Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Need easy comedy with little or no set

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drama coach
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Joined: 5/11/10
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Topic: Need easy comedy with little or no set
Posted: 6/29/11 at 9:54pm

Due to large class size next fall, I'm looking for a comedy to do with high school students that has little or no set. I'd like about 12-15 cast members.

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edh915
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Posted: 6/30/11 at 12:40pm

Obviously, you can do Shakespeare - either the original or one of the many adaptation/simplifications that are around. - The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, Comedy of Errors, and A Midsummer Night's Dream are adaptations that I've done which I've found to be the most accessible. (I'm directing my own version of Shrew right now, and my entire set consists of two stepladders and four chairs. If you're interested in any of them, you can get ahold of me a EasyShakespeare@gmail.com)

Also: "Somewhere In Between" by Craig Pospisil is a very funny contemporary play about looking for love in the big city. Written for 6 to 8 with doubling, there are actually an easy dozen roles - male and female - evenly distributed.

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jonplaywright
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Posted: 7/04/11 at 11:20am

I have three full-length comedies (two parodies and one not) that are good choices for high school and can be done with virtually no set. The minimum cast sizes listed below may expanded (all of these could be done with 30+ actors if you wanted to).

Harry's Hotter at Twilight is my new mash-up parody of Harry Potter and Twilight. Runs about 90 minutes and has a minimum of roughly 12 actors and available for YouthPLAYS here:
http://youthplays.com/plays/view/160

High School (non) Musical is a parody of the Disney phenom. Runs 75-85 minutes, with a minimum cast of 14. Available from Playscripts here:
http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1335

Run Like the Dickens (aka Tiny Tim Runs the Marathon) runs 90-100 minutes, with a minimum cast of 9. In a sentence:
When Tiny Tim throws away his crutches and declares his intention to run the marathon, he could inspire millions--but with big business behind Oliver Twist as their inspirational figure of choice, Tiny Tim may never make it to the starting line...
Available from Playscripts here:
http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=2055

Cheers,
Jonathan

Co-Chair, Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights
Resident Playwright, Final Draft

YouthPLAYS, plays for young actors and audiences
www.youthplays.com

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Martin
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Posted: 7/05/11 at 7:45am

      The Man in Seat 24 or (The Uninvited Guest), has a cast of 15- 8 females and 7 males- and is published by Brooklyn Publishers.
     Synopsis: An irate, rude, and combative theatre patron (in your audience!) hijacks the cast, the crew, and his fellow theatre-goers and winds up stone cold dead at center stage. The Man in Seat 24 Or (The Uninvited Guest) is a murder mystery, a play-within-a-play, where a harried and frazzled theatre director investigates a murder--during a night of theatre gone wrong--and realizes that there is more to this evening’s performance than meets the eye.

     You Don’t Have to Feed A Cello has a cast of 15- 10 females and 5 males- and is published by Heuer Publishing.
     Synopsis: You Don’t Have to Feed A Cello is a young man’s worst nightmare, his own personal life, mistakes and failures, brought hilariously to the stage in embarrassing moments orchestrated and revealed by a Greek chorus of six nagging mothers in his head. Vexed and hounded by finger-pointing failure, nagging guilt, missed opportunities, and a son’s duties and responsibilities, a playful, comical, paranoid theatrical presentation of a conscience riddled by a mother’s overprotective love and good intentions.
5 Males, 10 Females (Some Flexible casting).

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Play Suggestions
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Author	Message
drama coach Player Joined: 5/11/10 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 11	Topic: Need easy comedy with little or no set Posted: 6/29/11 at 9:54pm
	Due to large class size next fall, I'm looking for a comedy to do with high school students that has little or no set. I'd like about 12-15 cast members.

	IP Logged

edh915 Celebrity Joined: 11/19/09 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 325	Posted: 6/30/11 at 12:40pm
	Obviously, you can do Shakespeare - either the original or one of the many adaptation/simplifications that are around. - The Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, Comedy of Errors, and A Midsummer Night's Dream are adaptations that I've done which I've found to be the most accessible. (I'm directing my own version of Shrew right now, and my entire set consists of two stepladders and four chairs. If you're interested in any of them, you can get ahold of me a EasyShakespeare@gmail.com) Also: "Somewhere In Between" by Craig Pospisil is a very funny contemporary play about looking for love in the big city. Written for 6 to 8 with doubling, there are actually an easy dozen roles - male and female - evenly distributed.
	IP Logged

jonplaywright Star Joined: 7/20/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 53	Posted: 7/04/11 at 11:20am
	I have three full-length comedies (two parodies and one not) that are good choices for high school and can be done with virtually no set. The minimum cast sizes listed below may expanded (all of these could be done with 30+ actors if you wanted to). *Harry's Hotter at Twilight* is my new mash-up parody of Harry Potter and Twilight. Runs about 90 minutes and has a minimum of roughly 12 actors and available for YouthPLAYS here: http://youthplays.com/plays/view/160 *High School (non) Musical* is a parody of the Disney phenom. Runs 75-85 minutes, with a minimum cast of 14. Available from Playscripts here: http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1335 Run Like the Dickens (aka *Tiny Tim Runs the Marathon*) runs 90-100 minutes, with a minimum cast of 9. In a sentence: When Tiny Tim throws away his crutches and declares his intention to run the marathon, he could inspire millions--but with big business behind Oliver Twist as their inspirational figure of choice, Tiny Tim may never make it to the starting line... Available from Playscripts here: http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=2055 Cheers, Jonathan
	Co-Chair, Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights Resident Playwright, Final Draft YouthPLAYS, plays for young actors and audiences www.youthplays.com
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Martin Player Joined: 4/02/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 13	Posted: 7/05/11 at 7:45am
	The Man in Seat 24 or (The Uninvited Guest), has a cast of 15- 8 females and 7 males- and is published by Brooklyn Publishers. Synopsis: An irate, rude, and combative theatre patron (in your audience!) hijacks the cast, the crew, and his fellow theatre-goers and winds up stone cold dead at center stage. The Man in Seat 24 Or (The Uninvited Guest) is a murder mystery, a play-within-a-play, where a harried and frazzled theatre director investigates a murder--during a night of theatre gone wrong--and realizes that there is more to this evening’s performance than meets the eye. You Don’t Have to Feed A Cello has a cast of 15- 10 females and 5 males- and is published by Heuer Publishing. Synopsis: You Don’t Have to Feed A Cello is a young man’s worst nightmare, his own personal life, mistakes and failures, brought hilariously to the stage in embarrassing moments orchestrated and revealed by a Greek chorus of six nagging mothers in his head. Vexed and hounded by finger-pointing failure, nagging guilt, missed opportunities, and a son’s duties and responsibilities, a playful, comical, paranoid theatrical presentation of a conscience riddled by a mother’s overprotective love and good intentions. 5 Males, 10 Females (Some Flexible casting).
	IP Logged