Open Forum

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school and I am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year; both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

Have you thought about doing a Shakespeare with the girls in breeches parts? Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein might be an option (depending on how conservative your community is) or possibly Medea or Antigone.

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

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school an d am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year, both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

You might want to look at As It Is In Heaven. It's about a group of women in a 1830's Shaker Community. It's for 9 women, though you could possibly add a small ensemble, especially for when hymns are sung.  Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

Dramatists		remove preview
Dramatists Play Service, Inc. THE STORY: A religious community is changed when a non-believer has an ecstatic experience. The 1830's Shaker society of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, is set in ordered ways. Their once dramatic form of worship has by now developed into routine. View this on Dramatists >

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

Theater kills ignorance
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 11:25
From: Shira Schwartz
Subject: Help! All girls school

Have you thought about doing a Shakespeare with the girls in breeches parts? Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein might be an option (depending on how conservative your community is) or possibly Medea or Antigone.

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

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school an d am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year, both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

If you have some musically talented girls, "A... My Name is Alice" is a cute show.

------------------------------
Heather Cribbs
Theatre Director
New Smyrna Beach High School
New Smyrna Beach, FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school and I am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year; both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

We did Decision Height by Meredith Dayna Levy last year.  It was a raging success and the girls LOVED it!  It's about WASP pilots during WWII.  It's through Samuel French.  
I highly recommend this show!

------------------------------
Lisa Dyer
Henrico VA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 14:37
From: Heather Cribbs
Subject: Help! All girls school

If you have some musically talented girls, "A... My Name is Alice" is a cute show.

------------------------------
Heather Cribbs
Theatre Director
New Smyrna Beach High School
New Smyrna Beach, FL

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school and I am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year; both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

Yes, this is a great piece - thinking of it for next year.

------------------------------
Janetta Davis
Theater Program Coordinator
Bexley OH
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-30-2017 07:06
From: Lisa Dyer
Subject: Help! All girls school

We did Decision Height by Meredith Dayna Levy last year.  It was a raging success and the girls LOVED it!  It's about WASP pilots during WWII.  It's through Samuel French.
I highly recommend this show!

------------------------------
Lisa Dyer
Henrico VA

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 14:37
From: Heather Cribbs
Subject: Help! All girls school

If you have some musically talented girls, "A... My Name is Alice" is a cute show.

------------------------------
Heather Cribbs
Theatre Director
New Smyrna Beach High School
New Smyrna Beach, FL

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school and I am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year; both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

These Shining Lives is, I think, the same source material (the watch painting women for Radium) and whilst it requires a couple of males, the focus is definitely on the central four women of the piece. 

12 Angry Women could be an option (12 Angry Men/12 Angry Jurors) as well. Classic, and for some reason always timely. 

Mutually Assured Destruction is a series of two-person sibling scenes through different decades of the twentieth century (approximately), and could feasibly be done as an female effort. 

The other possibility is to approach Shakespeare and do the all-female bit. Not just because that's your circumstance, but it could work really well. We did an all-female Othello and it created some fantastic discussions about gender roles/positions/status in society as well as the obvious questions about color/race. In high school, we did an all female The Tempest, where, as the only boy, I played Caliban (which was super fun) and again, is a great vehicle for discussion. It's up to you as to whether you acknowledge explicitly that the all female cast are all playing female, or are they young women playing male roles? Something to explore, obviously, and could be highly educationally valuable. 

Good luck in your selection. It's never easy!

------------------------------
Phillip Goodchild
Theatre Arts Instructor

Etobicoke ON
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school and I am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year; both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

And in re to Phillip's point, there was an absolutely brilliant all female production of Taming of the Shrew a few years ago in Sydney that generated a LOT of discussion (and would be great for student discussion) about gender roles. To see a female Petruchio deal physically with a female Kate...wowzers.

------------------------------
Lori Constable
Teacher; director of Drama
Independent District 112
Chanhassen MN
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 15:09
From: Phillip Goodchild
Subject: Help! All girls school

These Shining Lives is, I think, the same source material (the watch painting women for Radium) and whilst it requires a couple of males, the focus is definitely on the central four women of the piece.

12 Angry Women could be an option (12 Angry Men/12 Angry Jurors) as well. Classic, and for some reason always timely.

Mutually Assured Destruction is a series of two-person sibling scenes through different decades of the twentieth century (approximately), and could feasibly be done as an female effort.

