Charles Dickens might be fun to tackle, especially 'A Tale of Two Cities' if you're feeling ambitious (takes in the major contours of the bloody French revolution and the mob rule of a bloodthirsty populace, etc). It is a popular title to consider, and has been adapted by some already, but there's nothing like doing your own adaptation.
Laurence Sterne's 'The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy' is an absolute riot of a classic, post-modern text from the 18th century (1759, in fact). You could certainly take some elements of that 'novel' (which is over 500/600 pages long) and create something fairly magical/whimsical from that (there was a movie adaptation featuring Steve Coogan, if I'm not mistaken).
Another possibility is taking a historical person and doing a piece based on their life. I heard that might be something a person could do and be successful with, long as you don't throw away your shot/write like you're running out of time/here comes the General/etc favorite Hamilton line...But a life of Sam Adams? Ben Franklin? I've yet to see a hit play or musical centering around President Garfield, for example....could be fun!
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Phillip Goodchild
Theatre Arts Instructor/Assistant Department Head of English
Ruskin FL
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-03-2017 08:39
From: James Fry
Subject: Classic adaptation?
Good morning all,
Has anyone taken a classic piece of literature and did a self adaptation for the stage? I am looking at doing something like that for Mary. Shelley's Frankenstein. I know that there is a script already, but I am looking for something a little more. I am leaning more towards any classics that are part of the public domain for ease. Any help or suggestions for titles would be greatly appreciated.
--
James P. Fry, Ed.D.
Director of Student Life
Malvern Preparatory School
484-595-1166
Celebrating 175 Years of Augustinian Education (1842-2017)
"Love is the deepest knowledge of things. Analytical, inferential knowledge is superficial
knowledge, and it cannot grasp reality. We can reach reality only through love.
Love is the culmination of knowledge." - Kitaro Nishida
Malvern Preparatory School
418 South Warren Avenue | Malvern, PA 19355
An Independent, Augustinian, Catholic School
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