Play Suggestions - Anything with Large Cast
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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=3415
Printed Date: 4/21/25 at 6:20pm Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Play Suggestions - Anything with Large Cast
Posted By: dexter74656
Subject: Play Suggestions - Anything with Large Cast
Date Posted: 9/06/08 at 10:13pm
Hi everyone- I'm looking for a little insight because I'm frustrated/disappointed with what I've been finding thus far.
3rd year of a community theater; our acting base primarily are HS students and college or recent college grads, with a very few selection of older adults. I have basically no concerns about complexities of the show... we don't have a lot of money, but we've got enough that I'm not concerned about set sizes, costumes, or technical challenges.
The problem I run into, however, is that we only do one show, so I need it to be a non-Drama. A comedy or comedic drama or murder mystery would work, but it's important to me that we have the audience leave in a good mood from laughing.
Additionally, because we're a new theater, I want to get as many people involved as possible... more people = more families = better exposure & ticket sales. Over the past two years, we've done:
2007/Robin Hood (Nigro) - 36 cast members 2008/Get Smart - 29 cast members
I really don't feel comfortable dropping our total cast under 25 this year and am really interested in going up.
Our performers are strongest in an ensemble cast settings - something Robin Hood featured and Get Smart, but one of the other things I'm keeping in the back of my mind is that now two of our strongest male performers won't be returning for 2009 and I've got at least four really, really solid females that I'd like to feature.
Most of the big cast shows I've looked at so far have been pretty much junk and very cheesy. With this many people, I know and am prepared to have lots of very small roles - that's great because it gets some of the new people involved, lets them get their feet wet, etc. Our casts go all the way down to age 9, so lots of small parts is fine, as long as the story is there - appealing - and strong characters.
And we're looking straight play... musicals will come with our 2010 Season. Some name recognition on title and/or playwright would be nice, but not entirely necessary.
Has anyone had any good experience out there with big casts and can recommend anything?
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Replies:
Posted By: drose
Date Posted: 9/06/08 at 11:48pm
Shakespeare comedies - A midsummer Night's Dream is a good one. Wide age ranges and you can always fill out the fairys with as many people as you want. And its easy to modernize if you want to go that route. I was just sent pics of a contemporary version set in Central Park (the fairies were homeless), and I'm currently working on a contemporary version set on "The Athens", a ritzy golf club, the mechanicals are caddies, and my fairies are all goth/punk. It's been great fun so far. And we are marketing it special to the local schools for extra credit points for students who see it. We open in two weeks. I'll let you know how it goes.
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Posted By: dexter74656
Date Posted: 9/07/08 at 1:31pm
I'd love to do Shakespeare, but I'm concerned with how our target audience would react to something like that. Not to put it bluntly, but it's not the most educated of communities - haha. We're looking to do a traveling production of Shakespeare in the next few years though.
How does modernization work? Do you have to get special rights to do those changes? I hope it goes well for you!
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Posted By: belle
Date Posted: 9/07/08 at 3:11pm
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Comedy. Adapted by Christopher Sergel. Based on the book by Leonard Wibberley.
Cast: 14m., 16w. (extras if desired, doubling.) "Hilarious, rib-tickling comedy," wrote one leading critic, adding that he considers it "the funniest on record" The wonderful audience response to this show has been shared in the enthusiastic reaction of the critics who admire not only its sharp wit but also its wisdom. A pretty girl of 22 happens to be the present Duchess Gloriana, sovereign of a microscopic country in the Alps founded centuries ago by a roving band of English bowmen. Gloriana's unique solution to the near bankruptcy of her tiny domain is to declare war on the U.S.! There's some method to her madness, however, for her study of recent history suggests that the surest way to wealth today is to lose a war with the United States, for that country's odd reaction is to pour aid, relief and rehabilitation on the vanquished. When her "declaration" is considered a prank, Gloriana decides to escalate! Tully Bascomb, presently in charge of the bowmen, is to launch an attack so they can surrender and reap the rewards. Serious-minded Tully, however, upsets all calculations when he and his bowmen do the last thing expected—they win! You'll find comment in the comedy crescendo that follows including some pointed kind words for America. This rare comedy uses the magic of the theatre to invite your audience to enjoy the delight of the "impossible." Area staging. Sound effects tape available.