The other possibility is to approach Shakespeare and do the all-female bit. Not just because that's your circumstance, but it could work really well. We did an all-female Othello and it created some fantastic discussions about gender roles/positions/status in society as well as the obvious questions about color/race. In high school, we did an all female The Tempest, where, as the only boy, I played Caliban (which was super fun) and again, is a great vehicle for discussion. It's up to you as to whether you acknowledge explicitly that the all female cast are all playing female, or are they young women playing male roles? Something to explore, obviously, and could be highly educationally valuable.

Good luck in your selection. It's never easy!

------------------------------
Phillip Goodchild
Theatre Arts Instructor

Etobicoke ON

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school and I am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year; both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

Girls Like That. It's by a British playwright, but very contemporary and flexible. There are no character names and it's written as one long poem, but I did it with seven and have seen it done with 27. It's about cyber bullying.

------------------------------
Jim Peterson
Director of Theatre and Film
Carmel High School
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school and I am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year; both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

If you liked Stage Door, take a look at  It Happens Every Summer - similar concept. Many girls working for a magazine in the 1940s-ish time frame. A few male roles but many, many female roles. The time frame is over the course of a summer, so most of the characters had multiple costumes. I got almost everything from thrift shops really inexpensively. In fact, at first I didn't even look at sizes - just the correct silhouette because of the sheer number of outfits I needed. After I got most girls costumed, then I was more selective on sizes on what I bought.

------------------------------
Ann Hileman
Indiana Chapter Director
Bunker Hill IN
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school and I am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year; both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

I have some titles and books at school (I am currently sitting in our district wide kickoff in a large gym...don't judge) but one that I used at an all girls school was The Prom. I also adapted Comedy of Errors and used all females (with some playing males and some just genderless).

------------------------------
Lori Constable
Teacher; director of Drama
Independent District 112
Chanhassen MN
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school and I am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year; both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

Oh, and there is a brilliant option to adapt Trojan Women--I had a drama class (all girls) adapt each scene and some used dance, and others music and others...but that might be an option, especially if you use it to explore the plight of women in various societies and cultures and then stage it accordingly.

------------------------------
Lori Constable
Teacher; director of Drama
Independent District 112
Chanhassen MN
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school and I am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year; both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

Consider Quilters. All girls with some singing. Really wonderful show.

------------------------------
Andy Simon
Theater Teacher
Naperville North High School
Naperville, IL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school and I am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year; both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

Hey there! 
This is Shannon from your sister school (St. Mary's Academy) in Portland!!! I have some ideas and can tell you what I've been doing here for the past few years. We should connect anyway! 
shannon.more@smapdx.org

------------------------------
Shannon More
Portland OR
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school and I am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year; both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

Thank you so much to each one of you for taking the time to respond to my post! You have all been most helpful. :)

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-30-2017 23:42
From: Shannon More
Subject: Help! All girls school

Hey there!
This is Shannon from your sister school (St. Mary's Academy) in Portland!!! I have some ideas and can tell you what I've been doing here for the past few years. We should connect anyway!
shannon.more@smapdx.org

------------------------------
Shannon More
Portland OR

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school and I am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year; both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------

I have directed 40 shows at an all girls school:
Radium Girls was a fantastic experience. I highly recommend it.
Other great shows with minimal (3) to 0 males or easily genderbent roles are:

Trojan Women, A Murder is Announced, Meet Me in St. Louis, Cinderella. A Piece of my Heart, Secret Garden, Little Women, House of Bernarda Alba, East of the Sun, West of the Moon, Leader of the Pack, Alice in Wonderland, Twelve Angry Women, Winnie the Pooh, The Tempest (Prospera), Wizard of Oz,The Women, Jane Eyre, Young Lady of Property and Blind Date, Dear Edwina, Nunsense, Fashion, Kabuki Sleeping Beauty, Nine Girls, Seussical, Pride and Prejudice, Our Town, Chamber Music, Letters to Sala

Good Luck!

------------------------------
Janetta Davis
Theater Program Coordinator
Bexley OH
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2017 10:58
From: Sarah Wahlen
Subject: Help! All girls school

I know this is a common thread, but I work at an all girls school and I am getting desperate for a play this year. We do have access to some male actors, but I like to have the focus on our girls and it is hit and miss sometimes. We did Stage Door two years ago and The Election last year; both were great. I was going to do Sense and Sensibility this year, but am feeling a little overwhelmed about the use of accents and the length of the play. Thinking about Radium Girls. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks so much for your time!

------------------------------
Sarah Aanderud Wahlen
Director of Theatre & Film
Holy Names Academy
Seattle, WA
------------------------------