Faith County, Meet Me In St Louis...help
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Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Play Suggestions
Forum Discription: Need help finding a show that's right for your theater? Ask here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1934
Printed Date: 11/22/24 at 11:38am
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Topic: Faith County, Meet Me In St Louis...help
Posted By: lucyvanpelt
Subject: Faith County, Meet Me In St Louis...help
Date Posted: 7/22/06 at 1:17pm
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Hello everyone!
In true form, I am here to ask for help! I am directing the youth production (grades 6-12) coming up at our community theater. Wanted to know what info you all could give me. Complete Works of William Shakespeare abridged...appropriate for that age group? Funny? thougts? Faith County...hear it is funny, but is it appropriate for that age group? Father of the Bride...saw the Steve Martin movie. But has anyone done the play? What can you tell me about it and would it be something for teenagers to do? Cheaper By the Dozen...I read that it was not like the movie. But is it funny? Anyone ever done it? What can you tell me? Meet Me In St Louis, the non-musical version...any thoughts on that? We just did Pirates of Penzance and sold out every night. And now, we are doing a non-musical for the first time in a while and I want it to be a hit. Thanks for your help! |
Replies:
Posted By: Linda S
Date Posted: 7/22/06 at 2:33pm
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Hi, I don't know all of the shows that you have mentioned, but I am familiar with some of them. I know Cheaper By the Dozen & Meet Me in St. Louis (just the musical version). I would do Cheaper By The Dozen with your age range. Yes, it is funny. It is set at the turn of the century. I think 1910 or there abouts. Lots of parts for lots of kids in a variety of ages. The music in Meet Me in St Louis is so wonderful and people are so familiar with that version, I would save it for when you wanted to do another musical. I love the Complete Works of Shakespeare, Abridged, but would not do it with middle school and high school students. It only has a cast of 3, who need to have split second timing and a strong background in Shakespeare . . . but that is me. Good luck with your search. Linda |
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 7/22/06 at 6:50pm
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Meet Me in St. Louis - without the songs?! LOL - what's the point?
It's not as if it's a real brain teaser of a plot LOL. Reduced Shakespeare only has three characters - and they're all male. All three men should be fairly adept at comic timing - and, of course, Shakespeare. My school would kill me if I did a play with only three kids LOL. Cheaper by the Dozen is cute - very appropriate for young people - it has a positive, family-oriented 'moral' to the piece. And it's fun for young people to play parents LOL. Faith County isn't a play I would, personally, do with my school kids. It's not dirty or anything -but it is wacky adult-themed humor. I had no idea Father of the Bride was a play. Good luck! |
Posted By: Oberon
Date Posted: 7/23/06 at 1:37pm
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I can comment on three of your four choices. Faith County - We staged it and it skews more towards an adult cast. Nothing against your students, but it is clear in the script that the show plays better if the characters are drawn realisticly and that the characters are sincere and honest. They are not to be played as caricatures of Southern Hick per playwrights request. That does not prevent you from staging it only stretching the believability of the characters. Meet Me In St. Louis - I wasn't aware of a straight play version. I think to musical is probably doable for your age group so the play should be also. Costuming and period pieces would be your biggest challenge, but you know your resources. Cheaper By The Dozen - Our organization is staging this show this Fall. It is the original story by two of the actual Gilbreth children. it is proper to say that the movie is not like the play. (typical Hollywood) The main feature of the show is the children even though the father is a strong presence he does not dominate the dialogue. Again , the biggest issue is peiod dress and sets. |
Posted By: POB14
Date Posted: 7/24/06 at 10:39am
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I played the Dad in Cheaper By The Dozen a number of years ago. It was a great experience and a huge success. Some of the kids from the show still call me "Dad." Our director did a small rewrite so we could have all 12 kids onstage (the script only uses the oldest 7 or 8). It's nothing at all like the Steve Martin movie, but somewhat close to the original movie. If you do it, be sure to do some reading about the real Frank and Lillian Gilbreth; they were fascinating people. Frank worked his way up from being a bricklayer, and Lillian got her Ph.D. from Brown in 1915 and became the first female member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. You might start here: http://gilbrethnetwork.tripod.com/front.html - http://gilbrethnetwork.tripod.com/front.html ------------- POB Old Bugger, Curmudgeon, and Antisocial B**tard |
Very funny, very poignant, and very true to life.