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  • 1.  Comedic Play with a strong message

    Posted 05-23-2017 09:37
    My rising seniors are looking to select a play to work on next spring.  We need something that meets the following criteria. I welcome your suggestions:

    Cast - somewhat balanced male/female.  9-15 actors
    Genre: They prefer comedy but really want something that has a message to it
    Content: Interested in finding a show that they can relate to - would love to find something with teenage characters. 

    Thanks!

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    Christina Kemmerer
    Brooklandville MD
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  • 2.  RE: Comedic Play with a strong message

    Posted 05-23-2017 10:39
    Are you looking for a full length or a one act? 

    For a full length I'd look at one of Brad Slaight's pieces (Class Action or Second Class are the first that come to mind). These are collections of small scenes and monologues that revolve around the different people and relationships that occur in high school but outside of the classroom. There are both dramatic and comedic sections, and it definitely shines a light on the teenage mind.

    If they are willing to push, and your school is okay with strong language, 110 Stories by Sarah Tuft is an amazing piece that deals with 9-11. The characters are not teenagers but it is a really powerful piece. I'd do it in a heartbeat if I got the okay from my principal (but the language prevents us).

    For a one-act I'd look into something like Face Forward: Growing Up in Nazi Germany by Brendon Votipka that revolves around teenagers growing up in this time or A Rare Condition by Alan Haehnel which deals with terminal illness in a teenager. Both very dramatic but with strong messages.

    Alan Haehnel also has the script And which deals with sexual assault but has a lot of comedic moments in the show to balance it out. 

    Although it doesn't have a set message my students really enjoyed performing Yuri Baranovsky's 11 Variations of Firar John's Failure. It's a comedy but puts a lot on the shoulders of the kid playing Friar John.

    Hope this helps! :^)

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    Shira Schwartz
    Chandler Unified School District
    Chandler AZ
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Comedic Play with a strong message

    Posted 05-24-2017 08:17
    I know it's an older play, but we did You Can't Take it With You this past fall and it was a fantastic experience, and the students loved the play.  It has a message of acceptance and being true to yourself, and it is quite funny.  While the characters are not teenagers, it does deal with some issues that my students could relate to.

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    Jennifer Gunther
    Teacher
    Colerain High School
    Cincinnati OH
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Comedic Play with a strong message

    Posted 05-24-2017 08:27
    We did "The End of the World (With Prom to Follow)" by Sean Abley. It's a Playscripts property. 90% of the characters are gender neutral. It's about a group of high school kids who wake up one day and find that everyone else on the Earth but the people in their high school has disappeared. Also, there is a giant light surrounding the city getting closer every day. Thinly veiled metaphor for adulthood, but lots of good messages about growing up, how to come together in a crisis, the true meaning of friendship, etc. Some really good comic relief characters if you aim them that way.

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    Jodi Disario
    Director of Drama
    Willow Glen High School
    San Jose CA
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Comedic Play with a strong message

    Posted 05-24-2017 11:00
    It doesn't have teenage roles, but Second Samuel is very funny, with a very strong (but not preachy) message. As written, it's 7m, 4w, but we swapped two of the men for women. The main character, B-Flat, can easily be a woman, and we had one girl in a pants role. We also added some extras to be in the bar and the beauty salon.
    The synopsis doesn't give a hint about the message of the play, but it is there and it is a timely message (PM me if you want to know - or better yet, just order a script and enjoy the surprises!) 

    Second Samuel
    Dramaticpublishing remove preview
    Second Samuel
    It was a simpler time in the late 1940s, especially in South Georgia and specifically in a sleepy little town called Second Samuel. What had been called the Great Depression was quickly fading into memory. The war had been won, the election was now over,
    View this on Dramaticpublishing >


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    Ken Buswell
    Drama Teacher
    Peachtree City, GA
    http://mcintoshtheater.org/
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    Original Message


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