Open Forum

Musical: Sunday in the Park with George. Although way back in the day, when I was a high school student, my drama department performed this show and cut Act 2 to avoid having to create Chromolume #7. Definitely don't recommend going that route. (Looking at you, Into the Woods Jr.) But if you have a strong visual/media arts department in your high school, you have the opportunity to come up with something really remarkable.

One-Act Play: The Love Talker. Directed this back in 2003. Still my favorite one-act play. It's a a psychosexual thriller set in the Appalachian Mountains about two sisters confronting supernatural forces. The students loved performing it, and I loved directing it. It's a small four-person cast, but the script's off-kilter enough that you could add in an entire ghostlike ensemble, and no one would be the wiser.

------------------------------
Victoria Chatfield
Executive Director
National Theatre for Student Artists
www.nationalstudenttheatre.org
vchatfield@nationalstudenttheatre.org
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-20-2017 16:09
From: Janette Clark
Subject: Ideas for plays?

If you are like me, you spend HOURS deciding which play or musical will be the right fit for your school and your actors.  I was wondering if some of you could share your most successful plays for all our benefit.

I am a director at a small high school (around 200 students); and, like many of you, I have to stretch my budget.

 

Musicals I've enjoyed producing are Cinderella (Enchanted Edition), Legally Blonde, and Pajama Game.

Comedies which worked well for our school are Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot, Fred Carmichael's Done to Death, and Billy St John's The Werewolf's Curse.

Would the rest of you care to share some of you titles?

This message (and any associated files) may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient or authorized to receive this for the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disclose or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advise the sender immediately by sending a reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation.

Everyone should do Urinetown. Aside from Hairspray this is the musical we have sold the most tickets to ever. Because the kids loved it and talked about it. Creating buzz. 

She Kills Monsters
You need one good actor who can play a tough Brooklyn kid for King Kirby. And also need to be ok with language

I am doing The Boy At the Edge of Everything by Finnegan Kruckemeyer this year. It is magical.

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Joseph Gels
Theatre Teacher
Boston Latin School
Boston MA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-21-2017 00:32
From: Victoria Chatfield
Subject: Ideas for plays?

Musical: Sunday in the Park with George. Although way back in the day, when I was a high school student, my drama department performed this show and cut Act 2 to avoid having to create Chromolume #7. Definitely don't recommend going that route. (Looking at you, Into the Woods Jr.) But if you have a strong visual/media arts department in your high school, you have the opportunity to come up with something really remarkable.

One-Act Play: The Love Talker. Directed this back in 2003. Still my favorite one-act play. It's a a psychosexual thriller set in the Appalachian Mountains about two sisters confronting supernatural forces. The students loved performing it, and I loved directing it. It's a small four-person cast, but the script's off-kilter enough that you could add in an entire ghostlike ensemble, and no one would be the wiser.

------------------------------
Victoria Chatfield
Executive Director
National Theatre for Student Artists
www.nationalstudenttheatre.org
vchatfield@nationalstudenttheatre.org

Original Message:
Sent: 11-20-2017 16:09
From: Janette Clark
Subject: Ideas for plays?

If you are like me, you spend HOURS deciding which play or musical will be the right fit for your school and your actors.  I was wondering if some of you could share your most successful plays for all our benefit.

I am a director at a small high school (around 200 students); and, like many of you, I have to stretch my budget.

 

Musicals I've enjoyed producing are Cinderella (Enchanted Edition), Legally Blonde, and Pajama Game.

Comedies which worked well for our school are Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot, Fred Carmichael's Done to Death, and Billy St John's The Werewolf's Curse.

Would the rest of you care to share some of you titles?

This message (and any associated files) may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient or authorized to receive this for the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disclose or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advise the sender immediately by sending a reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation.

Original Message------

If you are like me, you spend HOURS deciding which play or musical will be the right fit for your school and your actors.  I was wondering if some of you could share your most successful plays for all our benefit.

I am a director at a small high school (around 200 students); and, like many of you, I have to stretch my budget.

 

Musicals I've enjoyed producing are Cinderella (Enchanted Edition), Legally Blonde, and Pajama Game.

Comedies which worked well for our school are Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot, Fred Carmichael's Done to Death, and Billy St John's The Werewolf's Curse.

Would the rest of you care to share some of you titles?

This message (and any associated files) may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient or authorized to receive this for the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disclose or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advise the sender immediately by sending a reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation.

I love that survey and that list!  NPR always does a feature on it, too.

------------------------------
Janette Clark
Drama Teacher
Minneapolis KS
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-21-2017 09:27
From: James Van Leishout
Subject: Ideas for plays?

Each year EdTA/Dramatic Magazine does a survey of the most produced plays. I thought you might be interested. Here is the link: https://www.schooltheatre.org/resources/dramatics/playsurvey

--

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." - Shakespeare

Original Message------

If you are like me, you spend HOURS deciding which play or musical will be the right fit for your school and your actors.  I was wondering if some of you could share your most successful plays for all our benefit.

I am a director at a small high school (around 200 students); and, like many of you, I have to stretch my budget.

 

Musicals I've enjoyed producing are Cinderella (Enchanted Edition), Legally Blonde, and Pajama Game.

Comedies which worked well for our school are Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot, Fred Carmichael's Done to Death, and Billy St John's The Werewolf's Curse.

Would the rest of you care to share some of you titles?

