Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Out of ideas!

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nnixon
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Topic: Out of ideas!
Posted: 11/27/09 at 10:38pm

I am a HS/MS drama teacher with 27 plays completed at the HS level. :) This year I have a serious lack of male talent. I try to alternate between comedy and drama. We did our second-ever musical-Little Shop last year and I am just not finding an idea for a drama with a cast of 8-12, but mostly women. The dramas we have done include The Crucible, Radium Girls, Dead Man Walking, Frankenstein, Dracula,Marvin's Room, Anne Frank, The Miracle Worker, etc. I could also do a comedy and break with tradition. The cast distribution is critical though. Thanks for any ideas you may have. I am desperate. Has anyone ever done the Magdalene piece called Eclipse? (Not sure I have the correct reference).

Nancy Nixon

Ouray High School

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donzolidis
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Joined: 5/15/07
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Posted: 11/28/09 at 12:04am

I have a few plays that might work for you.

For a drama/comedy - try A Tiny Miracle with a Fiberoptic Unicorn (5 F 3 M), it's kind like a contemporary Brighton Beach Memoirs. You can read it online here (just click on read sample):

http://www.playscripts.com/play?playid=1426

For a silly comedy, there's The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon (works for any cast size bigger than 5, gender flexible), which is in the style of the Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged) except with the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. It's been produced by about 300 high schools and a dozen community theatres in the past 3 years, so it's been very popular. You can also read it online here:

http://www.playscripts.com/play?playid=1162

www.donzolidis.com

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edh915
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Posted: 11/28/09 at 1:34pm

I would suggest having a go at some Shakespeare - comedies, preferably. They were originally played by all-male casts. It's real easy to turn those tables. Play it all-girl. Just make sure you have girls playing men. In other words, don't change the gender of the character, just the gender of the actor playing him. One of the easiest ways to do this is to present the show as though it's Jo and her sisters playacting in the attic, or Our Gang putting on a show in the back yard.

I've got a couple adaptations (simplified Shakespeare) that I've written, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Taming of the Shrew", "Comedy of Errors", and "Much Ado About Nothing." I'd be happy to send you a copy or two if you're interested. The Shakespearean language is in tact (mostly). The lines and scenes have simply been judiciously edited, then transferred to prose for easier reading.

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Mr. Lowell
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Posted: 12/01/09 at 1:58pm

Some smaller comedies with good roles for girls are "Dearly Departed" and "The Dining Room". A bigger sized drama with good girl roles is "Pride and Prejudice", (we are doing it in March). I have seen the courtroom drama "Twelve Angry Men" done with girls as "Twelve Angry Women" and with half and half as "Twelve Angry People". The play "House of Bernarda Alba" has good female parts, but it is rather stuffy drama. There is the heavy Greek trajedy "Trojan Women". But I really recommend an under-rated gem called "Lost in Yonkers" by Neil Simon. It has a simple unit set and a nice small cast...with two challenging and complex female parts.

Good luck, and let us know what you find! -Dana

Mr. Lowell,
Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director,
for the Linda Sloan Theatre,
in the Davison Center for the Arts,
at Greensboro Day School

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maryg0507
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Posted: 12/27/09 at 5:26am

We did The Dixie Swim Club last year with great success.

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tristanrobin
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Joined: 4/25/05
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Posted: 12/27/09 at 8:54am

Originally posted by Mr. Lowell

The play "House of Bernarda Alba" has good female parts, but it is rather stuffy drama.

stuffy???

it's one of the sexiest plays I've ever directed!

LOL

you saw the wrooooong production! LOL

(But, I don't think it's appropriate for high school-ers)

http://tristanrobin.blogspot.com

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tristanrobin
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Posted: 12/27/09 at 8:56am

How about "The Odd Couple" female version? Six women/two men.

http://tristanrobin.blogspot.com

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Jo Norland
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Joined: 5/22/09
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Posted: 1/14/10 at 11:12am

My play, Mothers Have Nine Lives is a one-act, but it has a dozen female roles, and has worked very well with various highschool casts.

it may be read for free at http://www.singlelane.com/proplay/mothers.html

Good luck!

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Production Scri
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Joined: 12/21/09
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Posted: 1/16/10 at 8:53pm

If you're still struggling for options... you should do a quick search on the Production Scripts library Tongue

PRODUCTION SCRIPTS - An online digital marketplace for theatre and radio scripts.

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johnmh
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Posted: 1/21/10 at 5:23pm

I have been in the female version of The Odd Couple as one of the men. I remember it as nearly as funny as the original.

Edited by johnmh - 1/21/10 at 5:25pm

John Hardaway
Director for 3 theaters in Southern Indiana
"In the biz" since 1963

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