Play Suggestions: one act comedy

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one act comedy

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=2979
Printed Date: 11/26/24 at 10:35am
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Topic: one act comedy

Posted By: Ringbo
Subject: one act comedy
Date Posted: 2/17/08 at 7:38am

We are a community theater whose core group is mostly High School Kids but would love to have more adults involved. We used to get alot more adults involved but that has faltered.

We are looking at doing a 30 minute play at area festivals this year to try to get more adults interested in doing theater with us. Less than 6 adult parts male and female would be ideal. I thought a comedy or murder mystery would be nice but really anything works. It will be done at area festivals so it also has to be family appropiate. If anyone has any other ideas how to attract more adults I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks

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Live each day like its opening nite!

Replies:

Posted By: Lazy Bee
Date Posted: 2/17/08 at 3:48pm

Take a look at Damian Trasler's http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk/cgi-bin/Search_Results.asp?iSc=66 - Work in Progress (run time about 30 minutes, 2M, 2F)
Or, sift through these http://www.lazybeescripts.co.uk/OneActPlays/ - one act plays !

When you say "at area festivals", do you mean one-act play festivals (competitions) or do you mean getting spots at other public events?
(In the former case, you are looking to attract existing theatre participants away from other groups and towards your own; in the latter you are looking for completely new participants.)

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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: 2/17/08 at 11:42pm

Honestly, the best place to look for one-act plays is http://www.playscripts.com - www.playscripts.com you can read up to 90% of the play on-line, so you don't have to buy anything you haven't read.

I like Christopher Durang's "The Actor's Nightmare"--it's starting to get a little dated (how many high school kids know who Noel Coward is these days?) but it's still terrific stuff. Of course there's anything by David Ives--look at All in the Timing, those are a little shorter than what you're probably looking for, but they're a great mix of high-brow comedy and bizarre hilarity.

If you're feeling up for it, you could take a full-length play and cut it for a one-act--I'm thinking of Larry Shue's The Nerd or The Foreigner, (which will likely draw more adults in)--you can't get the rights to cut Neil Simon, so don't even try that route.

And if you're really up for it, you could try one of my oh-so-brilliant plays--The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon is 5 actors--read it here: http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1163 - http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1163 click on read sample at the top right to read just about the entire thing.

"Naomi in the Living Room" is one of my favorite Durang one-acts--sadly it's more than a little inappropriate for family audiences. You might be able to prune it wisely, though.

Don

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www.donzolidis.com

Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 2/18/08 at 7:50am

A play that has great success with theatre folk (because of all the inside jokes) is "For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls" - an hysterically funny parody of The Glass Menagerie by Christopher Durang. Cast requires two adults (1m1f) and two younger people (1m1f).

Posted By: Ringbo
Date Posted: 2/19/08 at 3:46pm

Thanks, to clarify, spots at other events. We are looking to attract completely new participants.

Thank you for your suggestions it is much appreciated.

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Live each day like its opening nite!