This message (and any associated files) may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient or authorized to receive this for the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disclose or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advise the sender immediately by sending a reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation.

Original Message------

If you are like me, you spend HOURS deciding which play or musical will be the right fit for your school and your actors.  I was wondering if some of you could share your most successful plays for all our benefit.

I am a director at a small high school (around 200 students); and, like many of you, I have to stretch my budget.

 

Musicals I've enjoyed producing are Cinderella (Enchanted Edition), Legally Blonde, and Pajama Game.

Comedies which worked well for our school are Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot, Fred Carmichael's Done to Death, and Billy St John's The Werewolf's Curse.

Would the rest of you care to share some of you titles?

This message (and any associated files) may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient or authorized to receive this for the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disclose or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advise the sender immediately by sending a reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation.

VERY SMALL PRIVATE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
12 ANGRY MEN/WOMEN/JURORS
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU
DON'T DRINK THE WATER
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER

------------------------------
Dr. Joseph DiCicco
Educator: Theatre 6-12
Whitefield Academy
Louisville KY
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-20-2017 16:09
From: Janette Clark
Subject: Ideas for plays?

If you are like me, you spend HOURS deciding which play or musical will be the right fit for your school and your actors.  I was wondering if some of you could share your most successful plays for all our benefit.

I am a director at a small high school (around 200 students); and, like many of you, I have to stretch my budget.

 

Musicals I've enjoyed producing are Cinderella (Enchanted Edition), Legally Blonde, and Pajama Game.

Comedies which worked well for our school are Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot, Fred Carmichael's Done to Death, and Billy St John's The Werewolf's Curse.

Would the rest of you care to share some of you titles?

This message (and any associated files) may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient or authorized to receive this for the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disclose or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advise the sender immediately by sending a reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation.

Musicals:
Aida: School Edition
Spamalot (can be done on a shoestring budget it you're creative)
Oklahoma!

Comedies:
Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
Happily Ever Once Upon
Romeo and Juliet: Choose Your Own Ending (I haven't produced this yet.. wrong group of kids but I'm waiting...)

------------------------------
Shira Schwartz
Chandler Unified School District
Chandler AZ
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-20-2017 16:09
From: Janette Clark
Subject: Ideas for plays?

If you are like me, you spend HOURS deciding which play or musical will be the right fit for your school and your actors.  I was wondering if some of you could share your most successful plays for all our benefit.

I am a director at a small high school (around 200 students); and, like many of you, I have to stretch my budget.

 

Musicals I've enjoyed producing are Cinderella (Enchanted Edition), Legally Blonde, and Pajama Game.

Comedies which worked well for our school are Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot, Fred Carmichael's Done to Death, and Billy St John's The Werewolf's Curse.

Would the rest of you care to share some of you titles?

This message (and any associated files) may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient or authorized to receive this for the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disclose or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advise the sender immediately by sending a reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation.

Original Message------

If you are like me, you spend HOURS deciding which play or musical will be the right fit for your school and your actors.  I was wondering if some of you could share your most successful plays for all our benefit.

I am a director at a small high school (around 200 students); and, like many of you, I have to stretch my budget.

 

Musicals I've enjoyed producing are Cinderella (Enchanted Edition), Legally Blonde, and Pajama Game.

Comedies which worked well for our school are Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot, Fred Carmichael's Done to Death, and Billy St John's The Werewolf's Curse.

Would the rest of you care to share some of you titles?

This message (and any associated files) may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient or authorized to receive this for the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disclose or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advise the sender immediately by sending a reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation.

We are a Friends school (mostly boarding), fairly progressive. We produce three shows a year (with one musical). I have found that plays with meat on them work best, and our students respond really well to plays that engage them in some sort of big idea. We have started to pick a theme for our season (this year are all plays that have stories that are retold over time/place). 

Some favorite Plays:  
Big Love 
(Anon)ymous 
Caucasian Chalk Circle
Laramie Project
Insect Play
Romeo and Juliet
Macbeth
Twelfth Night

Favorite Musicals: 
Rent
Cabaret
Carousel
Fiddler 
Three Penny Opera

I do try to mix periods and styles, and I still see a lot of value in regularly producing Shakespeare and other "great" plays. That said, I also am looking to make sure that we are producing writers of color and female writers more. Our unofficial policy has been at least one writer of color and/or woman and to try to assure that the stories we tell do not focus exclusively on stories of white people- we are not succeeding as well as I'd like. The challenges and rewards of that approach could be another discussion prompt.

------------------------------
William Addis
Chair of Visual and Performing Arts
Westtown School
West Chester PA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 11-20-2017 16:09
From: Janette Clark
Subject: Ideas for plays?

If you are like me, you spend HOURS deciding which play or musical will be the right fit for your school and your actors.  I was wondering if some of you could share your most successful plays for all our benefit.

I am a director at a small high school (around 200 students); and, like many of you, I have to stretch my budget.

 

Musicals I've enjoyed producing are Cinderella (Enchanted Edition), Legally Blonde, and Pajama Game.

Comedies which worked well for our school are Ken Ludwig's The Game's Afoot, Fred Carmichael's Done to Death, and Billy St John's The Werewolf's Curse.

Would the rest of you care to share some of you titles?

This message (and any associated files) may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient or authorized to receive this for the intended recipient, you must not use, copy, disclose or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advise the sender immediately by sending a reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation.