lindsay Price. Our last two musicals were
The Music Man and
Seussical. I'm looking through the main licensing websites (Dramatic Publishing, Playscripts, Theatrefolk, etc.), but I'd love suggestions for individual titles that might be a good fit.
If you have ideas for shows that might fit all (or even just some) of these criteria, please throw them at me! Thank you, as always, for being such a great resource!
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Elizabeth Berg
Drama Teacher
Ashland Middle School
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