This is copied and pasted from the Dramatic website. It looks like what you are asking for. |
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Posted By: dexter74656
Date Posted: 9/07/08 at 4:26pm
That looks hilarious! Shame it's back-ordered... definately something I'll ear-mark to review if it becomes available
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Posted By: donzolidis
Date Posted: 9/08/08 at 1:40am
You could try The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon. Fits between 5 and 41 actors. Here's the description from Playscripts:
The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm are turned on their heads in this fast-paced, rollicking ride as two narrators and several actors attempt to combine all 209 stories ranging from classics like Snow White, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretel to more bizarre, obscure stories like The Devil's Grandmother and The Girl Without Hands. A wild, free-form comedy with lots of audience participation and madcap fun. (A http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1163 - one-act version of this play is also available.)
Better yet, you can read it online here without buying it:
http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1162 - http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1162
Click on read sample in the upper right hand corner.
------------- www.donzolidis.com
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Posted By: donzolidis
Date Posted: 9/08/08 at 1:43am
Oh and Shakespeare became public domain a long time ago. You can do whatever you want with it and no one can stop you.
------------- www.donzolidis.com
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Posted By: jayzehr
Date Posted: 9/08/08 at 7:43am
Holy Smokes! How do you find 36 people to do a show ? Do you have any hair left?
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Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 9/08/08 at 9:21am
Marathon 33 - a play about a dance marathon in the 30's by June Havoc - 38 characters + extras - very exciting and fun and dramatic and ...
The Enchanted - basically a play about enforced conformity - by Jean Giraudoux - 20 characters + extras - a chaming period classic
An American Tragedy - a story of social climbing and murder based on the book by Dreiser - 32 characters - stage version of the Elizabeth Taylor/Montgomery Clift/Shelley Winters' film "A Place in the Sun" - wonderful adaptation!
Good luck on your quest!
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Posted By: jaytee060
Date Posted: 9/08/08 at 10:27am
------------- "REMEMBER ME IN LIGHT"
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Posted By: jaytee060
Date Posted: 9/08/08 at 10:38am
The Samuel French catalogue and the Dramatisy Play Service catalogue
both have pages of plays for large casts. Have you looked there? They are both
listed by cast size so they are easy to find.
Large cast shows are pretty rare these days but in the era between 1930 to 1950's, plays with 15 or more characters were quite common. Many of them are considered classics. Plus. most of the large cast plays in these two catalogues are far from being "cheesey"
Best of luck to you and I wish my theatre had that sort of actor pool.
------------- "REMEMBER ME IN LIGHT"
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Posted By: drose
Date Posted: 9/11/08 at 12:05pm
Originally posted by dexter74656
How does modernization work? Do you have to get special rights to do those changes? I hope it goes well for you!
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Shakespeare is public domain and you can essentially do what you want with it in terms of modernizing or adapting. Dover thrift editions are $1.50 / script and the editors state : "Performance - This Dover Thrift Edition may be used in its entirety, in adaptation or in any other way for theatrical productions, professional and amatuer, in the United States, without fee, permission, or acknowledgment. " I don't love the editing of this edition, but they are very useable, and if you do your homework you should be good to go. The scripts for Midsummer, Much Ado, and Two Gentlemen (among others, I'm sure), lend themselves very well to temporal adaptation. I've seen Much Ado set in WW2 and the Civil war. And I saw a wonderful Two Gentlemen set in the old west. 50's and 80's are fun times to use too. We changed Midsummer to be taking place at "The Athens", a ritzy golf club instead Athens, Greece. The Mechanicals are caddies, the Fairies punk/Goth...it's been a lot of fun! And we've made almost no changes in the actual dialogue. One or two small cuts, but traditional language.
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Posted By: Chris
Date Posted: 9/19/08 at 12:35pm
Originally posted by dexter74656
That looks hilarious! Shame it's back-ordered... definately something I'll ear-mark to review if it becomes available |
If you enter your e-mail address in the box to the upper, right part http://www.dramaticpublishing.com/p1000/The-Mouse-That-Roared/product_info.html - of this page , we will send you a note when The Mouse That Roared in in stock. We expect delivery later this month.
------------- Chris
The Dramatic Publishing Co.
http://www.dramaticpublishing.com - http://www.dramaticpublishing.com
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Posted By: Shanahan
Date Posted: 9/25/08 at 4:00pm
Mike Legge's hysterical Shakespeare parody, "Shake-A-Spear," from JAC Publications.
Every Shakespearean convention thrown into a blender with some slapstick, a bit of Stooges, groan-inducing puns and a turtle. Cast of about 22.
------------- Laughter guaranteed. Plays by John Shanahan
http://www.johnshanahan.net
Dinner for Several
One Before Forty
Bob's Date
Brushstroke
Worst Possible Time for Writer's Block
& more!
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