Play Suggestions: Help choosing summer play

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Help choosing summer play

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
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=2738
Printed Date: 11/22/24 at 3:18pm
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Topic: Help choosing summer play

Posted By: bbpchick
Subject: Help choosing summer play
Date Posted: 10/11/07 at 1:22pm

Hello all,

Our theater is setting our season for 2008 but we are having a little difficulty. We have set our spring performance ("White Sheep of the Family) and fall performance (Ladies in Retirement), but we are having a little trouble choosing our Summer melodrama.

Any suggestions? I'm so tired of reading scripts that I think my eyes will explode if I read too many more.

Help pretty please.

Thank you =D

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Kendra
http://www.murphysblackbartplayer.com - www.murphysblackbartplayers.com
You are NEVER too old to dress up!

Replies:

Posted By: Lazy Bee
Date Posted: 10/11/07 at 2:47pm

Any limitations you'd care to give us? Particularly
- length
- limitations on numbers of characters
- how seriously do you take melodrama? (Originally, melodrama was a serious business, modern writers tend to parody the form whilst keeping some of the basic conventions.)

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Stuart
Lazy Bee Scripts
http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk - http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk read complete play scripts on-line

Posted By: bbpchick
Date Posted: 10/11/07 at 3:24pm

As far as length, at least 60 minutes.

I would like a maximum of around 15 but closer to 10 would be great.

We play melodrama straight. However we have had a wide variety of the type of melodrama we have done. We have done shows ranging from "The Drunkard" to our last melodrama "Stop the Presses! Or...She's Not My Type". What I would really like is a show that has good entertainment value with good characters. I would like to do a more serious melodrama, but if I come accross a good comedic one, I would consider it.

I guess it would help to list some of the Melodramas we have done in the past.

The Drunkard

Love Rides the Rails

Bad Day at Gopher's Breath

Because Their Hearts Were Pure

Peril at Pumbernickle Pass

A Golden Fleecing

Lady Sophie's Secret

Two Chickens in Every Pot (written by one of the founders of our group)

Adrift in New York

There are more, but I can't rememeber them off the top of my head.

So we do a wide variety of melodramas. So as long as it is a good script, not too many scene changes (fewer the better), good characters, and something audiences would have ample opportunity to boo, hiss, yay, and awww would be great. Oh we are trying to avoid Tim Kelly this time because we have done his plays quite a bit in the last few years and would like to mix it up a bit.

Thank you so much for your time.

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Kendra
http://www.murphysblackbartplayer.com - www.murphysblackbartplayers.com
You are NEVER too old to dress up!

Posted By: Lazy Bee
Date Posted: 10/11/07 at 6:31pm

Take a look at http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk/cgi-bin/Search_Results.asp?iAR=5&iSc=232&sTh=%5BAny%5D - Faith, Hope and Bertha by Daniel Krueger. (The link will take you to an overview, from which clicking on the script name should take you to a page where you can read the whole script.)

Now, since you mention The Drunkard, have you researched the history of the play? Why is the philanthropist in The Drunkard named "Arden Rencelaw"? The name is a ridiculously obvious anagram, so presumably it was based on a real person, but who and why?

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Stuart
Lazy Bee Scripts
http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk - http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk read complete play scripts on-line

Posted By: donzolidis
Date Posted: 10/12/07 at 12:52am

Well you could go with a classic, "Under the Gaslight" by Augustin Daly was one of the very first melodramas. And where the famous girl-tied-to-the-railroad-tracks scene originated.

Good thing: You don't have to pay for rights.

Bad thing: You'll probably have to spend that money building the train.

Although honestly I don't remember if the train is required or not. The tracks are.

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www.donzolidis.com

Posted By: Nanette
Date Posted: 10/12/07 at 9:37am

"Bad thing: You'll probably have to spend that money building the train."

donzolidis ... that sounds like a challenge! You can't imagine what I could make with a couple of days, a nail gun, scrap lumber, a glue gun, and a full recycle bin! LOL

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In a world of margarine, be butter!

Posted By: alice
Date Posted: 10/13/07 at 5:21pm

You might look at Deadwood Dick. It is a Samuel French play. We did it, and it was really successful. Audience and cast got a kick out of it. It has lots of twist and turns. Alice

Posted By: bbpchick
Date Posted: 10/14/07 at 12:46am

Thank you all very much for your suggestions. I'm reading Faith, Hope and Bertha, I'll order a copy of Deadwood Dick, but my only question is who has "Under the Gaslight"? I would also like to order that script, but I can't seem to find who has it.

Thanks again,

Kendra

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Kendra
http://www.murphysblackbartplayer.com - www.murphysblackbartplayers.com
You are NEVER too old to dress up!

Posted By: donzolidis
Date Posted: 10/14/07 at 11:54pm

You can get it from Amazon.com or it's published in a lot of American Theatre anthologies. I don't think any play publisher has it because its royalty-free.

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www.donzolidis.com

Posted By: bbpchick
Date Posted: 10/15/07 at 12:09pm

Awesome! Thank you!

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Kendra
http://www.murphysblackbartplayer.com - www.murphysblackbartplayers.com
You are NEVER too old to dress up!